Ephesians 6:10-12, “ 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 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. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”
As Christians, we are engaged in a spiritual war. This war can become very intense when the servants of God attempt to take the gospel of Christ to unreached people groups, such as the Tonga people of Zambia, Africa. Christians are opposed by the enemy in many different ways. Sometimes the opposition comes in the form of negative thoughts and discouragement. Sometimes it comes in the form of temptation. Sometimes it comes in the form of severe health, family or emotional problems. Sometimes the opposition comes in the form of great political and economic trouble in the country, or in violence and war. Further, the Christian is surrounded daily by the corrupt values of the present world system which encourages pride, selfishness, greed and lust.
Whatever the means, opposition from Satan and his demons is real and can be both discouraging and dangerous. We must take this war seriously if we are to overcome the three enemies of God’s people; the world, the flesh and the devil. How is a Christian to win against such enemies? By suiting up in the armor of God (v. 13).
Ephesians 6:12 states our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of the dark world and spiritual forces of evil. For this reason, Christ tells Peter in John 18:10-11, “10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) 11 Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away!” Physical weapons are useless. And Jesus knew this. His spiritual battle had begun. His victory was death on a cross.
We must have spiritual weapons to fight a spiritual war. As we embark on our journey to a group of people, whose importance rests within the acceptance of their elders. Whom listen to the medicine man and their belief of influence by their ancestors spirits after death. That we will do good to put on our armor and gather our spiritual weapons, represented in Ephesians 6:14-19, to reach these people with God’s Word and overcome the barriers that the enemy has put before us.
14a Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,
Christians are told to put on the “belt of truth” to counteract the lies of the enemy. If we study and understand the truth of God found in the Bible, we will be much less likely to be deceived by such lies.
God, please place around me, Your belt of Truth. Help me to become engrossed in your Word so that I may be scripturally prepared for the battle ahead.
14b with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
Our breastplate is placed on us to protect our hearts from the sin which tempts us. A Christian can only resist the enemy with a clean and holy heart, submitted to God.
LORD, place my breastplate firm against me, so that I may resist temptation. I confess to you my sins, so that I may be purified from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
Christians are not simply to defend the faith or to protect himself from the enemy. He is to actively take the gospel of peace to those who have no peace with God and no personal relationship with Christ.
Father, place my shoes on my feet, so that I may spread your Word and develop disciples among the Tonga people, sharing with them the beautiful story of your Son.
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Faith is a defense weapon to protect us from the attacks of the enemy. These fiery arrows may come in many forms. Discouragement, problems, sickness, accidents, disappointments and more. The shield of faith is for our gain, to stop the arrows from penetrating. We are to believe the promises of God instead of the doubts and fears which these problems bring into our minds when the enemy attacks.
God, hand me my shield. I will use my faith as a weapon against the enemy’s darting arrows that are feeding my weaknesses.
17a Take the helmet of salvation
A helmet is intended to protect the head. The head is the most critical part of the body. If the head is destroyed, the whole body will die. The assurance of salvation protects our minds from every fear, every uncertainty, every trial and every difficult situation that will come before us in life. We also know that through salvation we have forgiveness of our sins and the certainty of heaven, which gives us stability and purpose in our lives. There is a goal. There is a graduation day into glory. Our minds are protected by His helmet.
LORD, place upon me the glory of Your helmet. Protect our minds so that we may be vessels for you and not become fearful, uncertain or doubtful in our trials.
17b and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Every piece of our armor to this point has been a defensive weapon against the enemy. But out magnificent God doesn’t leave us empty handed! He gives us our spiritual offensive weapon to destroy Satan, the sword of the Spirit. All of our enemies, whether problems, people or powers of darkness may be overcome by the promises of the word of God. God has given us promises and principles in his Word which apply to every need we will face in life. The Word of God is our guidebook for living.
Father, place in my hand the sword of Your Spirit to overcome opposition of the enemy. Show us that Your Word is more powerful than any power of darkness.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.”
We are told to pray. Prayer brings the help of God’s Spirit and God’s angels into every situation we face. If we pray in faith and humility of the heart, God will send us the help we need. Prayer connects us to the power of God. Prayer moves the hand that made the world. There is no situation where it will not be possible to pray. God will hear and He will answer, when we pray with clean hearts according to His will and His purpose.
God, thank you for Your armor that you freely give us as Christians. As we pray to you while we go into battle against the dark forces of this world (v. 12) we hold our heads high knowing that You have placed each specific piece of armor on us. Without it, we would be defenseless. We know that You love us so much, that you would not leave us alone in our sin, but cover us with every aspect of Your being. Truth, righteousness, readiness, peace, faith, salvation, Your Spirit and Your Word. Thank you, Father. Thank you, Father. Thank you, Father.
In Jesus Name, Amen.
This devotional was written from:
O'Donovan, Wilbur. "Chapter 12, Spiritual Warfare." Biblical Christianity in African Perspective. 2Rev ed. Carlisle: Paternoster P, 1996. 202-215.
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