Rely on God’s strength, not your own, by putting on His spiritual armor to stand firm against life’s battles and spiritual opposition.
Some of us came today weary, worried, and worn thin. You packed lunches and carried burdens. You tied shoes and untied knots in your soul. You answered emails while questions went unanswered in your heart. You smiled at the cashier while a thousand thoughts buzzed like bees behind your eyes. You’re not alone. God knows. He sees the skirmishes you face—battles at the breakfast table, pressure at the paycheck, temptation in the traffic, fear in the quiet. And into the swirl of our ordinary days, Paul writes like a pastor who loves his people: Stand. Stand firm. Stand strong—not in your grit but in God’s grace, not in your strength but in the strength of the Lord.
Ephesians 6 is house-light truth for hallway living. It meets us where we live—children and parents, workers and bosses—and then lifts our gaze to what’s really going on. Your spouse is not your enemy. Your coworker is not your foe. The person on the other side of the screen isn’t the real threat. There is an enemy, yes, and he is strategic and sinister, but he is not sovereign. Your Savior is. So let this chapter be a wardrobe for your week and a whisper for your worry: You are not weaponless, and you are not without help. The armor is God’s, the might is the Lord’s, and the victory is Christ’s.
John Wesley once said, "Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on earth." That’s fire for the fainthearted. That’s courage for the commonplace. It reminds us that ordinary believers, fueled by holy desire and bold obedience, do extraordinary damage to the darkness.
Today, as we open the Word, I want to speak to the discouraged soul who thinks, "I can’t win this." To the distracted heart that says, "I can’t keep up." To the determined spirit that whispers, "I’ll muscle through." Hear this: you don’t have to muscle up; you need to suit up. The call is clear and kind: - Stand firm in the power of the Lord. - Whole life covered for the day of battle. - Weapons to defend and to advance.
What if this week, instead of collapsing under the weight, you stood under the wings? What if the thing that felt like the end was actually a place to take your stand? What if God, even now, is fitting your life with truth, peace, righteousness, faith, salvation, the Word, and prayer? He is. And he will.
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 6 (KJV) 1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. 4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; 6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: 8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. 9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him. 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; 19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. 21 But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do: Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things: 22 Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts. 23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
Opening Prayer Lord Jesus, strong and kind, we confess we are often weary and sometimes frightened. Today we choose to be strong in You and in the power of Your might. Clothe us with Your truth. Guard our hearts with Your righteousness. Set our steps in the gospel of peace. Lift over us the shield of faith; extinguish every flaming lie of the enemy. Secure our minds with the helmet of salvation. Place Your Word—sharp and saving—upon our tongues and deep within our thoughts. Teach us to pray with perseverance for all the saints. Make homes holy, workplaces honest, and hearts humble. Grant boldness for witness, tenderness for the weak, and unity for Your church. Speak, Lord; we are listening. Strengthen, Lord; we are standing. In Your victorious name, Jesus, Amen.
Paul’s call is clear. Be made strong in the Lord. That is more than a pep talk. It is a command to receive strength. The tense matters. It means keep being strengthened. Keep drawing life from Christ. Keep standing in what he gives. Power flows from a Person. Power is not a mood. Power is not a push from within. Power arrives as we cling to Jesus.
This strength comes from the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. That is what Paul said earlier in the letter. That power broke a sealed tomb. That power seated Christ above every rule. That power is now toward us who believe. So when Paul says be strong, he points our hearts to resurrection power. You do not have to produce it. You receive it by faith. You take hold of it through prayer and the Word.
Standing is a stance. Think of a soldier with feet set. Knees bent. Eyes open. Ground under the boots. The call is to hold the line. Pressure comes. We do not flinch. The ground is grace. The banner over us is Christ. The command repeats on purpose. Stand. Withstand. Stand therefore. Each time it sounds like a drum. Each time it settles our hearts again.
There is a real struggle. Paul names rulers, authorities, and dark powers. The world has orders and layers we do not see. The evil day arrives. It presses in. The call is not panic. The call is readiness. The call is steady watch. The call is to use every gift God gives for the fight. The passage is not a scare. It is a map for courage.
Truth holds everything together. That is why the belt comes first. A loose belt means loose armor. A firm belt keeps the soldier steady. Wrap truth around your life. Fill your mind with Scripture until it shapes what you love and what you choose. Let honesty mark your speech. Refuse spin. Refuse half-light. Confess lies that have lived too long in the heart. Take up righteousness like a breastplate. Christ gives his righteousness to you by grace. That is your covering. Live out that gift in daily choices. Guard what enters the heart. Guard what settles there. Say yes to what is right even when no one sees it. Say no to what corrodes your soul. Keep short accounts. Repent fast. Do the next right thing. Truth and righteousness work together. One guides. One guards.
Peace fits like shoes on your feet. The gospel brings peace with God. That peace becomes your readiness. Firm footing comes from good news, not good mood. With those shoes you can walk into hard rooms. You can move toward hard people. You can carry a steady word. You can take a hit and keep your balance. The gospel gives calm steps and quick steps. It helps you stand still when you must. It helps you advance when the moment calls for it. Let your words be peaceable. Let your hands build and mend. Be ready to give a reason for your hope. Be ready to reconcile. Be ready to forgive. Peace does not mean the field is quiet. Peace means the King is near and you are sent by him.
Faith works like a shield. It is big and built to lock with others. Lift it high and keep it up. Lies come like flaming arrows. They aim at your identity, your past, your future, your God. Faith answers with what God has said. Faith answers with what God has done. Faith answers with what God will do. When the arrow hits the wet shield, it fizzles out. So soak your faith in the promises. Keep them fresh. Memorize them. Sing them. Use them. Place salvation on your head like a helmet. You are saved by grace through faith. That truth guards your mind from despair and pride and fear. Hold the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. This sword is sharp, clear, and sure. Jesus used it. You can use it. Quote it in the face of temptation. Pray it over your life. Speak it to the church. Store it in your heart. And do all of this with prayer. All prayer. At all times. In the Spirit. Stay awake in prayer. Keep asking for the saints. Name people. Name places. Ask for bold words. Ask for open doors. Ask for endurance. The armor and prayer belong together. The Word in your mouth and prayer in your lungs make a strong stand.
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