Ephesians 6:10-17

10: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
11: Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

13: Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
14: Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,
15: and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;
16: in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17: And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

*** 

In closing, Paul encouraged the Ephesians to be strong in the Lord—with God's strength, not their own. He described the armor of God which all believers are to put on. He called it the full armor—you might say offensive and defensive—so we may stand firm against the schemes of the devil. It’s not people we’re fighting, it’s not a physical fight, but a spiritual one. This doesn’t mean the fight is any less real—if anything, it’s more so.

It is the rulers, powers, and world forces of darkness we fight against. They are spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. They are real and they oppose God and His people. They seek to use people and people groups against each other, so we must remember who the real enemy is—the one influencing any one he can with evil.

Paul told how to combat him with the full armor of God so we may resist our enemy’s schemes against us. If we resist him, he will flee (James 4:7). It's worth noting that we must ensure he is not using us—that we are not falling under his influence ourselves. First and foremost, that should be our focus—not to point fingers at others without having first examined our own heart. We resist strife, accusation, and all forms of evil (Matthew 7:5).

Once we’re clothed in the armor of God we stand firm, and we continue to stand firm. We don’t weaken or give up. Paul said to gird your loins with truth. Isaiah 11:5 says righteousness and faithfulness are the belts about the loins and waist of the Lord. Paul also quoted Isaiah 59:17 concerning the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation. These are protective pieces of armor. He said to have your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. We read in Isaiah 52:7 about how lovely the feet of those are who bring good news—who announce salvation, and say in Zion, “Your God reigns!” We make declarations of the rule and reign of God in the face of the enemy.

On top of it all, we take the shield of faith which quenches every fiery dart of the evil one. We pick up the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, which is our offensive weapon. Jesus used this weapon against the devil in Matthew 4:1-11 by speaking the Word of God. We follow the same example in using our weapon--God's Word--against the enemy.


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