THE BELIEVER AND SPIRITUAL WARFARE
Study Text: Ephesians 6:10-18
Introduction:
- Most Christians have forgotten that the Christian life is not a playground, but a battlefield. As a result, very few of the Lord's people are armed, equipped and ready to wage spiritual battle.
- Whether we ever believe it or not, we are engaged in spiritual warfare. If we are to be successful in our work for the Lord Jesus, then we must be prepared for that battle and be ready to go to war against the powers of darkness.
- In this passage, we are given insight into the battle we are engaged in and into the weapons with which we are to fight this battle.
- We shall be discussing under three subheadings:
1. The Description of Our Enemy
2. The Direction of Our Efforts
3. The Details of Our Empowerment
1. The Description of Our Enemy
- The enemy we engage in spiritual warfare is the Devil. This is a word that means "slanderer, accuser.". His name reveals his character. Since his first appearance in the Bible, the devil has been in the business of lying, slandering and accusing the people of God. Genesis. 3:1-6; Job 1, 2.
- Our enemy is a spiritual enemy, and not flesh and blood as we are. Too often, we are guilty of fighting the wrong enemy. We will get at odds with our fellow believers, when the real enemy is the devil.
- He is the one causing division and sowing discord among the brethren. We need to understand that our fight is a spiritual battle. The devil might work through people at times to get to us and cause us to stumble, but the real battle is fought on a spiritual level. Our battle is with an unseen army of spiritual enemies lead by the devil himself.
- The kingdom of darkness led by the Devil, is subdivided into four hierarchical categories, but working together under an effective networking system. They are:
1. The Principalities
2. The Powers
3. The Rulers of Darkness of this World
4. The Spiritual Wickedness in High Places
- Having established that our enemy is a spiritual enemy, how then do we go about knowing how to fight him. God has fully exposed our enemy's tactics in His Holy Word. We need to study it and plan on how to effectively challenge him with an assured victory. The key to defeating the devil is understanding how he works. And the secret to that is reading about him in the Word of God.
2. The Direction of Our Efforts
- The Bible makes it clear in these verses that our goal as Christian soldiers is that of standing. This word refers to something that is firmly fixed. It speaks of people who do not waiver.
- If we are to stand in this day of battle, then we must not only know our enemy, but we must be fully prepared for the battle. That is why we are told to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
- The source of our strength is not within ourselves. That is good to know, because there are times when our strength runs low. We are to draw our strength from the "power of His might." This means the Lord can, and will strengthen and energize those who place their trust in Him.
- When a believer's faith is in God, then the Lord's power becomes the power of that believer. When my faith is in God and in His power, then His strength becomes my strength. His power becomes my power. Ephesians 3:20
- We all know that too many believers are not standing, they are falling by the wayside. The direction of our efforts is to ensure that we are standing and this can only be assured by putting our faith in the Lord and by drawing strength from the power of his might. The battle rages all around us. The best we can do is to place our faith in the awesome power of God so that we can stand.
3. The Details of Our Empowerment
- A soldier is no better than his weapons. We have been provided with the best weapons to be victorious continuously in our spiritual warfare. This is described as the whole armour of God.
- Paul is describing the armour of the average Roman soldier. For these soldiers to be effective in battle, they need to be protected on the battlefield. Paul uses the image of their armour to teach us about how we need to dress up for the day of battle. The pieces of the weapons available to us are :
1. The Girdle of Truth
- This girdle encircled the waist and served to stabilize the body, protect the mid-section and provide the soldier with a place to restrain his garments so that his movements in the heat of battle would be unhindered.
- For the believer, this refers to knowing the "truth" of the Bible. Jesus promised us that the truth had the power to make us free, John 8:32.
- Knowing the truth will stabilize us, protect us and prevent us from being tripped up in the battles of life. This reminds us that we are to walk in the truth at all times.
2. The Breastplate of Righteousness
- This refers to the metal body armour that was worn to protect the vital, tender areas of the body. Specifically, the heart is in mind here.
- For the believer, this refers to righteousness of life. We are declared righteous when we trust Jesus as Saviour, 2 Corinthians. 5:21, but we are commanded to practice righteousness as a habit of life, 1 Pet. 1:16.
- When we live holy, consecrated lives before the Lord, we are less prone to attacks from the devil. Our hearts are guarded and protected from his slings and arrows. This reminds us that we are to live in righteousness all the times.
3. The Shoes of The Gospel
- The Roman soldiers wore sandals that had nails driven through the bottoms to provide the soldier with the surest of footing on the battlefield. He did not have to worry about his feet slipping in the heat of the battle, for he was always well-grounded.
- For the believer this reminds us that we are to be well grounded in the things of God and be committed to the preaching of the gospel of Christ. We are to be sure of our own conversion and of the fundamentals of the faith, and labour for the salvation of others.
- We need to know what we believe and why, so that we will be on a sound foundation when the battle comes against us. Such a sure-footed stand would serve to give us peace in the battles of life.
4. The Shield of Faith
- This refers to the large, rectangular metal shield behind which a soldier could be safe from the fiery darts of the enemy.
- The believer is reminded that when he goes into battle, he must have in his possession the shield. Our shield is our faith in God, His power and His words. It is a shield that is able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Romans 10:17.
- It is a shield that will never fail nor expose the carrier. Why? Because faith allows us to stand in the battle and receive the victory regardless of the odds we face, Hebrews 11:1-2.
- Our faith is so important that we are told that we are to have this article "above all". Without faith we cannot serve God, nor can we please Him.
5. The Helmet of Salvation
- The helmet was given to the Roman soldier to protect his brain, which is the centre of memory and the seat of judgment. Regardless of how well the other parts of the body was protected, a blow to the brain rendered the entire soldier ineffective.
- If we are to be effective in the battle for the glory of God, then we must first be saved. Salvation provides the helmet that is necessary to protect our minds from the attacks of the enemy.
- When we are saved, we are transformed. It is this transformation that allows us to think right thoughts and wage holy war. The mind must be protected. As we fight the battles, we must never forget what the Lord did for us and in us when He saved us by His grace. The assurance of our salvation will be like a helmet protecting the mind from the devil.
- Not all the armour was designed to protect the soldier. Sometimes, the soldier was required to take the battle to the enemy. Therefore, the soldier possessed two offensive weapons that allowed him to strike back when he was attacked.
6. The Sword of The Spirit
- This refers to the short, straight sword carried by every Roman soldier. It was very effective in hand to hand combat and was essential to the survival of the soldier.
- We are told that our sword is the Word of God. It is the Word of God that we are to use to attack the enemy and see him fall. It is the Word of God that enables us to conquer him in every battle we face.
- It is essential for the Christian soldier to be proficient in the use of this weapon, by diligently studying the word and living by it at all times. Psalms 1:2
- We need to understand the right word to confront the Devil in a particular situation. This is seen in the life of Jesus, Matthew 4:1-11. When He faced the devil on the Mount of Temptation. Jesus strolled into the armoury of the Word and defeated him.
- Also, with us, when we go into battle with the enemy, there will be just the right sword for that particular battle. Let us become so familiar with the armoury that we can select the precise weapon to use in each battle we face.
7. The Praying by the Spirit
- Another advantage we have is the ability to be in direct communication with our commanding officer, the Holy Spirit, at all times. This has always been a problem on battlefields. However, in the spiritual realm, this problem has been forever solved.
- The greatest offensive weapon we have is the ability to call on the Lord our God when we are in the thick of the battle. He is able to communicate His orders to us on the spot and we can implement them immediately. This gives us a definite advantage over the devil.
- Never be guilty of neglecting the awesome power of prayer. Prayer brings you into the presence of God and it allows the Lord to work through you in a remarkable way. Prayer unleashes the power of God in the life of the believer.
Conclusion:
- As believers in Jesus Christ, we are engaged in spiritual warfare with unseen wicked forces. To overcome our enemy in the power of the Holy Spirit, we must remain resolute in our confidence in God and determine never to accept defeat.
- As believers in Jesus Christ, we are not fighting for victory, but we are fighting from victory. Our Commander-in-chief has already won all the victory for us.
- All we have to do is get up, dress up in the armour, stand up and line up awaiting our marching orders. He will lead us to victory. Therefore, let us avail ourselves of the tools we have been given and let us learn to stand. We are in a spiritual warfare, but the victory belongs to us, 1 Corinthians 15:57.
