Ephesus 6:10-20

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.  Put on the whole armor of God, 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.  Therefore 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.  Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.  In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

 

Paul’s call to walk in a manner worthy of Christ is going to meet with sharp opposition.  Before we can walk, we must stand.  The opposition will come from Satan and his forces for evil that week to destroy the work of God.  However, God has provided us with all the tools we need to be able to remain firm in the faith and be used as instruments to advance the Gospel.

 

STAND AGAINST SATAN: There is a battle going on for the souls of men.  This spiritual warfare comes in in many different forms so the believer must always be vigilant.  The intention of these attacks is to tear down the effectiveness of the believer, destroy the reputation of the church, and distract from the mission God has given us.  In light of this reality, believers are admonished to simply stand firm.  Our position of victory has already been established by God through Christ.  He provides all the strength we need to withstand Satan’s attacks.  Often the schemes of the devil will involve other people.  This can easily fool us into believing that the problems are merely human in nature and that we can handle them our own.  This is a mistake.  No matter the situation, we must depend on the Lord and recognize the spiritual aspect of the battles we face.

 

STAND FIRM IN THE SPIRIT: As believers, we are indwelt by the Spirit of God.  As a result of our relationship to God, through Christ, by faith, we have been given invaluable gifts that Paul calls our armor which allows us to stand firm.  We have the truth of God to guide us and give assurance to us that we are right.  Satan will try to lie to us, but if we study the Word of God and follow the leading of the Spirit in our lives, the truth will keep us from being deceived.  We have the assurance that we have been saved from sin and that we are declared righteous before God.  Doubt and fear are instruments Satan uses against us, but as we walk in assurance of our salvation in Christ, we can overcome these attacks.  The Gospel that not only gives us peace with God but allows us to experience the peace of God must be our constant companion.  No matter the circumstances we face, the Good News of Christ’s death and resurrection act as an anchor to our soul.  The righteousness we attain by the truth of the Gospel is activated by faith.  We must trust that God is in control and rest in the fact that He loves us and is committed to our eternal well-being.  The darts of doubt and flames of fear are snuffed out by faith.  This combination of truth, righteousness, Gospel, and faith culminates in salvation.  God rescues us from the penalty, power, and presence of sin.  Only those who are believers can stand firm.  Finally, we have the Word of God that is inspired and constantly used by the Spirit.  These tools are fundamental to living a victorious life.

 

STAND UP FOR THE SAINTS: Another key to victory in our stand against Satan and our walk with Christ is prayer.  None of us are alone in the battle.  God has placed us into the body of Christ, and we are called to pray for one another.  God’s Spirit strengthens us in prayer and helps us to pray according to His will.  However, we must be consistent in prayer and concentrate as we pray.  The two main enemies of effective praying are simply the lack of prayer and distraction when we do pray.  The object of our prayers should be one another.  Believers are called to support and help one another through prayer.  The subject of our prayers is for the advancement of the Gospel.  We need to pray for opportunities to share Christ in all the nations of the world.  We need to pray for the ability to make the Gospel clear.  We need to pray for courage to faithfully proclaim the Gospel no matter the cost.  Prayer is the means by which we, as a body, can help one another stand firm in our faith and be effective at sharing that faith with others.

 

APPLICATION: Recognize that we are under attack and have the need to stand firm in our faith against Satan.  Consistently consider God’s truth and the salvation that it gives us from sin through faith.  Don’t allow our salvation to become powerless through doubt and fear or any other strategy Satan might use.  Pray fervently and frequently for the advancement of the Gospel through the body of Christ in all nations.