THE ARMOR OF GOD
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
We may forget until times like this when there is no way that we can avoid it. The world is a battlefield; day by day, hour by hour, we face a spiritual war and an enemy who is real. The devil wants nothing more than to bring defeat, for his main aim is to steal, kill, and destroy.
"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." (Ephesians 6:11)
The forces of darkness do not wait for us to be ready for their attack. They are ruthless, determined, and cunning. The devil could care less if we are prepared or prayed up for our day. The truth is, the enemy prefers we are not.
God has given us His Word and the Holy Spirit so we will have the wisdom and protection to stand against the enemy.
Paul wrote today's Bible verse while in chains, in prison. No matter how cruel and vicious his attacks, this enemy we face can never chain our spirits that have been set free by Jesus. The attacks from dark forces did not silence Paul, and neither should we be.
“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. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—” (Ephesians 6:10-18)
Spiritual warfare is crippling, real, and troublesome, but Jesus has already won us the victory.
As Believers, we are in a spiritual battle of some sort daily. In warfare, battles are fought on different fronts and varying intensities. The same is true in spiritual warfare.
Our spiritual battles and warfare are real, even though we cannot physically see the attacker. Both angelic and demonic forces are actively working around us, and there is evil that we fight in our spiritual warfare.
Jesus told us that the gates of hell will not prevail against the work that God has purposed for us to accomplish, as God's will is being worked out in our lives.
We need to understand that the battle is not against flesh and blood but against powers in the heavenly places. As we begin to get a revelation of spiritual warfare, we will start to understand how the enemy moves against us in the physical realm.
The spiritual warfare battles are intense when a person decides to accept Jesus as their Savior. The enemy will attack from all angles, hoping to dissuade the person from entirely giving their heart to Jesus. He will use circumstances, events, people, things, and even doubt in their minds to steal their hearts back to his evil ways.
God has a plan for our lives, and the enemy has a plan for us. We have to decide which voice we will listen to and who we will choose to follow every day. If we do not consciously decide to follow God, we will fall into the devil's trap.
God gives specific instructions in the Bible; He gives us all we need to stand strong in life. We race through busy, full days, ill-equipped, unprepared, or unaware of what we are up against or who the real enemy is.
If you are a Believer living as the light in this dark world, you will not go for long without encountering challenges and attacks that the enemy will hurl straight in your direction. This battle is real, and it is intense.
Focusing here today, putting on God's armor, staying alert, and praying, will equip believers everywhere to "stand strong" and rebuke the evil that is currently going on in our world right now.
God is love, and God is peace. Take a stand today, pray for peace, and be the change we need to see in the world.
Are you in a battle today, and it is taking more than just a physical toll on you? Are you finding it challenging to find the words to tell the enemy to be gone?
Heavenly Father, as I hear this from Your Word today, I ask You to imprint this upon my heart. I do not want to let any part of my commitment to You or my life go in a wrong direction. I am to watch for any deception according to Your Word. I will take a stand today, pray for peace, and be the change we need to see in the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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