How to Pray for the Armor of God

Knowing how to pray for the armor of God to be alive and active in your life is critical when you are experiencing spiritual warfare. 

The armor of God is not just some pretty metaphor, but is real, spiritual armor from God Himself that He has given to you for spiritual battle.  

Spiritual battle you say? What are you talking about?

We are at war, my friends.

Every day, the battle is going on around you, whether you admit it or not.

Read this:

Ephesians 6:10-12 

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

So, you have a real enemy, called the devil, who is scheming against you and pointblank wants to destroy you and your family. 

But it’s not just the devil who is attacking you. 

Did you catch that? 

There are also rulers, authorities, powers of the dark world, and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms that this passage says you will STRUGGLE against. 

WHOA! 

No wonder you need the armor of God Himself to withstand everything trying to take you down. 

The question is, how can you use the armor of God in everyday living? 

Let’s take a look the verses that follow: 

Ephesians 6:13-18

¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸ 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. 

In summary, your armor from God includes a belt, breastplate, fitted feet, shield, helmet, sword, and prayer. 

So this isn’t just fairy tale talk – this is all real armor? And how am I supposed to use all this? 

I’m glad you asked – let’s go through each one individually. 

And to make things more visual, let’s compare God’s armor to what a Roman soldier would have worn. 

Let’s see how the Roman soldiers used their armor and how you can relate that to how you should use God’s armor. 

The Belt of Truth 

The belt for a Roman soldier was their identity. 

A Roman soldier’s belt, or girdle, was intricately designed and had elaborate buckles.

It made them stand apart from normal civilians.

Their belt marked who they were. 

For Christians, your belt also marks who you are – a child of the Most High God! 

So why is it called the belt of truth? 

Have you noticed throughout the Bible, and perhaps even in your own life, that one of the ways Satan fights against you is with lies. 

Maybe he has been whispering in your ear that no one loves or cares about you. 

Perhaps he has you convinced that you are something you’re not – a liar, a failure, a bad parent, a drunk, an addict, depressed, a control-freak. 

Whatever identity you think you have, if that identity isn’t first and foremost “Child of God”, then Satan has you tricked. 

If you need more convincing, check out You are Chosen – seriously, you are!!

Why is this important? 

Because if Satan has you convinced that you aren’t loved and that no one cares, then you aren’t going to take the Good News to other people. 

If Satan has you convinced that you are a failure, too busy, or too depressed to help others, then you aren’t going to go be the hands and feet of Jesus to other people.  

Satan works hard to deceive you and keep you from doing God’s mission, and he does this with lies about your true identity. 

But make no mistake, God knows who you are. 

Since your armor is from God Himself, the belt from God marks you as a child of God, and nothing Satan can do can change that! 

The Breastplate of Righteousness 

For a Roman soldier, the breastplate was a life or death piece of equipment.  

The breastplate protected all of their vital organs, including the heart. 

Without a breastplate on in combat, it would be very easy for the enemy to take you out with one good stab. 

As a Christian, your breastplate protects your heart from the attacks of Satan.  

When he attacks you with accusations or guilt, having on the breastplate of righteousness can protect your heart from being unnecessarily burdened and weighed down. 

The definition of righteousness is “the quality of being morally right or justifiable”. 

When you believe in Jesus, you are given His righteousness.

So having on the breastplate of righteousness means that you remember what Christ has done for you and aren’t weighed down by guilt or shame because you are covered by Christ’s righteousness. 

When Satan is attacking you, just yell back at him, “I AM RIGHTEOUS!”

Don’t let Satan steal that truth from you.

If the belt of truth is about knowing who you are in Christ, the breastplate of righteousness is about living a life that reflects the truth you know.

By focusing on living God’s way, by knowing the truth and running everything – your actions, feelings, thoughts, words – by truth, it will be a lot harder for Satan to deceive you.

So as you can see, having on the breastplate of righteousness protects our heart from Satan’s attacks!

Feet Fitted With Readiness That Comes From the Gospel of Peace

Can you imagine going into battle wearing flip flops?

How about without any shoes at all?

I know for a fact that I wouldn’t make it very far!

Running over rocks, twigs, arrows that missed their mark – improper footwear or none at all would leave you crippled and your feet badly beaten up.

The same is true of your life without God’s peace.

Peace is what helps you weather all the storms of life.

Peace keeps you from getting beaten up by the attacks of the devil.

Have you ever known someone who had such peace that nothing seemed to uproot them, no matter what happened in their life?

That’s what the peace of God can do in your life too!

So how do you get peace?

First, you need to be at peace WITH God.

The only way to be at peace with God is to believe in Jesus.

Isaiah 53:5

⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.

This verse from Isaiah tells us that when Christ took on the punishment we deserved by dying on the cross, he brought us PEACE!

So if you believe in Jesus, you have peace with God!

But we also need the peace OF God – this is the peace that will keep you firmly rooted through life’s storms.

How do you get the peace of God?

Are you ready for this?

I’m not sure you’re ready for this…

Check this out!

Isaiah 32:17

¹⁷ The fruit of that righteousness will be peace;
    its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.

There’s that righteousness word again!

The fruit of righteousness is PEACE!

Hopefully you see how the first three pieces of armor flow together now:

First, you believe and know the truth (Jesus died for you and saved you!), you then live out that truth with righteous living, and righteous living will bring you peace!

So just as having firm, solid footwear is essential for battle, peace is essential for keeping your feet firm and solid in Christ when spiritual battles come.

When you have peace with God through believing in Christ, then you are given the peace of God which takes over your heart, so that you can have peace in all situations.

The Shield of Faith 

For the Romans, their shield was HUGE (2 and a half feet by 4 feet) and it had many purposes. 

Being the miniature wall that it was, a soldier could hide his entire body behind it.

It protected them from arrows the enemy was shooting at them.  

A large group of soldiers could also use their shields together to create an impenetrable wall to crouch behind. 

And together with other soldiers, they could essentially create an “umbrella” to hide under by holding their shields up over their heads in groups. 

Just as a shield protected a Roman soldier from many different forms of enemy attacks, your faith also protects you from the many different attacks of Satan. 

Let’s see what the Bible says faith is:

Hebrews 11:1

¹ Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

(If you have time, read through all of Hebrews 11 – it has many examples of faith!)

This verse from Hebrews is saying that faith is being confident that what the Bible says is true.

Faith is being confident that believing in Jesus will give you eternal life in heaven.

So how does faith help you against the attacks of the devil?

Your faith should give you confidence that no matter what happens on this side of eternity, you will have eternal life in heaven on the other side of eternity.

Most importantly, faith reminds you in the thick of battle that the war has already been won.

What?

We already won?

YEP!

Jesus already defeated Satan, and the grave – you have nothing to fear!

And fear is the antagonist of faith.

Jesus called this out in Mark, check it out:

Mark 4:40

⁴⁰ He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

Fear is what Satan uses to immobilize us from doing the work that God has called us to.

For example, you are in a conversation with someone and you keep feeling the Holy Spirit nudge you to pray for that person right then and there.

Doesn’t it seem like as soon as the thought is in your head, that you have a dozen excuses and other thoughts of why you SHOULDN’T pray for that person?

What words would I say?

Well I can just pray for them in my head.

What if it makes them uncomfortable?

That’s Satan jumping in with fear to keep you from doing what God is calling you to!

But if you have an active and living faith in your life, you know that this person needs prayer.

If you have seen God move mountains in your own life when you’ve prayed, then you know that praying for this person could move mountains in their life too.

So despite the fears and reservations you might have, you step out in FAITH and boldly pray for that person.

THAT’S how faith helps us shield off the attacks of the devil!

The Helmet of Salvation 

In battle, a Roman soldier is no good to anyone if they have lost their head. 

The same goes for your faith! 

If you give Satan a foothold and he gets control of your mind, it’s hard to be effective in your faith. 

That is why the Bible reminds us to be careful of what we are focusing our minds on. 

Philippians 4:8

⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

When Satan is constantly in your ear convincing you that you are depressed, worthless, or unloved, you aren’t going to have the life of freedom that God intended for you as a priceless child of God. 

If Satan convinces you that life is just too crazy and stressed right now, and that you can invest in God and your faith later, he is effectively cutting you off from the blessings and kingdom work that God wants to do through you right now! 

Say that Satan is in your ear all day long, pointing out all the things that your spouse, co-workers, or kids are doing wrong. Satan is trying to tear apart your family or trying to blind you with pride and self-righteousness. 

The helmet of salvation can help you fight against the endless mind games that Satan plays. 

Satan wants to keep you captive and ineffective to do the work that God has planned for you. 

But he can’t sidetrack when we have our minds fixed on Jesus. 

When we keep our minds fixed on what Christ has already done for us, when we remember our salvation, then Satan can’t distract us!

So how do we keep our minds focused? 

It’s going to be different for each person, but here are some suggestions: 

• Spend time reading scripture – instead of reading a set number of verses or chapters, read until the Holy Spirit makes a verse really stand out to you. Write it down and carry it with you for the rest of the day. Pull it out to read periodically and refocus your mind on what God is trying to show you in that passage. 
• Start a gratitude journal. As you go through your day, try to look for little things to be grateful for and write them down in the journal. Set a goal to write down 10 things a day or to make a list that is 1000 item’s long! 
• Try to memorize verses that can help you fight against the specific attacks Satan is coming at you with. If you struggle with self-esteem, memorize a verse that reminds you that you are God’s child. Say you worry a lot, memorize a verse that reminds you that God is in control and there’s no need to worry. Then, when Satan is whispering lies in your ear, say your verse back to him and tell him to go away! 
• Engage a friend or your spouse and text/email each other powerful verses, encourage one another with inspiring quotes, or share what you are thankful for today. 

Whatever you choose to do, the goal is to create a habit of having your mindset focused on the goodness of God. 

When we are focused on God, Satan doesn’t stand a chance of distracting our minds. 

The Sword of the Spirit 

For Roman soldiers, the sword was their main offensive weapon. 

The sword for a Christian is the Bible – this is referred to as the Sword of the Spirit. 

Why is it called the Sword of the Spirit?  

Because you need the help of the Holy Spirit to effectively use this weapon against Satan. 

The Spirit can help you recall verses when Satan starts to attack, so that you can quickly shut him down.  

When you read the Bible, the Spirit can speak to you through the Word. 

Additionally, the Spirit can make certain verses stand out to you as you read the Bible. 

As you read the Bible, you might also feel the Spirit convict your heart.

Maybe the Spirit is pointing out something you need to change in your life or something you need to ask forgiveness for. 

Scripture is very powerful and is alive and active! 

In fact, when Jesus was attacked by Satan, we see that Jesus used scripture against Satan to stop his attacks (read Matthew 4:1-11 for the whole story). 

That is why it’s so important to be in the Bible on a regular basis and to take memorizing scripture seriously.  

In the middle of an attack is not really the best time to try and find a verse to fight against the devil (although it’s better than giving in, so if you need to, go to the Bible for help fighting Satan). 

By having verses memorized, the Spirit can help bring them to mind and help you stop the devil before he gets a foothold and gets you mentally worked up. 

Prayer 

When most people read about the armor of God, they think that it ends with the sword of the Spirit.  

But take a look at verse 18 again – it starts with the word AND. 

Ephesians 6:18

¹⁸ 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. 

To me, that means that it should be included in the verses that go before it, which is the passage about the other armor. 

So while most people may not think of prayer as being part of their spiritual armor, it is perhaps the most powerful part of the armor since it’s through prayer that you “activate” your armor. 

Think about it – it’s through prayer that you can ask God, the God who made the heavens and the earth, to come to your rescue, to send reinforcements, and to help you win the battle that you are in. 

THAT’S POWERFUL STUFF! 

The Bible says to pray without ceasing.  

Why? 

Because without God, your battle efforts are futile! 

You can’t do this alone, you need God’s help to battle in the spiritual realms. 

Through prayer, you can make all of your prayer requests known to God. 

You can ask the Spirit to raise up intercession. 

You can ask Jesus to send his angels to minster to you. 

Remember, UNASKED PRAYERS CANNOT BE ANSWERED!!

There’s so much God has for you, if you will just spend time with Him, get to know Him, and ASK. 

Matthew 7:7

⁷ “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

There’s more to it than just asking God for things – God is no genie in a bottle waiting to do your every request.

No, your relationship with God is just that, a RELATIONSHIP.

I think spending time with God is important to grow that relationship. 

Think about it, if someone you barely know asks you for money, how much would you give them? 

My guess is, not much. 

Now say your best friend comes to you and asks for money, how much would you give? 

My guess is probably whatever they need plus more. 

See how the relationship changes everything? 

Same request, two different responses. 

And prayers don’t have to just be requests.  

In fact, the Bible encourages us to offer God words of praise and thanksgiving. 

I think reading through the Psalms, you can see why David was a man after God’s own heart.  

David’s relationship with God was so intimate that he talked to him about whatever was on his mind. 

For instance, he used words of praise, thanksgiving, worries, concerns, tears, and anguish. 

It appears David talked to God about everything, and you can too! 

And sometimes no words are required. 

Just as a good friendship has comfortable silence, you can come to God in silence. 

Silence because you are in awe of God. 

Silence because your heart is too broken for words. 

So when you are in the middle of a battle, don’t be afraid to come to God with no words, perhaps just tears. 

The Spirit will speak on your behalf, in fact the Bible says the Spirit will groan on your behalf. 

Romans 8:26

²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

Just as the Romans didn’t win every battle, your warfare will have victories and losses too. 

But prayer and communion with God will help you through it all. 

Praying to Activate the Armor of God

So how can you pray in such a way as to use this powerful armor of God? 

What can you pray over others to encourage them to put on their armor? 

Below is an example of a prayer I might pray for myself or send to someone else as a reminder that today is another day on the battlefield.

You need to suit up in armor and get in the battle offensively, before it catches you off guard. 

The words I use are by no means magical or some formula, so don’t feel like you have to pray this word for word.  

Look at what’s going on in your life or in a friend’s life, and tailor your prayer for what you or a friend needs today for battle. 

Now let’s jump into the battle! 

PRAYER

God, thank you for Your mighty armor. I pray that You would go before me today. Please take down all that the devil is scheming to attack me with. Prepare my heart and mind this morning for whatever I will face today. Help me put on my armor firmly and securely, so that I’m ready for battle.

Belt of Truth

First, help me to put on the belt of truth, the truth that I am Your child. Remind me that while the devil can mess with me here on earth, he can’t take away my faith and salvation.

Breastplate of Righteousness

Today, I put on the breastplate of righteousness which protects the matters of the heart. I pray my breastplate would protect me from the accusations and guilt Satan tries to drown me with.

Feet Fitted With Readiness That Comes From the Gospel of Peace

God, please grant me Your peace. Help me fit myself for battle with Your anchoring peace. I pray that no matter what happens in battle today, that I would keep my eyes focused on You.

Shield of Faith

Additionally, help me to pick up the shield of faith to help deflect the different attacks of Satan. {Insert any specific ways that you feel you are being attacked – fear, pride, physical harm, etc.} And if Satan tries to destroy my faith with fear, remind me that the war has already been won. Thank you Jesus for defeating Satan for me on the cross!

Helmet of Salvation

I put on the helmet of salvation. Just as a soldier is no good to anyone without his head in battle, I know I have to be careful of what I’m focusing my mind on. Help me keep my mind on whatever is lovely and pure, noble and true. Don’t let Satan twist my thoughts and get me trapped by my own thoughts. Help me to have eyes like Jesus today and freely give grace and thanksgiving as Christ did.

Sword of the Spirit

After that, help me pick up the sword of the Spirit, the one offensive weapon You have given me and help me carry it firmly and soundly. I pray that You would impress a scripture upon my heart today to sustain me on Your Word. Help me recall powerful verses when Satan starts his attack so that I may gain the offense with Your truth.

Prayer

And lastly, let me not forget prayer, possibly the most important part of my armor, since it activates it all. I pray that I would be in communion with You throughout today, because without You, my battle efforts are futile.

Thank you God for granting me Your armor from heaven. God, You have said that this armor is not pretend stuff, but is Your real armor. I know there is power in putting on Your mighty armor. Help me stand strong today and please encourage my heart so that I’m fit for battle.

Thank you Jesus for coming to redeem me and allowing me to have such an intimate relationship with God. Thank for interceding on my behalf to the Father. I pray that You would raise up intercession for me.

Spirit guide me and give me wisdom today. Grant me peace within my spirit.

Jesus, I know that if I ask for things in Your Name, that You will respond and come to my rescue. I acknowledge that Your name can heal the leper, allow the blind to see and the deaf to hear, and ultimately save me from any situation, from anything Satan is impressing on my life. In light of that, I pray all these things in the most victorious and powerful name of Jesus Christ. Amen!