When you are born again, you are given the gift of righteousness from God through which you are made right (righteous) with Him. Romans 5:17 declares, “For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ”. If we have been made righteous in Christ, what then does putting on righteousness mean as presented in our opening scripture? Firstly, this deals with being conscious of this righteousness we have received. This is part of working out your salvation as instructed in Philippians 2:12:”Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”. What we received within has to come out in manifestation. Are you conscious of this gift of righteousness? Are you awake in your awareness that you are made right with God in Christ by grace or you are struggling for acceptance with your personal efforts? If you are not conscious of the imputed righteousness, Satan gains some significant ground to sway you with guilt and condemnation whether or not you have done anything wrong. However, when you are awake to righteousness, you are vitally equipped to withstand Satan’s deceptive schemes. The second aspect to putting on righteousness as a breastplate deals with doing what is right in your life. 1 John 3:7 declares, “Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous”. You have to do righteousness, which means doing what is right in God’s eyes. This is fundamentally possible because you have received the gift of righteousness in Christ. A Christian is supposed to live right according to God’s word and this concerns your behavior, conduct 15 and character. As a child of God you are not supposed to be immoral and disorderly in your life. Your life in Christ is designed to be an epistle of Christ to be read by those around you (2 Corinthians 3:3). Take advantage of God’s grace and His ability at work in you, decide to live right. Through this you deny Satan a foot-hold in your life (Ephesians 4:27). Your righteous living is a weapon that resists satanic efforts towards your life. Ephesians 4:17 admonishes us: “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind”. Don’t live like a worldly man, rather do righteousness. Doing righteousness is part of the full armor of God.