Put On The Whole Armor

As a police officer we are called to do a certain job. We are called to serve and protect as well as fight. Just like the Christian is called to fight the good fight of faith, we are called to fight the every day evils around us. In Ephesians 6, we are told to put on the whole armor of God. This is to both protect us from the devil and to help us fight the evil. Every day, we are fighting the evil that is out there in the world. Ephesians 6:13 says, “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. Just as the Christian is called to put on the armor of God, the police officer has armor to both protect and to help fight. This verse tells us to withstand and stand in the evil day. As officers, we must stand and fight instead of running away. When evil situations arise, we are to run to the situation and fight rather than to run the other direction.  We are given many tools to both protect us and help us fight. Ephesians 6:14 states “ Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth… “(This is our belt that we wear every day.) We as officers must be truthful. The Bible says that the truth will set you free. We need to find out the truth when dealing with a situation. … “Having put on the breastplate of righteousness…” This is very important. If we are not a righteous person with good morals, then we will not be able to do our job well. It takes a moral person to deal with the situations that police officers come across. If we are not righteous, then we will not be protected mentally. We must keep our morals in check and do the right thing even when no one is looking or when we want to take matters into our own hands. Verse 15 states, “and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel.” Just like we need to be prepared to tell the gospel as Christians, we need to have our feet protected as officers. Our boots are another important aspect of the job. Working long days in all sorts of terrain make our feet tired and heavy. If we do not have the proper footwear we will not be able to do our job properly. We need boots that will protect us from the elements, disease, and anything else that may come about in our daily duties. Most importantly, verse 16 states, “above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” One of the most important things we need as Christians is faith. Faith will get you through a hard time when there seems to be no hope. Faith is what we believe in but do not see. As a police officer our vest is very important to protect us. There are many evil people out in the world who wish to do us harm. If we are not wearing our vest, we will not be able to be protected against the wicked ones. Our vest will keep us safe from bullets, from bodily injury in fights, vehicle accidents, and many other things. Just like we need faith every day of our life to protect us each and every day, we need to wear our vest each and every day. Even though we may not see the danger, we know that it is out there. Verse 17 states, “and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” The helmet of salvation is what we go back to when we are doubting. When we are doubting something in our life, we go back to what we know we believe in.  This is our training. When we are not sure what to do in a situation or are unsure of what to do, we go back to our training. What we learn can be both lifesaving and important. We must be sure of our training just like we are sure of our salvation. The Christian should share their salvation with others just like the police officer should share with their fellow officers the necessary training that is both helpful and necessary to do the job.

The sword of the Spirit is our weapons. As a Christian, we use the Bible to be our weapon both in offense and in defense. As a police officer we have many tools/weapons on our belts that we use to both defend against the wicked and to bring down the wicked. There are many who will try to do both the public and the officers wrong. Our weapons are there for us to use. The Christian should know their Bible so that they will know how to use it. Train with it often. The police officer should know their weapons and how to use them and train with them often. If we do not know how to use our gun properly, then we will not only fail in our jobs, but the repercussions will be severe. If we do not know how to properly use our gun, then we will not be able to defend ourselves or others.

Lastly, there is communication. Verses 18-20 state, “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints-and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Christians have the communication of prayer. We can go to God at any time, anywhere, and speak to Him and He will answer us. If we have a problem, He will hear us and come to our rescue.  As a police officer one of the most important things that we have is our radio. We can call on it at anytime and help will come. We can call for help or answer the call for help. It is something we carry with us daily. Just as Christians carry this tool of communication, so do we. We are able to call on God to help us out of a situation or ask guidance on what to do.

God has given all of us these things so that we may speak boldly and proclaim the Gospel. As police officers, we must speak boldly and give direction and tell the truth. We are ambassadors of the law as well as the city, county, state, or whatever agency we work for. We should be a good example of what our department or agency is.  

Stay safe out there and remember that we have these things on our tool belt that we can use at any time.  

Officer Joe Odom

Knox County School Security

Knoxville, TN