Ephesians 6:10-11
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
Every day we wake in the midst of war. Spiritual warfare rages daily in our lives. Some days we are fully engaged in battle and some days we are walking the path to the next battle. Whatever the day, the war rages on. The enemy never rests and his scheming is persistent. He relentlessly pursues us, even as we walk the peaceful path, waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack.
Ephesians 6:12-13
12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Battle, for an unprotected warrior, is dangerous and costly. Remember, in spiritual warfare, the price is not our physical, mortal, earthly life but rather our spiritual, eternal life in God's Kingdom. For this reason, God has made provision for us with six pieces of weaponry. Paul describes these, five pieces of armor and one offensive weapon, in his letter to the church in Ephesus.
Ephesians 6:14-17
Armor:
1. the belt of truth / 6:14
2. the breastplate of righteousness / 6:14
3. boots of (feet fitted with) the readiness (which comes from the gospel of peace) / 6:15
4. the shield of faith / 6:16 5. the helmet of salvation / 6:17
Offensive Weapon:
1. the sword of the Spirit / 6:17
If we are to win the battles of this spiritual warfare, we must possess and utilize all of the weaponry that we have been provisioned. These items are not freely granted but require us to take a pro-active role in their development and application. Being able to successfully wield the shield of faith, or sword of the Spirit can only be accomplished by well discipled individuals. Those of us, and there are very few, who have developed and mastered the potential of all of these items are capable of defending themselves and possibly others from any attack that Satan can mount.
When we are walking the peaceful path and life is good, we tend to neglect our armor maintenance. The armor gets stowed away in the footlocker because it is cumbersome and time consuming to maintain. Ask any military person in the middle of a war zone, how far they get from their weapon and armor, and you will find the answer to be that they are never without it. We are always in a war zone and should never be away from the only security we have.
Ephesians 6:18
18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
With all of our armor in place, there is one more thing we must do. We must remain in constant communication with the commander. Prayer is that communication. Our warfare against Satan's spiritual forces calls for intense prayer, i.e., praying "in the Spirit," "on all occasions," "with all kinds of prayers," "for all the saints," "and always keep praying." Prayer is to be seen as not just another weapon, but as part of the actual conflict itself, where the victory is won for ourselves and others by working together with God himself. To fail to pray diligently, with all kinds of prayer, in all situations, is to surrender to the enemy.
So in the hustle and bustle of our busy world, whether good day or bad, we must remember that we are in the middle of the war. We have to keep a daily concerted effort in caring and maintaining our armor. Our spiritual, eternal lives depend on it.
God Bless, and remember to put on the full armor of God!
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
Every day we wake in the midst of war. Spiritual warfare rages daily in our lives. Some days we are fully engaged in battle and some days we are walking the path to the next battle. Whatever the day, the war rages on. The enemy never rests and his scheming is persistent. He relentlessly pursues us, even as we walk the peaceful path, waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack.
Ephesians 6:12-13
12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Battle, for an unprotected warrior, is dangerous and costly. Remember, in spiritual warfare, the price is not our physical, mortal, earthly life but rather our spiritual, eternal life in God's Kingdom. For this reason, God has made provision for us with six pieces of weaponry. Paul describes these, five pieces of armor and one offensive weapon, in his letter to the church in Ephesus.
Ephesians 6:14-17
Armor:
1. the belt of truth / 6:14
2. the breastplate of righteousness / 6:14
3. boots of (feet fitted with) the readiness (which comes from the gospel of peace) / 6:15
4. the shield of faith / 6:16 5. the helmet of salvation / 6:17
Offensive Weapon:
1. the sword of the Spirit / 6:17
If we are to win the battles of this spiritual warfare, we must possess and utilize all of the weaponry that we have been provisioned. These items are not freely granted but require us to take a pro-active role in their development and application. Being able to successfully wield the shield of faith, or sword of the Spirit can only be accomplished by well discipled individuals. Those of us, and there are very few, who have developed and mastered the potential of all of these items are capable of defending themselves and possibly others from any attack that Satan can mount.
When we are walking the peaceful path and life is good, we tend to neglect our armor maintenance. The armor gets stowed away in the footlocker because it is cumbersome and time consuming to maintain. Ask any military person in the middle of a war zone, how far they get from their weapon and armor, and you will find the answer to be that they are never without it. We are always in a war zone and should never be away from the only security we have.
Ephesians 6:18
18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
With all of our armor in place, there is one more thing we must do. We must remain in constant communication with the commander. Prayer is that communication. Our warfare against Satan's spiritual forces calls for intense prayer, i.e., praying "in the Spirit," "on all occasions," "with all kinds of prayers," "for all the saints," "and always keep praying." Prayer is to be seen as not just another weapon, but as part of the actual conflict itself, where the victory is won for ourselves and others by working together with God himself. To fail to pray diligently, with all kinds of prayer, in all situations, is to surrender to the enemy.
So in the hustle and bustle of our busy world, whether good day or bad, we must remember that we are in the middle of the war. We have to keep a daily concerted effort in caring and maintaining our armor. Our spiritual, eternal lives depend on it.
God Bless, and remember to put on the full armor of God!
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