A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God’s armour so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. . .
Ephesians 6:10-11
To be “strong in the Lord,” is:
- (1) to be strong or courageous in Him and for Him, in His cause.
- (2) to feel and know that He is your s trength, to rely on Him and His promises and to realize you can’t do it alone.
Standing firm in full armour requires strength. Strength of body and muscle and determination of will. One is only clad in armour (full Roman armour) when one is in a battle. There is no other time appropriate to do it. Remember when getting ready to fight Goliath, David was offered Saul’s armour, but after trying it once he took it off again. It was too heavy and restricting and it was ill fitting. It was many sizes too large for him. Saul stood head and shoulders over most men. David was still a boy and Saul’s armour was just not a fit. DON’T, I repeat DON’T NOT wear God’s armour. (Be careful of the double negative – which my English teacher told me never to use. Shows how much attention I paid.) You can’t afford to be ill prepared, thinking you will handle it.
- “It will be ok.”
- “All this armour and warfare stuff is superfluous.”
- “It is not needed in the 21st Century.”
- “I don’t need to do this stuff.”
You are in a battle. Believe me. Oh not a physical battle we can see (we will get to that in the next Gem) but a battle none the less.
Paul’s opening comment here is to show us that we cannot do it in our own strength. Be strong in God and in His power. Not your own. If you rely on your strength in this battle you will fail. You need His strength and His armour. That is not to say you are given God’s armour like David was given Saul’s armour. No, you are given the armour that God has designed for you. Perfect to protect and equip you in every way. We will spend some time on this passage looking at what is meant by each piece of armour. Seeing how it all fits together. But the first realisation you must come to is that it is necessary. Don’t go discarding it thinking you can fight this fight without it.
Note too Paul says “Put on the full armour so you can stand against the devil’s strategies.” Use all of the armour, even when it doesn’t seem necessary. That is the only way to deal with the strategies of the devil. If we are going to battle we must know the strategies of the enemy. It is army intelligence which gives the means to win battles. You have to know your enemy. Where he is. What he is doing and more especially what he is planning. What his likely next move? Those of you who play chess, draughts, Connect Four or 0’s & X’s, any strategy game, know that you must pay attention to what your opponent is doing. If you don’t, it is a recipe for defeat. Even with a game as simply as nougats and crosses (0’s & X’s) you will lose if you don’t pay attention to what your opponent is doing. Even more so in the game of chess, the ultimate strategy game. Well no, life is the ultimate strategy game, only it’s not a game. It’s for real and the devil wants to “bring you down baby”. Know his ploys and moves ahead of time. Wear the full armour of God for protection. And yes to do all that requires strength and perseverance. You need His help. Know where your strength comes from, not from any other source but the Lord.
Did you realise the devil has a strategy? He has a general strategy and he has a specific strategy for you as an individual. He knows your weaknesses. He knows where and when to pour on the temptation, and what kind. There is a plan afoot to pull you down. You had better be aware of it. To not be aware of it is to invite disaster.
Enough for the introduction.
The Church of the West presents too easy a target for Satan. We don’t believe we are at war.
Anon
We don’t know where the battleground is, and our weapons are neither loaded nor aimed at the right target.
Ed Silvoso
Avoid paying the high cost of low living.
Joyce Meyer
Dating, like chess, requires thinking ahead. One wrong move & you’re mated!
Rick Warren