Spiritual Battles

“Put on the full armor of God so that you can take
your stand against the devil’s schemes. For 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. Therefore 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.” (Ephesians 6:11-13)

We are at war.  Whether you like it or not, you are living in a war zone.
It’s not like the war in the Middle East. This is a war that rages on all
around us, every day and every night. Most of it is unseen and unheard, but you
are in the middle of it.  It is spiritual warfare.

This is also true in our relationship with God.  If having faith feels like
a constant struggle, that’s because it is!  The Bible says we are all in the
midst of a spiritual battle against evil rulers and authorities, mighty
powers, and evil spirits in the heavenly places. Think about that for a second,
evil rulers, authorities, and powers. And they are all against you!  They
want to steal, kill, and destroy your faith. (See John 10:10)  You are going to need
some help.  Fortunately, God has
not left us unprotected or ignorant about what we are up against.  He gives us the armor and the weapons we need to not
only fight back, but to defeat these spiritual enemies.

Is your faith being
attacked?  Just remember that as
Christians, we are given Christ’s clothes to wear. It is said that the clothes
make the man, and these clothes, the armor of God, make us who we are and who
God wants us to be.  Each piece further makes us into a Christ like person.  But
we will talk about each piece and how we own it.  But for now, just remember that when you became
a Christian you were given God’s armor.  When you have on this armor, you have
on the best protection in the universe.

Let’s look at the pieces of the armor Paul describes as
he develops this military analogy in Ephesians 6:14-18:

First, the belt of truth.  Think of the wide belt
that a weight lifter wears to protect and strengthen him.  In John 8:31-32 we read, “…If you hold to
my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the
truth will set you free.”   When
we hold firmly to the truth that we know and seek faithfully to acquire wisdom,
we are protected.  This is a good piece of equipment to put on in the morning
with a regular reading of the Scriptures.

Then in Ephesian 6:14b we are told “…to stand firm with the breastplate
of righteousness.”  The Roman soldier
would wear a steel, leather, or coat of mail that would protect the torso in
the thick of battle.  Our protection is
righteousness.  First, we have been made righteous by Christ’s death on our behalf.  We are “holy, set apart,” and we
belong to God now.  His righteousness is our righteousness, and His blood covers our sins.  But we are
also protected by living holy lives, by walking in God’s ways righteously.  Our righteous ways are a powerful protection
from the destruction that sin brings with it.

Strong foot gear is important in a battle
situation.  Ephesians 6:15 reminds us
that our “…feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”  If we wear sandals on our feet instead of
Army-issue boots, we may slip in the struggle, and leave ourselves exposed to
the enemy.  But notice that shoes on our feet are also an offensive weapon, enabling
us to run with and share the gospel of peace.  Truth and good news are a weapon that
give us sure footing against darkness, deceit, and despair.

And then in verse 16 we are to take up the shield of
faith.  Often before battle, soldiers
would soak their leather shields in the local creeks.  This made them much
heavier, but made them impervious to the flaming arrows shot by the enemy.  A
shield is both a defensive weapon to hide behind as well as an offensive weapon,
which enables you to strike with your sword hand while protecting your body
with the shield held in the other.

Sometimes we have overwhelming situations come upon us
like a flaming arrow and threaten to consume us, our family, and our whole place
in life.  We can react with fear and
terror.  Or we can put up the shield of faith and start to trust God.  Your faith helps you to stand in the intense
battles within your mind as well as in your home and workplace.  Trust God no matter what is going on, for He
knows what He is doing. Put up the shield of faith; don’t let it hang useless
at your side.

Then in verse 17 we are told to pick up the helmet of
salvation and the sword of the Spirit.  Helmets protect the head, therefore battle
helmets.  Our salvation from God protects
us against self-doubt and fear that God won’t forgive us when we mess up.   We
must put on our confidence in His salvation daily and not let Satan slam us in
the head with his lies.  The sword, too,
is both offensive and defensive.  We deflect our enemy’s blows with our sword,
as well as thrust it home when we see a weakness in his defense. Our sword is
God’s Word.  When we study the Bible for its principles and truths, we can stand
against Satan’s lies.  Reading the
scripture often, studying it, and committing it to memory are all ways to
sharpen this sword, so when we are attacked we’ll know how to respond.

And finally, in verse 18, we are called to Pray in the
Spirit.  The military analogy in our
day would be, “Carry your walkies-talkie and call in when you get in
trouble so we can direct firepower where you need it.”  To what extent are these weapons offensive or
defensive?  In a very real sense they are all offensive weapons, since they
allow the warrior to continue in the battle instead of being wiped out early. 

Martin Luther, who wrote that great hymn, “A Mighty
Fortress Is Our God,” had many well-chronicled battles with the devil.  One
line of this hymn is particularly telling about the devil: “One little
word shall fell him.”  We are weak
in ourselves. But in God these simple weapons, truth, righteousness, the
good news, faith, salvation, the Word of God, and prayer are more than we
need to fend off an attack and remain standing at the end of the day.

A day is coming when
our victorious king will return to this earth.  It will be a triumphant entry.
The King will set up His throne in Jerusalem and set the whole world straight.
He will reward His faithful servants and punish those who rebelled against Him.
On that glorious day, faithful and heroic men and women of God will receive
their medals of honor and courage.  Although we now live in the evil day, and
although it now seems like Satan gets his way far too often, and he has free
reign, a day is coming, when he will no longer be able to tempt and destroy.
The book of Revelation tells us that he will be cast into the lake of fire
forever. (See Revelation 20:10)

Jesus Christ has won
it all.  Just stand your ground a few days more, until this evil day is at an
end, and the glorious day begins.  And this day of glory will never end.

Can God change your life?

God has made it possible for you
to know Him, and experience an amazing
change in your own life.

Discover how you can find peace
with God.