"Clothe" Your Child with the Armor of God

The following is a guest post by my friend, Christine from iDreamofClean. Enjoy…

Although I blog about cleaning almost every day on iDreamofClean.net, a clean home is not what I’m most passionate about. Making sure I personally work on having a clean heart and teaching my son to do the same is my true passion! And, in my opinion, you can’t start teaching the Word of God to your child(ren) too early.

One of the ways I’ve been letting the word of God soak into my little guy’s heart is to “clothe” him with the Armor of God every day as he gets dressed. When he was just baby, it was as simple as saying the scripture out loud as I put on his diaper and onesie. But, now that he’s a toddler, it’s so much more fun!

How to Clothe Your Child with the Armor of God

BELT OF TRUTH

(¹⁴Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest,)

Since my little one is still in diapers, the “belt of truth” buckled around his waist is his diaper and his shorts/pants while the “armor around his chest” is his shirt.

SANDALS OF PEACE

( ¹⁵and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace.)

When my son was a baby, I’d just squeeze his feet and give a little tickle on the toes! But, since he now double-hearts putting on his shoes and removing them, there is ample opportunity to put on “Sandals of Peace” in our home!

SHIELD OF FAITH

(¹⁶In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one.)

Since he doesn’t usually carry around a shield (lol!) I just explain how warriors carry shields on their arm and block the arrows coming towards them. Warrior talk is perfect for little boys!

HELMET OF SALVATION

( ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation…)

In the winter, using a hat signifies putting on the “helmet of salvation”. If we’re not going outside or if it’s a warmer time of the year, we just play make believe and pretend we’re putting on a helmet.

SWORD OF THE SPIRIT

(…and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word.)

When talking about the sword of the Spirit, we often play a little make believe again, but I also reference it when reading out of the Bible. I’ve tried to make it a habit to read to him from the “real” Bible while having breakfast and then we also read from the Children’s Storybook Bible during another part of the day. There’s plenty of opportunity to use the “sword” throughout the day!

PRAY IN THE SPIRIT

(¹⁸And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.)

We say a prayer and get our day started!

You don’t necessarily have to say the exact wording of the Armor of God when clothing your child (but it sure is a great way for you and your child(ren) to memorize a chunk of scripture!). In our home, we often just hit the high points. But we also mention the individual parts of the Armor of God throughout the day when it’s a natural fit.

The Word of God really is applicable to every aspect of our lives and clothing them in the Armor of God is just one way to “Impress” the word on their hearts.

What other scripture references can you discuss with your children as you do your daily activities?

Christine loves Jesus, her husband and her son…but she doesn’t love cleaning! That’s why she searches high and low to find the best tips and tricks to make the inevitable job of cleaning easier for moms. She shares tips like Clean Your Kitchen in 5 Minutes or Less and 10 Foolproof Ways to Reduce Clutter almost every day on iDreamofClean.net.