“Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the scheming’s of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:10-12). Believers in Jesus Christ do not have the strength within themselves to fight this spiritual battle. It’s the Lord who gives us the strength, and apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). This battle is not with other people or earthly governments; it’s against Satan and his demonic forces.
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4). This is a spiritual battle that must be fought with spiritual weapons. The first bit of armament that we put on is the truth, because Satan is always coming at us with his lies. Jesus said, “The devil is the father of all lies” (John 8:44). Satan lies to us about God’s attitude towards sin. Satan says, “Oh, it really doesn’t matter, you can get away with it, God will not judge you, God will forgive you.” Causing people to use the grace of God as a cloak for living an ungodly lifestyle, deceiving ourselves.
Secondly, we’re to put on the breastplate of righteousness. We have to make a commitment to live a God pleasing lifestyle. We need to have that determination that we’re going to live to please God no matter what happens. Righteousness is the God approved words and actions towards those people we interact with each day. That has to be a basic foundation for our life. Although it’s impossible for us to live a sinless life (Romans 7:14-25), we should be determined to do our best as God enables us to do the right thing. “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh fights against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish” (Galatians 5:16-18).
Next comes the gospel of peace. It’s God’s desire that we live in peace with Him and with each other. We live in a world that’s filled with strife. Many homes are filled with the atmosphere so tense that you could cut it with a knife. We sometime argue over ridiculous things and we won’t give in. Even when we know we’re wrong. Many times, in a tense situation, the whole issue can be diffused by just one person saying, “Hey, let’s not argue like this.” It diffuses the whole thing; suddenly the strife is gone. Why do we find that so hard to do? To admit to being wrong, or to admit that the other person is possibly right. Paul wrote, “Let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another” (Romans 14:19).
“Taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one” (Ephesians 6:16). The shield of faith is that confidence in God that He will guide us as we go through this life. Our faith in God’s power within us will give us all that we need to stand against these attacks of the enemy. This strong faith in God will keep us from getting all bent out of shape when things don’t go our way, “Knowing that all things work for the good of those that love God and are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). “The word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one…He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 2:14; 4:4).
The helmet of salvation gives us the confidence in our mind that we’re a child of God. Satan is always pointing to Christians and saying, “Hey, look at what you did, and you call yourself a Christian.” Satan is the accuser of all Christians (Revelation 12:10). Two of Satan’s most dangerous tools are discouragement and doubt. He is always pointing to our failures, sins, problems, poor health and whatever else is negative in our lives to make us lose confidence in the love of God for us. Thank God we have been saved through Jesus Christ from that tyranny of a life mastered by Satan and our sinful flesh. We have been saved in order that we can walk in fellowship with God by the power of the Holy Spirit.
“And the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). The Bible is a tremendous defense against sin. David wrote, “I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11). John said, “I write unto you young men, because you are strong, because you have overcome the wicked one because His Word abides in you” (1 John 2:14). The power of God’s word within our mind and heart is the greatest defense that we can have against sin in this spiritual battle that we are in.
And last, but not least, is prayer. “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16). Prayer is often the deciding factor in this spiritual battle that all Christians are in. We can go around the world in a matter of a few minutes with our prayers. Praying for our families, friends, pastors, evangelist, and missionaries that are in every part of this ungodly world proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). Can you say that you have fought the good fight and kept the faith?
Carlin Lawrence
