“Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” Ephesians 6:11
Many of us have heard this verse and have read about the “helmet of salvation” and the “breastplate of righteousness”. But you may not know that the first person to wear this armor was Jesus Himself,
“And He saw that there was no man, and was astonished that there was no one to intercede; Then His own arm brought salvation to Him…He put on righteousness like a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head” Isaiah 59:16-17.
This is an Old Testament prophecy about Jesus that Paul references Ephesians 6.
But what is amazing is that verse showcases Jesus putting on the armor of God to intercede for us. And now he calls us to follow his example of intercession.
Armor Bearers in Everyday Life
In Old Testament scripture and the days of old, a warrior often had an armor bearer—a quiet, unnamed helper who carried the armor, stayed close in danger, and made sure the warrior was fully equipped for battle when needed. That picture fits our calling of being intercessors on behalf of our spouses, children, and church family following the perfect example of Jesus who remains an armor bearer for us by living to make intercession for us (Heb 7:25)
We see battles like this every day in our lives:
· A spouse weighed down by discouragement or self-pity or anxiety or a difficult work or financial situation
· A child wrestling with insecurity or a hidden sin or a challenging situation in school
· A brother or sister defeated by sin or sometimes unaware of sin poisoning them
Our response must not to criticize from a distance, but to be armor bearers who say, “Your battle is my battle. Your weakness is my weakness. I will stand with you as Jesus has stood with me.
Mark #1 of Interceding Love: I Will Be 100% With You
In 1 Samuel 14, Jonathan goes to attack a Philistine garrison with only his armor bearer, climbing between two sharp crags in a risky act of faith, saying, “Perhaps the Lord will work for us, for the Lord is not restrained to save by many or by few” (1 Samuel 14:6). His armor bearer answers with a truly amazing response: “Do what you think is best, I’m with you completely, whatever you decide” (1 Samuel 14:7 NLT).
· Wives: when your husband steps into a spiritual battle, is your reaction, “I’m completely with you,” or do you sow doubt and fear?
· Husbands: when your wife is struggling, do you stay critical and distant, or step in as if her weakness were your own?
· Brothers and sisters: when your elders go through a trial and make difficult decisions trusting in the Lord, do you support them as armor bearers or stand back as critics?
Jesus warns us against a spirit of accusation: we notice a speck in our brother’s eye while a log of judgment sits in ours 
. But the story doesn’t end with getting rid of the log of accusation. It ends with removing the speck from our brother’s eye AFTER we have rid ourselves of a spirit of accusation. This can only happen when we come to a place where our brother’s speck feels like it’s in our own eye. “Let US lay aside this encumbrance and run together looking unto Jesus” (Hebrews 12:1). Your encumbrance is no longer yours alone it is now OUR encumbrance.
James 5:20 says that, “he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” This is the how love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). Love doesn’t ignore the sin; it fights for repentance and restoration.
Jude 22-23 says, “And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire…show mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.” Interceding love is cautious about being corrupted by sin, yet full of mercy and relentless in seeking to pull a loved one out of the sin that’s consuming them.
Mark #2 of Interceding Love: I Will Talk Less and Pray More
There is a kind of “silent evangelism” that Scripture commends. 1 Peter 3:1-2 says, “In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.” Did you know that you can win a soul without even saying a word?
When it says “in the same way”, the example that is meant to be followed is a few verses earlier in 1 Peter 2:23 where it says this about Jesus - “while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.”
This means that this pattern is for all of us not just for wives, because the example given is Jesus. Interceding love often means fewer words to people and more words to God.
It’s interesting to see what Paul says right after describing the armor of God which gives us a clue to the broader purpose of this armor. Right after the verses on the armor of God, Paul says in Ephesians 6:18: “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.” It is a revolutionary thought to see myself as putting on the armor of God not just to stand for myself, but to pray in battle for others—starting in my own home and then proceeding to my church and community.
Similarly, Isaiah gives us a beautiful picture of this type of intercession warfare.
Isaiah 62:1 “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet, Until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, And her salvation like a torch that is burning.”
Replace “Zion” and “Jerusalem” with your spouse’s name, your brother’s name, your child’s name in that verse: “For my wife’s sake I will not keep silent…for my child’s sake…for my brother’s sake.”
That is an intercessory ministry—relentless, often unseen, but precious to God. Samuel felt this so deeply that he said, “Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you” (1 Samuel 12:23)
To stop interceding, in his eyes, was to sin against God. Even when Saul drifted and lost the anointing, Samuel never stopped grieving over him even though he never saw him again (1 Samuel 15:35).
Interceding love may mean continuing to pray long after the relationship has become difficult or distant.
Mark #3 of Interceding Love: I Will Declare God’s Righteousness Over You
In Zechariah 3, Joshua the high priest stands before the angel of the Lord in filthy garments, with Satan there “to accuse him.” The Lord answers in Zechariah 3:2, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”
Then God commands: “Remove the filthy garments from him.” To Joshua He says, “See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.” Zechariah then adds in verse 5, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.”
This is the Father’s heart toward the prodigal son: at the first sign of repentance, He runs, embraces, clothes, restores, and rejoices. Our response (unlike the elder brother in that story) must be to echo that same joy and celebration and justification at the first sign of sincere repentance. Not, “Okay, that’s a start; we’ll see if you’re serious.” But rather, “The Lord has taken your iniquity away and declared you righteous when you repented. I gladly echo and celebrate His verdict over you.”
A Call for Our Homes and Our Church
Imagine families where husbands and wives are armor bearers for one another; where parents refuse accusation and instead watch and pray over their children; imagine a church where brothers and sisters quietly fight for one another’s holiness. Imagine families and churches where:
· We carry each other’s battles as our own.
· We speak less and pray more.
· At the first sign of repentance, we rush to declare God’s promise of righteousness over one another.
May the Lord raise us up as watchmen and armor bearers—people of interceding love—in our marriages, in our families, and in our church.