I’m in the prayer room super early in the morning (I know, I’m so holy), and I cannot stop asking them.
Like:
Why is the fire extinguisher right in the middle of the room? It’s intrusive and not very attractive. It looks mobile . . . does it have to be there? Is there a legal requirement for where fire extinguishers have to be located? If so, why are they not in the middle of other rooms? And if not, who chose to plonk it down where they did? They shouldn’t have done that. Why are the signs above it right in the middle of all the prayers? It’s distracting. Is it to do with accessibility? What would happen if it wasn’t placed there and where would it go? Could we have it accessible, but also hidden?
And then, inevitably: why am I thinking about this when I’m supposed to be praying?
And then, oh, there it is, Holy Spirit’s nudge: what are the implications of this for your faith?
You might wonder how I jumped from fire extinguishers to our walk with Jesus, but it’s really not that far. Stay with me.
We’ve been given fire extinguishers for our protection. They’re there for when things get dangerous. They exist so that when something starts to burn, you don’t have to go looking for what you need because it’s already there, accessible, within reach, and ready to go.
We’ve been given something else for our protection as well.
And yet, is it visible? Accessible? Within reach? Readily available?
Or is it sitting in the corner gathering dust while we wonder why everything feels like it’s catching fire?
Paul writes in Ephesians 6:10-11: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”
Put on. Not admire. Not know about. Not have in the cupboard for emergencies. Put on. The implication is clear, the armour doesn’t work if it’s not being worn.
And then Paul goes through it, piece by piece:
The belt of truth. In Roman armour, the belt held everything else in place. Without it, nothing else sits right. Truth — knowing who God is, knowing who you are in Him, knowing what’s actually true — is the foundation that holds everything else together. Without it, we’re fighting in armour that won’t stay on.
The breastplate of righteousness. This protects the heart. Not your own righteousness (eugh) but the righteousness of Christ, placed over you like armour. The enemy loves to aim at your heart. At your sense of worth, your sense of belonging, your sense of whether you’re actually loved.
The gospel of peace on your feet. Roman soldiers wore specific footwear that gave them stability on any terrain so they could stand firm and also advance. The gospel of peace means you’re not scrambling for solid ground every time life shifts. You already know where you stand. And you can keep moving forward.
The shield of faith. “With which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” (Ephesians 6:16, NIV). Aaannnnddd, there it is: the fire extinguisher. Faith is the thing you hold up when the arrows come. Not feelings. Not circumstances. Not how the last week went. Faith. And it protects, it extinguishes.
The helmet of salvation. Protecting the mind. The place where doubt whispers, where lies embed themselves, where the enemy does some of his most effective work. The helmet says: your salvation is secure. Your identity is settled. You don’t have to keep relitigating what’s already been decided.
The sword of the Spirit — the Word of God. The only weapon in the list. Everything else is defensive. But this one you wield. Jesus used it in the wilderness when the enemy came at Him with everything he had. Scripture, the Living Word, (known, internalised, alive in you) is how you push back.
The thing about a fire extinguisher is that its presence in the room only matters if you know it’s there, know how to use it, and can reach it when you need it. A fire extinguisher hidden away in a locked cupboard on the other side of the building is not particularly useful when something starts burning in front of you.
The armour of God is the same.
Knowing it exists is not the same as wearing it. Understanding it theologically is not the same as having it in place when the arrows come. The belt of truth only holds things together if you’ve actually fastened it. The shield of faith only extinguishes if you’ve picked it up.
Paul doesn’t say admire the armour. He says put it on. All of it. Every day.
Lord, forgive us for the days we’ve walked out undressed when we know the armour exists but haven’t bothered to put it on. Help us to be people who start each day reaching for what You’ve provided. The truth that holds us together. The righteousness that covers our hearts. The faith that extinguishes. The Word that pushes back. We don’t have to fight in our own strength. We never did. Help us to remember that and to dress accordingly. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Praying you’d find every piece exactly where you left it, within reach and ready to go.
Cheering you on,
Em 💛
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