The heart is the most vital organ to the human body. It pumps blood throughout the human body thus sustaining life. In order to keep the heart healthy we must maintain a healthy lifestyle and diet. My family suffers from various forms of heart issues and as a product of that gene pool I, too, am at risk of having heart issues when I get older. One way that I can help prevent that from happening is keeping myself healthy, watching what I eat, and exercising. So I have made a commitment to myself to get in better shape, eat better, and practice overall being healthy.
The same thing applies to the heart spiritually. The Bible says to “guard your heart” (Proverbs 4:23). Priscilla says in The Armor of God study that “the heart is one of [the enemy’s] primary and lethal targets.” When we put on the breastplate of righteousness we are choosing to align ourselves with God’s expectations. This is called upright living. When we align ourselves with God’s expectations then we are less vulnerable to fall prey to the enemy’s attacks and less likely to fall in to temptation.
When you and I choose not to align our actions with God’s truth–when we live in blatant rebellion against His will for us–we leave our heart exposed where Satan can take a clear shot…You must intentionally protect the organ that pumps vibrancy into your spiritual life. So pray fervently. Seek God fully. Ask Him to reveal anything “spoiled” in your life that’s attacking the pesky fruit flies of demonic activity. Then confess it and repent of it, defusing the accusations of the enemy.
-Priscilla Shirer, The Armor of God
So, we know that we need to protect our hearts but the real question is how to we do this? Throughout Scripture there are many types of righteousness mentioned. Perfect righteousness is righteousness we can never obtain because we are in no way perfect. That doesn’t stop us though from trying and bring God’s standard down to our standard. Perfect righteousness is out of the question.
The next is comparative righteousness. I read this passage in 1 Samuel 24. In a nutshell David is hiding from King Saul because Saul wants David dead. I have heard this story many times but somehow I missed this little fact: while David was hiding out in a cave, Saul came in there from hunting David down so that he could “relieve” himself. So while Saul is having a potty break, David snuck over and cut off a piece of Saul’s robe (v. 1-4). David had this opportunity to kill Saul and he didn’t take it. Instead, he cuts off piece of Saul’s robe and then feels guilty about it (v. 5-8). David then calls out to Saul and shows him the piece of robe he had cut off. Saul responds: “You are a more righteous that I” (v. 17). So Saul would have taken the opportunity to kill David had it been the other way around. Here is the problem with comparative righteousness: “Comparison soothes but it also deceives, making us feel justified with sinful actions” (Priscilla Shirer, The Armor of God). We can’t compare something we’ve done to something worse done by someone else. Sin is sin. If it doesn’t line up with God’s Truth then it is time to clean house!
The last two types of righteousness work together: imputed and practical righteousness. Imputed righteousness is Christ’s gift to us because we believe. It is what defines us. Practical righteousness is “replacing your old garments with carefully selected attributes that align with the light of Christ” (Priscilla Shirer, The Armor of God).
Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desire, and…be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and…put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 6:22-24 (ESV)
In order to wear the breastplate of righteousness and receive its full benefit we must put off the old self, put on the new self, and practice righteousness. We already have righteousness in us through Christ Jesus but we need to consciously make choices that align with being a Christ-follower. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to change us.
Changed behaviors, as well as the changed internal attitudes that produce changed behaviors, are each natural outcomes of healthy growth…So if you want to grow in righteousness and see your life organically transformed from the inside out, spiritual health must be your focus. One of the most cunning tricks of the enemy is to get us to sink our energy into changing instead of focusing it on cultivating health and wellness in Christ. But if we concentrate of having a vibrant, healthy spiritual life, we’ll automatically grow and change as a result.
-Priscilla Shirer, The Armor of God
Losing weight and changing your unhealthy lifestyle to a healthy lifestyle is gradual; it definitely doesn’t happen over night no matter how many fad diets and cheap weight loss pills are out there. God does the same thing with our spiritual growth: He gradually changes us and shapes us so that we are becoming more like Him.
One thing that He likes to do is convict us. You know that uneasiness or apprehension you feel when you know you are doing something that you aren’t supposed to be doing? Conviction. In order to walk in obedience we need to listen to the Holy Spirit’s conviction. When you are in the Word daily, not just reading but receiving His Truth, you’re changing how you view your life. You are seeing how what you are doing, watching, reading, who you are spending time with, and so on don’t match up to God’s standard.
Meditate on the Word.
The Holy Spirit “never convicts for that which He doesn’t fully intend to empower” (Priscilla Shirer, The Armor of God). Allow the Holy Spirit to change you, to mold you into His image each and every day. Put off. Put on. Practice. Practice. Practice.
Wrapped In His Grace 
