Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.
Ephesians 6:10-13 HCSB
Oftentimes we don’t want to think about going into battle because we feel inadequate for the fight. Our scripture passage begins with telling us to be strong in the Lord and His mighty power. Most importantly, realize that the person coming against you is not your real enemy. This person who is coming against you is a pawn used by the spiritual forces of evil. Your battle is not against flesh and blood.
So first, the belt of truth should be buckled around your waist. Be truthful, don’t use lies to defend yourself. This large belt worn by the Roman soldiers was used to protect their core. Your core is left open to injury if you begin your defense with a lie.
The breastplate of righteousness should be in place. If we are trying to fight the spiritual forces of this dark world by plotting evil and wicked schemes, we are not beating them, we are joining them. Be very careful of this one.
Feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace. When you go into battle, it is important that you have the appropriate shoes. In Priscilla Shirer’s Bible study, she emphasizes that we need to be at peace with God in order to be ready for this battle. You must have this peace in order to not only stand firm, but be ready to move forward. When we harbor bitterness and unforgiveness, we tend to be unsteady and may give up ground to the enemy. We must pray for God to remove these things from us so that we can move forward and gain ground.
When you are in the midst of a battle, the flaming arrows will be flying all around. I have been in a couple of serious spiritual battles in the last two years and let me tell you, ducking and dodging doesn’t help. You need your shield of faith. You need to be able to not only defend against, but to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. God’s got your back and you need to trust that.
We are encouraged to take the helmet of salvation. I have written many times about the qualifiers in God’s promises of protection. He promises that His children will be protected as long as they love Him and dwell within his midst (Romans 8:28, Psalm 91:1-2). If you refuse to accept Christ as your savior, you may just find that you are fighting this battle on your own. I never want to be in that situation, trust me.
The sword of the spirit is the only defensive weapon issued by God. This is God’s word. I have used this weapon and it has worked well. I have noticed that speaking scripture to someone who is coming against you disarms them. Peggy Ruth Joyce wrote a book on Psalm 91, the Psalm of Protection. She has several testimonies of people that were being physically attacked and began reciting Psalm 91 and their attacker stopped and left. Don’t get me wrong, I am a second amendment girl all the way. I believe that we should all learn to defend ourselves. But I am telling you that the sword of the Spirit is a very powerful weapon that should never be underestimated.
Finally we are encouraged to pray at all times about everything. Keep that open line of communication with God, stay close to Him. Believe me, if you are in a battle, you are going to want to be very close to God.
Remember this, God never allows us to face any battle that He doesn’t equip us to fight and win. There are many battles in the Old Testament of the Bible where people fought against impossible odds but God delivered their enemies into their hands. So be prepared to suit up and stand firm. Never underestimate any of this battle gear. God’s got this, but He expects us to be prepared. Each and every day, pray to God to fill you with His Holy Spirit. Put on all your armor so you can stand against the evil schemes of the devil!
Have a great day!