Ephesians 6:10-20 is one of those important passages in
Scripture that speaks to the issue of spiritual warfare. Ephesians 6:10 tells
us Paul’s intention in writing this portion of his letter to the Ephesians, and
that is that we might be strong in the Lord and the strength of His might. It
is so important that we grab hold of this purposeful instruction so that we
might more fully understand how the armor he next speaks of works. Paul follows
this with three instructions to “stand firm.” He goes on to tell us that our
real enemy is not flesh and blood that we can attack him, but unseen and more
than willing to come after us.
Paul speaks of six specific pieces of armor, three which are
pre-existing of any conflict for the Christian. The first is having girded our
loins or having been wrapped in a belt of truth-the unchanging truth upon which
everything else hangs. God cannot lie, and all that He has declared is true.
Second, he speaks of the breastplate of righteousness – the fact that having
placed our trust in Jesus Christ for salvation He has declared us righteous and
that is who we forever are. It’s the truth. Third, are the shoes of peace which
because of what Christ did for us has made us at peace with God and results in
us being able to know His peace even in the midst of the greatest battle. All
three of these are written of in the past perfect tense as things which already
having been accomplished are still true and effective – done deals. Or, at least
done deals for those who have believed and called upon the name of Jesus Christ
and received His promised gift of salvation. They are part of the being saved
bundle.
Paul then goes on to three pieces which are taken up in the
heat of battle, things which are there and present but specially grabbed hold
of when things get tough. The first of these is the shield of faith, which
Sarah speaks of today. This shield was not a small thing that we swung around
in an effort to fend off an attack, but a huge door type shield that we truly
could hide behind. And in that way, when we are attacked we hide in the
assurance that God will wrap himself around us and take care of us. There is
absolutely nothing which can separate us from Him and He has told us to trust
Him in this. Taking up the shield of faith is choosing to trust God in those
moments when everything else looks too large or imposing.
The second of those items taken up is the helmet of
salvation, which is reminding ourselves that whether the enemy actually lop off
our heads (which the helmet is to protect) or try any of his other attacks on
our head and our mind, that we focus on the certainty of our salvation and the
settled truth that eternally speaking he can’t do anything to change it.
And the last of the armor items mentioned, is the sword of
the spirit which is the word of God. It is the word of God not in the sense
that we beat the devil over the head with the Bible, but in the sense that in
these times of attack we stand firm relying on all of the various pieces of
truth that we have learned of God and from His Word. This is a truth battle,
and our defense is hiding God’s Word in our hearts and actively thinking on it
when attacked as in all other times.
There is one more very important thing Paul speaks of that
is generally not looked at as a piece of armor, and that is prayer. Paul
stressed the importance of prayer, and in the military sense it is God who is
our head and Christ who is our Lord. Knowing that our battle is a spiritual
one, we need to spend time with our God who knows all things, including the
unseen. We need to spend time with Him and take our direction from Him.
Today in “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young (5/15)
Spending time alone with Me is
essential for your well-being. It is not a luxury or an option; it is a
necessity. Therefore, do not feel guilty about taking time to be with Me.
Remember that Satan is the accuser of believers. He delights in heaping guilt
feelings upon you, especially when you are enjoying My Presence. When you feel
Satan’s arrows of accusation, you are probably on the right track. Use your shield
of faith to protect yourself from him. Talk with Me about what you are
experiencing, and ask Me to show you the way forward. Resist the devil, and he
will flee from you. Come near to Me, and I will come near to you. And lest you
think that this is only necessary when you are being attacked, remember that
our enemy is wily and has no problem coming after us when our defenses are down.
Then I heard a loud voice in
heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our
God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who
accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.” Revelation
12:10
In addition to all of this, take
up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of
the evil one. Ephesians 6:16
Submit yourselves, then, to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come
near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you
double-minded. James 4:7-8
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