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Every match, game, and contest of every Olympic games, Championship Prize Fights, Super Bowls and World Series’…every argument, fistfight, and wrestling match, every border skirmish and all the wars throughout history…every competition and confrontation ever played out imagine them all rolled into one. Even then, you can’t begin to understand the enormity and intensity of battle we consider today.
Think of all those instances throughout all time—the intense feelings on each side and all the things at stake: power, money, fame, life, freedom, country. All can be serious, even vital issues. But even if you could imagine putting everythingthat everyonein allthose instances had to gain or lose and rolled it all into one, it would still be nothing compared to what is at stake in the contest we’re talking about today.
There is evil opposing you, and the devil is behind it. Your eternal destiny is at stake. Your soul is being threatened. You are confronted with temptations to not take God’s Word seriously, to think that the battle is not real or difficult, to feel secure in your faith while possibly doing little to build it up. The list of temptations is long, and the stakes are so much higher than a trophy, a championship belt, or a gold medal. The battle lines are drawn, it’s…
YOU VS. EVIL—ARE YOU READY FOR THE BATTLE?
Many times, we try to tackle problems on our own. We agonize over them. We cry. We get angry. We rely on ourselves, maybe even trying to tackle them with no thought of our faith in God or asking him for help. Whether we are fighting through family problems or arguments with friends or finding our hearts full of sinful anger and hate for people with different views than ours or a hundred other things, recognize that it is sin that causes these things, so there is a spiritual battle taking place below the surface. Yes, our sinful nature is involved, but if you don’t think that Satan isn’t relishing it and even convincing you that your battle is against the people around you instead of his evil forces, you need the reminder Paul gives here and his encouragement to look to God for strength.
His encouraging reminder is this: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Be strong in the Lord. Rely on God’s strength. We’re not any different than Christians of all time we need to be told again that God is our strength. In addition to writing this to the Christians in Ephesus, Paul wrote this kind of thing to God’s people in Philippi, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (4:13). He told those in Corinth about Jesus’ words to him, My grace is sufficient for you, because my power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
You can try to rely on your own strength and even haul in a team of friends and professionals to get you through this battle you have on your hands, but I can tell you as surely as Paul told the Ephesians, you will lose the battle if that’s the best you’ve got! You will need God’s strength for this fight. Look at what you’re up against! You have to make a stand against the devil’s schemes. Experience-wise, he’s way ahead of you when it comes to this he’s been fighting these battles for thousands of years and with billions of people! And if he had the guts to rebel against God, he sure isn’t afraid of you! He strategizes to come up with ways to rip your faith away from you. You’re fighting a force that you can even see! 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.
These unholy spirits come in a variety pack “rulers” who lead hordes of demon underlings, “authorities”—evil spirits authorized by Satan to use every kind of cunning, and “powers”— those who wield tremendous evil strength. These spiritual forces watch for the opportune moment to attack. They see when you are weak. They attack what you believe. They try to tear down your morals. They encourage lies and compromises. The offer temptations. They are utterly polluted with wickedness and they want the same for you.
Paul wrote this letter while he was under house arrest in Rome awaiting trial on some trumped-up charges. It is quite possible that he was actually chained to a Roman soldier. Perhaps as he sat there writing this letter, he glanced over at the soldier and made his decision to describe the way God’s people can be prepared to wage this battle against evil. Those who would read his letter knew what a Roman soldier dressed like for battle, so, he puts it like this: 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.
You never know when these “days of evil” will come. At what moment will a great individual struggle appear at the door of your heart? When will that alluring temptation come calling? Paul urges us to be fully dressed and armed for battle at all times, so that we won’t fall, but stand. God supplies the armor; we are told to simply put it on! This is the only way to be victorious in these battles.
Paul speaks of 5 defensive weapons we have to fend off spiritual attacks. The first is the belt of truth. Paul describes our battle dress, beginning with the first item a soldier would put on, the belt or girdle which covered the midsection. For a Christian, God’s Word is like a protective piece that covers an area susceptible to mortal stabs. If a soldier forgot to put his belt on, a quick thrust of a short sword would go through his belly, up and under his ribcage puncturing lungs and heart. It would be a swift death. Spiritual death can come quickly to the man or woman who does not know well the truth of God’s Word!
How do you know that you are one of the “righteous” of God? Has that question every crossed your mind? This is how it happens: Satan takes an evil spiritual jab. He tries to go right through your ribcage and directly into your heart when he accuses you, bringing up your past sins and taunting you: “WhywouldGodwantyou?”“WhatifthatsinwastoobigforGodto forgive?”“You’restillsinning,youcan’tbeoneoftherighteous!”
Don’t tolerate that! Surely you know many of your sins, but as God’s children we have repented of those before God and we know that we are forgiven! Christ paid for those sins already on the cross! So, our sins should not haunt us anymore, and we live each day under his constant grace. We ARE righteous because of Jesus! So, wear the breastplate of righteousness proudly. Christ himself provided it for you; it is a gift of his grace.
“Hurryup,wehavetoleaveforschool!”“Butmom,Ican’tfindmyshoes!” You’re not ready to go if you can’t find your shoes. The third piece of battle gear for the Christian is a pair of war sandals, strapped on and laced up, so that a Christian is always ready when it’s time to go to war with evil.
Paul pictures the protection and firm footing that comes from being reconciled with God through Christ. The gospel of peace, he calls it. Jesus paid the price for our sins and removed them from us, giving us peace with God. The gospel of peace allows us to confidently march into spiritual battle like a soldier marched into battle with his protected feet.
Then take up the shield of faith. What an awesome picture! Paul was talking about the 2½ foot by 4-foot shield that Roman infantrymen would stand behind. Maybe you’ve seen that in movies. It would deflect arrows and spears, protecting the soldier. As you battle evil and ward off the devil’s attacks, your faith is like a shield, posted in front of you! Paul is not saying that the strengthof your faith is the shield. It is the contentof your faith it’s whatyou believe that defends against Satan’s attacks. Isn’t that comforting to hear?! It’s not how strong youmake your faith, but the strong shield is salvation in Christ it’s the thingthat you believe!
Soldiers had to be concerned with flaming arrows that could mortally wound them. How often doesn’t Satan sling a flaming arrow at you? One of them could spark doubt about Jesus being the only way to heaven…or that the Bible is actually all true…or that there is a life after death. If these flaming arrows are not deflected by faith, they could become a raging fire of unbelief that ultimately leads to the eternal fires of hell. What you know from Scripture about Jesus is the truth that shields you and can deflect those flaming arrows and cause them to fizzle out.
The last piece of defensive armor is the helmet of salvation. What a fantastic piece of equipment the helmet was for the soldier. It allowed him to fearlessly stick his head up above that big shield. You have salvation, won by Jesus on the cross and proven by his resurrection from death. The assurance of salvation in Christ is worn like a helmet, allowing us to hold our head high, confident that we are protected against evil by Christ himself!
Because God’s people sometimes need to go on the offensive, he gives us one weapon for that, which is also used defensively! It is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Paul meant that we use specific portions of God’s Word applied at just the right times to specific problems. We can use specific verses from the Bible to attack a temptation that we fight or to attack a false teaching. If you’re going to use that weapon, you’ve got to know it well, don’t you?!
You need to be trained with it or you’re going to be as effective as a beginner piano student trying to play Beethoven’s Hammerklavier , one of the most difficult pieces in all the world for any pianist to play. Without countless hours of practice, they will never even begin to have any success playing it! The lesson is obvious, right? The same goes for using this sword of the Spirit.
If you don’t take the time to study God’s Word, get to know it better and solidify your confidence in the Savior, then you don’t stand much of a chance. But if you regularly go to “sword practice” worship and Bible study and Bible reading, then you won’t be hunting around trying to find your weapon when evil comes calling, because that knowledge and assurance will be in your heart and mind and you’ll know how to use it!
Finally, every warrior must have a “battle cry”. Prayer is the battle cry of the Christian. Do you call out as spiritual battles rage? Prayer might sometimes be forgotten, sometimes underappreciated, but it is a vital part of the war against evil. God is listening for the prayers of Christian soldiers. He wants us to pray on all occasions with all types of prayers, including prayers for other soldiers of the cross. He hears you, and he promises to help you.
ARE YOU READY FOR THE BATTLE? You are if you rely on God and the armor he’s given you. As his child, you have nothing to fear. You are protected by Christ and saved by him. When you stay in training and leave your armor on, you will be victorious over evil. Stand firm, Christian soldiers, and be assured that you don’t stand alone—the almighty God stands with you and will make you victorious in your battles against evil. And he will eventually give you the ultimate victory escape from these spiritual wars here and an eternity of peace with him in heaven. Amen.
Now the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.