BELT 

Ephesians 6:14

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth…

As your waist is the center of your body, so truth is central to the full armor of God. Without it, the covering that protects you from the devil’s schemes simply crumbles to the ground, leaving you naked and vulnerable.

John 18:38

Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all.”

In the irony of the ages, Pilate stood toe-to-toe with the personification of truth and yet missed reality. Postmodern people are much in the same position. They stare at truth but fail to recognize its identity.

John 14:6 

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Truth, like all the other pieces of the armor, is in actuality aspect of the nature of God himself. Thus to put on the belt of truth is to put on Christ. Christianity is not true because it works. That is pragmatism. It is not true because it feels right. That is subjectivism. It is not true because it is “my truth.” That is relativism. It is true because it is anchored in the person of Christ. The Christian faith is not true because it works; it works because it is true. It is not true because we experience it; we experience it deeply and gloriously because it is true. It is not simply ”true for us”; it is true for any who seek in order to find, because truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. Truth is essential to a realistic worldview. The moment we drop the belt of truth, our view of reality becomes seriously skewed.

BREASTPLATE 

Ephesians 6:14

put on the breastplate of righteousness

It would have been inconceivable for a Roman soldier to engage a physical enemy without a breastplate. Likewise, it is foolhardy to engage the enemy of our souls without the breastplate of righteousness firmly in place. As a breastplate or a bulletproof vest is a physical heart protector, so the breastplate of righteousness is a spiritual heart protector. Without it we are impotent in the invisible war. Righteousness is the core of Christianity compressed in a single word, The forces of darkness are bent on frustrating it. 

HELMET 

Ephesians 6:17

And take the helmet of salvation

The helmet is the covering that protects our minds so we that don’t become disoriented in the throes of spiritual warfare. It guards out minds and grants us perspective when the enemy hits us with devastating blows. It blunts the blow of death, doubt and disappointment. It enables us to view our circumstances from the perspective of eternity.

Philip Yancey

"Christian faith does not offer us a peaceful way to come to terms with death. No, it offers instead a way to overcome death. “

When Job’s world was turned upside down, the devil’s devastation was so complete that Job’s wife had lost all perspective. Her thinking was disoriented and she cried, “Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9). Job, wearing the helmet of salvation responds “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. Skeptics have accused Christians of needing a crutch because they can’t deal with life and death. But life after life is not a cop-out; it is a certainty.

Philippians 3:20-21

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

SWORD 

Ephesians 6:17

Take the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.

William Gurnall 

“Throughout the ages the sword has been a most necessary part of a soldier’s equipment and has been used more than any other weapon. It is absurd to think of being a Christian without knowledge of God’s Word and some skill to use this weapon.” Jesus had fasted 40 days and forty nights. He was alone, vulnerable and hungry. The devil seized the moment and but Jesus was armed with the sword. (Matt 4:1-11) 

Using the sword involves memorizing scripture. It’s better to read a single passage and meditate on it, than to read an entire book of the bible and not think deeply about it.

Charles Swindoll 

 “No single spiritual discipline is more prudent or practical than Scripture memorization.”

Psalm 7:1-3

My son, keep my words, And treasure my commands within you. Keep my commands and live, And my law as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart

PRAYER 

Ephesians 6:18

praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints

We pray not only for our own needs, but for the needs of our fellow believers as well. He calls us saints not because we are pure, but because we have been called to purity. We pray in concert with the will and purposes of God. Only as the Spirit empowers our prayers in accordance with God’s will is the covering finally complete. In fact, when we say AMEN, we are saying, “May it be so in accordance with the will of God.”

Psalm 37:4

Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

The Lord’s prayer is neatly divided into two parts. The first is focused on God’s glory “hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done.” The second is focused on our requests.

Cited Sources: The Covering by Hank Hanegraaff