Prepared - Part 1

 

Monday, January 10, 2022

A final word:  Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on all of God’s 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 God’s 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.  Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.  For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.  In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.  Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  

Ephesians 6:10-17

This week we will investigate Paul’s comparison of a Christian in spiritual warfare to what a Roman soldier was like prepared for physical combat.  Before we look at the weapons and armor, let’s take a step of perspective.  This is a new year.  As such, we must think in terms of goals and plans.  Before Paul painted the picture of a soldier in this letter to the believers at Ephesus, he covered the canvas with the primary color of bedrock truth.  Everything that follows the first two sentences is tied-to, and grows-from this truth. 

Paul makes it absolutely clear he is not advocating strength developed from position, personal ambition, pride, wealth, or physical prowess, but rather the kind of spiritual strength which comes from a growing relationship with Christ; soldiers of the cross must gear-up for spiritual warfare!

There are three considerations to using this analogy of spiritual warfare.

The Enemy

The enemy Paul encourages us to face is unseen…it is a spiritual battle that rages in the darkness of minds and hearts.  In today’s political and worldwide struggles, the enemy is often labeled.  Democrats demonize Trump, Republicans belittle Biden as the False prophet, and just about everyone is convinced Putin is the Antichrist.  They may all be good leaders, or evil, but Paul isn’t pointing in that direction.  In fact Paul wants us to lay down our judging of motives, and face the darkness that is the real enemy, turning away from God’s sovereign ownership of everything, including each of us.

The Armor

Paul’s admonition to us is to put on ALL of God’s armor.  It is tempting for golfers to have a favorite club, one that they trust and use whenever they’re unsure what to use for the next shot.  But God’s armor can’t be seen in that way.  Every piece of God’s armor is vital to the follower of Jesus.  We will see that importance as we study the complete picture over the next 4 days.

The Purpose and Result

This last consideration in the spiritual armor analogy has the purpose of teaching and reminding us to resist the enemy much more than fear the enemy.  In doing so, the believer stands firmly in place.  What place?  The place of God’s choosing, for God’s purpose.  That is the result of faithfully entering the spiritual battle against the darkness.

For You Today

Many people are ready and thrilled to receive a gift of Heaven and eternal life.  Many less are prepared for the battle that is sure to come.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title and Other Images:  Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©