Jehoshaphat’s Story – Put On Your Armor

Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” – 2 Chronicles 20:20

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Have Faith

We are continuing in Jehoshaphat’s story found in 2 Chronicles 20. Two weeks ago we talked about God giving the nation of Judah a word of encouragement. He told them the battle belonged to Him. Last week we saw how Jehoshaphat and the people believed God and trusted Him. In today’s post, Jehoshaphat and his army are setting out to face the vast army that was coming against them.

In the verse above, I love Jehoshaphat’s words, “Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld.” It’s a theme we have seen throughout this story. We need to keep our faith in God. And often times we need a reminder, just as the people of Judah did on this day.

Put On Your Armor

At this point in Jehoshaphat’s story, the men are on their way to battle. And part of the preparation is to dress appropriately. The text found in 2 Chronicles 20 doesn’t specifically say they put on their armor, but we can imagine they did so. Any soldier, whether in biblical times or today, would suit up with certain pieces of attire, if they knew they were headed to battle.

Likewise, we need to suit up as well. We might not put on physical armor, like the men of Judah. But we do need our spiritual armor. Each day we have an enemy who is seeking to attack us. We never know when or how he will appear. Therefore, we should prepare ourselves each morning.

Maybe you are wondering how we do that. Thankfully the Bible helps us out. In Ephesians 6:10-18, Paul wrote about the armor that was common to Roman soldiers of his time. But the pieces of armor also have spiritual significance.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Let’s take a closer look at our armor, and break this down a bit.

“With the belt of truth buckled around your waist”

The soldiers in biblical times used a belt to hold their long tunic in place. This kept them from tripping.

Likewise, we too must keep The Truth wrapped around us at all times. This will keep us from tripping up in our Christian walk.

“With the breastplate of righteousness in place”

When Roman soldiers suited up, they made sure to protect their upper body, the vital organs, and especially the heart.

We too have to “guard our hearts.” This keeps us walking in righteousness.

When it comes to righteousness, there are two points to remember. First, as Christians, Jesus is our righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Yet we also have a responsibility to walk rightly. 1 John 3:7 says, “Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he [Jesus] is righteous.”

“With your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace”

Proper footwear was an essential piece on the Roman soldier’s attire. Paul uses the phrase gospel of peace, when he talks about the feet.

The gospel of peace is our peace with God, thanks to what Jesus did for us on the cross. The enemy will try to get into our heads, condemning us, making us feel guilty, and stealing our hope. But we don’t have to fall for his tricks. We can stand firmly in our well-built shoes because we have the confidence that we are forgiven and redeemed. Jesus has already won the battle on our behalf.

“Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one”

There were two types of shields the Romans might use. A round, smaller one was helpful in hand-to-hand combat. But the one Paul wrote about in Ephesians was much bigger. It protected the whole body. Often the soldiers would soak these shields with water, to protect themselves from the fiery arrows that were shot by the enemy.

Our faith shields us from the enemy’s attacks and his fiery darts. Therefore, we have to be intentional about holding onto our faith and using it when needed. This means we choose to believe truth over lies. We choose to stand on God’s promises instead of allowing the devil to bring us down. And we choose to believe our God is mightier than any obstacle we face.

“Take the helmet of salvation”

Roman soldiers wore helmets to protect their heads when in combat. When we keep on our helmet of salvation, we keep in the forefront of our minds that Jesus has saved us from an eternity in hell. This truth helps us in numerous ways in our day to day lives.

First, it helps us to live with an eternal mindset. Living with an eternal mindset helps us to know that the pain of this life is temporary. We have a glorious heavenly home to look forward to. This fact alone brings us peace as we face difficulties. Having an eternal mindset also helps us to see how urgent the Good News is, which will cause us to share the Gospel with the lost. And when we have an eternal mindset, we will put God first in our lives.

Also, our helmet of salvation will protect our minds when the enemy attacks. Our minds are dangerous territory in our battles. The enemy will send doubts, fear, depression, anxiety, sinful thoughts, negativity, complaints, anger, and anything else he can think of into our minds. We have to keep our helmet of salvation on at all times. We have to remember the work that Jesus did on the cross for us. If you accepted Jesus, your salvation is secure. And the victory is already won.

“The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”

“The sword is the only piece of the armor described by Paul that is geared for both defense and offense. In that regard, it truly is two-sided—defending us against the devil and actively forcing the devil to retreat from us.” [When the Enemy Attacks © 2004 by Charles F. Stanley]

Paul clearly tells us that the sword of the spirit is the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12 tells us “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” It is vital for us to study Scripture and memorize Bible verses. God’s Word is a sharp weapon that we can use to stand against the enemy and his tactics. (Perhaps we can start by memorizing these verses from Ephesians? 😊)

“And pray in the Spirit”

I want to point out that Paul mentions prayer in these verses as well. I won’t talk about it much at this point, since we already talked about prayer in previous posts. I will just say that prayer is vital when we are in a battle. And it is something we need daily, just as we need our armor daily.

Putting on the armor before heading to battle was necessary for these soldiers. And it is necessary for us as well. On numerous occasions I have heard or read where Dr. Charles Stanley said that we should put on the armor before our feet hit the floor each morning.

We don’t know what each day will bring. But God knows. When we clothe ourselves with the right armor, we are intentionally protecting ourselves from the attacks that come our way. It doesn’t mean we won’t have anything difficult to face. But it does mean we can handle it more appropriately, knowing that our faith is sturdy and we have Almighty God beside us.

Thank you for reading. I hope you have a pleasant weekend.

© 2018-2023 Bridget A. Thomas. All rights reserved.