Having worked at Toyota for the past 20 years, safety is a key principle engrained into my everyday life! There is a saying around the plant: “Go home each and every day the same way you came in.”
To accomplish this, Toyota sets safety as its core pillar in achieving its goals. Every process, area, and shop has unique safety requirements. For example, each job in assembly requires a certain level of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Bare minimum PPE generally includes steel toe shoes, safety glasses, and cut-resistant gloves. These measures are put in place to keep team members safe while they do their respective jobs.
It should be no surprise to learn that the Bible instructs us about spiritual PPE! In Ephesians 6:10 Paul presents two essential components of protection for the spiritual warfare we face. First, we must be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. A weak man who can barely stand will not make a good soldier. He will be easily defeated. Equipping for Christian combat must begin with the principle that our strength comes from the Lord.
In verse 11 Paul highlights the second component for protection: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” We need armor because we are in a state of constant spiritual warfare: “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.”
This is where our “spiritual personal protective equipment” is needed. In verses 13 through 18 Paul details the “PPE” that should equip us daily.
–Belt of Truth—Truth keeps us from believing lies as we measure our actions and beliefs against the Word of God.
-Breastplate of Righteousness—behaving in a way that is honest, good, humble and fair in our interaction with others.
-Feet prepared with the Gospel of Peace—we can share the Gospel anywhere, at any time, when we are right with God, even in troubled times.
-Shield of Faith—knowing that God will keep His promises is great protection, especially when we are tempted to doubt.
-Helmet of Salvation–believing that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again on the third day is great protection for the mind! Hallelujah!
-Sword of the Spirit—the Word of God is our offensive weapon, speaking Truth against the power of spiritual enemies while telling others what the Bible says.
The importance of protective equipment is real to me because I know that most injuries at Toyota (and at home!) come from a lack of proper PPE, whether it be a cut (not wearing gloves) or a foreign body in the eye (not wearing safety glasses). The same can be said for the spiritual warfare we engage in daily with the world. Forgetting to put on the “Belt of Truth” in the morning may cause surrender to a wrong worldview at some point during the day. Or walking out the door without the “Breastplate of Righteousness” might later cause problems with co-workers, and even a spouse. And neglecting God’s Word at the start of each day would leave us without an offensive weapon to thwart the constant spiritual attacks that come our way.
We live in an increasingly dark world and face attacks on all fronts. As Christians it’s imperative that we equip ourselves with not just the Armor of God, but the Whole Armor of God!