Ephesians 6:10-18 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints”

Life is a full out battle, but as we see in verse 12 it is not a struggle of flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. As a Christian, this means we are soldiers for the Kingdom in a war of good and evil.

How can we prepare for this battle? This passage in Ephesians says to put on the full armor of God and pray. It sounds simple enough, though I am constantly reminded of just how easy it is to prepare for the day in my own strength and end up tripping over the breastplate at my feet on the way out the door. I can just hear the clanging metal now.

I underlined and put in bold the pieces of armor God has given to us for our protection and so we may stand firm against the schemes of the enemy. For a more in depth piece on what each part of the armor is Click Here. This link will bring you to GotQuestions.org which is a great resource for finding answers about a lot of different topics concerning the Christian faith.

Questions to consider:

What is something God has shown you as you read through the passage in Ephesians 6?

Have you been suiting up in armor but forgetting to pray? If so, what do you think this does to your spiritual walk?

In what ways do you think you have been letting the enemy win in your life?

Pray this:

Father, you are our commander in chief! You have already won the battle and will go before us as our defender. We have faith that you will protect and comfort us as we suit up with the armor for the battle at hand. Show us how we can best serve you in this Kingdom work. Help us to man our battle stations and stand firm against the schemes of the wicked one. Lord we pray that you would carry us through the storms of life and bring us safely to the other side, all so that you may be glorified. Keep our feet on the right path and securely in your will for our lives. May we go out and spread the Good News of the Gospel of truth! In Jesus precious name, Amen.