Review
Breastplate of Righteousness
Ephesians 4:14 - “Stand firm then… with the breastplate of righteousness in place”
A Roman soldier wore a breastplate at all times. It was like a bullet-proof vest in that day with the purpose of protecting their vital organs from being struck. This included their lungs, their stomach, etc. However, the most important of those organs was the heart. A shot to the heart by the enemy would have been a fatal blow, killing a soldier in battle. Therefore, it was extremely important for a soldier to be equipped with his breastplate in tact.
Similarly, we as Christians have a breastplate that is necessary for us to wear as well. It is one that must be worn at all times as we are in a battle as well. This breastplate is meant to protect us from the attack of the enemy. We as Christians are constantly under spiritual attack. Like the breastplate of a Roman soldier, it is meant to protect our heart.
The devil will attack your family, marriage, finances, personal habits, desires, etc. However, that is not his end game. While he may launch an attack in these areas of your life, his purpose is only to use these things to gain control of your heart. His desire is to lead your heart away from God. This is why the Bible commands us to guard our hearts.
Proverbs 4:23 - “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”
Our life, who we are, flows from the heart. In other words, we make our decisions from the heart. We may come up with different possibilities in our mind, but the heart is where the decision is made. When we have decided in our heart what we are going to do, more often than not that is what we end up doing.
Therefore the Bible commands us to guard our heart with “all vigilance.” That is to watch as a guard who is watching a prison cell, let us watch and guard our hearts. This is because on its own, the heart is so easily led astray. Therefore we must guard it. How? By putting on our breastplate. That breastplate is called righteousness.
So what is righteousness? Simply put…
Righteousness = the standard in which we please God
Righteousness = Right Living
Righteousness is living a life that is right before God. By living righteously, we guard our heart from attack like a breastplate or a bullet proof vest. Living right before God guards us from the devil successfully leading our hearts away from God. We live how God wants us to live, we talk how God wants us to talk, we spend our money the way God wants us to spend our money, etc. We are meeting a standard. That standard is not determined by culture, popular opinion, or societal pressure. Instead that standard is set by God.
So righteousness is the spiritual breastplate we put on to guard our heart from being led astray. Check out this scripture here.
Proverbs 13:6 - “Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless, but sin overthrows the wicked.”
If righteousness keeps the enemy out of your life, then unrighteousness (sin) opens the door and invites the enemy into your life. [Story of auntie’s house in Kansas] If you leave trash in your home for a long period of time, you are inviting roaches and ants into your home. That trash is the source that bugs are attracted to. If you want to get rid of the roaches, you have to get rid of the trash.
Similarly, if we allow sin in our life then we are inviting devils and demons into our life as well. Along with sin come demons. They feast on sin and wrongness. You can call on God to help you, but if we are still living in sin then we are limiting God’s help. Sin gives the enemy legal right in our life. If we want to get rid of the demons and their influence, we have to get rid of the source; we have to get rid of the unrighteousness in our life.
The devil is trying to lead your heart astray to cause you to buy into a lifestyle of sin. Righteousness is a lifestyle, and so is unrighteousness. However, as a born again Christian we can cry out to God, repent, and turn to Him. We must put on righteousness, live right before the Lord.
Only true righteousness can guard us from the enemy. True righteousness is not living right only on Sundays and Wednesdays. That is not just living right when I am around other Christians. That kind of lifestyle may look righteous to others, but it does not fool God; nor does it fool the enemy. True righteousness is a lifestyle of living rights before God. Man-crafted righteousness will not work in a spiritual battle. We need true righteousness that is from God alone.
True righteousness is something that is:
2 Corinthians 5:21 - “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Ephesians 4:24 - “put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Let us embrace true righteousness in our life and work it out every single day. You may think, “I don’t know how to change.” Just let Jesus do the work. Allow the Word of God to feed your spirit and produce righteousness in your life through obedience.
Takeaways:
Proverbs 3:5 - “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”
Doing these things will keep the enemy from leading you away from God. Equipping yourself with righteousness will keep demons out of your life. Arm yourself with the breastplate of righteousness.
