We continue with our study of spiritual warfare. So far, we’ve defined what spiritual warfare is, the objective of the war, who the warring parties are – good versus evil, and one of the main tactics of the enemy – strongholds. Today we’re going to talk about the arsenal of weapons God has given us to fight the spiritual battle, and how to use them.
Let’s first keep in mind that the enemy has limited weapons but is very cunning and skilled in his use of them. He uses deception, distraction, discouragement, doubt, fear, anxiety, anger, etc. But every scare tactic used by the enemy stems from a lie. Just think about it. How about false teachings, manipulating the scripture? How about the accusations that we’re not good enough, that God really doesn’t love us? How about your God is not big enough to handle this situation? How about God will leave you? How about that’s not really what the Bible says? How about you will not really die? How about forever doesn’t really mean forever? This “how about” list could go on and on. But, bottom line, all the “how abouts” stem from lies we’re told and lies we will believe if we have not donned our personal body armor.
What to do? Well, like every good soldier, we ensure that we are prepared for this military campaign. We ensure that we have trained for battle. How? We must go on the offensive and put on the defensive weapons of the Lord. We’re familiar with these weapons, but someone once said “familiarity breeds comfort, but it also breeds complacency.” True that.
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 6:10-18
The belt of truth is mentioned first. What does a belt do? It holds things up. It secures us. Buckle up! We must be faithful to the truth. We must apply the truth to every part of our lives. Satan is called the father of lies therefore, we do not trust, we always verify. Remember, run every thought we think, everything we see, everything we read, everything we hear through the sieve of Christ and ask ourselves does it hold up?
The breastplate of righteousness protects your vital organs, primarily your spiritual heart. The breastplate covers us with the righteousness of Christ the Victor. Hallelujah!
Put shoes on your feet. Put your faith on your feet. You take your feet everywhere you go! Take the Good News everywhere. J.I. Packer strikes right at the heart of this:
“You are not on a fools errand. You are not wasting either your time or theirs. You have no reason to be ashamed of your message, or half-hearted and apologetic in delivering it. You have every reason to be bold, and free, and natural, and hopeful of success.”
Strap on the shield of faith. We are assured that Satan will point his fiery arrows right at the heart of every single believer. Wearing the shield of faith, will assure that every arrow meant for destruction will fall to the ground. The shield of faith is confidence in the Lord — confidence that he will protect us, no matter how many arrows come our way. When all hope seems lost, when destruction seems inevitable, when doubts swirl in our heads, when the ship looks to be going down, the shield of faith gives us the power to say that Satan is a liar and God is truth.
Put the helmet of salvation on your head and wear it proudly. It may not seem fashionable these days but go ahead and stick it on your head and start a new trend. We know who wins in the end. God wins! Although we may sometimes wonder how it will all happen, we are absolutely sure that God is the Victor. This assurance of eventual deliverance keeps us from retreating or surrendering. We march into battle with our salvation completely protected.
All these are defensive weapons. And the best defense is a good offense according to George Washington. Don’t be reactive, be proactive. Strike first. Don’t react to the narrative of the day, control it.
Then we have one more weapon, maybe the most powerful of all. The Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. It is the most offensive weapon in the heavenly places and in this world. Literally and figuratively. This is the weapon that will take Satan down. Think about that. God has given us this weapon to slay the lies of our opponent.
Today we have identified our body armor. We will conclude our Warfare study next week by reviewing some basic, practical ways to use the tools of the soldier in the Lord’s Army.
Review Ephesians 6:10-18 this week. Check each of your weapons.