10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, 18praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
"Put on the whole armor of God." Why? And what IS it? Let's dissect this...
Why? "...that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."
Do not be fooled, my friends - we are not alone. We are in the middle of a battle between the forces of Heaven and the "rulers", "authorities", and "cosmic powers over this present darkness". Demons. The devil. Lucifer, Satan, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, whatever you want to call the fallen archangel. The Bible is clear on the existence of these "spiritual forces of evil", and the power they exert against our lives. We have more power at our disposal - never forget that thanks to Revelation, we know how this war will end: the good guys win! God is far more powerful than all the demons combined - but if we never call upon His help, that doesn't matter!
We must utilize the tools He has given us to protect ourselves, and to fight back! Let's look at the tools that we have at our disposal, and how we're supposed to use them:
"Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth..."
Why the "belt" of truth? Because without God's truth, given to us through not only the Bible but through the Holy Spirit and the preached Word from inspired pastors at the pulpit, everything else will fall off. Without something worth fighting for, we have no hope.
"...and having put on the breastplate of righteousness..."
Righteousness is being right with God. How is a Christian right with God? Through the Holy Spirit, Who changes your heart so that you live by the Spirit and not by the flesh. Where is your heart? Underneath that breastplate.
"...and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace."
So, we all understand the need for the 'peace that surpasses all understanding' that God provides us. But why would we wear it as a pair of sandals? So that it travels with us wherever we go. So that it is that peace which leads us to where we need to go. So that we never go into battle in anger, which is the enemy's greatest weapon.
"In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one..."
A shield is the primary defensive weapon that a warrior of the first century would have at his disposal. When the enemy flings his "flaming darts" at you - the darts of self-doubt, of fear, of anxiety, of trouble and distress and difficulty - what do you possess that can let you overcome all of those problems?
Faith in your Lord. Faith that Romans 8:28 continues to be true - "for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.". Faith in God. Faith that no matter what the devil throws at you, God is bigger than those problems.
"...and take the helmet of salvation..."
This one's easy. If you know you're saved (if in your head you know you're saved!), then suddenly the flaming darts are less fear-inducing. What's the worst that can happen? As Paul said in Philippians 1:21, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Either way, he would be fine - either he could live and keep planting churches for Christ, or he could die and meet Jesus immediately.
"...and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication."
What is the only offensive weapon we possess as Christians against the rulers of this present darkness? It is the same weapon which Jesus Himself will use at the end of the Great Tribulation to defeat the armies of Satan single-Handedly - here is Revelation 19:15 →
"From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations..."
...the same sharp sword that we are to use to fight the enemy: the Word of God. Scripture. The Bible. Think about it: what did Jesus use to defeat the devil in the wilderness after his baptism and forty days of fasting? "It is written". The best weapon we have is the Word of God, and that's why it's so important to know your Bible, to read it every day, to learn the key verses from Scripture. It is often your only weapon against the snares of the devil!
So put on the whole armor of God every day. Because the tempter will be waiting for that one day when you go out into the world's battlefield unarmed and unprotected.
He doesn't take a day off. You can't afford to, either.
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