Stand Strong

We have several in our church family that have served our country in the military. For all of you that have served, you know how important it is to be trained for battle.

During the closing months of World War II, Nazi Germany became so desperate that they initiated the Volksturm, the people's army. This wasn't part of the regular army, but an attempt to boost their numbers by convincing males from ages 16 to 60 to step up and fight. There was no real time to train these men. With continual fighting and a lack of weapons, these untrained soldiers were often only able to familiarize themselves with their equipment while actually engaging their enemy.

Anyone who has ever served in the military can attest to how important it is to be trained and to be properly equipped. Knowing how to effectively engage the enemy is critical to victory.

The Christian life is a battle. Would you agree? In Ephesians 6:10-18, the Apostle Paul pointed out the equipment that God provides to His followers. Like an experienced general, Paul pointed to the spiritual armor that God has provided us. Our enemy, the devil, is vicious. But in Christ, our victory is sure. And then along comes the devil's temptations. To battle temptation, we have to be strong, we must suit up, and we must stand firm. Prayer.

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We have the tendency to want the easy life, a life full of comfort. Because of that, we need to be reminded that the Christian life is a spiritual battle. We must always be on our guard. But the good news is that we do not fight in our own strength. That's why, before he said anything else about the spiritual battle, Paul reminded the Ephesians to be strengthened by the Lord. Let's get into our Bible passage in Ephesians 6.

Ephesians 6:10-13 – “Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.

******** 13 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.”

As a Christian, we are in a battle every day. When we think about spiritual warfare, we don't think about the kinds of things that happen in novels or in horror movies. Our battle is the daily war that we call the Christian life. Each day we are involved and engaged in a number of fights against a real and vicious enemy who wants to destroy us through deception and temptation. Because of that, we need to prepare for battle, not in our strength, but in the strength of the Lord, the One who has already won the victory. He's already on the throne, ruling over these evil cosmic powers. We engage in this battle daily by putting on His armor.

Our battle against the devil is a spiritual battle, but God equips us with what we need. God strengthens us as we make use of the resources He has already provided us that Paul calls the full armor of God. We don't put on a suit of armor like the knights of old did, we don't equip ourselves with guns and knives to fight the battle. This is a spiritual battle. We suit up in the armor that the King of Kings put on to save His people and judge His enemies.

I think the Apostle Paul was referring to something that the prophet Isaiah said about this spiritual armor.

Isaiah 59:16-17 – “He saw that there was no man—he was amazed that there was no one interceding; so his own arm brought salvation, and his own righteousness supported him. 17 He put on righteousness as body armor, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and he wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.”

Paul says that we need this armor because, without it, we cannot stand against the schemes of the devil. Again, we need to know that this is not a physical battle, but a spiritual one. Our enemy is the devil first and foremost. When Paul referred to the rulers, the authorities, the cosmic powers of this darkness, this evil, these spiritual forces in the heaven, he was referring to the demonic realm. But we don't need to be afraid because God has exalted Jesus far above these evil powers and has made Him ruler over all things. So, Paul begins to describe the armor that we will need daily to fight these evil forces.