Jeremiah 6 Applied

As Jeremiah warns the people of God’s judgment that is coming, the priests are telling them that God wouldn’t do that. In verse 24, we see the anguish that the people suffer is likened to birth pains. Jesus was asked in Matthew 24 about the signs of the end of time, in which He talks about wars, famine, and earthquakes as signs like birth pangs becoming more frequent. He continues on about the troubling times that will follow.

In order to prepare we are to put on the armor, God has given us. Unlike King Saul’s armor which didn’t fit David as he prepared to fight Goliath, we know from James 1:17, God’s gifts are perfect.

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.

Ephesians 6:14-18 ESV

Belt of Truth — I have always pictured this as maybe a two-inch belt to hold everything together. Today I saw it like a boxing title belt, you know those big wide belts that have a huge gold champion medallion on the front and fasten in the back. What does that have to do with armor? It would protect your gut. You know when you have that gut feeling that something is wrong but you can’t put your finger on it. The truth will reveal itself to you just ask God to show it to you.

Breastplate of Righteousness — This protects your heart from the fiery darts of the devil. It is the righteousness is not our own but that of Jesus.

Shoes of Peace — This is the peace we have with God through accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives. The Gospel of Peace is what helps us to stand against the schemes of our enemy. Knowing His peace gives us a firm grounded foundation.

Shield of Faith — Faith is a muscle the more you use it the bigger it goes and the stronger it gets. It is faith that brings us to Jesus. Our faith grows as we are in the Bible and see His work in our lives. What we have experienced in our walk with Jesus we are able to use to block the flaming darts our enemy shoot at us.

Helmet of Salvation — The helmet protects our thought life. The enemy wants to cause us to doubt God and ourselves. In Philippians 4:8, we are told how the helmet is worked in protecting our thoughts.

 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Sword of the Spirit — The Bible, the Word of God, is the only offensive weapon we have. That is why it is important for us to memorize it so we can use it to attack the enemy when he comes after us. In Matthew 4:1-11, every time the enemy came after Jesus with a temptation, He was able to counter the attack with the Word of God.

Prayer in the Spirit — This is our most important piece of armor yet many times when we are under attack. There are times when we are so deep in the battle we may not know what to pray that is when the Spirit takes over for us, Romans 8:26, kicks in;

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Every day before you get out of bed, make sure you have your armor on.