As we continue in the book of Ephesians, I’m going through the Armor of God in detail. We’ve already seen how the Belt of Truth protects your store of spiritual seed. Today we’ll move on to the breastplate.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place…
Ephesians 6:14
The first thing we need to recognize is the placement of this piece of armor. It should be obvious that this breastplate protects your heart. That’s an important point.
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
Proverbs 4:23
Scripture tells us that the most important thing to guard is your heart. It’s where your life springs from. Why is that? And…if life flows from the heart, where does that life come from?
If we read the few verses preceding this one, we’ll get the answer.
My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body.
Proverbs 4:20-22
It’s clear that everything I need for life and godliness springs from my heart. That even includes healing for my body. But that’s all based upon the assumption that I’m placing God’s Word in my heart.
We need to get the seeds from the storehouse (our mind) and plant them into our hearts. Jesus taught the same thing to His disciples. We find it in the parable of the sower.
But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
Luke 8:15
Without question, your heart is the good soil of your life. Whatever you plant in it will grow and bear fruit. The real question is; are you planting wheat or milkweed?
When we come to Christ, our life is a mess. The Lord comes in and the Holy Spirit begins the process of cleaning us up.
The good soil of my heart is cleared of weeds. Through repentance, I turn the soil over regularly. Soon I have a heart of rich, nutrient-filled ground. It’s ready for planting.
The problem is that you can only plant what’s readily available. That’s why in my last post I talked about the importance of filtering what we place in our minds. Too often we allow the enemy to plant his seeds in our soil.
Then we get into the cycle of planting, letting the weeds grow, pulling them up, and then starting again. Instead, we should be getting God’s Word planted in our hearts.
Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalms 37:4
Most people don’t understand what this verse is really saying. It’s NOT saying that if you delight in the Lord, He’ll give you whatever you want. It DOES say that if you delight in Him, He’ll put His desires into your heart.
As we place God’s Word in our hearts, His desires spring up. Then, we’ll bear the fruit of that Word.
That’s why we need to protect our good ground. This is where the Breastplate of righteousness comes in. In my next post, I’ll talk about how to use the breastplate to protect your ground.
Question: What have you planted in your heart that you desire to see bear fruit?
© 2023 Nick Zaccardi
The Spirit and the Word 