War is a terrible thing. Men fighting men, killing and crippling each other, and leaving behind many weeping widows and orphans in their desolation. Yet war is very real, and will always be a trial here on earth as long as men are governed by greedy desires of the flesh.

Just as carnal warfare is real, there is an even greater battle raging in the universe between the powers of darkness led by Satan; and the Kingdom of Light, led by the Lord Jesus Christ! We didn’t start this turbulent conflict, but we are required to choose sides in this winner-take-all battle. If we do not choose the Captain of our Salvation, we are on the Devil’s side by default and become yet another casualty of war. The Bible has already given us the prophetic instant-replay of Who wins the battle, so we have no excuse for choosing the losing side.

Once we wisely enlist on the Lord’s side, we are commanded to “put on the whole armor of God, that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:10). God’s people must not be lulled to sleep and think that the war is over after we are saved. On the contrary, our Adversary intensifies his efforts to destroy our souls through his clever wiles and fiery darts! Only the Gospel Armor, described in Ephesians 6:10-18, is sufficient to defend us against Satan’s fiendish attacks!

The Lord has provided his soldiers with “the breastplate of righteousness” (Eph. 6:14), also called “the breastplate of faith and love” in I Thessalonians. 5:8 (Please read also Ephesians 6:10-18; Psalms 28:7.).

We can think of this breastplate like the bulletproof vest worn by modern day crimefighters. As long as our hearts and minds are shielded by faith and love, then thoughts, words, or events that could lead us astray lose their power when our hearts and minds are guarded by the love of God and faith in Him.

But take away the faith and love of the child of God, and our souls become wide open for the temptations, discouragements, and disappointments that will surely come our way. Do you think children who wear the breastplate of righteousness will be disobedient to their parents? Do you suppose a marriage can be broken when the husband and wife are both wearing the breastplate?

Don’t we want to be protected from spiritual disaster? If we don’t wear the armor God has provided us, is this not a spiritual death wish? Have we not already defected back to Satan if we no longer protect ourselves from his attacks? We must not become used to his deadly burning darts!