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 tactics of the devil.  For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.  Ephesians 6:10-12 HCSB

We all like to think about God and heaven and the glory and splendor that awaits us. I have told you many times that this is what we should focus on, right? Just the thought of an angel gives me a sense of security.  We know from Psalm 91:11 that He gives His angels orders to protect us. But why does He have to do this? Well, because the world isn’t only filled with angels my friend.

The flip side to good and righteousness is evil.  And unfortunately we live in a world where there is both. Several years back I was involved in a situation that was really unbelievable. That is the only word I can use to describe it.  I wasn’t in this situation alone, and when a friend said that it was due to a Jezebel spirit I must admit that I thought that sounded a little crazy. But as I spoke with other Christian friends and researched this, I realized that this Jezebel spirit was the only explanation for what was taking place.

You see, we love to think of God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit and the angels, right? They bring us comfort and peace, but the flip side of that is the devil and his demons. Of course, we don’t want to think about that. We want to think about lollipops, gumdrops, and unicorns, but we don’t want to think about mean people and bullies and stuff like that. But allow me to explain it this way. I don’t want to consider that things like home invasion and burglary happen, but they do. This is why I have deadbolt locks on my doors, a security camera system and an alarm system on my house. This is why I am prepared to arm myself against an intruder.

Well, the same holds true in our spiritual lives. When we are working for the Lord and seeking to do our very best to do his will, we anger the devil. There is a spiritual war going on for your soul. We don’t like to think about these things, but Ephesians 6 tells us that we must protect ourselves against this. We must use the armor that God provides.

Now some of you are reading this and thinking that I am one fry shy of a happy meal and that’s okay.  I can back up what I am saying with biblical references. So allow me to explain. We first see evidence of this spiritual warfare in the garden of Eden in Genesis chapter 3 when the serpent enters in to tempt Eve. If only Eve had cried out to God, but we must cut her some slack because she didn’t have a bible and wasn’t aware of the armor that God provides. Then in Job chapter 1, vs 6-12 the devil basically tells God that Job is good and righteous because God has blessed him but that if everything is taken away that Job will curse God.  God allows the devil to test Job, but sets a limit as to how far he can go and tells him not to lay a hand on Job himself. In Daniel chapter 10, Daniel is visited and lifted up by Gabriel the archangel 21 days after Daniel had prayed. Gabriel explains that he was delayed those 21 days because he was fighting the prince of Persia and explains that he must return to the fight when he leaves Daniel. He talks about the archangel Michael coming to help him.

So if we have established that you believe in God and heaven and angels, then I am trying to point out the flip side of that to you today. You see there is also a devil, hell, and demons. Now we don’t want to think about those, right? But they are real and they exist in our world today and if you are a Christ follower, they want nothing more than to distract you and to rattle your world, just as they did with poor old Job.

So, what’s a Christian to do? Well, I’m glad you asked because our scripture passage for today answers that for us nicely. Put on the full armor of God, just pieces won’t do. Could you imagine a soldier or a police officer going up against an active shooter with a helmet but no vest or vice versa? Verses 14-18 detail each and every piece of armor that God provides for us. The Sword of the Spirit refers to God’s word and is the only defensive weapon mentioned in Ephesians 6.

And when you are facing the devil or one of his demons, get behind God and know that His angels are there to guard and protect you. And whatever you do, don’t forget to pray. Gabriel came to Daniel’s defense because Daniel prayed. When you come against the devil, choose God and his righteousness. Choose to live under his protection (Psalm 91:1). Isaiah 54:17 tells us that no weapon formed against us will succeed.

Now some of you may actually remember records, like 45s. Well, you know we used to purchase those for the popular song that they played, but they were double sided. We weren’t always so crazy about the song on the flip side. The flip side of serving the Lord is that it angers the devil. But that’s okay, God protects us. Never underestimate the power in Jesus’ name.  When the devil and his minions attack, rebuke them in Jesus’ name.  Luke 10:17 says that the 72 returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” In Luke 10:19 we are told that we are given authority over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall hurt us.  Trust in God today.  Know that the devil doesn’t stand a chance as long as you are suited up in God’s armor.

Have a great day!