The Armor of God
EPHESIANS 6:10-17
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For 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.13Therefore 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. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, a which is the word of God.
6: 10-17 In the Christian life we battle against rulers and authorities (the powerful evil forces of fallen angels headed by the devil, who is a vicious fighter; see 1 Peter 5: 8). To withstand their attacks, we must depend on God’s strength and use every piece of his armor. Isaiah similarly mentions God’s armor (Isaiah 11: 5; 49: 2). Paul gives this counsel not only to the church, the body of Christ, but also to each individual within it. The whole body needs to be armed. Satan checks for weak spots; he knows them all. So we must help each other, stand our ground, and resist the enemy until the end of the battle. Don’t try to face him unarmed.
6: 12 These who are not “flesh and blood” are demons over whom the devil has control. They are not mere fantasies— they are very real. We face a powerful army whose goal is to defeat Christ’s church. When we believe in Christ, these beings become our enemies, and they try every device to turn us away from him and back to sin. Although we are assured of victory, we must engage in the struggle until Christ returns, because Satan is constantly battling against all who are on the Lord’s side. We need supernatural power to defeat Satan, and God has provided this by giving us his Holy Spirit within us and his armor surrounding us. If you feel discouraged, remember Jesus’ words to Peter: “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16: 18).
6: 16 When the enemy, the ruler of this world (John 12: 31), sends his flaming arrows of temptation, doubt, lust, anger, despair, or desire for vengeance at us, we can hold up our shields and stop them. We are assured that “everyone born of God overcomes the world” and “this is the victory that has overcome the world . . . our faith” (1 John 5: 4). Stand in faith against Satan with firm courage, even when he uses his most fearsome weapons. God assures you of victory.Tyndale. NIV Life Application Study Bible
ON THE WAY HOME WALK WITH JESUS and make sure you ALWAYS HAVE ON THE FULL ARMOUR OF GOD
onthewayhomeministries.org by RICHARD DEAN BROOKS