Ephesians 6:10-20
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
10 Finally, be strong in the
Lord and in the strength of His might.
When it comes to our spiritual battles, standing in
victory begins with having a proper perspective. We must first and foremost have an attitude
of dependence. This is tougher that you
might think because we live in a culture that is all about being
self-sufficient. Instead of being confident in our own power, position,
degrees or knowledge, we must be dependent on the power of God. We are to be strong “in the Lord” and we are
to be strong “in the power of His might.”
Here is the point - our strength is never sufficient to oppose Satan but
the Lord’s strength is always more than sufficient for our spiritual battle.
Remember, it’s not the amount of strength that we have
that counts but rather the source of that strength. In Revelation 3:8 Jesus tells the church at
Philadelphia that though they have “little power,” that He will open a door of opportunity
for them that no man can shut. Paul
understood this as well in Philippians 4:13 where he says, “I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me." Through
His cross and resurrection Jesus has already defeated Satan and his power over
sin and death (Romans 5:18-21; 1 Corinthians 15:56-57; Hebrews 2:14). We now can depend on His power.
This also involves depending on God’s protection. Verse 11 tells us that to take advantage of
the strength of God, believers must put on the whole armor of God that He
supplies. Paul writes this letter to the
church at Ephesus while in prison in Rome.
He was probably chained to a Roman guard when he wrote these words and
was inspired by the Holy Spirit as he looked at the guard’s armor.
There is a big difference, however. When a Roman guard went back to his barracks
at the end of the day, he would most-likely take his armor off for the night. He would then put it on again when it was
time to go back on duty. That is not the
case with this spiritual armor Paul is speaking about. The word “put on” is written in a tense that
speaks of putting it on once and for all.
It isn’t a uniform that we only wear to work or only wear on game
day. We are to put on our armor and
leave it on. We are to live in our
armor! Why is this the case? This is crucial because we live on the
battlefield. We never come off the battlefield.
When you sit in church – you are on the battlefield!
When you go home – you are on the battlefield!
When you watch TV – you are on the battlefield!
When you sleep – you are on the battlefield!
When you go to work – you are on the battlefield!
When you go out to eat – you are on the battlefield!
When you shop – you are on the battlefield!
When you play – you are on the battlefield!
It is so important that we understand our spiritual armor
and wear every piece of it 24/7. With it
on, we can “stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” The word “stand firm” is a military word that
describes holding a critical position while under attack. Jesus told the church at Thyatira the same
thing in Revelation 2:25 when He said to “stand firm till He comes!” We do this – we stand firm against Satan’s
attacks – by depending on the protection of God which is evident when we live
in our armor.
According to 1 Peter 5:8, Satan is like a "roaring lion" stalking his prey. That is right! The forces of evil are stalking us. That is why Paul said earlier in Ephesians
that we are "not to give the devil any opportunity" (Ephesians 4:24). According to Paul in chapter six, when we
wear our armor we are protected against the schemes of the devil. The word “schemes” is where we get our word
“methods.” Satan has a playbook! He is crafty, cunning and deceiving. He knows just how to attack us and he is stalking
us, waiting for that moment when we take a piece of our armor off.
As a Christ-follower we must understand that there is no
spiritual streaking permitted! We must
live in our armor 24/7 because we live on the battlefield 24/7!
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