October 7, 2025 • 20 mins
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The battle for your soul is real – are you properly equipped for it?
Taking inspiration from the Apostle Paul's powerful imagery in Ephesians 6, this episode unpacks the ancient concept of spiritual armor that remains startlingly relevant for today's challenges. Written from prison, Paul's description of the Armor of God provides a comprehensive protection system for Christians navigating a broken world.
We dive deep into each piece: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit. Each component serves a specific purpose in fortifying our spiritual lives on a daily basis.
This isn't abstract theology – it's practical protection you can "put on" daily. Desireé shares her own practice of mentally armoring up each morning alongside her physical routine, you'll discover how these spiritual disciplines create unshakable peace even when life feels like an all-out war. The enemy prowls like a lion seeking to destroy your peace, family, and purpose, but proper spiritual protection changes everything.
Whether you're facing overwhelming challenges or simply wanting to strengthen your spiritual foundation, this episode offers both ancient wisdom and modern application. The armor isn't just for surviving – it's for thriving with unshakable joy in a world that desperately needs the peace that only comes through Christ.
Ready to armor up? Listen now and discover how to stand firm when spiritual battles come your way. Your heart, mind and soul deserve this protection.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Desireé Melfi Bozzo (00:06):
Ciao and welcome to Life Out Loud.
I am your host, desireeMelfi-Bozzo.
We are going to use this spaceto share experiences and help
you find lasting, unshakable,unwavering, unmessable.
With joy and gratitude.
We're going to be throwingaround encouragement a little
bit like confetti, and givingyou support to live your very
(00:28):
best life.
Ciao, friends, welcome toepisode three of season four of
the Life Out Loud podcast.
I am the creator of thispodcast and your host, desiree
Melfi Bozzo.
This season we're focusing onprayers and scripture that have
helped to shape the world, andin this episode we are going to
(00:50):
talk about how important it isto fortify our lives with
something called the armor ofGod.
The armor of God is found inthe book of Ephesians and
scripture in the New Testament.
It is so powerful and sohelpful in navigating life on
(01:11):
this side of heaven and Ithought it was pretty important
to share it with all of you.
So before we talk about theactual armor, I want to tell you
a little bit about the book ofEphesians, where it's found in
scripture, and just a little bitof backstory and background on
it.
So Ephesians was written by theApostle Paul and it was written
(01:33):
when he was in prison.
It was about 60 to 61 yearsafter Jesus died.
Commentary and I love thiscommentary and I love this
commentary says that Paul'sletter to the Ephesians has been
called an anthem to thesovereign grace of God displayed
towards sinners in Christ.
(01:55):
I thought that was beautifulwhen I read it.
It kind of stopped me in mytracks to just read just the
eloquence and the beauty and thepower of the book of Ephesians.
In Paul's writing, anddefinitely obviously in the
armor of God, he uses militaryimagery.
(02:15):
It was most likely inspired bywhere he was.
Commentary tells us that Paulwas most likely chained to a
Roman soldier.
He had a front row seat to what, like a battle ready warrior
would look like.
He got a front row seat to.
(02:37):
You know this armor and thepurpose of it.
So that's a little bit ofbackstory.
In Ephesians, chapter 6, verses10 to 18, is where Paul talks
about the armor.
It is our protection in thisfallen world.
And, friends, to say I'mobsessed with the armor of God
(02:57):
is a bit of an understatementand that's okay.
I own up to that.
Just as I ready myself for theday taking a shower and brushing
my teeth and doing my hair andall the things I armor up and I
truly mean that Like I take aminute to pause and I walk
myself and my mind through thearmor as a Christian woman, as a
(03:20):
wife, as a mom living in abroken world.
It's the protection that everysingle one of us needs on a soul
level.
I quite literally put it on andif you're sitting there
listening like, um, this isweird.
Also, how do I do this?
Hang tight, and I will explaineverything.
Before we get to theexplanation, though, I want to
(03:42):
read to you Ephesians 6.
So we're going to pick up inverse 10.
Finally, be strong in the Lordand in his mighty power.
Put on the full armor of God sothat you can take your stand
against the devil's schemes, forour struggle is not against
flesh and blood, but against therulers, against the authorities
(04:04):
, against the powers of thisdark world and against the
spiritual forces of evil in theheavenly realms.
Therefore, verse 13,.
Therefore, put on the fullarmor of God so that, when the
day of evil comes, you may beable to stand your ground.
And after you have doneeverything to stand, verse 14,.
(04:27):
Stand firm, then, with the beltof truth buckled around your
waist, with the breastplate ofrighteousness in place and with
your feet fitted with thereadiness that comes from the
gospel of peace.
In addition to all this, takeup the shield of faith with
which you can extinguish all theflaming arrows of the evil.
(04:51):
One, verse 17,.
Take the helmet of salvationand the sword of the spirit,
which is the word of God.
Verse 18 finishes us off withand pray in the spirit on all
occasions, with all kinds ofprayer requests.
With this in mind, be alert andalways keep on praying for the
Lord's people.
(05:13):
My loves, there is an enemy inthis world, and he's after our
souls, he's after our families,world, and he's after our souls,
he's after our families, he'safter our children, he's after
our joy and he is absolutelyafter our peace.
He is the greatest adversary wewill ever have on this side of
(05:35):
heaven.
It is imperative that we armorup for the fight.
As Christians, as people whobelieve that Jesus died on the
cross to save our sin, we needGod's armor for protection every
single moment, to stand firmagainst the devil's schemes.
It's not an if they come intomy life, it's a, but when they
(06:00):
come into my life, we must beready, and the armor helps us do
that.
And so I want to take the nextlittle bit to break down the six
pieces of armor, and my hope isthat it moves your hearts to
understanding.
Ready or not, let's go.
We're going to start with thebelt of truth.
(06:22):
This is the very first part ofthe armor that a warrior will
put on.
Every other piece of armorhinges and listen up because
this is important.
Every other piece of armorhinges on how well the belt is
fastened around the soldier'swaist.
The same is true for us today.
Just as the belt gave a soldiercore support of stability and
(06:47):
fortification, when we fastenthe belt of truth on, it keeps
us stable, it keeps us strong,it keeps us upright.
The belt of truth gives us theunshakableness we need when we
are in spiritual battles thatwage war on our lives.
When we take every choice wehave in this life, every
(07:09):
opportunity we're given, and werun it by the truth of God's
word.
It might feel restricting tothe flesh, but the reality is it
gives us more freedom in life.
See, when a Roman soldier wentinto battle, they had a tunic
and it would be tucked up intothe belt to keep them from
tripping over it.
It essentially gave them likeshorts that offered freedom to
(07:33):
run and to move.
My loves, truth must be thestandard for our lives and when
it is, every choice, everydecision can be confidently made
in ways that glorify our Godand his will.
The belt of truth, firmly onour waist, keeps us from
tripping up.
(07:53):
If I can be honest, perhapsthis applies to you too.
I look back over the times inmy life when I've faltered, when
I have failed and when I haveabsolutely obliterated any
chance of success that laidbefore me.
It is in direct correlationsorry, direct relation to how
(08:15):
tightly the truth of God andscripture was in my life, was in
my life.
The truth hems us in.
So, after a Roman soldier put onhis belt, he would then put on
his breastplate made of bronze.
(08:36):
It would cover him from hisneck down to his thighs to guard
his core and his organs.
It is imperative that we put onthe breastplate of right,
living with God.
See, if truth is this standardthat we fasten around us, then
righteousness is living thatstandard out in behaviors and
obedience.
The breastplate ofrighteousness is this piece of
(09:00):
armor that protects our heart,and your heart is the
centerpiece of your soul.
Friends, there is a real enemyin this world and he prowls like
a roaring lion, crouching inwait for someone to devour.
That's scripture, that's not me.
He looks for someone to leadoff the path and lead right into
(09:23):
temptation.
His demons are on assignmentand living a life of
unrighteousness is all they need.
That's all the invite they needto come in.
Scripture is crystal clear whenit comes to this, proverbs 4,
23 reminds us guard your heart,because everything you do flows
(09:48):
from it.
Luke 6, 45 says a good manbrings good things out of the
good stored up in his heart.
An evil man brings evil thingsout of the evil stored up in his
heart For the mouth.
And if you're listening to thisand you're thinking to yourself
(10:10):
, you have no idea.
I am too far off the path toeven be remotely considered
righteous.
Sweet friend, I ask you topause and I ask you to consider
(10:30):
Calvary.
Our sweet Savior Jesus alreadypaid the price of your
righteousness.
It's time to put it on my dear.
The breastplate of righteousnessallows us to live well.
So with the belt fastenedsecurely and the breastplate
(10:54):
firmly in place, next I want tolook to our feet.
This piece of armor was a nodto the Roman soldiers' footwear.
Military shoes were like halfboot, half sandal, and they were
made of leather.
The bottoms of them had thesemetal spikes that gripped into
the ground.
The shoes kept the soldierstable and able to stand firm
(11:16):
his ground.
Having our feet fitted with thereadiness that comes from the
gospel of peace is an unshakableposture.
If you've lived any amount oftime, I'm certain you can see
that the enemy of our souldoesn't want us to have peace.
He wants us stressed anddepressed, full of strife, envy,
discouragement and chaos.
He knows if he can still ourpeace, he can infuse anything
(11:40):
that he can that can break us,he can pull us from our purpose.
My dear stand guard, becausewherever there is a lack of
peace in your life, you can becertain, certain what you can be
certain that Satan is there,prowling, trying to gain ground,
prowling trying to gain ground.
(12:01):
The good news of the gospel isthat Jesus gives us true,
lasting, eternal peace when wehave a relationship with God.
Through Jesus, we can accessthat lasting peace in our life,
no matter the circumstances.
I read once that peaceintimidates the enemy and
(12:23):
perhaps that's why he's after itso badly in this world.
Can you imagine if we walked inpeace with each other, the
unity we could have in thisworld, regardless of political
or religious affiliations?
Can you imagine if we couldjust stand in peace with each
(12:44):
other?
Peace leaves us empowered tolive out his will and be his
hands and feet in this world.
If Satan can shut that down, hecan gain a lot of ground Each
day as we lace up our J's or weslide into our stilettos.
I encourage you to think abouthow you can show up in your life
bringing peace to any and everysituation that you walk into.
(13:11):
And now we move on to the helmetof salvation.
The helmet of salvation is seenas this protective device for
our most vital driving forces,our minds.
For the soldier in ancient Rome, the helmet was made of iron
and it was covered in bronze.
Commentary states that when thehelmet was so firmly strapped
(13:31):
and placed, it exposed littlebesides the eyes, the nose and
the mouth.
So you can vividly imagine howfortified and safe the helmet
made such an important part ofthe soldier's body.
And when we put on thespiritual armor, this helmet of
salvation, we protect our mindsfrom the attacks of the enemy.
Romans 8, 6 tells us the mindgoverned by the flesh is death,
(13:55):
but the mind governed by thespirit is life and peace.
We can live well when ourmindsets are fixed on truth.
Can you imagine who you couldbe and how might God use you as
his hands and feet in the world?
If he can get us thinking intune with his spirit, the
(14:18):
possibilities are literallyendless for eternity.
The next thing I want to move onto after the helmet of
salvation is the shield of faith.
This is our protection againstthe fiery darts of the enemy.
Now I want to break down thesedarts.
See, they're not made to killus.
Fiery darts are made todistract us from the path that
(14:41):
God has us on.
The enemy knows that if he cankeep us distracted enough
putting out fires, we cannotpossibly advance against him.
The soldier's shield Paul istalking about in Ephesians was
massive.
It was two feet wide by fourfeet tall and it was so massive
(15:02):
that when a soldier croucheddown, it covered him completely.
The shields, they were massive.
They were made of wood, coveredin canvas, then leather, then
iron.
In Ephesians 6, paul tells us totake up the shield of faith,
using the shield of faith as anactive thing.
(15:23):
It's also something that wasn'tdone alone.
Soldiers never advanced inbattle on their own.
They stood shoulder to shoulder, shields interlocked when
crouching down.
There's a significance here.
If you're anything like me, youmight have a lone wolf approach
(15:45):
to life.
Okay, this rarely works whenthe fiery darks begin to ascend.
I've said it for over a decadenow that we are never meant to
do life alone.
We never have been and we neverwill be.
Life happens side by side, sotake up your shield of faith and
(16:08):
make sure there's a soldier, orfew, next to you.
The sword of the spirit is thenext piece of the armor, and
this is different than all theother pieces If you look at them
.
Every piece of armor is fordefense and acts as a protective
shield for our body, except thesword of the spirit.
The sword is our offense.
(16:29):
Our sword that we wield is theword of God.
His word is our offense againstall the other things that try
and stop us from living outGod's will for our life.
Hebrews 4.12 says the word ofGod is alive and active, sharper
than any double-edged sword.
It penetrates even to dividingsoul and spirit, joints and
(16:52):
marrow.
It judges the thoughts andattitudes of the heart.
Your sword of the spirit, theGod-breathed scripture in our
Bibles, offers protection in ourlife from a God that would
leave the 99 to go and fight forthe one Dear ones.
The grace of God saved us.
(17:14):
Scripture and the armor of Godprepares us.
Scripture and the armor of Godprepares us.
It prepares us to stand strongin a broken and fallen world.
My loves, if you feel like somedays you are in an all-out
(17:39):
battle.
Scratch that war.
It's because we are Build yourlife on the firm foundation of
Jesus and then armor up againstthe schemes that come your way.
It's not always going to beeasy, it won't always be a clear
path, path forward, but if wewalk in obedience, in lockstep
(18:02):
with the Holy Spirit, we willall walk through it protected.
There was a lot here that Iunpacked.
I love the armor of God.
I love talking about it.
If you are interested in divingdeeper and talking more, please
(18:23):
, friends, reach out.
As we close this episode, I'mgoing to pray number 6, 24, 26
over you and your dear ones.
May the Lord bless you andprotect you.
May the Lord make his face toshine upon you and be gracious
(18:43):
to you.
May the Lord look with favor onyou and give you peace.
My love's to add to theblessing.
I pray that the God of heavenlets the importance of the armor
of God permeate your heart andyour mind.
I pray that you bravely wearhis armor every day and be bold
(19:06):
enough to share it with yourspouses and your children and
the people in life who you lovethe most, helping to equip them
for the life ahead of them.
My dear friends, I hope youenjoyed this episode.
Come back next time.
(19:30):
We're going to throw moreencouragement and more scripture
around like confetti.
But be careful.
You know, if you get too closeyou're totally going to get some
on you.
And remember there's alwayssomething to be thankful for.
Ciao.
Thank you for joining me,desiree Melfi Bozzo, for this
episode of Life Out Loud.
(19:50):
I would love to hear from you,leave me a comment, tell me what
topics you want to talk aboutand how you take your coffee.
If you enjoyed what you heard,text a friend the link, share it
on social media.
Or if you're interested inbecoming a supporter, beep up
over to my webpage,lifeoutloudme and sponsor a cup
of coffee that keeps thispodcast fueled Until next time,
(20:14):
sweet listeners.
Ciao and welcome to Life Out Loud.
I am your host, desireeMelfi-Bozzo.
We are going to use this spaceto share experiences and help
you find lasting, unshakable,unwavering, unmessable.
With joy and gratitude.
We're going to be throwingaround encouragement a little
bit like confetti, and givingyou support to live your very
(00:28):
best life.
Ciao, friends, welcome toepisode three of season four of
the Life Out Loud podcast.
I am the creator of thispodcast and your host, desiree
Melfi Bozzo.
This season we're focusing onprayers and scripture that have
helped to shape the world, andin this episode we are going to
(00:50):
talk about how important it isto fortify our lives with
something called the armor ofGod.
The armor of God is found inthe book of Ephesians and
scripture in the New Testament.
It is so powerful and sohelpful in navigating life on
(01:11):
this side of heaven and Ithought it was pretty important
to share it with all of you.
So before we talk about theactual armor, I want to tell you
a little bit about the book ofEphesians, where it's found in
scripture, and just a little bitof backstory and background on
it.
So Ephesians was written by theApostle Paul and it was written
(01:33):
when he was in prison.
It was about 60 to 61 yearsafter Jesus died.
Commentary and I love thiscommentary and I love this
commentary says that Paul'sletter to the Ephesians has been
called an anthem to thesovereign grace of God displayed
towards sinners in Christ.
(01:55):
I thought that was beautifulwhen I read it.
It kind of stopped me in mytracks to just read just the
eloquence and the beauty and thepower of the book of Ephesians.
In Paul's writing, anddefinitely obviously in the
armor of God, he uses militaryimagery.
(02:15):
It was most likely inspired bywhere he was.
Commentary tells us that Paulwas most likely chained to a
Roman soldier.
He had a front row seat to what, like a battle ready warrior
would look like.
He got a front row seat to.
(02:37):
You know this armor and thepurpose of it.
So that's a little bit ofbackstory.
In Ephesians, chapter 6, verses10 to 18, is where Paul talks
about the armor.
It is our protection in thisfallen world.
And, friends, to say I'mobsessed with the armor of God
(02:57):
is a bit of an understatementand that's okay.
I own up to that.
Just as I ready myself for theday taking a shower and brushing
my teeth and doing my hair andall the things I armor up and I
truly mean that Like I take aminute to pause and I walk
myself and my mind through thearmor as a Christian woman, as a
(03:20):
wife, as a mom living in abroken world.
It's the protection that everysingle one of us needs on a soul
level.
I quite literally put it on andif you're sitting there
listening like, um, this isweird.
Also, how do I do this?
Hang tight, and I will explaineverything.
Before we get to theexplanation, though, I want to
(03:42):
read to you Ephesians 6.
So we're going to pick up inverse 10.
Finally, be strong in the Lordand in his mighty power.
Put on the full armor of God sothat you can take your stand
against the devil's schemes, forour struggle is not against
flesh and blood, but against therulers, against the authorities
(04:04):
, against the powers of thisdark world and against the
spiritual forces of evil in theheavenly realms.
Therefore, verse 13,.
Therefore, put on the fullarmor of God so that, when the
day of evil comes, you may beable to stand your ground.
And after you have doneeverything to stand, verse 14,.
(04:27):
Stand firm, then, with the beltof truth buckled around your
waist, with the breastplate ofrighteousness in place and with
your feet fitted with thereadiness that comes from the
gospel of peace.
In addition to all this, takeup the shield of faith with
which you can extinguish all theflaming arrows of the evil.
(04:51):
One, verse 17,.
Take the helmet of salvationand the sword of the spirit,
which is the word of God.
Verse 18 finishes us off withand pray in the spirit on all
occasions, with all kinds ofprayer requests.
With this in mind, be alert andalways keep on praying for the
Lord's people.
(05:13):
My loves, there is an enemy inthis world, and he's after our
souls, he's after our families,world, and he's after our souls,
he's after our families, he'safter our children, he's after
our joy and he is absolutelyafter our peace.
He is the greatest adversary wewill ever have on this side of
(05:35):
heaven.
It is imperative that we armorup for the fight.
As Christians, as people whobelieve that Jesus died on the
cross to save our sin, we needGod's armor for protection every
single moment, to stand firmagainst the devil's schemes.
It's not an if they come intomy life, it's a, but when they
(06:00):
come into my life, we must beready, and the armor helps us do
that.
And so I want to take the nextlittle bit to break down the six
pieces of armor, and my hope isthat it moves your hearts to
understanding.
Ready or not, let's go.
We're going to start with thebelt of truth.
(06:22):
This is the very first part ofthe armor that a warrior will
put on.
Every other piece of armorhinges and listen up because
this is important.
Every other piece of armorhinges on how well the belt is
fastened around the soldier'swaist.
The same is true for us today.
Just as the belt gave a soldiercore support of stability and
(06:47):
fortification, when we fastenthe belt of truth on, it keeps
us stable, it keeps us strong,it keeps us upright.
The belt of truth gives us theunshakableness we need when we
are in spiritual battles thatwage war on our lives.
When we take every choice wehave in this life, every
(07:09):
opportunity we're given, and werun it by the truth of God's
word.
It might feel restricting tothe flesh, but the reality is it
gives us more freedom in life.
See, when a Roman soldier wentinto battle, they had a tunic
and it would be tucked up intothe belt to keep them from
tripping over it.
It essentially gave them likeshorts that offered freedom to
(07:33):
run and to move.
My loves, truth must be thestandard for our lives and when
it is, every choice, everydecision can be confidently made
in ways that glorify our Godand his will.
The belt of truth, firmly onour waist, keeps us from
tripping up.
(07:53):
If I can be honest, perhapsthis applies to you too.
I look back over the times inmy life when I've faltered, when
I have failed and when I haveabsolutely obliterated any
chance of success that laidbefore me.
It is in direct correlationsorry, direct relation to how
(08:15):
tightly the truth of God andscripture was in my life, was in
my life.
The truth hems us in.
So, after a Roman soldier put onhis belt, he would then put on
his breastplate made of bronze.
(08:36):
It would cover him from hisneck down to his thighs to guard
his core and his organs.
It is imperative that we put onthe breastplate of right,
living with God.
See, if truth is this standardthat we fasten around us, then
righteousness is living thatstandard out in behaviors and
obedience.
The breastplate ofrighteousness is this piece of
(09:00):
armor that protects our heart,and your heart is the
centerpiece of your soul.
Friends, there is a real enemyin this world and he prowls like
a roaring lion, crouching inwait for someone to devour.
That's scripture, that's not me.
He looks for someone to leadoff the path and lead right into
(09:23):
temptation.
His demons are on assignmentand living a life of
unrighteousness is all they need.
That's all the invite they needto come in.
Scripture is crystal clear whenit comes to this, proverbs 4,
23 reminds us guard your heart,because everything you do flows
(09:48):
from it.
Luke 6, 45 says a good manbrings good things out of the
good stored up in his heart.
An evil man brings evil thingsout of the evil stored up in his
heart For the mouth.
And if you're listening to thisand you're thinking to yourself
(10:10):
, you have no idea.
I am too far off the path toeven be remotely considered
righteous.
Sweet friend, I ask you topause and I ask you to consider
(10:30):
Calvary.
Our sweet Savior Jesus alreadypaid the price of your
righteousness.
It's time to put it on my dear.
The breastplate of righteousnessallows us to live well.
So with the belt fastenedsecurely and the breastplate
(10:54):
firmly in place, next I want tolook to our feet.
This piece of armor was a nodto the Roman soldiers' footwear.
Military shoes were like halfboot, half sandal, and they were
made of leather.
The bottoms of them had thesemetal spikes that gripped into
the ground.
The shoes kept the soldierstable and able to stand firm
(11:16):
his ground.
Having our feet fitted with thereadiness that comes from the
gospel of peace is an unshakableposture.
If you've lived any amount oftime, I'm certain you can see
that the enemy of our souldoesn't want us to have peace.
He wants us stressed anddepressed, full of strife, envy,
discouragement and chaos.
He knows if he can still ourpeace, he can infuse anything
(11:40):
that he can that can break us,he can pull us from our purpose.
My dear stand guard, becausewherever there is a lack of
peace in your life, you can becertain, certain what you can be
certain that Satan is there,prowling, trying to gain ground,
prowling trying to gain ground.
(12:01):
The good news of the gospel isthat Jesus gives us true,
lasting, eternal peace when wehave a relationship with God.
Through Jesus, we can accessthat lasting peace in our life,
no matter the circumstances.
I read once that peaceintimidates the enemy and
(12:23):
perhaps that's why he's after itso badly in this world.
Can you imagine if we walked inpeace with each other, the
unity we could have in thisworld, regardless of political
or religious affiliations?
Can you imagine if we couldjust stand in peace with each
(12:44):
other?
Peace leaves us empowered tolive out his will and be his
hands and feet in this world.
If Satan can shut that down, hecan gain a lot of ground Each
day as we lace up our J's or weslide into our stilettos.
I encourage you to think abouthow you can show up in your life
bringing peace to any and everysituation that you walk into.
(13:11):
And now we move on to the helmetof salvation.
The helmet of salvation is seenas this protective device for
our most vital driving forces,our minds.
For the soldier in ancient Rome, the helmet was made of iron
and it was covered in bronze.
Commentary states that when thehelmet was so firmly strapped
(13:31):
and placed, it exposed littlebesides the eyes, the nose and
the mouth.
So you can vividly imagine howfortified and safe the helmet
made such an important part ofthe soldier's body.
And when we put on thespiritual armor, this helmet of
salvation, we protect our mindsfrom the attacks of the enemy.
Romans 8, 6 tells us the mindgoverned by the flesh is death,
(13:55):
but the mind governed by thespirit is life and peace.
We can live well when ourmindsets are fixed on truth.
Can you imagine who you couldbe and how might God use you as
his hands and feet in the world?
If he can get us thinking intune with his spirit, the
(14:18):
possibilities are literallyendless for eternity.
The next thing I want to move onto after the helmet of
salvation is the shield of faith.
This is our protection againstthe fiery darts of the enemy.
Now I want to break down thesedarts.
See, they're not made to killus.
Fiery darts are made todistract us from the path that
(14:41):
God has us on.
The enemy knows that if he cankeep us distracted enough
putting out fires, we cannotpossibly advance against him.
The soldier's shield Paul istalking about in Ephesians was
massive.
It was two feet wide by fourfeet tall and it was so massive
(15:02):
that when a soldier croucheddown, it covered him completely.
The shields, they were massive.
They were made of wood, coveredin canvas, then leather, then
iron.
In Ephesians 6, paul tells us totake up the shield of faith,
using the shield of faith as anactive thing.
(15:23):
It's also something that wasn'tdone alone.
Soldiers never advanced inbattle on their own.
They stood shoulder to shoulder, shields interlocked when
crouching down.
There's a significance here.
If you're anything like me, youmight have a lone wolf approach
(15:45):
to life.
Okay, this rarely works whenthe fiery darks begin to ascend.
I've said it for over a decadenow that we are never meant to
do life alone.
We never have been and we neverwill be.
Life happens side by side, sotake up your shield of faith and
(16:08):
make sure there's a soldier, orfew, next to you.
The sword of the spirit is thenext piece of the armor, and
this is different than all theother pieces If you look at them
.
Every piece of armor is fordefense and acts as a protective
shield for our body, except thesword of the spirit.
The sword is our offense.
(16:29):
Our sword that we wield is theword of God.
His word is our offense againstall the other things that try
and stop us from living outGod's will for our life.
Hebrews 4.12 says the word ofGod is alive and active, sharper
than any double-edged sword.
It penetrates even to dividingsoul and spirit, joints and
(16:52):
marrow.
It judges the thoughts andattitudes of the heart.
Your sword of the spirit, theGod-breathed scripture in our
Bibles, offers protection in ourlife from a God that would
leave the 99 to go and fight forthe one Dear ones.
The grace of God saved us.
(17:14):
Scripture and the armor of Godprepares us.
Scripture and the armor of Godprepares us.
It prepares us to stand strongin a broken and fallen world.
My loves, if you feel like somedays you are in an all-out
(17:39):
battle.
Scratch that war.
It's because we are Build yourlife on the firm foundation of
Jesus and then armor up againstthe schemes that come your way.
It's not always going to beeasy, it won't always be a clear
path, path forward, but if wewalk in obedience, in lockstep
(18:02):
with the Holy Spirit, we willall walk through it protected.
There was a lot here that Iunpacked.
I love the armor of God.
I love talking about it.
If you are interested in divingdeeper and talking more, please
(18:23):
, friends, reach out.
As we close this episode, I'mgoing to pray number 6, 24, 26
over you and your dear ones.
May the Lord bless you andprotect you.
May the Lord make his face toshine upon you and be gracious
(18:43):
to you.
May the Lord look with favor onyou and give you peace.
My love's to add to theblessing.
I pray that the God of heavenlets the importance of the armor
of God permeate your heart andyour mind.
I pray that you bravely wearhis armor every day and be bold
(19:06):
enough to share it with yourspouses and your children and
the people in life who you lovethe most, helping to equip them
for the life ahead of them.
My dear friends, I hope youenjoyed this episode.
Come back next time.
(19:30):
We're going to throw moreencouragement and more scripture
around like confetti.
But be careful.
You know, if you get too closeyou're totally going to get some
on you.
And remember there's alwayssomething to be thankful for.
Ciao.
Thank you for joining me,desiree Melfi Bozzo, for this
episode of Life Out Loud.
(19:50):
I would love to hear from you,leave me a comment, tell me what
topics you want to talk aboutand how you take your coffee.
If you enjoyed what you heard,text a friend the link, share it
on social media.
Or if you're interested inbecoming a supporter, beep up
over to my webpage,lifeoutloudme and sponsor a cup
of coffee that keeps thispodcast fueled Until next time,
(20:14):
sweet listeners.
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