Ephesians 6:10-13 - Enduring Satanic Attacks.
Ephesians 6:10-13 (NLT) A final word: Be
strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on
all of Gods armor so that you will be able to
stand firm against all strategies of the devil.
For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood
enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of
the unseen world, against mighty powers in this
dark world, and against evil spirits in the
heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of
Gods armor so you will be able to resist the
enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle
you will still be standing firm.
Ephesians 6:10-13 (AMP) In conclusion, be
strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union
with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that
strength which His boundless might provides]. Put on
God's whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed
soldier which God supplies], that you may be able
successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and
the deceits of the devil. For we are not
wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with
physical opponents], but against the despotisms,
against the powers, against [the master spirits who
are] the world rulers of this present darkness,
against the spirit forces of wickedness in the
heavenly (supernatural) sphere. Therefore put on
God's complete armor, that you may be able to
resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of
danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands],
to stand [firmly in your place].
COMMENTARY PEARL
Every believer faces temptation. Take a
moment to recall a particularly enticing situation
involving something that would displease God. Did you
realize you were involved in a satanic battle?
The Devil is real. Scripture reveals that
he leads an army of fallen angels and is
prideful enough to think he can gain victory over
God. By definition, a satanic attack is a
deliberate assault upon an individual, which is
designed to cause spiritual, physical, material, or
emotional harm. Satan desires to thwart the Lord's
purpose in believers' lives, to rob them of joy and
peace, and ultimately to deny God the worship He
receives through yielded followers.
As in any war, knowing the enemy's plan
helps us prepare for the attack. First, be aware
that the battlefield takes place in our minds. To
walk in a godly manner with Christ, we must first
be sure that our thoughts are in submission to
His Spirit. This takes daily surrender and time
in God's Word. Second, Satan tempts us during
vulnerable moments. Be cautious when you are hungry,
angry, lonely, or tired (This is often known as the
H.A.L.T. warning). Third, he is deceptive; we won't
recognize the trap as an evil scheme. Instead, it will
seem good, and we'll likely wrestle with some
sort of doubt.
As Christians, we should walk closely
with Jesus. Satan desires to lure us into
destructive actions that rob us of God's plan for a
good, full life. Stay connected to the Savior:
read the Word, pray, and fellowship with other
believers. These are weapons we use against the Devil
in spiritual war. [In Touch Daily Devotional by
Charles Stanley at www.intouch.org]
INTRODUCTION
The Devil was created as a wise and
morally perfect being (then known as Lucifer) who
aspired to take over the throne of God and thus
usurp the position of his Creator. Once that
happened, Lucifer was expelled from heaven, together
with the other angels who had sensed and shared
his rebellious attitude. This is the fall from
heaven that Jesus told His disciples He had
witnessed.
Since his fall from heaven, Satan,
apparently losing little of his administrative skill,
has marshaled these fallen angels (now known as
demons) into a hostile force to work against God and
His creation. We do not know just how many
angels fell with Satan, but doubtless it must have
been a colossal number. When Jesus once asked a
demoniac: "What is your name?" (Lk 8:30), the demons
answered: "Legion." If they were telling the truth,
the man was controlled by thousands of demons.
A Roman legion contained six thousand men!
It is little wonder, then, that the
Apostle Paul warned the Ephesians that they were
involved in a tremendous spiritual conflict: "For our
battle is not against flesh and blood, but against
the rulers, against the authorities, against the
world powers of this darkness, against the
spiritual forces of evil in the heavens" (Eph 6:12).
One of America's founding fathers said:
"If men will not be governed by God, then they
will be ruled by tyrants." How sad that people
actually choose to be governed by Satan rather than
by God.
O God my Father, I am so thankful that I
have left the tyranny and rule of Satan to come
under the sway of Your eternal and everlasting
kingdom. May I come more and more under its sway hour
by hour and day by day. In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen. [Every Day With Jesus Bible with Selwyn
Hughes devotional re Jude 6]
COMMENTARY
If you are a Christian, you are engaged
in a spiritual battle of universal proportions.
Evil, dangerous, and sinister forces are seeking
to destroy you, your family, and your church.
Your very soul is in a conflict against the
forces of evil. As frightening as the powers of
darkness may appear, though, you serve an
unimaginably powerful God, and the victory is His.
Despite that glorious and certain truth,
some Christians live in constant fear,
intimidated by Satan and his forces, and thinking too
much about the enemy. Spiritual warfare is a
reality, but we should not live in fear because God
has provided us with armor that can protect us
from any blow we might receive.
This divine protection and power should
enable us to live each day with courage and in
peace. As God's people, we are fully equipped to
overcome sin when it enters the church and to stand
strong when the world opposes us. God has made
provision for any and every circumstance we may face.
So "be strong in the Lord" and live with
confidence in Him. Expect God to give you victory as
you do baffle with the armor He provides. [Being
Still With God Every Day by Henry Blackaby]
I was looking at pictures of our brothers
and sisters fighting a war in the Middle East,
and I noticed they had one thing in common: even
though temperatures can get up to 120 degrees, they
all had on full body armor, in addition to
helmets, boots, bulletproof vests, goggles, gloves,
weapons, and backpacks. They knew they couldn't ask
for a time-out in the middle of the battle to
prepare. They had to be ready at all times.
The same is true for us as we fight
against our enemy, the devil. He waits for just the
right moment to take us out. We can't wait until
we are under attack to put on our armor. We
must be armored up and ready at all times to take
a stand against the enemy.
God has given us all we need to deal
decisively with the enemy of our souls. When we are
ready and listening for God's voice, we will
always have the upper hand. Once again, the best
defense is a good offense.
Father, I want to learn how to wear my
spiritual armor properly. Show me as I put on each
piece in preparation for what you've called me to
do. In Jesus' name, Amen. [Celebrate Recovery
Daily Devotional by John & Johnny Baker]
As the apostle reached the end of his
epistle, he began the last section of it with the
words, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the
Lord."
The Christian needs strength. This we all
know. We also know the truth that the Christian
has no strength of his own. Where may strength
be obtained? Notice the answer: "Be strong in
the Lord and in the power of his might."
Paul had spoken of this power in the
earlier part of his epistle. He had prayed, "God,
give them the Spirit, that they might know the
exceeding greatness of his power according to the
working of his mighty power which he wrought in
Christ, when he raised him from the dead"
(Ephesians 1:19-20). This is the literal truth: "the
exceeding greatness of his power," which raised Christ
from the dead, works in every believer - in me
and in you. We hardly believe it, and we
experience it even less. This is why Paul prayed, and
we must pray with him, that God through His
Spirit would teach us to believe in His almighty
power. Pray with all your heart: "Father, grant me
the Spirit of wisdom, so that I may experience
this power in my life.
In Ephesians 3, Paul asked God to grant
the Ephesians, "according to the riches of his
glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit
in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in
[their] hearts" vv. 16-17). And then he added,
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding
abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to
the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory"
vv. 20-21).
Read over these two passages again, and
pray for God's Spirit to enlighten your eyes.
Believe in the divine power working within you. Pray
that the Holy Spirit will reveal it to you, and
take hold of the promise that God will manifest
His power in your heart, supplying all your
needs.
Have you not begun to realize that much
time in communion with the Father and the Son is
necessary if you want to experience the power of God
within you? [Andrew Murray 365-Day Devotional by
Barbour]
CLOSING THOUGHT
We are exhorted in God's Word to stand
strong in Him at all times. When things are going
well in our lives that is easy to do, but when
difficulty and perhaps even crisis comes, our faith is
tested. With Gods help, we can always do what He
leads us to do and then stand, which means to
abide in Him and enter His rest concerning our
situations.
We are limited in our ability to change
things, but all things are possible with God. He can
do in one moment what we could not do in a
lifetime. God is faithful, and if we continue
believing, we can be assured that He continues working
in our behalf.
It is good for you to enjoy your life
while God is working on your problems! Joy,
laughter, and rejoicing give you strength to stand
strong until your breakthrough comes. While Paul
was in prison he said, "Rejoice in the Lord
always... again I say, Rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4.)
Father, help me be strong in You at all
times. Help me enjoy every moment that You give me
as I enter Your amazing rest. [My Time with God
by Joyce Meyer]
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
Demonstrate your trust in Me by sitting
quietly in My Presence. Put aside all that is
waiting to be done, and refuse to worry about
anything. This sacred time together strengthens you
and prepares you to face whatever the day will
bring. By waiting with Me before you begin the
day's activities, you proclaim the reality of My
living Presence. This act of faith - waiting before
working - is noted in the spirit world, where your
demonstration of trust weakens principalities and powers
of darkness.
The most effective way to resist evil is
to draw near Me. When you need to take action,
I will guide you clearly through My Spirit and
My Word. The world is so complex and
overstimulating that you can easily lose your sense of
direction. Doing countless unnecessary activities will
dissipate your energy. When you spend time with Me, I
restore your sense of direction. As you look to Me
for guidance, I enable you to do less but
accomplish more. (Luke 12:22-26; Ephesians 6:12 NKJV;
Proverbs 16:3) [Jesus Calling by Sarah Young]
Do everything in dependence on Me. The
desire to act independently - apart from Me springs
from the root of pride. Self-sufficiency is
subtle, insinuating its way into your thoughts and
actions without your realizing it. But apart from
Me, you can do nothing: that is, nothing of
eternal value. My deepest desire for you is that you
learn to depend on Me in every situation. I move
heaven and earth to accomplish this purpose, but
you must collaborate with Me in this training.
Teaching you would be simple if I negated your free
will or overwhelmed you with My Power. However, I
love you too much to withdraw the godlike
privilege I bestowed on you as My image-bearer. Use
your freedom wisely by relying on Me constantly.
Thus you enjoy My Presence and My Peace. (John
15:5; Ephesians 6:10; Genesis 1: 26-27) [Jesus
Calling by Sarah Young]
Do not be surprised by the fiery attacks
on your mind. When you struggle to find Me and
to live in My Peace, don't let discouragement
set in. You are engaged in massive warfare,
spiritually speaking. The evil one abhors your closeness
to Me, and his demonic underlings are
determined to destroy our intimacy. When you find
yourself in the thick of battle, call upon My Name:
"Jesus, help me!" At that instant, the battle
becomes Mine; your role is simply to trust Me as I
fight for you.
My Name, properly used, has unlimited
Power to bless and protect. At the end of time,
every knee will bow (in heaven, on earth, and
under the earth) when My Name is proclaimed.
People who have used "Jesus" as a shoddy swear word
will fall down in terror on that awesome day. But
all those who have drawn near Me through
trustingly uttering My Name will be filled with
inexpressible and glorious Joy. This is your great hope,
as you await My return. (Eph. 6:12; Phi. 2:9,
10; 1Pe. 1:8, 9) [Jesus Calling by Sarah Young]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2018/20180511-1120.html
EXCELLENT VIDEO SERIES ON 28 REVELATIONS OF
JESUS
1st of 28: Divine Dining:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_7j1QIKqmY
2nd of 28: Pictures of the Divine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lNI-OQ7-eQ
3rd of 28: A Dirty Bible:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMkPvBuuFd4
4th of 28: Cared For:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztXyJVdcCds
5th of 28: Saved:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX45kGRe1HI
6th of 28: You Can Change:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd0gkvK18fo
7th of 28: Reprogramming Our Brains:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov36f_RapXc
8th of 28 Our Holy Father:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XabXLEXsxbY
9th of 28 Gifts of Service:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtuGZviodkA
10th of 28 The Holy Spirit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in89XVs4cGo
11th of 28 The Law of God:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_Q601HjogI
12th of 28 The Sabbath:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sakgnKoTzZI
Live ongoing series in progress.
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
