Whole Armor of God: Introduction

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Close your eyes and make sure your body feels relaxed and supported. Let go of any tension in your face, jaw, neck, and shoulders. 

Take a few deep breaths. Inhale peace, calm, humility, and openness. Exhale tension, negativity, pride, and stress from your body and mind.

In this state of calm receptiveness, say a quick prayer that you will be open to any revelation the Lord has for you as you ponder.

As your breathing returns to normal, turn your thoughts and attention to the metaphor of putting on the whole armor of God. Allow your heart or mind to notice anything that feels personal, timely, or meaningful. Don’t worry about focusing on every quote or question I share. 

The Whole Armor of God

In a letter to the saints in Ephesus, the apostle Paul encouraged the saints to “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” And he presented this concept of putting on the whole armor of God as a metaphor for how to have that strength and power. 

Paul wrote that the struggles they faced weren’t physical altercations, rather they are struggles “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12. The Whole Armor of God metaphor is repeated in the Doctrine and Covenants because we are still struggling “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” 

In a BYU Hawaii devotional, Earl “Torch” Morris said “Paul of all people knew of the reality of Satan; he himself had been cleverly deceived by the devil. It was with his personal experiences in mind that Paul wrote to the Ephesians to warn them and to counsel them on how they might fight back and overcome the evil influences of the Devil;” (Earl "Torch" Morris, “Putting on the Whole Armor of God,” BYU Hawaii Devotional, May 22, 2018, https://speeches.byuh.edu/devotional/putting-on-the-whole-armor-of-god.)

In the very first General Conference of this millennium, President James E. Faust acknowledged the wonderful advancements in technology and information but then warned: “great will be the challenges and endless the problems because with this wave of knowledge, life actually becomes more complicated. Brigham Young said, ‘It was revealed to me in the commencement of this Church, that the Church would spread, prosper, grow and extend, and that in proportion to the spread of the Gospel among the nations of the earth, so would the power of Satan rise.’” (James E. Faust, “The Shield of Faith,” April 2000 General Conference (citing Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe (1954), 72.)).

And in 2018, President Nelson warned that “The assaults of the adversary are increasing exponentially, in intensity and in variety." (Russell M. Nelson, "Becoming Exemplary Latter-day Saints," Ensign or Liahona, November 2018, 114).

Have you felt an increased need of strength and power in your life? What struggles are you facing? How does the adversary “attack” or try to get to you personally? What are the threats to your own spiritual strength? 

Promises

We are promised that if we put on the whole armor of God, we will “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” (Ephesians 6:10); We will be “able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11); We will “quench all the fiery darts of the wicked” (Ephesians 6:16; D&C 27:17); We will “be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13; D&C 27:15). And finally, that when Christ comes, we shall be “caught up, that where [Christ is, We] shall be also.” (D&C 27:18).

How could any or all of these promised blessings help you with the trials and temptations you experience?

These promised blessings sound similar to the blessings promised when we make covenants. Covenants are not explicitly mentioned in the whole armor of God metaphor, but as we work our way through this Armor of God series, keep covenants in mind and consider how they fit in with each piece.

I’m going to read a list of the pieces of the armor of God, as found in Ephesians 6 and Doctrine and Covenants 27. We will be pondering each piece on its own in later episodes. For now, try to visualize the metaphor as a whole and consider whether there is any significance in the order of the pieces of armor. 

• The first step is to gird your loins with truth

• Next, to have a breastplate of righteousness

• Next, to shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace

• Then take the Shield of faith

• and the Helmet of salvation

• And lastly, the Sword of the spirit

I’m going to read that again. While I do, ponder the following question: How does putting on each part of the armor of God help you change on the inside, not just the outside? 

• The first step is to gird your loins with truth

• Next, to have a breastplate of righteousness

• Next, to shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace

• Then take the Shield of faith

• and the Helmet of salvation

• And lastly, the Sword of spirit

When you are ready, take a deep breath and slowly turn your awareness back to your body. As you open your eyes and return to your surroundings, jot down any thoughts, promptings, or questions that came to mind while you were pondering. Stay tuned for the rest of this series on the Whole Armor of God. If you’d like to study in between segments, read Ephesians chapter 6 and Doctrine and Covenants 27. Also, if you enjoy this podcast, please leave a review and let me know I should keep making it. Thank you!