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THE ARMOR OF GOD We are engaged in spiritual battle - all believers find themselves subject to Satan's attacks because they are no longer on Satan's side. Thus, aposle Paul tells us to use every piece of God's armor to resist Satan's attacks and to stand true to God in the midst of those attacks. -
BELT: -
USE - Truth -
APPLICATION - Satan fights with lies, and sometimes his lies sound like truth; but only believers have God's truth, which can defeat Satan's lies. -
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BREASTPLATE: -
USE - Righteousness -
APPLICATION - Satan often attacks our hearts - the seat of our emotions, self-worth, and trust. God's righteousness is the breastplate that protects our heart and ensures his approval. He approves of us because he loves us and sent his Son to die for us. -
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FOOTGEAR: -
USE - Readiness to spread the Good News -
APPLICATION - Satan wants us to think that telling others the Good News is a worthless and hopeless task - the size of the task is too big and the negative responses are too much to handle. But the footgear God gives us is the motivation to continue to proclaim the true peace that is available in God-news everyone needs to hear. -
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SHIELD: -
USE - Faith -
APPLICATION - What we see are Satan's attacks in the form of insults, setbacks, and temptations. But the shield of faith protects us from Satan's flaming arrows. With God's perspective, we can see beyond our circumstances and know that ultimate victory is ours. -
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HELMET: -
USE - Salvation -
APPLICATION - Satan wants to make us doubt God, Jesus, and our salvation. The helmet protects our minds from doubting God's saving work for us. -
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SWORD: -
USE - The Spirit, the Word of God -
APPLICATION - The sword is the only weapon of offense in the list of armor. There are times when we need to take the offensive against Satan. When we are tempted, we need to trust in the truth of God's Word. -
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