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"The Chicago Way - Don't Bring a Knife to a Gun Fight"

Part 2, The Breatplate of Righteousness

Monday, I shared Part 1, The Belt of Truth. For Part 2, let's talk about The Breastplate of Righteousness. "...and having put on the breastplate of righteousness..." (Ephesians 6;14). 

Let's continue using the Roman soldier's uniform of that day to help interpret the text. The breastplate protected the soldier's torso, vital organs, and most importantly the heart. Pastor Garrett Kell of Alexandria, Virginia wrote a story that I believe provides a perfect interpretation of today's text.

Pastor Kell wrote, "It was the boy's first day of junior high. All was going well until three older kids took his lunch, ruffled his hair, and stuffed him in a locker. They snarled at his sequeals and high-fived one another as they walked away. What the bullies didn't know, though, was that the kid in the locker was the little brother of the football team's starting middle linebacker. 

After lunch, the boy told his brother what happened. His brother looked him in the eyes. "Let's go." As the boy came to his locker, the bullies were waiting for him, grinning. But he hadn't come alone this time. He came in the strength of his older brother. That was the last day they messed with him. 

As Christians, we have a dangerous adversary. We face something far scarier than getting stuffed in a locker. Our enemy wants to devour our faith and drag us to hell. The adversary is the bully, our big brother is Jesus. The adversary is not going to ever stop attacking, and that's OK. It's OK because our big brother (Jesus) will never stop protecting us. Remember, Christianity is a free gift, but discipleship cost something. When we follow Jesus, we follow him into a war zone.  

The best way to protect you from condemnation and guard your heart against temptation is by wearing the breastplate of righteousness. Wearing the breastplate daily does many things:

  1. Identifies us in Christ.
  2. Empowers our moral compass.
  3. Provides the kind of peace that surpasses all understanding. 
  4. Protects us during spiritual attacks.
  5. Frees us from guilt and condemnation.
  6. Enables us to master our troubles rather than allow our troubles to master us. 
  7. Combats toxic circumstances. 

Are you wearing your breastplate of righteousness?

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