“Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Ephesians 6:10-11 (Read 10-18)
Though we so often don’t even realize it, there is a battle raging around us and within us for our very souls.
As the apostle says, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the world’s rulers, of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
The devil and his evil cohorts seek to take us from Christ’s kingdom and rob us of the blessings Christ won for us upon the cross by attacking our faith and our life. He seeks to deceive us and lead us away from the true doctrine set forth in the Holy Scriptures and he seeks to allure us back into the entanglements of sin so that we we do not trust Christ and despair of His mercy and forgiveness (cf. 1 Peter 5:8-9).
Since the battle is spiritual, against powerful fallen angels rather than against human flesh and blood, our weapons and defenses need to be spiritual and powerful enough to withstand the constant assaults of our old evil foe. Flesh and blood, human strength and will, are insufficient in this battle. Left to ourselves, we would be overrun and fall.
That is why the Scriptures admonish us: “Take to yourselves the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Therefore stand, having your loins girded about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, take the shield of faith, with which you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching to this very thing with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”
Only with these weapons of the Lord can we stand against the wiles of the devil. The Lord Himself preserves us!
O Lord, grant that we put on the armor of God, girded with the truth, wearing the breastplate of righteousness, having our feet shod with the Gospel of peace, bearing the shield of faith, wearing the helmet of salvation, wielding the sword of the Spirit and praying in the Spirit always. Amen.