In today’s devotional, Dr. Michael Youssef looks at the first three elements of the whole armor of God.
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[00:00:00] You are listening to My Devotional, the daily devotional from Dr. Michael Youssef and Leading
[00:00:06] the Way.
[00:00:08] The Armor You Never Remove by Dr. Michael Youssef
[00:00:13] With every lie that permeates society, Satan convinces people that God's ways are not good
[00:00:19] nor loving so that they push him farther and farther away until he is no longer welcome.
[00:00:26] Over the past several years, we have seen this happening in our nation more and more.
[00:00:31] Satan is thoroughly dedicated to impugning the truth.
[00:00:35] Think about it this way.
[00:00:36] If man's greatest strength is to trust God, then Satan's mission is to make him distrust
[00:00:42] God.
[00:00:43] That's why knowing and walking in the truth is absolutely essential for the Christian life.
[00:00:48] So Paul likens the truth of God with the belt of a Roman soldier who would wrap a belt around
[00:00:54] his waist to keep his tunic in place and make sure nothing would entangle him.
[00:00:59] For those of us who love the Lord Jesus, our readiness for the spiritual battle always starts
[00:01:05] with the truth.
[00:01:06] And that is why the belt of truth is a permanent fixture.
[00:01:10] It's needed every day, even moment by moment.
[00:01:14] Next, Paul called God's people to put on the breastplate of righteousness.
[00:01:18] In ancient Rome, a soldier's breastplate was made of a hardened leather and fitted with metal to protect several vital organs.
[00:01:27] The Old Testament considered the heart the seat of a person's mind and will and the bowels as the source of deep emotions.
[00:01:35] Satan levels his greatest attacks against these.
[00:01:38] He wants our thoughts to lead us to sin.
[00:01:41] He wants our emotions to draw us away from the Lord.
[00:01:44] And so by putting on the breastplate of righteousness, we lean on the strength of Jesus for our obedience.
[00:01:51] We cover ourselves with his righteousness, surrendering to his will.
[00:01:56] Then Paul turns his attention to footwear.
[00:01:59] A good pair of fitted sandals were crucial to a Roman soldier.
[00:02:03] Once Christ saves us eternally, we are reconciled to God so that we not only have peace with God,
[00:02:09] but also the peace of God, the gospel of peace.
[00:02:13] So the believer's feet are fitted with readiness because of the truth that they've been purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ.
[00:02:20] No one can separate us from his love.
[00:02:23] No one can snatch us from his hand.
[00:02:25] You can read more about that in Romans chapter 8, verses 38 through 39, and John chapter 10, verses 28 through 29.
[00:02:35] Our feet are protected from the very fires of hell.
[00:02:39] Whenever Satan attacks us, as long as we're standing solid in our spiritual combat boots of the gospel,
[00:02:45] the Lord will never fail to fight for us.
[00:02:48] Let's pray together.
[00:02:50] Father, thank you for the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness,
[00:02:54] and footwear of the readiness given through the gospel of peace.
[00:02:59] May we wear these faithfully, trusting in you, and depending on your strength in our struggles.
[00:03:05] We pray this in the name of Jesus.
[00:03:07] Amen.
[00:03:08] To take a deeper dive into today's devotional topic,
[00:03:12] check the show notes for links to additional resources.
[00:03:15] And while you're there, subscribe to the My Devotional podcast so you never miss an episode.
[00:03:22] My Devotional is a ministry of leading the way with Dr. Michael Youssef.
[00:03:27] To learn more, visit ltw.org today.