Daily Devo
Clothes Before Armor
By: Wendy Sanders
Thursday, January 29, 2026
...be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:10-11
Has your 2026 started off like mine? Things have already happened that required me to put on my spiritual armor. Without it, I couldn't have withstood the devil's schemes.
When we hear the word battle, we probably aren't thinking about love, forgiveness, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Honestly, we're probably thinking the complete opposite! Ephesians 6 does tell us how to get ready for war, and we do it by putting on God’s armor. But God's Word tells us to put something else on too – clothes.
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:12-14
Before we put on our spiritual armor, we must put on our spiritual clothes. There must be a balance between our clothes and armor, or we won’t be very effective in battle. And we will never be "battle ready" if we are clothed with our old self. Every battle is different, so to fight each of them successfully, we must be clothed with the heart of God and the armor of God.
We may not get it right every time, but if we aren't appropriately dressed, we won't have peace about our battles. I love how gracious, loving, and kind the Lord is. Even if we put on the wrong clothes, even when our socks don't match, God still says: "I am with you, and I will fight the battle alongside you."
For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. Deuteronomy 20:4
Christ follower, God is with you in your battles! But before you put on your armor, be sure to check your clothing. If anything seems out of place, ask the Lord to help you discard any remnants of your old life. Then, ask God to help you overcome the temptation to put those old rags back on.
Your Heavenly Father loves you more than you can imagine, and He is with you, fighting alongside you!