I recently finished a study in the book of Ephesians. God, through Paul, sends His people a valuable message, that will enable us to maintain our guard against dishonoring the Lord, and protect us from falling prey to sinful behavior:
Ephesians 6:10: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” Our strength comes only from God. Anytime I think I am strong enough to deal with the chaos of this world, I’m headed for a fall. Proverbs 16:18 reveals this truth: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
How do we find strength in the Lord? We must follow the instructions in Ephesians 6:11-13: “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Paul’s warning leaves no room for debate.
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” This can be a challenging truth to accept, but it is consistent with all of Scripture. James 4:7: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” 2 Kings 6:15-19: “When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha. And Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he led them to Samaria.”
“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” God provides us with armor. We must participate by “putting on” the armor God has provided on a daily basis.
Why would Paul use the picture of armor? This would have been something the early Christ followers could relate to, in their war ridden world. We are also able to relate to this passage.
What does armor do for us? Armor provides protection. Paul uses the picture of a soldier, who wears all the proper armor so he or she can stand firm in the Lord in the battles of this world. Christ’s followers can consider themselves soldiers in God’s army, and soldiers must put on their armor. Consider 2 Timothy 2:3-4: “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.”
Please note, Paul wants us to understand that there is a spiritual realm. That spiritual realm consists of good and evil. The evil spiritual realm wants to trip God’s people up, causing us to dishonor our great God and Deliverer.
But God provides what we need for that to not occur. God wants us to be able to stand firm in our faith, as we lean into and abide in Him. God’s people must utilize the tools He provides.
The evil spiritual realm is behind the suffering we experience in this life. The acts of violence, unkindness, etc. may be done by a person, but Paul wants us to “look through” (in a sense) the living people who mistreat us into the unseen spiritual realm that is “behind the scenes”.
That is where the real battleground is. God is Spirit. The evil forces are spirits. God provides spiritual weapons for this battle.
Once again, Paul exhorts his readers to stand firm in Ephesians 6:14a: “Stand firm then, etc.” When something is repeated multiple times in God’s Word, we must take notice. I believe that Paul’s exhortations to stand firm are to warn us that if we fail to put on our armor, we will fall. The only way to stand firm is to heed the instructions in this passage.
Paul began the description of the pieces of armor in Ephesians 6:14b-17: “…with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Please consider these verses, and next week’s writing will look in more detail at each piece of armor.
What battle do you find yourself in at this time? Are you standing firm, or slipping into the hands of the “prowling lion”, who wants you to leave the safety of Christ?
1 Peter 5:8 warns us of this danger: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” As long as God’s people abide in Him, and remain in the sheep’s pen of our Good Shepherd, we are safe, but when we leave that place of safety, we are in dangerous territory.
If you are not a true follower of Jesus, what is holding you back? It is the most urgent and important decision of your life.
I want to talk with you about Jesus, and having the eternal hope He provides. Please contact me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com if you want to talk about Jesus, and/or what you have read.
Living for Jesus, Donna
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