Journal Entry ~ 03/06/18

13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, - Ephesians 6:13-14

The second piece of armor that Paul tells us to put on is the breastplate of righteousness. A Roman soldier wore a breastplate at the time to protect some of his most precious organs. Behind the breastplate are the heart and lungs. If those were to be injured, it would mean sudden death. So the breastplate is an essential piece of armor. 

Righteous means to live according to God’s will. A righteous person is obedient to God and lives in a way that honors Him. A righteous person is loving at all times, they never get angry or lose their patience, they are kind and gentle at all times, they live without fear and gluttony, they are never self-serving and they never lie. We know from Scripture that none of us are righteous because we all fall into the temptation of sin. Our sin tempts us away from a righteous life every day - we all have fallen short. On our own, we cannot stand against the tempting nature of sin, we need protection. 

This is where the breastplate of righteousness comes in. We can protect ourselves from the temptation of sin with His righteousness. God gave us instructions for living a righteous life in His Word. On our own, we fail at righteous decisions all the time, but with His Word in hand, we grow in our ability to make righteous decisions. When temptations come our way, we can base our decisions on His Word. And every time we do, our breastplate is strengthened against the temptation to sin. 

He is our protection - He offers it through prayer to us. When we get down on our knees and humbly ask Him to protect us from the temptation of sin, He responds by giving us the strength to live righteously. Ultimately, this allows us to withstand attacks from the enemy and live our lives in a way that is pleasing to Him. 


Press on ~ you are loved 💗

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