Simplicity In the Armor of God
Heather Shull-Carman
Ephesians 6:10-17
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
As a new believer, I often heard that we need to “put on the full armor of God.” Anytime an obstacle—or full-on spiritual warfare—arose in my life, I would stop and ask myself: Did I put on the full armor of God?
It always came back to something I had—or hadn’t—done.
Where was I missing a piece of armor?
Where wasn’t I standing in faith?
Where wasn’t I trusting Him?
Where wasn’t I proclaiming truth?
It felt like the answer was always tied to my performance—something I needed to do in order to overcome the opposition I was facing.
What I didn’t realize then was this: it was never about striving. It was about resting.
Resting in the truth that He already knows, He already sees, and He is already defending me.
Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30).
In Ephesians 6:10–18, Paul tells us to put on the full armor of God so that we can stand against the enemy. Yet Paul also spent his life preaching the Gospel of “It is finished”—that we are in union with Christ.
So what if “putting on the armor” isn’t about striving harder…but about remembering who we are in Him?
What if Paul is calling us to be grounded in this truth: that we are one with Jesus—and He Himself is our armor?
If we are in Him, then we are already fully covered: in His protection, His love, His truth, His peace, His faith, and His righteousness.
Our role is not to strive for these things, but to receive what has already been given through His love.
I believe one of the greatest challenges in the Christian walk is resisting the subtle pull to return to performance—to thinking we must do something to be loved, protected, or secure.
How many of us came to Christ with joy, freedom, and hope… only to slowly drift into striving?
Over time, worldly thinking—and even distorted teaching—can quietly shape our beliefs. Without realizing it, we begin to think our righteousness, our peace, our faith, and even our identity are based on what we do or don’t do.
Scripture warns us: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12).
When we believe it’s about our effort, we step into a mindset that subtly replaces Christ’s finished work. It becomes less about Him—and more about us.
But when we look closely at the armor described in Ephesians 6, something powerful emerges:
Each piece reflects who Jesus is.
Belt of Truth — Jesus is the Truth(John 14:6)
Breastplate of Righteousness — Jesus is our righteousness(Philippians 3:9)
Gospel of Peace — Jesus is our peace(Isaiah 9:6; Ephesians 2:14)
Shield of Faith — Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith(Hebrews 12:2)
Helmet of Salvation — Jesus is our salvation (Yeshua means salvation)(1 Corinthians 2:16)
Sword of the Spirit (Word of God) — Jesus is the Word(John 1:1–5)
So perhaps Paul’s message is simpler—and more profound—than we’ve made it:
Put on Christ.
Remain in Him.
Stand in what is already true.
And in doing so, you will stand strong—not in your power, but in His.
