Now, let's look at the full armor of God as a complete unit. Even though its individual parts can be readily identified, it is actually a single entity. We don't need to spend a lot of time considering which piece is being used in actual life. Once we get it on and learn how to use each piece, we can start seeing it as just the full armor of God. The only times we will need to go back to looking at the individual pieces will be when we are having trouble in some area of our life or ministering to others; or, when we are helping others get theirs on, keep it on, and use it skillfully.

The full armor of God is a resistive mechanism and a passage way at the same time. Unlike earthly armor, it has qualities that resist certain things and let others pass through. In other words, it has the ability to let the things of God in while resisting worldly and satanic influences. It offers no resistance to God and the things of God. Even though it looks impenetrable it leaves open complete passage and right of way to Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Word. It only resists things that oppose or are contradictory to these concepts. This creates the perfect environment for us. Even though we are living in a very contaminated and hostile world we are able to navigate through it without being corrupted or destroyed. For example, we could frequently feel hated and be tempted to hate back. Jesus explains it this way.

John 15:19 (NIV) If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

Even though the world hates us we are protected by all the full armor of God. It helps to ward off that hatred and help us love them in spite of how they feel about us. Without that we could feel so rejected that we would became debilitated from doing the work of God in the world. When we have the armor of God protecting us, our heart is shielded from that damage and we move forward in the joy of the Lord. Let's look at a case where Peter and John were threatened by the major spiritual leaders of the day.

Acts 4:23-33 (NIV) On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "You made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: "'Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One. 'Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against Your holy servant Jesus, Whom You anointed. They did what Your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.

Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak Your word with great boldness. Stretch out Your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of Your holy servant Jesus." After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.

In spite of the fact that they were resisted and threatened they were not damaged in their emotions. We can see that it didn't scare them away from continuing to go out into the world and minister to the unsaved and help those who were damaged and hurting. The reason we fail to keep Jesus and His message out where the needy are is because we don't have the FULL armor of God on. No one can stand constant rejection. If we keep feeling stress and strain as people are talked to about something their body doesn't want, it is going to be impossible for us to stay out where the needs are. We have to be shielded from social pressure and satanic attack.