Dress For REAL Success In The Armor Of God, Part 3: The Breastplate Of Righteousness

To dress for REAL success, the apostle Paul includes the breastplate of righteousness which is necessary to protect our heart:

“Therefore take up the WHOLE armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore…having put on the breastplate of righteousness.” ‭‭

Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭10‬-‭18‬

A Roman soldier’s breastplate covered him from his neck to his waist, safeguarding his vital organs, particularly his heart. Just as the Roman soldier needed to protect his heart, we, too, must guard our heart against our enemies. This is accomplished through living a righteous life. Notice I did NOT say “self” righteous. The Bible unequivocally states that none of us are righteous until we have experienced the transformative new birth by receiving the gift of salvation.

There are two concepts of righteousness relevant to this discussion. 

The FIRST is the “righteousness of the inner man” which Christ imputes to our soul and spirit when we are born again. The SECOND is a “righteous lifestyle” we choose after we are born again. 

THE FIRST:

After we are born again, the righteousness of our soul and spirit never changes because salvation imputes to us the spiritual genetics of Christ, Who cannot sin. God graciously credits us with the righteousness of Jesus Christ! (2 Corinthians 5:21) When we repent and are reconciled to God, a “breastplate” is assigned to each of us. Our own righteous acts would never be good enough to create the righteousness sufficient to save us from the same fate as the enemy. (Isaiah 64:6).  The breastplate of righteousness bears Christ’s name and when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior, I imagine Him saying: 

“Your righteousness is insufficient to protect you; so here, wear Mine.“

THE SECOND:

The SECOND concept is CHOOSING a righteous lifestyle after we are born again. To protect our heart, we must be determined to live according to God’s rules. We are instructed to “put on” our armor, indicating that we do not automatically wear it at all times. Putting on the armor of God requires a deliberate decision on our part. But to put on the breastplate of righteousness, it is critical that we have first secured the belt of truth. 

Without God’s belt of truth, “righteousness” is simply our own standard of right and wrong. 

If we are living by any other “truth,” we will NEVER be living under the protection of the righteousness of GOD. Our heart will NOT have the vital protection we need against the enemy. This is why so many Christians are so anxious and weak! There is no way we can choose to live by a standard of right and wrong that violates God’s Word and ALSO expect for God to protect us.

Any standard of righteousness that deviates from God’s Word places us in enemy territory. 

By living in violation of God’s Word, we distance ourselves from God’s power to shield us from the cunning schemes of the enemy. In fact, if we persist in disobedience, we should have little expectation of God’s protection because we have chosen to defect and fight for the enemy. We are traitors. As you can imagine, the consequences of betrayal are terrible and eternal.

We should NOT expect Jesus to protect us when we are fighting for the enemy who crucified Him!

If we want to live in the power and protection of God, we must “put on righteousness” by seeking God and His righteous ways above all else. (Matthew 6:33) We must delight in His commands and long for His ways to become our ways. (Psalm 37:4; 119:24,111) When God reveals an area in need of change, we must obey and allow Him to do His work within us. Refusing to live by God’s standard means we’re setting our breastplate aside and allowing Satan’s arrows to penetrate our heart. (Ephesians 6:16)

The more we develop a LIFESTYLE of God’s righteousness, the stronger we become against the enemy. God’s ways make us supremely confident. Test yourself: Can you say that most of your waking hours would be characterized by living with a sense of victory and confidence? Or, are you often fearful, worried and anxious? My friend, if you want to live fearlessly, you MUST be living by God’s standards

“The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion.” ‭‭

Proverbs‬ ‭28‬:‭1‬ ‬‬

It may seem that God’s Word is harsh to say that unrighteousness breeds anxiety; but, from experience, I know it to be true. I am not fearful when I am diligent to protect my HEART and MIND from sin.

“Keep your HEART with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.” ‭‭‬‬

Proverbs‬ ‭4‬:‭23‬

“Set your MIND on things above, not on things on the earth.” ‭‭‭‬

Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭2‬

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, HOLY, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do NOT be conformed to this world, but be TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” ‬  

‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-‭2

MY friend, isn’t it GLORIOUS that after we are born again, Jesus gives us HIS power to CHOOSE to live righteously!?!? Isn’t it amazing how the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness work together?  What will you do with God’s RIGHTEOUSNESS today? Set your mind to live according to God’s ways and live in victory!

Dressing yourself in God’s righteousness is the difference between success and failure.

We would love to hear your thoughts about this devotional. Did God speak to you or challenge your daily walk with him? Or is there a topic that you would like Kimberly to cover or expound on? Please share with us in the comments below.

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