The spiritual attacks from our enemy are real and relentless, but God provides an abundance of resources to His church to stand firm in the fight. In this week’s message, Tyler Briggs highlights the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the boots readied with the gospel of peace. These essential pieces of equipment prepare us for battle against our adversary the devil who seeks to disrupt our relationship with God and destroy us.

Tyler’s Main Points

• The belt represents truth known and truth lived.
• The breastplate represents the righteousness of Christ.
• The boots represent the steadiness and readiness provided by the gospel of peace.
  

Key Takeaways

• Our first step in preparing for spiritual warfare is to bind ourselves with the belt of truth—to know the foundational truths of the Christian faith and to know the One who is the Truth.
  

• The victorious Christian will be the one knowing and living the truth.
  

• Tyler highlights two major reasons for not standing firm against the enemy: immaturity (Eph. 4:14-15) and double-mindedness (James 1:5-8).

• Too often, believers mix their commitment to the world with their commitment to Christ—conceding victory to the enemy in the process.

• There are two major battlefields where the truth is essential: in our culture and in our minds.

• All believers possess the positional righteousness of Christ, which is imputed and impenetrable, and are called to lives of practical righteousness by the grace and power of God.

• As you face the challenges of spiritual warfare, remember that Christ did not stop being your savior on the cross. He is actively interceding for you in prayer and serves as your advocate before the Father (1 John 2:1-2, Hebrews 7:25).

• We prevent Satan’s accusation by our practical righteousness and protect ourselves from His accusations by our positional righteousness.

• The gospel allows us to not only withstand the advancement of the enemy, but also to advance in victory in enemy territory.

• Through the gospel, we have peace with God. In the gospel, we have the power of God.
  

Discussion Questions/Application

Personal application:

• Read Romans 6:1-14. How should one’s positional righteousness in Christ affect his/her practical righteousness?
  
  
• What will be different in your life this week because of the power and peace of the gospel?
  
  

Discuss with your community group:

• What is your next faithful step to grow in the knowledge of God’s truth?
  
  
• In what ways are you still mixing your commitment to the world with your commitment to Christ? What has double-mindedness cost you in your walk as a Christian?
  
  

Passages Referenced for Further Study
Ephesians 6:10-17; Ephesians 1:17-18; Ephesians 3:16-19; Ephesians 4:12-23; 2 Corinthians 11:14; James 1:5-8; Ephesians 2:1-2; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 8:1; Romans 6:1-14; 1 John 2:1-2; Hebrews 7:25; Romans 5:1; Hebrews 4:16; Romans 1:16-17; Romans 8:31-34.