Body armor

Put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:11).

As a kid, I was fascinated by knights in shining armor. The museum in town had a full suit on display, and I thought that it was the best exhibit in the building. I suppose it was only natural, then, that my favorite comic book character was Iron Man, whose power came from a high tech suit of armor.

Armor has always been important in keeping soldiers safe. In ancient times, warriors would protect their vital organs by wearing a metal chest plate. During the Middle Ages, wealthy knights paid smiths to cover them head to foot in a customized suit of metal. Eventually, armor was made obsolete by bullets and artillery shells, but in recent decades body armor has made a comeback—new materials that are tough and relatively light weight give our soldiers and police decent protection from gunshot wounds.

We live in a dangerous world. But the greatest danger does not come from bullets, knives or bombs. Every day, there are snipers that take aim at our hearts, using words as their weapon of choice. They try to cheat us by telling lies. They try to make us afraid by making threats. They try to manipulate us with bribes. They try to control us through intimidation. How many times have you been wounded in the heart by someone making fun of you, telling lies behind your back, or playing on your sympathy in order to take advantage of you?

Wounds to the heart are painful and slow to heal; some can leave you permanently scarred, or even make you think about suicide. We need emotional body armor, something that can protect the heart from injury. Thankfully, such protection does exist—Paul describes the armor God offers us in Ephesians chapter six: Put on every piece of God's armor…Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Knowing what’s true, having a good relationship with God the Father and confidence in His love, trusting in Jesus to forgive your mistakes, and receiving guidance from the Holy Spirit—equipped like this, your heart is well protected from any hurtful attack.