Armor of God

Every day you and I are engaged in a battle of epic proportions. We all fight emotional, physical, financial, and relational battles daily. Our problem is not just the battle, but also the fact that we are often fighting the wrong enemy, or with the wrong strategy.

If we are to have any hope of standing firm in this fight, we have to understand the armor God has given us. You are already in the battle, the question is Are you in the fight?

Standing Firm in the Armor of God

KEY POINTS

Every battle demands a plan.
Nobody wings it in war and actually wins.
If we are not careful, we will fail if we do not plan.
Whether we realize it or not, we are in a battle.

This is true regardless of what we think. We are in a war at this very moment. There is a supernatural war being waged for this world and for your soul. If you are blind to this it leaves you at risk.

Many are deceived in thinking that the enemy is an ideology or a political party or a group of people. Failure to follow God’s prescribed plan guarantees that you will lose the fight. You can’t do it your way.

armor of god study

We will consider:

What is the nature of the battle?
Who is the true enemy?
How do we fight?
How do we stand firm?

This is a call to arms from the apostle Paul. Being a Christian is not a call to join a country club, but it is a call to arms

The Whole Armor of God

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:10-13

Paul signals that he is bringing this letter to a close with the word “finally.” He wants to make sure we are paying attention to his final words. Paul’s closing words should capture our attention.

Paul is giving us an urgent call to action: Be Strong in God’s Strength. The Apostle Paul is saying we need to be made strong. It is not something we can reach into ourselves and find inner strength. The strength that we are to be strong in is the strength of God’s might.

That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man. Ephesians 3:16

Our battle demands borrowed strength

Apart from Christ, we bring nothing to the table. It’s breathtaking to know that we have God’s strength on our behalf. As humans, we are not strong enough on our own.

We need God’s strength

One of the ways that God gives us strength is through a community with other believers. We need a family of believers that we belong to and stay connected with. It’s not enough for you to live on the fringe.

The Bible never speaks of a person with private faith who is not in community with other believers. Paul calls us to urgent action and we have to be strong in God’s strength.

Be Suited in God’s Armor

The full armor refers to the complete set of instruments that God prescribes and he uses the metaphor as the armor used by a soldier.
The strength is not our own and the weapons are not our own.
Any weapon that we have on our own is not sufficient and will fail you.
Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

And that you on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:24

Even on our best day, we do not have what it takes to fight the darkness that surrounds us and human weapons are worthless. We put on God’s truth, God’s righteousness, and God’s word. We should be confident in God’s strength and His alone.

Be Certain of Your Enemy

The word “struggle” indicates hand to hand combat.

One of the devil’s greatest tricks was convincing the world that he doesn’t exist.
Quote by Kevin Spacey

That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting. There is something more sinister than flesh and blood. Ephesians 4:14

a. Our enemy is powerful

We fight against the rulers, the powers, the world forces of this darkness, and the spiritual forces of wickedness. These forces are much more powerful than us, but not anywhere near as powerful as God. The devil and demons are not omnipotent or omnipresent or omniscient.

Six individuals in Scripture were directly tempted by Satan:

Eve
Job
Jesus
Judas
Peter
Ananias

b. Satan is wicked

We hope to overcome the powers of darkness, we shall need to bear in mind that they have no moral principles, no code of behavior, no higher feelings.
QUOTE BY JOHN SCOTT

They are utterly unscrupulous, and ruthless in pursuit of their malicious designs. Our enemy is crafty

Schemes: Doing something in a crafty and systematic way

The devil is always deceiving and He is always scheming. Unless we remember this fact we will not be prepared to stand firm. Even the battles that we fight against flesh and blood, we need to remember that the devil is behind it.

Satan’s entire purpose is to oppose the plan of God. Satan tries to convince us that the battle is not against him but is against one another. Ultimately, our battle is not against flesh and blood, it is against the devil.

BIG IDEA: Standing firm in our faith demands suiting up in the strength of our God

By the way, You and I do not have the strength to win against the darkness of this world in our mere humanness. Do you know why? Because Jesus has already won it! We are called not to win a war but to hold our ground in the victory in Christ. Fighting this battle in your own strength will not work.

IN CLOSING ON STANDING FIRM IN THE ARMOR OF GOD

Stay fervent in Prayer. Find a community of saints to come alongside you to have scriptures ready to disarm Satan’s attacks. Do you have the tools necessary to stand firm in your faith? You and I are created is to make disciples of all nations in sharing what Jesus Christ has done for us.

You and I do NOT receive ANY glory whatsoever…All Glory goes to God!! God only uses You and I to share the Gospel of the good news.

I hope you study the scriptures listed, take notes, and spend time alone with God in Prayer. I am Praying the Holy Spirit convicts God’s people to make the necessary changes to grow closer to God.

Be sure to read more on the Armor of God Series