The leather vest is iconic to the cowboy and his dress code. Vests today are just as popular, but I am not sure we fully understand their purpose. The breastplate of the Roman soldier was made of leather, hard and fitted to the soldier's upper torso. It was to protect their heart. The leather vest of the cowboy served a similar function. For several years the cowboys rode the roughest of terrains, rounding up, and driving cattle. The vest served as a layer of protection against the brier and bramble.
This idea of a breastplate of righteousness is not a new idea. Isaiah 59:17 also commands us to put on the breastplate of righteousness. Proverbs 4:23 says that we are to guard, or protect, our heart above all else. The old Sunday School song comes to mind of, 🎵 'be careful little eyes what you see, be careful little ears what you hear,' 🎵 and so on. This is the principle of protecting and guarding our heart.
In Matthew 12:34 Jesus proclaims that what comes out of the mouth is from the heart. He goes on to say that if the heart is good, good things will come out of the mouth, but if the heart is not good, then evil things will come out. Jesus takes it a step further in Matthew 15:11 saying that what comes out of the mouth defiles a man. Our speech is nothing more than a reflection of our hearts.
You see, God is not interested in anything other than our heart. That has been His message from the beginning of time. In 1 Samuel 16:7 it is proclaimed that the Lord looks at the heart of a man, not his outward appearance. We have a handicap because all we can see is the outside, we can't always see the heart, but we can get a glimpse of the heart by what a man says.
Just as we can get an idea of what a horse's true character is like by putting some pressure on them, we will see the true heart of a man when pressure is put on them as well.
How do you apply this spiritual armor? I can't explain it much better than the folks at GotQuestions.org did. Click on the link to learn more so you too can walk in the way of righteousness. The breastplate of righteousness cannot be put on in a useful manner until the belt of truth is firmly in place. Imagine putting on your vest, that usually hangs below the belt line, and then attempting to put on your belt. There is a reason the belt was listed first.
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