put on the armor of God | Devotions by Chris Hendrix

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July 13, 2026 · 5:54 AM

Stand Your Ground

To “stand your ground” means that you don’t back down and you maintain your boundaries. To do that you have to take action and be prepared to defend what is yours. You need to have a plan as to what you will do when those boundaries are tested. We’re encouraged to stand our ground emotionally and even physically, but what about spiritually? Have you thought about how to stand your ground when the enemy tries to take what God has given you? Sometimes we forget that we are in a spiritual battle that has physical ramifications. When the enemy comes in like a flood, we need to be prepared to stand our ground instead of cowering in fear or simply giving up what is rightfully ours.

In 1 Samuel 17, the Philistines camped on a hill with the valley of Elah below them, while Saul had the army of Israel camped on a hill across the valley. The valley and surrounding land belonged to Israel and was a major transportation route to get supplies to inland cities. While attempting to stand their ground, the Philistines sent out a giant names Goliath to intimidate Israel into giving up the land. For forty days they were afraid to stand their ground and defend the Promised Land God had given them. It wasn’t until a young shepherd boy named David came that the story changed. He knew who he was, but more importantly He had a clear understanding of God and the land they were standing on. Goliath came with a sword and spear, but David won the battle because he trusted in the name of the Lord.

Ephesians 6:14 tells us, “Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness” (NLT). We are commanded to stand our ground when we are under spiritual attack or threatened by the enemy. The first thing we need to do is put on the belt of truth. The truth is that greater is He that is in you. The truth is you have God fighting for you. The truth is you are who God says you are. Combat the lies and attack of the enemy with truth first. Then put on the whole armor of God so you can stand against the strategies of the devil. God has equipped you to stand your ground no matter what weapons the enemy uses. No weapon formed against you will prosper when you stand strong and courageous the way David did. Armor up and stand strong in the Lord.

Photo by Frank Luciano on Unsplash

Fighting Strategically

I grew up watching and playing sports. My favorite part about them to this day is all the strategy that goes into them in order to win. You always go into the game with a strategy to win. The greatest coaches have always been the ones who have a strategy of disrupting the other team’s strategy. They do what they can to take away their best weapons and to get them off of their game plan. The goal is to get the other side to quit playing the game the way they planned and to play into yours. There’s a lot of mind games involved too. We used to do what we could to disrupt their thinking and concentration because we knew how much it would affect their ability to score. As I’ve grown up, I’ve learned that as Christians, we are in a war. We also have an enemy that is strategizing against us. It’s important to know and recognize his tactics.

In 1 Samuel 17 David went to the battlefield in obedience to his father not long after being anointed the next king. When he arrived, Goliath had been forcing Israel out of their strategy for forty days and the army was paralyzed with fear. David started asking questions and his brothers tried to belittle him to disrupt his strategy and keep him on the sidelines. King Saul then tried to force him into armor that didn’t fit. That strategy would have slowed him down and caused him to fail. He rejected both and stepped onto the battlefield with his strategy. Goliath taunted him and tried to use fear and intimidation to get him to change his strategy, but David didn’t flinch. He kept the strategy God gave him and ran to Goliath. God gave him the victory over the giant because he stayed on point with what God had placed in his heart and he didn’t deviate from the strategy.

Jesus said in John 10:10 that we have an enemy that wants to steal, kill and destroy us. We can’t forget that when things start disrupting our plans and God’s calling on our life. Ephesians 6:11 reminds us, “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil” (NLT). God’s plan for you is to wear His armor and not to get disrupted by the enemy’s strategies. You must stand firm in your faith, trust God’s plan and keep doing what He’s called you to. Don’t allow the strategies of the enemy make you feel unworthy, not enough, that you’re doing it wrong or so afraid that you quit following God’s plan. Armor up and fight back. God had given you what you need to be successful in what He’s called you to. Don’t fall for the strategies of the enemy. Instead, fight back. 2 Corinthians 10:4 says, “We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.” You have the power to stand against his strategies and to destroy them.

Photo by Marek Studzinski on Unsplash

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