How does putting on the whole armor of God help you stand against evil?
"15 Wherefore, lift up your hearts and rejoice, and gird up your loins, and take upon you my whole armor, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all, that ye may be able to stand.
16 Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, which I have sent mine angels to commit unto you;
17 Taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked;
18 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of my Spirit, which I will pour out upon you, and my word which I reveal unto you, and be agreed as touching all things whatsoever ye ask of me, and be faithful until I come, and ye shall be caught up, that where I am ye shall be also. Amen." (Doctrine and Covenants 27: 15-18)
"11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;" (Ephesians 6: 11-18)
"I pray that we may continue to build our lives following the plans and technical specifications of the divine design authored by our Heavenly Father.
Over the years from this beautiful pulpit at the Conference Center, we have received magnificent counsel, inspiration, instruction, and revelation. On occasion, speakers have used comparisons associated with their areas of knowledge and experience to illustrate clearly and powerfully a principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In this way, for example, we have learned about airplanes and flights in which a tiny initial deviation can lead us to a place far from our original destination. Also in this way, we have learned from a comparison of the function of our physical heart with the powerful change of heart required to respond to the Lord’s invitation to follow Him.
This time, I would like to humbly add a comparison inspired from an area in the field of my professional preparation. I am referring to the world of civil engineering. From the beginning of my university studies, I dreamed of the day when I would complete the requirements to be qualified to take the class that would teach me how to design buildings and other structures that could then be considered “anti-seismic.”
The day finally arrived for my first class on this subject. The first words from the professor were the following: “You are surely anxious to begin this course and learn how to design anti-seismic structures,” to which many of us eagerly nodded our heads. Then the professor said, “I am sorry to tell you that this is not possible, for I cannot teach you how to design a building that is against, that is ‘anti-’ or that is opposed to, an earthquake. This makes no sense,” he said, “because earthquakes will occur anyway, whether we like it or not.”
Then he added, “What I can teach you is how to design structures that are seismic-resistant, structures that can resist the forces coming from an earthquake, so that the structure remains standing without suffering any serious damage and can then continue offering the service for which it had been conceived.”
The engineer makes the calculations that indicate the dimensions, qualities, and characteristics of the foundations, columns, beams, concrete slabs, and other structural elements being designed. These results are translated into plans and technical specifications, which must be strictly followed by the builder in order for the work to materialize and thus fulfill the purpose for which it was designed and is being built.
Although more than 40 years have passed since that first class in seismic-resistant engineering, I perfectly remember the moment when I began to acquire a deeper, more complete understanding of the vital importance that this concept would be present in the structures that I would design in my future professional life. Not only that, but even more important—that it would be permanently present in the edification of my own life and in those over whom I might exercise a positive influence.
How blessed we are to count on a knowledge of the plan of salvation created by our Heavenly Father, to have the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and to rely on the inspired direction of living prophets! All the former constitute the divinely designed “plans” and the “technical specifications” that teach us clearly how to construct happy lives—lives that are resistant to sin, resistant to temptation, resistant to attacks from Satan, who is desperately seeking to frustrate our eternal destiny to be together with our Heavenly Father and with our beloved families.
The Savior Himself, at the beginning of His ministry, “was left to be tempted of the devil.” But Jesus emerged successful from that great trial. How did having an attitude of anti-Satan or anti-temptation serve Him? What made Jesus emerge triumphant from these most difficult moments was His spiritual preparation, which permitted Him to be in a condition to resist the temptations of the adversary.
What were some of the factors that helped the Savior to be prepared for that crucial moment?
First, He had fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, a fast that must have been accompanied by constant prayer. So, although He was physically weak, His spirit was very strong. Even though, fortunately, we are not asked to fast for such a duration—rather for only 24 hours and once a month—fasting brings us spiritual strength and prepares us to be resistant to the trials of this life.
In the second place, in the account of the temptations to which the Savior was submitted, we see that He always answered Satan having scriptures in His mind, quoting them, and applying them at the right moment.
When Satan tempted Him to convert stones into bread so that He could satisfy His hunger from His long fast, the Lord said to him, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Then, when the Lord was on the pinnacle of the temple, the devil tried to tempt Him to demonstrate His power, to which the Lord answered with authority, “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” And to Satan’s third attempt, the Lord responded, “It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”
The event of an earthquake leaves its mark even on structures that were correctly designed and built—such consequences as perhaps some cracks, fallen furniture or ceilings, and broken windows. But this well-designed and well-built edifice will fulfill its purpose of protecting its occupants, and with some repairs, it will recuperate its original condition.
In similar fashion, the buffetings of the adversary can also cause “cracks,” or some partial damage in our lives, in spite of our efforts to build our lives according to the perfect divine design. These “cracks” can manifest themselves through feelings of sadness or remorse for having committed some errors and for not having done everything perfectly, or for feeling that we are not as good as we want to be.
But what is truly relevant is that for having followed the divinely designed plans and specifications, that is, the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are still standing. The structure of our lives has not been demolished because of the adversary’s efforts or for difficult situations that we have had to face; rather, we are ready to move forward.
The joy promised in the scriptures as the purpose of our existence should not be understood to mean that we will have no difficulties or sorrows, that we will have no “cracks” as consequences of temptations, of adversity, or from the actual trials of our earth life.
This joy has to do with Nephi’s perspective on life when he said, “Having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days.” All his days! Even the days that Nephi suffered during the incomprehension and rejection of his own brothers, even when they tied him up on the ship, even the day that his father, Lehi, passed away, even when Laman and Lemuel became mortal enemies of his people. Even in those difficult days, Nephi felt highly favored of the Lord.
We can have the tranquility of knowing that the Lord will never permit us to be tempted beyond what we can resist. Alma invites us to “watch and pray continually, that [we] may not be tempted above that which [we] can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering.”
The same can be applied to the trials of life. Ammon reminds us of the words of the Lord: “Go … and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success.”
The Lord always provides us with help when we face adversity, temptation, incomprehension, infirmities, and even death. He has said, “And now, verily I say unto you, and what I say unto one I say unto all, be of good cheer, little children; for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you.” He will never abandon us!
I pray that we may continue to build our lives following the plans and technical specifications of the divine design authored by our Father and achieved through our Savior, Jesus Christ. Thus, because of the grace that reaches us through the Atonement of our Savior, we will be successful in constructing a life resistant to sin, resistant to temptation, and strengthened to endure the sad, difficult times in our lives. And furthermore, we will be in a condition to access all the blessings promised through the love of our Father and our Savior. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen." (
Building a Life Resistant to the Adversary By Elder Jorge F. Zeballos Of the Seventy)
And here's the commentary entitled: "The armor of God helps me stand against evil.":
"President M. Russell Ballard said: “There is not one great and grand thing we can do to arm ourselves spiritually. True spiritual power lies in numerous smaller acts woven together in a fabric of spiritual fortification that protects and shields from all evil” (“Be Strong in the Lord,” Ensign, July 2004, 8).
As you learn about the armor of God in Doctrine and Covenants 27:15–18, you could create a table like this one. What are you doing to put on each piece of the armor of God?
Piece of armor | Part of body protected | What that body part may represent |
|---|---|---|
Breastplate of righteousness | Heart | My desires and affections My thoughts |
Helmet of salvation Preparation of the gospel of peace | Head or mind Feet
| |
See also Ephesians 6:11–18; Jorge F. Zeballos, “Building a Life Resistant to the Adversary,” Liahona, Nov. 2022, 50–52."
Completing the table--adding more of the piece of armor, part of body protected, and what the body part may represent is quite a challenge as part of writing this blog. Let me just mention now down here what I was supposed to write in the table.
Just learned that the word "shod" is the past tense and past participle of the word "shoe". So, "your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace" means your feet are protected with a pair of shoes, the preparation of the gospel of peace. I'm reminded of that time when the Israelites where about to leave Egypt after many years of being in bondage. They were instructed to be ready to go, with their sandals on, and standing, with all their stuff beside them ready to be picked up, before they would eat their passover meal, the very last meal they would eat being slaves in Egypt. They were all prepared to go where the Lord would lead them--to the promised land. Our feet takes us to places where we decide to go. Seems like the feet being protected by being "shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace" means being prepared to go where the Lord wants us to go just as the Israelites were prepared at that time when they were about to be freed from their bondage in Egypt. We can prepare ourselves to be freed from our own bondage in different aspect of our lives and go where the Lord wants us to go--to our promised land. Came up with this insight just now. Grateful I am able to share this with you.
My favorite piece of God's armor is the shield of faith actually. When I learned about Captain America's shield, it reminded me of this piece of armor. So I decided I will get something with Captain America's shield design because it would remind me of that piece of armor. And I do have a purse with Captain America's shield design. It's my "shield of faith" reminder. "Taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked" means using the shield of faith to extinguish those strongly and brightly burning arrows of the wicked--the temptations, trials, and challenges--I may be hurt by them by their impact will not bring me down into despair because I am protected by my faith in God. The Lord will never permit me to be tempted beyond what I can resist.
"Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of my Spirit, which I will pour out upon you, and my word which I reveal unto you" means my head or mind is protected because of my knowledge of God's plan of salvation and through the Spirit which the Lord pour out upon me and through which He reveals His word. My mindset is protected when I keep in mind the Lord's plan for His children and when I lean on His Spirit to guide and direct me in my decisions as I navigate this earthly life.
"Having my loins girt about with truth" The loins is the part of the body where the source of procreative power is. "Gird one's loins" means prepare oneself for something difficult or challenging. "Having my loins girt about with truth" means adhering to my knowledge of the truth about my own procreative power. It's part of God's plan that I have my own procreative power. God wants me to use this power according to His will. And as stick to following God's plan, He is protecting me.
"Having on the breastplate of righteousness" means my heart is protected when my desires and affections are righteous or according to God's will. My own desires and affections are my choices. If I am choosing them as God's wants me to, He is protecting me.
"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." Putting on the whole armour of God is means taking every piece of the armour and keeping them in my body all the time, whatever happens. It's not giving in to temptation to take some of the pieces off to relax sometimes. Having on the whole armour of God protects me all the time for everything that could take away my peace and joy in this earthly existence. I can be highly favored of the Lord in all my days, just as Nephi was, when I put on the whole armour of God steadfastly.
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