Power for Living – Part 3

Ephesians 6:10-18
P. G. Mathew | Sunday, September 28, 2003
Copyright © 2003, P. G. Mathew

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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.

Ephesians 6:10-12

This is the third in a series dealing with the supernatural power both necessary and sufficient to live the victorious Christian life. The first sermon, from Ephesians 1:15-23, described the incomparably great power available to believers; the second, from Ephesians 3:14-21, told us how to appropriate this power. Now we will relate how to wield this power so that we can fight our enemies and win.

As Christians, we can be filled with all kinds of apprehensions, concerns, and doubts about the future. But God has a plan for our lives, and the Bible says it is a good plan-a plan to prosper us. We must never think that we are nothing. We are known by God, chosen from the foundation of the world in Jesus Christ. We are God’s children, and God will help us to live for him in this world by this mighty power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

1. Spiritual Strength of the Saints

In the seventeenth century, William Gurnall wrote a book on Ephesians 6:10-18 entitled The Christian in Complete Armor. He noted that these verses speak to the saints particularly about three things: spiritual strength, spiritual armor, and spiritual warfare. First, we want focus on the spiritual strength God gives to his saints.

A Necessary Power

Jesus said, “Without me, you can do nothing.” The Christian life is utterly impossible without the supernatural power of God-the power which raised Jesus Christ from the dead and seated us together with Christ in the heavenly places. It is this divine power that made us alive while we were enslaved to Satan, dead in trespasses and sins.

This power makes us strong in our inner man-in our mind, will, emotions, and spirit-so that we can heartily do the will of God in a hostile world. It is the power of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in every true Christian. If you are not a Christian, I urge you to call upon the name of the Lord, that you may be saved. The Spirit of God will make you alive and dwell in you forever.

As branches united to the vine, Christians bear abundant spiritual fruit, being united to Jesus. As the body of Christ, we receive all our needs from our head, Jesus Christ. As a building, we are supported by Christ, our sure foundation. What he commands, he enables us to do, working in us both to will and to do his good pleasure. Therefore, there is nothing impossible for us. We can do all things through Jesus Christ, who strengthens us.

Who Are The Saints?

The book of Ephesians was written to “the saints in Ephesus.” Now, these people were not always saints. This epistle clearly tells us they were enslaved to Satan, dead in trespasses and sins, objects of God’s wrath. But God made them alive. God made them saints, separated unto him, and enabled them to live obedient and holy lives in a sinful world. Paul says of them, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.”

All believers are saints. We all were sinners at one time, enemies of God. But in God’s mercy he made us saints.

Who Is The Enemy?

Our text speaks first about the spiritual strength of all saints. In the New International Version it begins, “Finally, be strong in the Lord. . . .” But this is not a correct translation. The Greek text actually reads, “Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in his mighty power.” We need spiritual strengthening because we have very powerful, personal, supernatural, invisible, crafty, wicked, demonic enemies who confront us daily, to destroy us, if possible.

Some of you may think that I am antiquated because I believe in these things. But I stand with Jesus Christ and the apostles. They believed in the existence of these malevolent beings, fallen angels of great intelligence who are under the command of Satan. These demonic forces are arrayed against God and his purpose every day.

God’s eternal plan and purpose is to build a church consisting of people who are sinners, but saved by God’s mighty power. Therefore these powers are against you personally and against the church corporately. Satan is against every true believer.

A Continual Strengthening

No one is competent to face these mighty powers without being strengthened by an alien power-the power of the omnipotent God. So we are commanded here to “be strengthened in the Lord.” In the Greek, the verb is endunamousthe, in the present tense. This means a Christian is to be filled with God’s power, not once in a while, but continuously. The verb is also in the passive voice, meaning we are to be filled with power as one vessel is filled by another with oil. It is talking about complete yieldedness to God by faith. It is not the power of man’s positive thinking that will put the devil to flight; it is the power of the Lord.

Endunamousthe is nearly synonymous to another verb found in Ephesians 5:18-plêrousthe-“being filled with the Holy Spirit.” Without being continually filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit, the Christian’s life would be one of defeat. But we can live an overcoming Christian life if we pay attention to the Scripture that tells us to be strengthened in the Lord and in the power of his might. With Paul we will say, “I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthened me.” The Lord will pour his strength into us so we become competent to wage battle against all evil forces arrayed against us.

A Sovereign Strengthening

This strength comes to us from the Sovereign Lord of the universe. After Jesus was raised from the dead, he was seated as King of kings on the right hand of the Father, far above all created personal intelligences, wicked or good. He is Lord of all and therefore rules all; nothing is outside of his control. So as the head of his body, the church, he cherishes, nourishes, provides for, protects, and cleanses us, making us holy, radiant and glorious. No evil power of the devil and his fallen angels can prevail against him.

The power structures of the world-social, educational, political, judicial, corporate and cultural-all have evil forces behind them. How else can we have a judicial judgment that tells us it is all right to murder infants, or that it is all right to commit sodomy? These rulings did not come out of nothing. Behind them are the demonic forces controlling the power structures of the world. But God is over all, and no evil power can ultimately frustrate his eternal plan of obtaining for himself a glorious bride from the world of fallen sinners. God gives eternal life to his elect sinners by effectually calling, justifying, sanctifying, and eventually glorifying us. As his possession, we are empowered to live triumphant lives in this world; no evil force can snatch us out of the grip of our Sovereign, Triune God.

Strong in the Lord

Notice, we are commanded to be strong “in the Lord.” Christians are in the Lord, vitally united to him as a branch is to the vine. We have no strength in ourselves; our strength is from the Lord, who is self-existent and self-sufficient, without origin or antecedent. It is he who created and redeemed us.

The Lord does not have any needs. You and I have needs every day, and God meets these needs moment by moment. We live and move and have our being in God; without him, nothing exists. He called the entire universe into being, and he alone sustains and supports it.

We are in the Lord and he is in us. It is an amazing statement. We receive strength from the Lord by faith in him and in his promises. The people of the world put confidence in themselves. They get up in the morning, look in the mirror and say, “I can do it! I believe in myself.” As Christians, we are to be confident in Christ alone. When Peter was confident in himself, he vowed to die for Jesus. But he ended up denying the Lord three times.

I counsel us to be yielded vessels, seeking to be filled with power from on high, that we may live triumphant lives in the midst of enemies and shine as lights in darkness. We should emulate Joshua who stood outside the fortified city of Jericho, wondering how he was going to capture it. Looking at himself, he felt weak and inadequate. Then he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua soon realized this One was the heavenly commander of the army of the Lord, none other than God himself. I hope we too will look up and see the heavenly commander with drawn sword, come to help us. The Lord is our Captain. He is with us and for us.

Weak in the World

Those who are not strong in the Lord have no strength at all. Judges 16 recounts the downfall of Samson, who performed great exploits in the power of God, but then began to have an affair with the world. As Samson wandered, he sinned; thus losing his strength.

When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines: “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. Having put him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him. Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. (Judges 16:18-20)

The mighty Samson, who had once accomplished great feats by divine strength, became a blind slave of the Philistines. Because of his flagrant sin, Samson’s strength left him. Samson did not even realize that the Lord had left him.

How many churches are asleep in the lap of the world? How many Christians have been put to sleep by peace and prosperity and worldliness? If you are having an affair with the world, you are a very weak person. There is no divine strength in you. But God is gracious. I exhort you to call upon the name of the Lord. He will help you and once again make you strong.

Triumph Over Our Enemies

God’s power will help us live in triumph. We are told by Paul in Colossians 2 that the Lord has defeated all our enemies once and for all, triumphing over them by the cross. Now he leads his people every day in triumph.

Zechariah 2:5 says the Lord will be a wall of fire about us. Think about that. Instead of depending on your own limited intelligence, depend on him, and he will give you wisdom and power to meet your every need. When we look to ourselves, we are pretty disappointed. But when we look to God, we will be greatly encouraged. “Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” He is a wall of fire about us.

Zechariah further prophesies that the mountain of evil powers arrayed against us shall be leveled by the Spirit of the Lord: “‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ saith the Lord Almighty” (4:6). Open your eyes and see what the servant of Elisha saw-horses and chariots of fire all around us. This is speaking about the holy angels, God’s army. They are around God’s people to protect and defend us.

The Lord is in us by the Holy Spirit. First John 4:4 tells us, “The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world”- that is, the devil and his demonic hordes. We are born of God and he keeps us safe; Satan cannot harm us in any way.

Strength in Jesus

What is the source of our strength? Jesus said, “Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). The source of our strength is none other than our Lord Jesus Christ, who became incarnate and lived a righteous life. Jesus was crucified, died and was buried, then was raised from the dead by God the Father and made Lord of all. He is Lord of the church, the foundation upon which we stand.

In 2 Timothy 4:16-17 we read that Paul was abandoned by all his earthly friends; yet, Paul says, “the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength.” In every situation we face, we also should visualize this reality: the Lord stands with us to give us strength to do the job. First Peter 4:11 tells us, “If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides.” We are supplied with strength by God to do whatever he wants us to do.

Jesus declared, “I have received all authority in heaven and on earth.” Then he said, “I will be with you always, even unto the end of the ages.” This Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Many people make promises, only to change their minds and let you down. But we can trust Jesus Christ. He is immutable.

Hebrews 11 tells us about heroes of the Old Testament who lived by faith in God and in his promises. Yes, they were weak in themselves, but verse 34 tells us their “weakness was turned to strength.” It is an amazing paradox. When we pray and trust in God’s promises, God turns our weakness into his strength for us. No wonder Paul says, though we are clay vessels, we carry the treasure of divine power.

People Who Knew Their God:

– David

The people who know their God will be strengthened by God and will carry out great exploits. Daniel was given a revelation that the church of God would be forcefully opposed by the enemy. But he says in 11:32: “But the people who know their God will firmly resist him.”

Let us look at some biblical illustrations of this truth. First Samuel 17 tells the story of David and Goliath. Goliath, the Philistine champion, “was over nine feet tall. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him” (vv. 4-7). This is mighty power!

Then there was a young boy named David, who said to King Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him” (v. 32). Saul was terrified; he was shaking in his boots. Because he was disobedient, the Holy Spirit had left him. So Saul told David, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy.” (v. 33). But David persisted, so Saul sent him out. Just listen to the challenge this young boy gave to the mighty Philistine: “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head” (vv. 45-46). David struck down the Philistine and cut off his head.

How could a young boy prevail against so mighty an enemy? We are told the reason in 1 Samuel 16: Samuel had anointed this young boy with oil, which was the symbol of the Holy Spirit: “So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power” (v. 13). That is the secret of David’s great strength. The same anointing of the Holy Spirit will come upon us to make us able to do great exploits for God.

– David’s Mighty Men

A second illustration can be found in 2 Samuel 23, which speaks about David’s mighty men. When we hear about these mighty men, we may be tempted to think they were tall, muscular giants, but I believe they were ordinary people, empowered by the Spirit of the living God.

First we read about “Josheb-Bassehebeth, a Tahkemonite, [who] was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter” (v. 8). The question is, how did he defeat such a great host of enemies? God himself gave him the power, wisdom, and endurance to do it.

Then we read:

Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty men, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim for battle. Then the men of Israel retreated, but he stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them. But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory. (vv. 9-12)

Each of these men stood alone. How did they defeat their foes? They were strengthened in the Lord and in the power of his might!

A Word of Encouragement

The problems of life are real. We live in a world of hostility; behind the institutions of the world are demonic powers that oppose God and his truth. The vast majority of people have no faith in God. We are surrounded by a society in which there is no moral value.

How can we live as Christians in a hostile world? By positive thinking? By having a “I am not going to give in” type of determination? Let me assure you: such an attitude will not work. But if we are strengthened in the Lord and in the power of his might, we will be all right. Then we will be able to shine as light in the midst of darkness, doing mighty deeds for God and bringing glory to him. PGM As we live in the wisdom and power of God, he will stand with us continuously, helping us to live that life he wants us to live. The devil has only one purpose: he comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But the Lord wants us to be a success. I pray that we will stand our ground, and having done all, to stand in triumph.

2. Spiritual Armor of the Saints

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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Ephesians 6:13-17

In verse ten of Ephesians 6 we were given a command: “Be strengthened in the Lord and in the power of his might.” A second command is given in the thirteenth verse: “Put on the full armor of God.” Just as the strength is not ours but the Lord’s, received by faith, so also the armor is not ours; God provides it.

Necessity of the Armor

Both strength and armor are necessary to fight the evil supernatural forces arrayed against us. Satan is present especially where God’s people meet together. Whenever we find ourselves getting tired and yawning, or our minds wander, it may be the work of Satan. Satan does not mind our coming to church; he is all for it, as we read in C.S. Lewis’s Screwtape Letters. But he does mind if we pay serious attention to the word of God and will do everything possible to distract us, because he knows the entrance of the word gives light. The word of God is life and truth; it is the powerful sword of the Spirit.

Jesus spoke a parable about seed sown in various soils. The seed that fell on the first soil lay exposed. This is a picture of someone who hears the word, but because he exerts no mental effort to understand it, Satan comes and takes the word away.

I hope we will begin to pay serious attention to God’s infallible revelation. I hope that parents will train their children to be very serious in understanding the word of God. The demonic forces will be at work during family prayer, or when we come to church. Satan is not omnipresent, but he is the commander of millions of demons through whom he is doing his work.

All the power structures of the world are influenced by Satan. This is the situation in the university; it is manipulated by the devil pushing his ideas. This is the situation in the media; everything is manipulated so that evil ideas are promoted. The judicial system all over this country is manipulated; most politicians are in their pockets. You must understand this. Satan and his demons are working in this country. They are invisible, so we are often unaware of them.

The Full Armor of God:

In order to prevail against these powerful evil forces, we need spiritual strength and spiritual armor, which God himself provides. Notice that every element of this armor mentioned in this passage has something to do with the word of God. The word is central.

We are commanded to “put on the whole armor of God.” In the Greek this is in the aorist tense, meaning we put on the armor once and for all. We are supposed to sleep with it, eat with it, work with it, come with it, and go with it. We must have it on at all times. What is the purpose of putting on this armor God gives us? That we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

– The Belt of Truth

There are six elements in this armor. The first is found in verse 14: “Stand firm, then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.” A soldier’s belt, which was made of leather, secured his garments so that he could move freely and work without impediment. When the soldier put his belt on, he was ready to fight. The belt also was used to hold the soldier’s sword. When a soldier stood with his belt tightened around his waist, he was strong and confident, ready to face any enemy.

Here we learn that the belt for a Christian consists of truth-alêtheia-the truth as it is revealed in Jesus Christ. The Scriptures tell us God desires truth in the inward parts. The one who denies God’s objective truth given in the Holy Scriptures is ill-prepared to fight the devil and his evil forces. A powerful Christian is a belted Christian. He has confidence in God’s objective revelation from beginning to end. He believes that God created the heavens and the earth. He believes that God is triune. He believes that Jesus Christ is God/man, and that he rose from the dead. He believes in miracles, in heaven and hell. He believes everything that is in the Book, so he is confident. Can you imagine a wishy-washy person trying to fight the devil? A true Christian has confidence in God’s objective revelation, and he lives in conformity to that revelation.

– The Breastplate of Righteousness

Verse 14 continues, “with the breastplate of righteousness in place.” The breastplate covered the chest area and also the back. The Greek text actually says, “the breastplate that consists in righteousness.” A Christian who imagines he could stand before God in his own righteousness of good works is a Pharisee. In God’s sight, all our righteousness is like filthy garbage. A Christian’s breastplate is the alien righteousness of Jesus Christ, received as a gift by faith.

Zechariah chapter 3 gives a classic example of this truth: “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him.” Satan is always there to accuse us. He is called the accuser of the brethren.

“The Lord said to Satan, ‘The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?’ Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel.” This is speaking about our moral filthiness. It is the reason Satan stands there accusing.

“The angel said to those who were standing before him, ‘Take off his filthy clothes.’ Then he said to Joshua, ‘See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you.’ Then I said, ‘Put a clean turban on his head.’ So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the Lord stood by.” Thus Joshua received God’s gift of righteousness. And that is what happens to every Christian. Our guilt is taken away and we are clothed in the rich garment of the objective, alien righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Now verse 6: “The angel of the Lord gave this charge to Joshua: ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: If you will walk in my ways and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house.'” This breastplate first of all is the objective righteousness of Christ that is freely given to us by faith. But receiving this objective righteousness of Christ makes an impact in our life such that we become experimentally righteous also. We are inspired to do the will of God. Where there is justification, there is also sanctification. A person who says, “I am justified; therefore, I can sin,” is not a Christian. Clothed in this objective righteousness of Christ, we live a holy life of practical righteousness by doing God’s will. We cannot resist the devil if we do not live an obedient life.

In Philippians 3:7-9 Paul contrasts Pharisaic righteousness with the righteousness of Christ: “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”

You see, that is what the breastplate of righteousness is all about. We stand before God in the righteousness of Christ today, tomorrow, and through all eternity, and the Lord accepts us. Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God.

– Feet Fitted With Readiness

Verse 15 says, “and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” As Christian soldiers, we need boots to march in, boots that give us sure footing, that we may take a solid stance and not slip. We are told these boots consist in “the readiness of the gospel of peace.” The exact meaning of this statement is somewhat obscure. It could be the boots are the peace we have from God, received through the gospel. “Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God” (Romans 5:1).

It also may refer to our readiness to go and proclaim the gospel of peace to others. A Christian soldier is in the business of sharing the gospel in season and out of season. He gives to all an answer for the hope that is within him.

In Ephesians 2:17 we read, “He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near.” Isaiah 52:7 says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” Acts 11:19 reads, “Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some of them, however . . . began to speak to Greeks also.” These Christians were persecuted and driven out, but wherever they went, they kept on speaking about the gospel. So it could be that the boots consist in our readiness to proclaim the gospel that gives peace to sinners.

As we march through life and fight the battles, we proclaim Christ as Savior. This proclamation gives us sure footing. If you are not evangelizing, if you are not sharing your faith, there is something wrong with your feet. There is lameness. But we must not be ashamed of Jesus. If we are worldly, we will not share the gospel; but if we are godly, we will. And the more we share, the stronger our feet become.

– The Shield of Faith

Verse 16 says, “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” This speaks of the large shield that protected the Roman soldier’s entire body. It was made of wood covered with hide and bound by iron on top and bottom. When dipped in water, this large shield was able to put out incendiary missiles, which consisted of arrows dipped in pitch, set aflame, and fired.

The shield of the believer consists of his confidence in God, whose promises are “Yea” and “Amen.” When we read the Bible, we are fascinated with it. God himself is speaking truth to us. He is making promises to us. Our attitude should be, “God said it, I believe it, and that settles it.” That is confidence. Let the arrows of doubt fly-depression, slander, temptations. They will be extinguished as we use the shield of faith.

If we do not have Bible knowledge, we cannot have this confidence. That is why every element of this armor is connected to the word of God. If we yield easily to temptation, it is because we do not have the word of God ruling inside us.

Flaming Arrows of the Evil One

There are many circumstances in which temptations abound and Satan’s arrows may find an easy target. These arrows frequently come against a newly converted Christian. At first he revels in his newfound joy in the Lord; but then all of a sudden he sins. So the devil comes and says, “Hey, you sinned. You are not really a Christian. Why don’t you just give up and have a good time? Sin more.” If that person wants to sin, he will listen to the devil, and think that perhaps he is not a Christian. He will tell his father and mother and the pastor and everybody else, “Get off my back! I am not a Christian.” But we should tell such a person, “Repent, and God will forgive you. Then keep walking with God. God is a God of forgiveness.”

Flaming arrows also come when we are afflicted with any kind of disease or problem. The devil comes and says, “You say you are a Christian? Let me tell you the real truth: God has abandoned you. If God really loved you, he would not have done this to you. How can bad things happen to good people like you? The truth is, God doesn’t care for you. Why don’t you just curse God and die!”

Another time Satan will throw arrows at us is when we are successful. Suppose you are doing well as a student or in your profession. Satan will come and say, “Hey, you are pretty smart.” When Jesus asked Peter the question, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” It was the correct answer. Of course, God the Father revealed it to him. But then Satan came to him and said, “Man, you are pretty smart. Now tell Jesus, ‘Don’t go to the cross and die for sinners.'” The time of success is also a time of serious temptation when fiery darts will be thrown at us.

Satan’s arrows also come when we are idle. We must praise God for work; to have no work is a terrible thing. Remember how David did not go to war in the spring, when kings normally went out, and fell into such great sin? Additionally, the Bible says that when people do not have work they become busybodies, always interested in someone else’s affairs. They travel from house to house, fellowshiping with other busybodies and cooking up slanderous things to say about people. Such idlers are being used by Satan, and they don’t even realize it. It is just like when Peter said, “Don’t go to the cross.” He thought he was giving Jesus some valuable counsel, but he was speaking for the devil. so Jesus told him, “Get thee behind me, Satan!”

Being isolated from other believers, such as when we go away on business or for vacation, provides another opportune time for Satan to work on us. He will say to us, “Don’t be puritanical. You don’t need to read the Bible and all that. There are times you just have to enjoy life, and this is a good time.” Those who travel on business know the temptations that can come when you are alone. This is also why it is important to have fellowship with a local church. Hebrews 10:25 says, “Do not neglect the gathering together of the saints, as is the habit of some.” When we are in the church we are instructed, corrected, and encouraged. We can share our burdens and enjoy fellowship with the saints.

The final attack of the devil comes when we are dying. At a time when we are weak in body and mind, full of pain and anxiety, Satan will come and say, “You are not a Christian. You are a phony. Remember all the sins you committed when you were young? How can you think that you are going to heaven? You are not going to be with Christ.” At such a critical time, the devil will take his arrows, dip them in pitch, light them, and fire them, like a stick of dynamite, attempting to destroy us.

I hope we will learn to recognize these flaming arrows of the devil when they are thrown at us. If we do not have understanding of the Bible and faith in God, we will be finished.

– The Helmet of Salvation

The next piece of equipment Paul mentions is the helmet of salvation. A Roman helmet was made of bronze with a lining of felt inside. It was both protective and decorative.

This helmet consists of our salvation; to wear it speaks of our assurance of that salvation. How can anyone resist the devil when he is unsure of his own salvation? We are saved, we are being saved, and we shall be saved. The Spirit witnesses to our spirits that we are children of God. We are justified forever, and nothing in all creation can sever us from God’s everlasting love.

– The Sword of the Spirit

Finally, Paul says, we must take “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” This refers to the small sword the soldiers would carry. This sword is an offensive weapon. It consists of the word of God spoken by the prompting and power of the Spirit at the time of temptation. The psalmist says, “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee.”

The temptation of Jesus gives us an example of how the sword of the Spirit is used. Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy to overcome every temptation. A person who is careless and ignorant of God’s word has no way of defending himself and defeating Satan in the day of evil. Such a person easily yields to temptation without a fight. But God guarantees success in our Christian battles when we receive strength from God and when we put on the armor he supplies. May we, therefore, put on the whole armor of God and stand firm in the Lord! Amen.