Ephesians 6:10-18
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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. 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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
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.
Devotion
Now Paul writes one of the most profound passages of Scripture found in the New Testament. He addresses the topic of spiritual warfare. It makes sense that if God is this Deity who is holy and just and who works in the lives of His creation to redeem and restore them, then there must be an antithesis or another side to this equation. Paul identifies this antithesis as the devil. Paul is being straightforward here. He is declaring that “evil forces exist in the spiritual realm that have a substantial influence on the world and human events.” Paul identifies them as, “rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world, and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
I realize that many people in our day and age reject the possibility of the supernatural. Yet we can see the influence of evil all around us in its various shapes and forms. Paul writes this so that the child of God would not be ignorant concerning the forces that oppose God and seek to undermine His work in the lives of His people. Just as God is working in your life to conform you into the image of His Son, Satan is just as busy trying to thwart the work of God in your life and in this world.
One of the greatest strategies in warfare is “to know your enemy.” We saw this play out in the Gulf War. American generals spent years studying Sadam Hussein and his military record. They knew him better than he knew himself. When the ground war started, it only took one day to march into Baghdad in victory. Paul wants us to be wise concerning our enemy and to realize that God has properly equipped us not only to fight this battle but to win it.
Paul now uses the imagery of a Roman soldier to communicate the resources He has given us to fight this battle. They are truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, and salvation. Then Paul mentions the one offensive weapon of the armor: the Word of God. Time does not allow me to address each of these spiritual resources. I would encourage you to spend some time in this passage of Scripture studying and meditating on these spiritual resources. You may also want to read Luke 4:1-13. In this passage, Jesus models for us how to be victorious over our enemy.
Paul then makes it a point to emphasize that each of these pieces of the armor must be carefully put on with prayer. “Praying in the Spirit is an admission of a believer’s dependence on God.” Notice how Paul begins this passage, “Finally, be strong in the LORD and in his mighty power.” Paul realized we could not win this battle in our own strength.
So, in summary, first we must recognize the reality of spiritual warfare. Second, we must understand our enemy. Third, we must avail ourselves of the spiritual resources God has so graciously provided. Fourth, we must rely on God’s strength to experience the ultimate victory that is ours through Christ!
Questions to Ponder
Do you accept the reality that there are spiritual forces at work in this world? Do you accept the fact that there are spiritual forces at work in your life? Are you trying to fight a spiritual battle with earthly resources? Do you believe Satan is trying to undermine the work of God in your life? Are you equipped for battle? What does “praying in the Spirit” look like for you?
Prayer Points
- Praise the LORD for being a God who provides all things. He never asks us to do something or be someone that He has not called us to do or be. He will watch over His Word to perform it.
- Ask the Lord to teach you and His greater one church the power of intercession, especially during these times of COVID-19 and disunity in the nation. Pray for protection, strength, and empowerment for our Oak Pointe Church Intercessors who daily intercede for our beloved church family. Pray for all the different prayer teams who pray and minister to others daily in addition to our pastors and elders.
- Pray for all those battling COVID-19 to be bathed in prayer. Pray with one voice and heart that COVID-19 would be demolished in Michigan, in the name of Jesus Christ. Pray that only Jesus Christ would get the glory and honor as this happens. Pray that state by state, country by country COVID-19 would be dismantled and many would come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Suggested Prayer
Oh God, I lift up myself, Oak Pointe Church, and Your greater one church across the earth. Father, I pray that we all will be empowered by the Holy Spirit within us to pray back Paul’s prayers in Ephesians 1:15-23, 3:14-21, and 6:10-20. Oh Father, help us to respond to You and You alone during this time of tension on earth. That we would be able to demonstrate Your love and power through the Holy Spirit by the blood of Jesus Christ. God, as one we pray Your Word back to You. From Ephesians 6:10-20 we pray:
That we would be strong in You, Lord, and in Your mighty power. Remind us again as we get dressed for the day or put on our winter jackets to put on the full armor of You, oh God, so that we can take our stand against the devil’s schemes.
Help us remember that 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.
Remind us, oh God, that our spouses, kids, co-workers, neighbors, government, health, life situation, finances, etc. are not our struggle. Our struggle is against a real enemy that is invisible and loves to lie, distort, deceive, and rob us. Remind us, oh God, that You are over and above every spirit and principality and that in Your name, Jesus Christ, they are brought down.
Help us, Lord, to wage war against our thoughts and cast down on anything that sets itself up against the knowledge of Christ Jesus.
Empower us by Your Holy Spirit to stand firm with the belt of truth buckled around our waist, the breastplate of righteousness in place, and our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
I ask that we would take up the shield of faith with which we can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. I ask that we would take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of You, oh God.
I ask that we would pray in the Spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, I ask that we would be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
I pray that whenever we open our mouth, words may be given to us so that we will fearlessly make known the mystery of the Gospel. I pray we will all fearlessly declare the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.