Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness

in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Ephesians 6:14-17

Relevant Living
Spiritual WarfareLesson Four Believers Boot Camp 401
We are doing a cursory study of the armor of God in order to prepare ourselves for the battles that will come. When this armor is in place, you will be able to stand firm against the enemy no matter where he attacks. When we finish the armor we will begin the study of prayer warfare and discover how we actually can be overcomers in every attack that comesnot only against us personally, but also against our marriages, families, friends, and community. Reminder: Please understand that we are in this battle whether we want to be or not. Ignoring the issue does not make it go away. We need to know how to take our stand against the devils schemes and be victorious in every aspect of our lives. You may notice that I do not break the Bible study down to five equal days because I want you to do them at your own pace. Please feel free to do as much or as little as you need to without feeling that you must start and stop on certain days. Many of you will want to continue with this and even complete it in one day. Why quit when you are on a roll? Also, remember that the lecture is an important supplement to this study and if you are not able to attend you will want to listen to it on pod cast or CD or watch it on a DVD in order to get the complete teaching.

Days One and TwoPrincess in Combat Boots

Roman soldiers shoes were designed for battle and were one of his greatest weapons of warfareand one of the reasons Romans were so victorious over their enemies. Their shoes were designed for stability much like a football players spiked shoes. 1. How would the above fact make Pauls meaning more understandable for his readers in the days of the Romans (Ephesians 6:15)?

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2. How does the gospel of peace correlate to the analogy of shoes?

Note: If we are to grow in faith we need to understand what it means to have peace with God and the peace of God. Peace with God 3. Read Romans 5:1. Why is this passage so important regarding our peace and why would we call this peace with God?

a. When were you justified through faith? How did you know you received this peace with God? How were you justified? It is important that you understand this concept and fully comprehend that you have peace with God. .

b. What is the promise that brings this peace with God (Romans 5:9-11)?

The Peace of God 4. Read Philippians 4:6-7. Not only do we experience peace with God as a result of our salvation, we also experience the peace of God. How do we have the peace of God?

5. Read Psalm 23 and list all the ways the Lord gives peace.

6. Which principle in Psalm 23 do you need the most right now?

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Days Three and FourOur Weapons of Defense

Shield of Faith Often we see the round smaller shields (used by the Greeks) instead of this large rectangular shields used by the Romans. The Roman shield was much heavier and clumsier to use as it went from the knees to the chin. However, they served the Romans in ways that the smaller, lighter shield could not. First the Romans were well trained and had the ability and flexibility to use them. They were lifesaving when flaming arrows were shot by the enemy. The soldiers would group together making large circles when attacked or attacking and hold the shields over their heads, shielding them from the arrows. Also the shields were large enough for the soldiers to stand back to back and protect each other from attack. If they were standing back to back, wouldnt they be protecting each others fronts?! 1. Read Ephesians 6:16 and answer the questions below: a. How does Paul associate the shield of the Roman soldier to our spiritual armor? Think about what takes place when we have the shield of faith. .

b. In light of this weapon read Romans 10:17 and explain how this will strengthen our faith (and help us to use this piece of armor better). .

Helmet of Salvation 2. Read Ephesians 6:17a The Roman helmets were the best in the ancient world, far superior to their enemies. They were made of either bronze (for soldiers) or iron (for officers). They had a chinstrap and a visor and came down to cover the entire neck. They were lined with softened leather for good fit and comfort. The soldiers head and neck were protected by his helmet on all sides. a. Where is the greatest battlefield in spiritual warfare? It is in the mind as we have already discussed. However, there is something specific here that the helmet is to protect regarding our minds. What is that?

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b. Read Philippians 4:8. i. How does this passage encourage us to continually be wearing the helmet of salvation?

ii. How do we discipline ourselves to always wear the helmet of salvation?

Day FiveOur Weapon of Offense

1. Read Ephesians 6:17b. (Sword of the Spirit) This sword is different and more deadly than the other weapons the soldier carried. He carried several swords or knives, but this one was for close-up battle. This is the doubleedged sword and was intended to utterly destroy the opposition by penetrating deeply into and mutilating the enemys body because of its end that curved downward. 2. The above description is pretty gruesome unless you are thinking of our own sword of the Spirit that is intended to destroy the enemy. Read Hebrews 4:12 and explain how this sword is a parallel to what the Roman soldiers used.

3. Please read the box below from the Bible Knowledge Commentary on Hebrews 4:12, for further understanding of the sword of the Spirit (the Word of God). For the Word of God is living and active (energs). Not only that, its penetrating power is greater than any double-edged sword and reaches the innermost being of a person so that it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. In doing this, it is able to discriminate successfully between what is spiritual in man and what is merely soulish or natural (it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit), and does so even when these often-contradictory inner elements are interwoven as closely as joints and marrow. The inner life of a Christian is often a strange mixture of motivations both genuinely spiritual and completely human. It takes a supernaturally discerning agent such as the Word of God to sort these out and to expose what is of the flesh. The readers might think that they were contemplating certain steps out of purely spiritual motivations when, as Gods Word could show them, they were acting unfaithfully as did Israel in earlier years.

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4. Speak the Word of God! The sword of the Spirit is the Word of Godspoken from your mouth. When Jesus spoke the Word to Satan while being tempted in the wilderness, each Word was a blow to Satans head. We have the authority to use Gods Word in the same manner. We are all ambassadors of Christ. When we speak Gods Word according to his will, there is no power in the universe that can withstand it. Do you believe this? Explain how you feel about this and what you know you must do about it if you do believe it.

5. What will you do with the weapons you have been given so far for warfare? Which weapon is the weakest for you and which is the strongest? What will you do to strengthen that which is weak?