One would never think of sending one’s soldiers off to war, off to do battle against the enemy, without equipping them for the fight. If our country is involved in a war or battle somewhere, we want our soldiers to be well equipped with the best weapons and protective gear. We assume that the enemy is well equipped, so it only makes sense to ensure that our troops are also equipped and trained in using the best that we can give them. This goes not only for physical warfare, but also for spiritual warfare, as our Scripture for today highlights. Let’s look into this Scripture to see how and why we should be equipped for battle.
What do we mean by spiritual warfare? Just as in the physical world various countries and people will sometimes face warfare from another country, there is an unseen battle going on between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Darkness, the powers of Satan and his demons. Satan and his demons will often intervene in human affairs and fight against believers and their work for the Lord, including using God’s enemies to actually attack them. They also use depression, nightmares, fear, and anxiety to undermine believers and their service to God.
God has not left us unequipped, like a soldier left behind enemy lines without any weapons or means to defend themselves. The Apostle Paul, in writing to the Ephesian church, gave us a list of weapons that the Lord God has given us in fighting in this battle against the powers of darkness. And just as a soldier in physical warfare is instructed on how to use each piece of weaponry so that he is not left a sitting duck for the enemy, we also need to know what our weapons are, and how and when to use them. Believers can learn this by studying the Scriptures.
Our first piece of weaponry to put on is a belt of truth (vs. 14). This belt of truth will protect us against Satan, who is the chief deceiver and liar. Jesus called Satan the father of lies (John 8:44). We need to wrap ourselves in God’s truth, which is found in His Word, the Bible. The next piece is the breastplate of righteousness (vs. 14). An ancient breastplate would be like a bulletproof vest today. If we are depending upon our own righteousness against the attacks of Satan and his hordes, we are going without the breastplate. We must take hold of the righteousness of Jesus, which we receive when we are saved, and it will protect us from enemy attacks.
A soldier needs proper shoes or boots when going out to battle, and we need the same. God’s Word tells us that our feet must be prepared to bring the Gospel of peace (vs. 15). We must be at peace with our brothers and sisters in the Lord, and ready to go wherever the Lord calls us. Another piece of weaponry, an important one, is our shield of faith (vs. 16). In ancient warfare one’s shield was vitally important. We are to use our faith to quench the fiery darts that Satan uses to attack us. We must use this daily, for the Word of God says it will quench all, not some, but all of the fiery darts of the wicked. We need to take up our authority by faith, and watch every attack be put out as we apply our faith in Jesus Christ.
Proper protection of one’s head in battle is very important, thus we need to put on our helmet, too. God has given us the helmet of salvation (vs. 17). Satan frequently attacks our mind with his lies and wicked thoughts. We must cover our mind with the knowledge of God’s salvation given us through the Blood of His Son. The only offensive weapon we have been given is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (vs. 17). When Satan came against Jesus, the only thing He used to fend off those temptations was quoting Scripture. We need to use God’s Word against the devil, too.
A very important weapon or tool that we have in our battle against the kingdom of darkness is our direct connection to God (vs. 18). Soldiers depend on their contact with the command posts, and believers need to keep in constant communication with the Lord through our prayers. When we are in the midst of battle we always need to be in prayer. Prayer will keep us on the right course and keep us steady in the fight.
One important thing to remember in our battles against Satan is that he is a defeated adversary, defeated forever at the Cross of Calvary. While he is a powerful foe, those who are protected by salvation, prayer, and the Word of God, need not be paralyzed in fear at this roaring lion (I Peter 5:8; James 4:7). No evil can penetrate the armor of God. With God’s armor on, we can pray with confidence, knowing He will deliver us from the schemes of the evil one (Matthew 6:13). God’s Word, which is truth, exposes the lies of the devil, and His armor overcomes fear.
No comments:
Post a Comment