Installment 4: Armor and Warfare

 Ephesians 6 ¹⁴Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God,


Today, I want to look at the next piece of the Armor of God that the Lord has given us to stand and do battle with - the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. The breastplate was a protector of the vital organs of the ancient warrior doing battle. This is an important piece of warfare equipment and we need to understand how we put it on and how it protects us and gives us confidence that we may get wounded in the battle but the vital areas of our spiritual life are protected.


There are basically two types of righteousness. The first type of righteousness is that which is established on our own list of dos and don'ts of the religious nature. This is called "self-righteousness" and as you read the scripture it doesn't take long to realize God is no fan of self-righteousness. One of the traps is that we try to impress God and others by what we "do". Reading the Bible for an hour a day, locking ourselves away to pray, attending church are all good activities but are lots of ungodly people who do things out of religious compulsion or an attempt to look righteous. This is not true righteousness and will end in defeat if we try to stand and battle from this foundation. On the other hand, abstaining from stuff and activities may make you disciplined but it doesn't qualify as right standing with God. Not drinking, not cursing, not wearing immodest clothing, not associating with certain types of people all gives us no good standing with God. Many Christians fall into these two dangerous traps. We think that because of what we do or don't do we are righteous and can battle against the enemy. He loves for us to attempt to stand against him in our own righteousness. When we try stand in our own righteousness we will become mortally wounded spiritually and will end up falling beneath the onslaught of the enemy. We need to remember that God in Isa. 64:6 says that "all our righteousness is as filthy rags" 


Enough about false righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21 Amplified Bible (AMP)

²¹For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [^[a]endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness]. This verse makes it very clear that true right standing with God comes as a gift from God. Jesus, the only true righteous one, took our sin and gave us His righteousness in return. His sacrificial death on the cross bought and paid in full for our right standing. When we stand in battle with the enemy understanding that the devil's accusations have no power against the true righteousness of Jesus Christ, we cannot be defeated. The enemy cowers in fear when we trust in the Lord and lean not to our own understanding. Receiving God's true righteousness infuses us with the power of God to walk in His protection. When we come into the fullness of God's love and power then the dos and don'ts become part of our nature. Not based on impressing God, but on loving Him and our behavior and attitudes flow from that heart desire. 

Don't be fooled into thinking what you do on the outside impresses God or the devil. Satan will laugh at your self-righteousness and win. Jesus told the hypocritical Pharisees that they were like a graveyard with polished headstones and underneath were dead men's bones. Our righteousness must flow from the heart that has been redeemed and has received Christ. Remember that we are the righteousness of God "IN CHRIST". Check out these verses. These scriptures clearly state that true righteousness is from God and  is our protection and confidence as we battle the enemy!! Just sayin'.......