Shielded Day 6 Heart Armor

Ephesians 6:10-18
Romans 3
Proverbs 4:20-27
Romans 1:16-17

Shielded, Day 6

Our hearts work in incredible ways.

As you are reading this, your heart is beating with one steady, consistent beat after another, sending carbon dioxide-laden blood to your lungs for a quick clean and then pumping oxygenated blood to every inch of you. It mightily gives each part of the body what it needs to function properly.

Our hearts are also one of the few organs possessing the ability to completely stop the entire body from working in a split second. At any point, someone’s heart could stop beating and life would be over.  When the heart is weak or diseased or blocked, the rest of the body is affected and begins to break down and lose its function.

Because of its essential role in our physical bodies, humankind has taken to using the heart as a spiritual metaphor describing the essence of ourselves,
our feelings and emotions, and our relationships with others.

Our hearts are full, or they’ve been hurt.
Our hearts are given to others who touch our lives.
A special place in our hearts is made for those dear to us.

It’s no wonder God’s design for our bodies protects our hearts with a sturdy ribcage. Similarly, Solomon instructed his son to “guard his heart above all else,” and Paul encourages us to put on the body armor of righteousness over our hearts to thwart the enemy’s schemes.

The heart is vital.

The last part of Ephesians 6 is all about a battle plan, a plan leaning on the attributes of God to stand against the attacks of our enemy, Satan. Paul instructs us to put on various pieces of armor and associates each with characteristics of God. Victory doesn’t come from our own strength or ability, but from a developing, growing relationship with God.
He alone is the One who saves, protects, defends, and fights on our behalf. 

In Ephesians 6:14, we are told to don the armor of righteousness. Other translations commonly refer to this armor as the breastplate of righteousness. A breastplate is a piece of armor that covers a soldier from the neck to the waist, protecting the vital organs for life.

Namely, the heart.
We are to cover our hearts with God’s righteousness. 

Read that again.
We are to cover our hearts with God’s righteousness.

I am constantly trying to make things right. Perhaps you can relate? My immediate response to any problem is to solve it on my own. It’s a knee-jerk reaction.

I don’t just leave it at my own problems, either. Present me with an issue, and I’ll have 3 different solutions off the top of my head to offer up as advice. I’ve prided myself for years on this ability, championing myself a hero.

But as I’ve grown older, I’ve come to understand how relying on my own right-making has been more of a hindrance to growth than a pathway to growth. I’ve isolated myself not only from the tender care of those around me, but more dismally, from my Savior’s.

More importantly, in trying to build my own armor of righteousness, I have left my heart, the well-spring of life, exposed to the enemy’s sinister plots.

Remembering the times I’ve allowed the devil to take a foothold in my heart wrenches my gut. I am reminded of harsh words spilling from my own mouth, of attitudes creating division, and of relationships left irreparable, all because I chose not to use the armor so readily available to me.

This sobering truth is echoed in Romans 3, which emphasizes we cannot be righteous on our own. Trying to make things right in our own way is fruitless.

However, Jesus is righteousness incarnate. He was the righteousness of God on earth for 33 years, showing us how to live.

Jesus made the way,
creating the connection from sin-filled us to an utterly holy God,
building a bridge to God’s righteousness through His own life, death, and resurrection.

By Jesus and through Jesus, we have access to His righteous armor.

When we are brought to faith in our precious Savior, Jesus, through the work of the Holy Spirit, God no longer sees us as unredeemable and wicked. Instead, He sees us covered in the righteousness of His Son. 

And now, our invitation is to pick up our armor and walk in righteousness, drawing ever closer to the One who saves us, the One who makes us righteous by His blood. We are called to dive ever deeper into His Word, letting it wash over our hearts until our lives reflect His promises.

So, let’s pick up our armor of righteousness, dear friends, and march into battle. The war is raging as we speak, but the victory has already been won.

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