When We Act Like Doctor Manette: The Armor of God

As a child superheroes were the things to be. There was the classic Superman (who is honestly not one of my favorites) and the super lame Bibleman. I don’t know what your childhood consist of, but mine had Bibleman. If you are not familiar with him, I’ll give you a sneak peek:

The world had Superman, Batman, and the Avengers and the only “superhero” the Christian community had was Bibleman (who may be as bad as Captain Planet). But as I’ve gotten older and learned more about God’s word, I’ve realized that Bibleman had something going. Christians don’t fight physical wars, we have a great spiritual war raging on against principles (not the school kind), powers, rulers of the darkness of the world, and spiritual host of wickedness (Ephesians 6:12).

In this battle against sin, against this evil, and against this temptation that tries to rule us, we need armor. And no, this armor doesn’t include tights (the armor of God is more classy).

Item	Verse	Regular Function	Spiritual Function	Defense or Offense
Belt	Ephesians 6:14- Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth…	Holds everything together so nothing falls	The "Belt of Truth" holds the rest of the armor together. It’s the "Belt of Truth" because if you have lies holding you together, you crumble.	Defense
Breastplate	Ephesians 6:14- …and having put on the breastplate of righteousness…	Protects the chest and heart	The "Breastplate of Righteousness" protects our hearts so they are not destroyed. When our hearts are injured, we are ineffective for God.	Defense
Shoes	Ephesians 6:15-… and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.	Used to run and go places quickly	The shoes ready to give the gospel of peace are used so we can quickly share the gospel to people who need to hear about Jesus.	Defense
Shield	Ephesians 6:16- In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;	Protects the whole body	When you have a "Shield of Faith", nothing can get through.  The shield stops doubt from getting to you and you will not be affected when people try to question your faith.	Defense
Helmet	Ephesians 6:17- …and take the helmet of salvation…	Protects your head and mind	The “Helmet of Salvation" protects your mind from doubts of your salvation. When you have the Helmet, you have the Word sanctified in your head so you will know that salvation is not based on how you preform, but solely on what Jesus did on the cross.	Defense
Sword	Ephesians 6:17- …and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.	Used to fight the enemy	The “Sword of the Spirit” is the Word of God which is the sword you use to fight the enemy and fight temptation. When Jesus was tempted, He even used the Old Testament to resist temptation (Matthew 4:40).	Offense The only offense part in the whole armor of God

 Every part of this armor includes knowing the Word of God. It is our Defense and our Offense. When temptation rises and we want to go back to our old addictions we have to eradicate it.

Example: If you are tempted to steal a 3 Musketeers Bar (the best candy ever) you put God's word up to it: Exodus 20:15- You shall not steal.

 Doctor Manette's shoe maker bench had to be destroyed just like our addictions, and the only way to do that is through God with the help of His Armor. And the only way Christians can use the Armor is if we have God's word marinated in our hearts.