“Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.” (Ephesians 6:14 NLT)

 

The second item on the apostle Paul’s list of the armor of God is the body armor—or breastplate—of righteousness. On a Roman soldier, the breastplate protected the vital organs. Because of the nature of close combat, the area covered by the breastplate was the area most likely to be targeted by an enemy. So, the breastplate was essential to the soldier’s survival.

In spiritual warfare, the devil goes for the heart, too. He knows that one well-placed blow could prove fatal to your spiritual growth. He also knows that you’re most vulnerable when you sin, when you fall short of what God intends for you. That’s when he attacks. He comes to you and says, “You sinned. You’re not worthy of God’s forgiveness. You’re not deserving of His blessings. God won’t listen to your prayers. You’re a hypocrite.”

He turns the message of Romans 3:10–12 into a personal accusation. “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one” (NLT). And he’ll keep attacking your heart, trying to open a wound of guilt and shame.

What will you say when you find yourself under fire? We all will sin. We all will fail. We all will fall short. The apostle John wrote, “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth” (1 John 1:8 nlt). So, how will you defend yourself? Will you boast about the Bible verses you’ve memorized or the people you’ve led to the Lord or how often you go to church?

If you rely on what you’ve done, then you’re guilty of self-righteousness, which means you believe that you somehow merit God’s blessing because of the things you’ve done. If this is your attitude, then you have a breastplate made of cardboard. One strike of the enemy’s sword will cut it apart and leave you open and exposed.

Here’s what you need to know about the righteousness in the breastplate of righteousness: It’s not yours. Isaiah 59:15–17 says, “The Lord looked and was displeased to find there was no justice. He was amazed to see that no one intervened to help the oppressed. So he himself stepped in to save them with his strong arm, and his justice sustained him. He put on righteousness as his body armor and placed the helmet of salvation on his head. He clothed himself with a robe of vengeance and wrapped himself in a cloak of divine passion” (NLT).

These words point to Jesus. You’re not righteous because of any good you’ve done. You’re righteous because of what Jesus did. Everyone who believes in Him receives His righteousness. So, when God looks at you, He doesn’t see your sin; He sees Jesus’ righteousness.

If you confess, turn away from, and ask God to forgive your sin, He will. And that will be the end of it. He won’t hold it against you or try to manipulate your emotions. And if God doesn’t cause you to feel guilt or shame, why would you let the devil do it?

It’s Jesus’ righteousness that protects you. And His righteousness is impenetrable.

 

Reflection question: What specific strategy might the devil use to attack your heart, spiritually speaking? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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