Spirituality | Orthodoxy

“Therefore, take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand in the evil day, and having done all to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication” (Ephesians 6:13-18).

In these beautiful few verses, the Apostle Paul is telling us how we can don ourselves with the whole armour of God in order to be able to withstand and conquer the wiles of the devil. Imagine!


“having girded your waist with truth” - the ‘truth’ that St Paul refers to is God Himself, for our beloved Lord Jesus Christ said to us:
“I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6).



“having put on the breastplate of righteousness” - the purpose of a breastplate is to protect the wearer’s heart. By so wearing the ‘breastplate of righteousness’ you are protecting your heart from negative feelings and the intention of committing sin. Protection can only be achieved through the righteousness of God.


“having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace” - your way is in accordance to the will of the Lord and instruction given to us in His gospel. Wherever you go, you will create peace; your way will not be one of hatred and war.


“And take the helmet of salvation” - the purpose of the helmet is to protect the head (the seat of intellect and senses). Therefore, by wearing the helmet of salvation, you will constantly be giving thought and consideration to your salvation and eternity. Your eternal life will be the most important consideration in your life – above all worldly concerns such as career and marriage.


“And take …the sword of the Spirit” - the sword of the Spirit is the word of God, through which you will be able to discern between what is pleasing to God and what is not.


The way in which it is possible to wear the whole armour of God is by ensuring that you have all the aspects of your nature working together in harmony. The human nature is composed of four aspects:

The Body – which moves
The Psyche – which feels
The Mind – which thinks
The Spirit – which prays

Each aspect influences all other aspects, and for this reason, it is important that you have all these aspects working positively together.

For example, when you pray, you feel a sense of calm and holiness within your body; your thoughts are pure, and your feelings are good and under control. On the other hand, when you don’t pray, your mind will be occupied by sinful thoughts and distress, your motives may be impure, and your body will be restless.


It is impossible therefore, to separate one aspect of your nature from the others, or imagine that one aspect of your nature can not touch or affect all the others.
The way in which you can ensure that all these aspects are working in harmony is to:


Nourish your spirit and enlighten your mind. By so doing, you will be able to control your psyche (motives and emotions) and your body. It is unfortunate, that in the world today many people act according to their instincts and give no regard for their mind or spirit. The result is that they become a slave to their body and emotions.


So in summary, we can describe the spiritual person as follows: one who’s body, mind and psyche is under the control of the spirit, and their spirit is under the control of the Holy Spirit. As a result, their interactions with all people; whether they be within the family, within the church community, or within society, will be successful. And as a whole, all is progressing in the right way under the guidance of the church and their spiritual father.


Therefore, wear the complete armour of God, for by so doing, you will always be at peace because all the aspects of your nature will be integrated and positive.


In this way, you will be a good witness for Christ, and will be enlightened to practice the motto of ‘select and reject’ in your life.


Let us begin from now, to put on the whole armour of God, and thereby feel peace at all times. Let us have faith in God and be mindful of our salvation and of eternal life. In so doing, we will enjoy peace here on earth and there in heaven. Amen.

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