Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit…."
(Eph. 6:10-18)

Every believer is involved in spiritual warfare. The problems we face are brought about by satanic forces - principalities, powers, rulers of darkness of this world and wicked spirits in heavenly places. Our responsibility is to use the weapons of our warfare to fight the good fight of faith. What are those weapons? The Name of Jesus, the Word of God, the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit.

Prayer is the battlefield. The time spent in prayer is the base of supply. The armor described in Ephesians chapter six is prayer armor. It serves one vital purpose: to combat Satan and win!

Your enemy is not other people. Satan is the source of all your trouble. Some people believe that God sends tribulation and trials. But God has provided the weapons and armor that get us out of trouble! Satan is the troublemaker! Not God! Not your neighbor! Not your co-worker!

In combat a good strategist knows the importance of cutting the enemy's supply and dividing his troops. Defeat is inevitable. Without a supply of food, water and ammunition, it will be only a matter of time until the enemy is in his hands. In fact, all he has to do is sit back and wait. If we are not spending time in prayer actively combating Satan, then he can easily overtake us.

Satan's strategy is to move in and cut off our supply. Much of our failure in the past has been Satan's success in dividing the Church. But thank God, the Body of Christ is coming together throughout the earth. People of all denominational backgrounds are uniting in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Believers are discovering more and more each day the power of God that is available to them. They are putting on their prayer armor, preparing to do battle in the world of the spirit. The barriers of denominations are crumbling like the walls of Jericho!

Thank God, we have authority over Satan and his cohorts. We are to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. We must master our weapons and use them effectively. If we expect to win the war, we must spend the time to reinforce our troops through prayer.

The Whole Armor of God
As a believer, you are a soldier in the army of God. Visualize yourself standing ready for battle with the armor of God protecting you - your loins girt with the truth. The breastplate of righteousness is in place. Your feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, you are holding the shield of faith to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. You have the helmet of salvation on your head and the sword of the Spirit - the Word of God - in your hand.

You are covered head to foot with the powerful armor of God. It is strong and will withstand any onslaught of the enemy. Let me show you how it works.

"And having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth." When Satan tells you in your mind that you will never see the manifestation of your prayers, that is the time to gird yourself with the truth.

Jesus said, "Thy [God's] word is truth" (John 17:17). Satan is the liar and father of lies. Determine in your heart that having done all to stand, you will stand firm on God's Word. You will not be moved by what you see, hear or think. You are only moved by the Word of God.

Of the man who delights in God's Word, making it final authority, Psalm 112:6-8 says: "Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies."

Fix your attention on God's Word. Trust only in the Lord and not in the evil reports you hear. Establish your heart in the Word of God!

The breastplate of righteousness has a particular meaning to you as a believer. It was no accident that the Spirit of God chose the breastplate to represent righteousness. Without the breastplate, vital areas of a soldier's body are exposed to his enemy. Without righteousness, the vital parts of your prayer life are exposed to Satan.

Righteousness may well be the most misunderstood subject in the New Testament. To the religious mind, righteousness is good, moral conduct. The true meaning, however, is very different. Righteousness is simply right-standing with God. Because of that right-standing, you have rights and privileges in His kingdom.

You will become more aware of those rights and privileges as you realize what happens when you make Jesus the Lord of your life. There are two spiritual families: the family of God and the family of the devil.

"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:18).

"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it" (John 8:44).

"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others" (Eph. 2:2-3).

Your faith in Jesus gives you power to become a child of God. When you make Jesus the Lord of your life, your spirit is born again. You no longer belong to Satan's kingdom. You are translated into the kingdom of God's Son (Col. 1:12-13). You are now an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ! What is His is yours. You have His righteousness! This is your breastplate! It makes you worthy in the sight of God.

As long as you see yourself unworthy, you will not experience answered prayer to any great degree. An understanding of righteousness will put you on the road to success. You have a right to resist Satan and to expect him to flee.

Believers all over the world are learning their rights. They are becoming more and more aware of their position as children of God and joint heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:17). They are taking advantage of the breastplate of righteousness!

Your next piece of armor is for your feet. They are to be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Jesus said, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). The gospel is the good news that we have peace through Jesus Christ. Isaiah 52:7 says, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace." Sharing the gospel with others is part of your armor.

The Word says, "Above all, taking the shield of faith." Your shield quenches all of the fiery darts of the wicked! First John 5:4 says, "...And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." Your faith makes you an overcomer and more than a conqueror! "The just shall live by faith" (Rom. 1:17). This means your whole life is sustained by your faith in God.

Finally, "Take the helmet of salvation." A helmet is protection for the head. Romans 12:2 says, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Satan's battleground is your mind. By keeping your mind renewed to the Word of God, you will protect it from Satan's onslaught of doubt and unbelief.

This is closely related to having your loins girt with the truth. Freedom is in the truth. Jesus said, "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32). The key is continuing. You cannot just try this. You must make a quality decision to do it. You will then experience the freedom from Satan that is rightfully yours as a child of God.

Your armor is the same spiritual armor that Jesus wore during His earthly ministry. "And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak" (Isa. 59:16-17).

He proved it before He gave it to you. It worked proficiently for Him. Why? Because He was here for one purpose - to fulfill God's will in the earth. Jesus ministered on earth as a prophet under the Abrahamic covenant. Philippians 2:8 says that Jesus humbled Himself. In the original Greek, that literally says, "He emptied Himself of His divine privileges." He walked as a man, filled with the Holy Ghost.

Jesus said, "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me" (John 5:30). He wore this armor as a man and then He gave it to the Church!

God has set in motion a security system on earth. This system is prayer. It includes the whole armor of God and the weapons of our warfare. The principles involved are designed to put a padlock on Satan's forces. This gives the Spirit of God an avenue through which He can carry out God's will in the lives of His people.

Source: Prayer: Your Foundation for Success by Kenneth Copeland
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers