In the book of Ephesians, the apostle Paul talks about the importance of knowing who you are in Christ, what you what you have in Him. In chapters 4-6 he speaks about the keys to building healthy relationships, in your home, in your marriage, at work and in the church.
These take spiritual discipline and good time management and as each member continues to build spiritual health in these areas relationships this all results in the overall health of Christ’s church.
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints (Ephesians 6:10-18).
Paul makes it clear, we are to be:
Cognizant of Satan’s Strategies
Empowered with God’s Strength
Equipped with God’s Armor
Steadfast in Prayer
Cognizant of Satan’s Strategies
Paul is speaking to those who are walking with the Lord, who are salt and light, and committed to the work of the Kingdom. What is the enemy’s strategy? It is to disrupt, destabilize, undermine, create chaos and destruction within all of our relationships, especially in the home, in marriages, and in the church. Satan knows that if he can bring division in marriages and in the church, the institutions that were created by God to witness to His love and fullness on the earth, then he can bring disrepute to the name of Christ.
Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica in 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8 to be on their guard and not sleep which means being spiritually indifferent and lethargic as the rest of the world is. He told them to stay awake, alert, to be clear headed and cognizant of Satan’s strategies and to put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.
Since Christ willingly died for us, we will live together with Him, sharing eternal life. Therefore, encourage and comfort each other with these words and continue to build each other up just as you are doing.
Tearing each other down is the strategy of the devil and how easily we can fall prey to his strategies if we aren’t spiritually sharp.
We would be naïve to think that as God’s people, we could never be deceived.
Because he is so skillful and subtle, as has been developing his strategies for millennia, he knows just how to make us passive, lethargic, lull us to sleep and then tempt us to either enter into a cycle of sin which leads to incredible condemnation or into self-righteous piety which leads to judging and condemning those who fall into sin or fail to live up to their concept of Christianity.
“We are all in the battle whether we like it or not.”
We need to be aware of and prepared for the battle which comes in the form of deception, temptation, physical and/or verbal attacks, as well as pragmatic ideologies that go against the knowledge of God.
Satan is unrelenting in his attacks on the minds of unbelievers, successfully blinding people to the reality of his existence and getting them to accept his ideologies as if they are their own. His mindset has permeated this world system and is readily accepted by most.
He will do everything he can to keep people from coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and to hinder those of us who have already moved from the kingdom of darkness into God’s Kingdom from being filled with the Word and Spirit and from growing in their faith.
Empowered with God’s Strength
Paul wants us to realize that apart from Jesus we can really do nothing. We may operate in self-efficacy to produce levels of performance that exercise influence over events in our lives but this is impossible in the spiritual realm because the devil is far superior in intellect and power. Our strength, wisdom, and adequacy has to come from God for the spiritual battle (2 Corinthians 3:5) making us totally dependent on Him.
Solomon learned from his father, David, that the only way he was going to be able to lead the nation of Israel was to call out to God for wisdom, call out to Him for strength and for insight (Proverbs 2:1-4).
In 2 Chronicles 20:12 when the multitude of Israel’s enemies were surrounding Jerusalem, King Johosephat confessed to the people and cried out to God:
For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you (2 Chronicles 20:12).
It doesn’t matter how long you have been a Christian or in how much knowledge you have about the Bible or how long you have been in ministry. In a moment you can be deceived and fall, in a moment your thoughts and your words can be influenced by the kingdom of darkness. They can actually be used against the Kingdom of God.
If we are to stand then our strength must continually come out of our union with Jesus Christ and His mighty power.
We are not fighting a spiritual battle like a physical war with a physical enemy we can see. And the battle that Paul is describing is not one fought at a safe distance from us, not ones we read about in the papers or see on the news.
Paul is talking about hand-to-hand combat with the enemy - a wrestling match which involves a close, intense strategic battle where the adversary exploits your weaknesses in order to defeat you.
“These battles are up close, personal and the devil fights dirty.”
In fact, his schemes are all-inclusive, encompassing every sin, immoral practice, false theology, false forms of religion and worldly enticement. He will use whatever people, means, or circumstances it takes to achieve his goal.
Satan is the ruler of the demonic host (Luke 11:15) and the Scriptures describe him as our adversary (1 Peter 5:8), the accuser of our brothers and sisters (Revelations 12:10), the destroyer (1 Corinthians 10:10; Revelations 9:4-6), deceiver, the tempter, the thief (John 10:6-18), the one who relentlessly wears out the minds of the saints (Daniel 7:25), the prince and power of the air (Ephesians 2:2). Jesus says that from the beginning he was a murderer and a liar (John 8:44).
On the other hand, we know the devil is powerful but not all-powerful, he is intelligent but not all knowing, he is limited in power and presence.
Equipped with God’s Armor
God’s armor is both defensive and offensive in nature, and we are to put all of it on, not just some selective pieces but the full suit of armor. We are told to put it all on so that you will be able to resist on the evil day.
We do not know when these evil days will come but when they do come they can come in like a tidal wave. Normally, they come when you are overconfident, self-reliant, proud, right after a great victory or great defeat - when your defenses are down and you are discouraged, disheartened and at your wits end. But in preparation for that day Paul said put on these 6 major parts of the armor:
The Belt of Truth
If you know the truth about how you should live, then there is no room for rationalization or compromise.
This belt is to be wrapped around the waist - it holds everything in its proper place, creates stability and order. God’s truth speaks to our hearts and minds about all that we have in Him, what we have been saved from, how much He loves us, that He is for us and how we should live.
God’s Word is Truth and brings everything into the light and gives no room for the devil and exposes his word and thoughts about ourselves or others.
It defines what is good and evil, right and wrong, life and death and we are to speak the truth of the Scriptures to ourselves and to others.
Breastplate of Righteousness
Putting on the breastplate of righteousness is vital each day so that we see ourselves as God sees us in Christ, as righteous as He is.
It is necessary to put on the breastplate of righteousness because we need to know that we are completely accepted by God.
Wearing the breastplate means right living. Living in righteousness and integrity protects our hearts and minds. Living morally upright and with integrity protects our relationships, our families, our homes, the church, and our community.
Shoes of the Gospel of Peace
Paul may have been referring to the Roman army shoes which were designed for traveling long distances and for walking in difficult terrain.
There are times we must travel long distances and into some difficult, dark places to bring the gospel of peace to people in the midst of the raging battle.
We are to be ready with the gospel to “Preach the word; prepared in season and out of season; ready to correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2).
Take up the Shield of Faith
The Roman shields were the size of a mini door and protected all of the armor. Before soldiers would go into battle, they would cover their shields with leather, soak them in water, and when entering into battle they would interlock their shields together and move forward into the battle.
So no matter where the fiery iron darts would come from it would hit the shields and be extinguished. These iron darts were dipped in pitch and were not designed to kill but to burn up the wooden shields but if they hit you they would poison you causing a slow and painful death.
The devil would love for you to stay in a state of failure and discouragement by making you think that once you fail, you can never get up and that there is no point in persevering.
That's the effect poison has on you. It’s a slow and painful death.
Remember these darts are well-aimed and well-timed so you do not see them coming. Only with the shield of faith, soaked in the Word of God will you discern the darts and be able extinguish its flames.
Helmet of Salvation
The Roman helmet was heavy and made of iron. It was almost impenetrable from the most vicious attacks and so protected the soldier’s head.
Just like the helmet protected their heads so our secure hope in Christ’s salvation protects our minds when Satan tries to get you to doubt your salvation.
When the enemy comes in like a flood you can say with assurance, “I have been saved from sin’s penalty, I am being saved from sin’s power, and one day I will be saved from sin’s presence.
Sword of the Spirit
The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. It is an offensive weapon we use against the enemy in personal combat.
It is God’s Word which shows us the way of life and truth.
The Greek is the word rhema, which means the “spoken Word” and it was this specific word, specific truth that Jesus used to answer Satan's temptations. We cannot go into battle without the Word, reading it, meditating on it, acting on it, praying according to it, and proclaiming it.
Steadfast in Prayer
With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints (Ephesians 6:18 ).
In verse 18, Paul is not beginning a new subject but is continuing the thought on warfare. The key to being prepared for battle is prayer.
It is through keeping in constant communion with God that we can find our help and be directed by Him throughout the battle.
He is always with us and will never abandon us.
Never underestimate the power of prayer - it is our weapon of warfare. Because what good is it if we know Satan’s strategies and are wearing the armor but are not being directed by the Lord of heaven’s armies?
God is able to redeem any situation, no matter how dire, when we make a decision to trust Him. As a church, God has called us to be cognizant of Satan’s strategies, empowered with God’s strength, equipped with God’s armor and steadfast in prayer.
This is how we prepare for battle and engage the enemy. This is the only way we can stand against Satan’s schemes, move forward as a church in enemy territory, and be used by God in His plan of redemption to advance the gospel of peace in this world.
