Freedom House Church and Healing Centre

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 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. 13 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. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.(Eph. 6:10-18)

Hello Saints,

Do you know that you are in a battle? Do you know that there is an opposing team that would like nothing better than for us to lose the battle, shipwreck our faith, and be powerless in the kingdom of God? There is an enemy who is powerful and well organized, waiting for the opportunity to pounce on us when we stumble and fall.

This week, we find ourselves concluding the letter of Paul to the Ephesians. It just so happens that the National Football League (NFL) is concluding its regular season play, and is preparing for the playoffs by narrowing down the competition through “wild card” matches. This is where teams are playing to fill the final spots in the divisional rounds, before moving on to the conference championships and lastly to the illustrious Super Bowl title. The winner gets possession of the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy. That is the epitome of the entire season – getting to play for the title of best team in the league. That means there is a lot of football to watch for the fans. It is one of the times I actually watch football…during the playoffs. I can’t help but see the parallels to our Christian walk/life/faith. Can you imagine a football player going through all that rigorous man-to-man contact without wearing his equipment, especially a helmet? Can you imagine a goalie standing in front of a 100 mile slap shot without a chest and face covering? So why do so many of us enter the daily battle of life without putting on that which God has supplied to protect us and get us to the goal line?

In Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church, we are reminded of being chosen by God for salvation, being part of team Jesus, persevering to win the prize – our inheritance of the kingdom, redemption and glory (Eph. 1:11, 14, 18). Paul has expounded the great truths of our salvation in Christ, and now as a concerned shepherd of his flock, wants to make sure that we and the Ephesian church are able to stand against the opposing forces that want to take down Christians. Ephesians 6:10-18 reminds us that we are powerful in the Lord, and that God has given us everything we need to fight the fight and win the battle, to receive the victory that Jesus has already won.

As we go through this passage, may it be evidently clear that God wants us to win! He is for us! And, He is the source of power for victory. Our strength is found in Him, and in the power of His might (vs. 10). To win, we need to follow and obey our team captain, even Jesus. He has the battle plan, and knows how to execute the plays that will confound the opposing team, whose leader is none other than the devil (vs. 11). He is a crafty, cunning, and devious foe who has a whole slew of tricks, schemes, strategies and methods of tripping up the Christian. Take a look around and you will see him in action all over the place. God knows what the devil is capable of, so He has provided for us the armor (defense) necessary to withstand his tricks. We know from verse 12 that the enemy is well organized, and has a huge army of fallen angelic beings or demons. And, since they know that they ultimately lose the battle, their main objective is to get Christians (players on team Jesus) to fall. That is why, 4 times in verses 11-14, we are commanded to “stand”. The language has urgency to it, “stand firm”; “resist”! There is an “evil day” coming. Yes there will be a future conflict, but many of us find ourselves battling many evil days throughout our lifetime – sickness, financial problems, marital/family problems, etc. The enemy wants us down, unable to fight. Thankfully, God has given us a means by which we can continue to STAND! In football, once the runners knee hits the ground, he is no longer standing, the play stops. The goal of the opposition is to knock down the one holding the ball, and gain possession of the ball. The message: don’t get knocked down! How? Put on the full armor of God! You can’t win without God’s supernatural armor!

1. Belt of truth (v.14a): “gird up your loins” (NASB) means, tie up everything that may trip you up. Truth is a belt that holds everything together so you don’t trip. This implies knowing the truth in your heart, but also being a person of integrity, who is honest. We need to have truth in our inward parts (Psalm 51:6), meaning faithfulness and obedience to God’s divine instruction. We cannot allow an open door of dishonesty for the devil to get in.
2. Breastplate of righteousness (v. 14b): A breastplate covers the vital organs, the heart especially where the fatal blow can happen. Paul says that it is a breastplate of faith and love (1Thess. 5:8). Faith is towards our God, and love for our fellow teammates/soldiers. Righteousness is doing the right thing that God requires. Loving God and loving our neighbor. Are our relationships right? Is our heart right with God and others? We need to deal with unforgiveness, bitterness, and anger against God and people, otherwise the enemy has an opening in our armor where he can inflict a wound.
3. Gospel of peace shoes (v. 15): Have you received peace in your heart that the gospel brings? Do you have peace with God? Are you walking in the peace of Christ that comes from being united to Jesus? Don’t be troubled, or afraid, or anxious. Stick close to Jesus and receive His peace (John 14:27; John 16:33; Phil. 4:7). Allow Holy Spirit to produce peace in your heart, and be ready to share it with others.
4. Shield of faith (v.16): This was a huge shield that covered the whole soldier. Imagine having a covering of faith – a complete trust in God – a faith that moves mountains, believes for the impossible, and certainty in what you can’t even see. This type of faith comes as we trust fully in Jesus, and keep our eyes on Him, not the circumstances we are in. This type of faith is in a supernatural God who can do the miraculous, because with God all things are possible. This type of faith will keep all the fiery darts of lies the enemy launches from causing you harm. Faith believes God’s word, not the enemy’s lies.
5. Helmet of Salvation (v.17a): We are saved from our past sins, forgiven, redeemed, and a new creation. Knowing this in our mind and believing there is no condemnation in Christ will do wonders to stop the battle that goes on in our mind when the accuser comes to accuse. Secondly, knowing that we will receive the fullness of our salvation one day, and deliverance from the battle because we have been saved, allows us to persevere till the end. The helmet covers the mind – we need to know the truth and believe it in our heart and mind, so the enemy has no easy access. Take every though captive (2Cor. 10: 3-6)

Once the defensive armor has been properly installed, it is time to pick up our offensive weapons:

1) The sword of the Spirit, which is the word (Rhema) of God (v.17b): The word of God is a sword in our hand when Holy Spirit speaks to us, reminds us of scriptures to overcome the enemy like He did during Jesus’ temptation in Matthew 4. When the enemy attacks, we need a divine “now” word from the Lord to counter the tempting deception of the enemy. Those are the words that we wield like a sword. That is why it is so important to get the word in us through reading and memorization. The word of God cuts like a two edged sword (Heb. 4:12), but only when we use it in the power of the Spirit.

2) Lots of Spirit led Prayer (v.18): Prayer is a powerful weapon, especially when it is Spirit led. This implies not only praying in the Spirit through our heavenly tongues language, but allowing Holy Spirit to pray through us when we don’t know what to pray (Rom. 8:26). The language of verse 18 is that we should keep on praying at all times, in every way, not just for ourselves but for others who are in the battle also. How do we know what to pray? We remain alert and aware of the circumstances, and the enemy, all the while listening to Holy Spirit.

This whole passage is about resisting the enemy. We know that if we resist him, he will eventually flee (James 4:7). So let us earnestly desire to remain daily clothed in God’s armor, leaning on the leading of Holy Spirit. Remember, you are strong in the Lord! You can stand! You will overcome! God is for you; who can be against! We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! We are more than conquerors through Christ! Keep your eyes on the trophy, and press on!

Have a great week!