Ephesians 6:10-13 - Christian Warfare.
Ephesians 6:10-13 (NLT) A final word: Be
strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put
on all of Gods armor so that you will be
able to stand firm against all strategies of the
devil. 12 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. 13 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.
INTRODUCTION
The enemy is unseen, but the struggle is
personal. Jesus gives us weapons to use against evil.
Satans forces are supernatural. These enemies who
are not flesh and blood are demons over
whom Satan has control. They are not mere
fantasies - they are very real. We face a powerful
army whose goal is to defeat Christs church.
When we believe in Christ, these beings become
our enemies, and they try every device to turn
us away from him and back to sin. Although we
are assured of victory, we must engage in the
struggle until Christ returns because Satan is
constantly battling against all who are on the Lords
side. We need supernatural power to defeat Satan,
and God has provided this by giving us his Holy
Spirit within us and his armor surrounding us. If
you feel discouraged, remember Jesus words to
Peter: On this rock I will build my church, and
the gates of Hades will not overcome it
(Matthew 16:18). [Life Application SB]
Prepare For Battle
Soldiers know better than to saunter onto
the battlefield wearing nothing but shorts and
sandals. They take care to prepare. They take every
weapon into the conflict.
So must we! Every conflict is a contest
with Satan and his forces. For that reason
"though we walk in the flesh, we do not war
according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare
are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling
down strongholds" (2 Corinthians 10:3-4 NKJV).
What are these weapons? Prayer, worship, and
Scripture. When we pray, we engage the power of God
against the devil. When we worship, we do what Satan
himself did not do: we place God on the throne. When
we pick up the sword of Scripture, we do what
Jesus did in the wilderness. He responded to Satan
by proclaiming truth. And since Satan has a
severe allergy to truth, he left Jesus alone.
Satan will not linger long where God is
praised and prayers are offered. [You Can Count On
God by Max Lucado]
COMMENTARY PEARLS
Prepare Yourself
May you take the time to refresh your
understanding of the armor of God today, reading through
the sixth chapter of Ephesians. God provides you
with all you need to be protected as you stand
firm in the knowledge of Christ. You don't have
to do anything by figuring it out on your own.
He has offered you everything you need by his
Spirit who lives in you.
Although it is not by your strength alone
that you stand, you can take steps to prepare
yourself according to God's Word. Don't neglect the
part you play! Just as you would not expect
others to dress you when you are able to do so
yourself, there are things you can do in preparing
yourself spiritually. With intention, follow-through,
and plenty of grace, you will stand firm on the
foundation of Christ's incomparable mercy.
Take ownership of what is yours to do
today and rejoice in the help you receive when you
ask for it! [365 Days of Courage by Sara Perry
of Broadstreet Pub]
Lean In
This statement comes at the end of Paul's
letter to the Ephesians. When you've done the good
you ought to out of love, when you've done all
else, stand "strong in the Lord and in the
strength of his might." What a good reminder it is
that you don't have to be strong in yourself. You
don't have to trust your own abilities at the end
of the day. You get to lean into the power of
the Lord and to stand in his strength, which he
readily shares with you.
Second Corinthians 12:9 says, "My grace
is sufficient for you, for my power is made
perfect in weakness." No matter how ill-equipped you
feel today to face what is ahead of you, know
that God's grace is more than enough to empower
you in his strength. Lean in and trust him.
Every time you feel weak today, ask for
more grace to persevere in God's strength. [365
Days of Courage by Sara Perry of Broadstreet
Pub]
COMMENTARY
Prone to Wander
When he was little, my son had a habit of
wandering. One day, we were in a hotel and came to an
elevator. He ran ahead to push the button. I told him,
"If the elevator comes, wait until Dad gets
there." Just as I arrived at the elevator, the doors
were closing, and he was inside. He was gone!
I frantically pushed the button for the
other elevator and waited for what seemed like an
eternity. Finally, the doors opened, and I jumped in.
I went down to the lobby. He wasn't there. I
ran back to the elevator, pushed every button
for every floor, and as the doors opened, I
would scream out his name. I didn't care about
decorum. I wanted to find my son. And I found him,
about three floors up, wandering around. But you
know what? After that experience, he didn't
wander anymore. He got separated from his father,
and it was scary for him. He learned how
important it was to stay close to me.
As Christians, we should want to stay as
close to our Heavenly Father as possible. The
Devil is a powerful adversary, and we are no match
for him in our own strength. We don't want to
venture out in this life in our own abilities and
suffer spiritual defeat. I have a healthy respect
for the Devil's ability. For that reason, I want
to stay as close to the Lord as possible. I
want to be strong in Him.
If ever there was a time to be walking
closely with the Lord, it is now. This is not the
time to be playing games with God. This is not
the time to wander away. [Every Day with Jesus
by Greg Laurie]
Call for Backup
Just as police officers call for backup
when they sense that danger may be imminent, the
first thing we must realize about spiritual battle
is that in our own strength, we are no match
for the Devil. I think a healthy respect of our
adversary is in order for believers today. We don't
want to underestimate him, nor do we want to
overestimate him. We want to accurately assess who he is
and what his abilities are. We need to recognize
that he is powerful, and we don't want to take
him on in our own strength.
When I hear some preachers on television
or the radio calling the Devil silly little
names, laughing at him, or making jokes about him,
I remember what Jude 9 says: "Yet Michael the
archangel, in contending with the Devil, when he
disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring
against him a reviling accusation, but said, 'The
Lord rebuke you!" Even the high-ranking archangel
Michael didn't dare to mock or condemn the Devil. He
simply said, "The Lord rebuke you!" There was a
respect for the enemy.
The reason we need to "be strong in the
Lord and in the power of His might" is because
Satan wants to remove us from that very resource!
Why? Because it is our power base. He wants to
separate us from God because the moment he gets us
away from Him, we are open prey. For this reason,
the Devil wants to put a wedge between God and
us.
The only power that can effectively drive
out Satan is the power of Jesus Christ. Be
strong in the Lord. Stay close to Him. Don't let
anything come between you and God. [Greg Laurie from
Harvest Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com]
A Dangerous Lesson
Some people think they can take on the
Devil. Maybe youve even seen some TV preachers
mocking the Devil and calling him names.
Yet the Bible tells us, Michael the
archangel, in contending with the devil, when he
disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring
against him a reviling accusation, but said, The
Lord rebuke you! (Jude 1:9 NKJV).
If someone as powerful as the archangel
Michael would not engage with the Devil, then how
much more should we keep our distance from him?
James tells us, Resist the devil and he will
flee from you (4:7 NKJV).
In the book of Acts, we find a story
about some men called the sons of Sceva who
thought they were exorcists. By the way, there are
people today who say they have the ministry of
exorcism, but theres no such ministry in the Bible.
We find examples of demons being cast out, but
no one was called to be an exorcist. In fact,
the Bibles only mention of exorcists refers
to people who werent even believers to begin
with.
Heres the trouble that the sons of
Sceva got themselves into. They found a man who
was demon possessed and told him, We exorcise
you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches (Acts
19:13 NKJV).
The evil spirit replied, Jesus I know,
and Paul I know; but who are you? (verse 15
NKJV). Then the man attacked them and almost killed
them.
We need to keep our distance from the
Devil. Hes a lot more powerful than we may
think. Dont play around with sin, and dont
play around with Satan.
Instead, heres what we need to do:
Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His
might (Ephesians 6:10 NKJV). Before it says
anything about putting on the armor of God, the Bible
tells us to stand in the Lord and in His strength.
It tells us to stand in His might. [Greg Laurie
from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
CLOSING THOUGHT
Satan Is Real
You have an enemy - and it may not be who
you think it is. Its not the person youre
competing against at work. Its not the difficult
neighbor. Its not your ex-spouse.
Your enemy isnt human at all.
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 6:12 NIV).
Your battle is with Satan.
One of the reasons we so often walk
around in discouragement and defeat is because we
dont really understand who were battling. We
dont understand who our real enemy is. We blame
the economy, a political party, a segment of
people, or the person we cant stand down the
street.
We blame everyone but the one the Bible
calls a thief and a liar, who is out to destroy
anyone who loves and follows Jesus.
To find victory in your life over
whats dragging you down, youve got to start by
attacking the right enemy.
When you do, keep these truths in mind as
you battle against your true enemy, Satan.
First, youre no match for Satan.
Its like trying to shoot a rubber band at a
battleship. Outside of Jesus, you have no hope of
defeating Satans influence over your life.
Second, everyone gets used by Satan.
Satan will put thoughts in the minds of Christians
and non-Christians alike. At times we can all be
a pawn of Satan. You need to protect yourself
with the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17).
Third, not everything that is spiritual
is good. Theres spiritual light and
spiritual darkness. Dont fall for the lie that all
roads to God are equal. Jesus said, I am the
way and the truth and the life. No one comes to
the Father except through me (John 14:6
NIV).
Finally, Satan doesnt fight fair.
Satan cant slug you, so instead he puts
discouraging and depressing ideas into your mind.
Youve got to catch him in the act, let him know
you know where the idea comes from, and ask the
Holy Spirit for help.
Satan is real. Hes the enemy who has
been disrupting your life - but he doesnt have
a chance against Gods power in your life
when you call on Jesus name. [Daily
Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Ephesians 6:10-13 - Christian Armor;
Introduction and Overview.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2018/20180511-1120.html
Ephesians 6:10-13 - Christian Warfare.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20201018-1117.html
Ephesians 6:10-13 - Christian Warfare [with
focus on vs 12].
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2024/20240212-1120.html
Romans 7:24, 25 - The Sinful Nature Is
Conquered in Christ!
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2016/20160610-1524.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
