Armor of God - Six of Six - Sword of the Spirit

"the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God"

-- Ephesians 6:17

"And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency

to lead the people to do that which was just—

yea, it had had more powerful effect

upon the minds of the people than the sword,

or anything else,

which had happened unto them—

therefore Alma thought it was expedient

that they should try the virtue of the word of God."
-- Alma 31:5

The Sword of the Spirit is the only offensive weapon in the Armor of God.  It is therefore somewhat imperative that we use it daily and become accustomed to its use.

The idea of using a Sword instead of a battle ax or some other ancient weapon, brings out the idea of piece through the heart, or penetrating the very soul, instead of actually chopping up your enemy.

This means that we not only have to wield the Sword of the Spirit against the enemy but that we must allow the Spirit to enter into our hearts as well.

There are many different types and styles of swords in the ancient world, and each has its own purpose and form of combat.

The Claymore is a long broadsword used in western Europe.  The main purpose of this sword was shear size and weight.  Someone who could use one effectively would be able to slice deep wounds into the enemy fairly easily.

The Katana is a shorter slightly curved sword from Japan.  It was used by the Samurai, the curve made for a faster draw and better balance.  This was a much faster weapon but did not have overwhelming force.

Both of these Swords were two-handed weapons, which means they would not have allowed the warrior to use a shield.  However, it is written that the Shield of Faith is the most important piece of armor we should have.

Always make room for your Faith to help you, as you follow the Spirit.

Armor of God - Five of Six - Helmet of Salvation

The Helmet of Salvation is a piece of Armor we can acquire pretty much by ourselves.

"He saved others; himself he cannot save.

If he be the King of Israel,

let him now come down from the cross,

and we will believe him."

-- Matthew 27:42

"O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men!

When they are learned they think they are wise,

and they hearken not unto the counsel of God,

for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves,

wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not.

And they shall perish."

-- 2 Nephi 9:28

The Pharisees always thought they had the answers, and so they rejected the teachings from Christ.

Remember, you cannot be saved in ignorance.  There is something in the Gospel of Christ you have to KNOW for yourself.  You can't rely on everyone else to have the answers for you when the end comes.

Even the Turtles cover the melon.

The Helmet also protects your head, which houses your brain, and you would want to make sure that it stays attached and covered in case of a zombie apocalypse. 

This is because without your brain, you can't do anything.  In other words, without the Helmet of Salvation, your brain doesn't know what to do in order to Live the gospel.


NEXT POST : Sword of the Spirit

Armor of God - Four of Six - Shield of Faith

"Above all, taking the shield of faith, 

wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked."

-- Ephesians 6:16

The Shield of Faith is your most important piece of armor.  It says 'Above All' because even if you aren't righteous all the time, or you don't have a good preparation period, or sometimes you are not as 'True' as you should be, YOU CAN STILL HAVE FAITH.

"Jesus said unto him, 

If thou canst believe, 

all things are possible to him that believeth."

-- Mark 9:23

Faith is more than a mere belief.  Faith is an action word, if you have faith in something you are willing to DO something about it.  The first principle of the gospel is Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Without this faith it is not possible to have any form of progression Spiritually.

However, if you have Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the second Principle of the Gospel becomes something that we desire almost daily, that is to repent for things we do wrong.  Faith leads us to Repentance.

Faith can be acquired and still be forgotten.  Sometimes it goes dormant and is not needed for a time.

"Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant"

-- Alma 32:34

This is when we need to continue to Study the Scriptures to increase of Faith in other parts of the Gospel, because Faith has a very short shelf life.

If we use our Shield of Faith, we can deflect and block all the attacks that Satan throws at us.

However, if we have that Faith in Christ, but we don't ACT on it, it is like having a shield and going into battle with it just hanging by our side.  No effort to lift the Shield and there will not be a deflection of oncoming attacks.  The shield then becomes this dead weight that instead of helping us, it actually hinders us.

"Thou believest that there is one God; 

thou doest well: 

the devils also believe, and tremble.

But wilt thou know, 

O vain man,

 that faith without works is dead?"

-- James 2:19-20

"Ye see then how that by works a man is justified,

 and not by faith only."

-- James 2:24

I know that by having True Faith in Jesus Christ we will come closer to our Savior and receive a fulness of Joy.  We will have more peace in our lives, and there will come a time when we shall see that our Faith has 'Shielded' us from the Fiery Darts of the Devil.


NEXT POST : Helmet of Salvation

Armor of God - Three of Six - Feet Shod with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace

If ye are prepared ye shall not fear.

Having your feet shod pretty much means your wearing your shoes.

With the Armor of God they would probably be more like War Boots.

Your feet control the Movement of your whole body on the battlefield, and if the are not prepared for the charge you will find yourself stepping on rocks and things and they will hurt so much that the enemy won't have any need to actually fight you.

The Book of Mormon speaks of being "Steadfast and Immovable"(1 Nephi 2:10), which means you are steady and diligent in keeping the Commandments.  A youth leader once told me that sometimes you need to be "Steadfast and Movable", meaning that the Gospel of Peace, is a Gospel of Progression.  You must be Steadfast in keeping the Commandments, but still able to Move about the Spiritual battle when the Lord calls you to do something.

You cant stand around if you truly live the gospel, you have to use your feet to "go about doing good" and help others.  Stationary targets are also much easier to hit on the battlefield.

In the Book of Mormon the are two main peoples, the Nephites (good guys) and the Lamanites (bad guys).

The Lamanites were a people "dwelling in tents, and wandering about in the wilderness with a short skin girdle about their loins and their heads shaven; and their skill was in the bow, and in the cimeter, and the ax."
Enos 1:20

They had a lot of wars between each nation and at one point the Nephites showed that by Preparing themselves with the Gospel, they had no need to fear their enemy.

In a particular battle the Lamanites charged forward to try and defeat a Nephite army,
"But in this thing they were disappointed, for the Nephites did not fear them; but they did fear their God and did supplicate him for protection; therefore, when the armies of Giddianhi did rush upon them they were prepared to meet them; yea, in the strength of the Lord they did receive them."
3 Nephi 4:10

The best ways of Preparing yourself to Live the Gospel and keep the Commandments is to Read the Scriptures, Pray to God our Heavenly Father, and to Go to Church.  These will give you that extra Strength you need to withstand the trials of mortality.



NEXT POST : Shield of Faith

Armor of God - Two of Six - Breastplate of Righteousness

The Breastplate of Righteousness is the second piece of armor mentioned in Ephesians 6.

The breastplate covers your vital organs, protecting the heart and lungs.  It also stretches down to cover your stomach and sides, which are considered 'soft spots' on the body because they have no bones and they bleed much more than other wounds.

Righteousness is the continual act of choosing good over evil, and to always be looking for a way to serve others.  Part of this is simply keeping the Commandments, while it also includes being a good person.

There is much more Spiritually protective power in doing what is right because we want to, not just for the reward.

As the breastplate protects our heart, we must have our heart 'in the right place' or we will find that the breastplate isn't going to protect us the way it was intended to.


NEXT POST : Feet Shod with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace

Armor of God - One of Six - Loins Girt with Truth

Truth is an interesting word that many people are not interested in.

To have your loins 'girt' means that you have all the excess clothing on the bottom half of your body, wrapped up in your 'girdle', or belt.

Having your robe or cloak girded in this fashion makes it so you can run faster without tripping yourself, and also enables you to do regular chores and other work without obstruction.  This increased ability and range of motion would be much desired on the battle field.

The girdle is also where the bottom of your breastplate latches, and your sword hangs on the side of the girdle.  If your girdle is not 'true' at all times you might find your other pieces of armor to slip out of place, or your sword to fall off unexpectedly.  This would not be something you want to happen while you are fighting a war.

This girding of the loins with truth is the first piece of armor mentioned in the Armor of God, and without it everything else wouldn't truly work the way they were intended to.


NEXT POST : Breastplate of Righteousness