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Battle in the Spirit – Ephesians 6:10-20
I was called to help a Christian who was being attacked by a demon and was able to help her. He had made a kind of appearance to her that was designed to scare the wits out of her and it almost succeeded, except that she had the wits to call for help. That is the dramatic aspect of spiritual warfare. But it is the day to day warfare that we aren’t often paying attention to, the more subtle insinuation of falsehood into our minds and hearts, that we must wage in God’s strength, the strength of His truth.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil 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 firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. (Ephesians 6:10-20, ESV)
The church of Jesus Christ has one enemy, the devil. He manifests his animosity through numerous agencies, but he is the foe and he commands various levels of evil angelic beings who followed him in rebellion against God. We do not have any power in ourselves to confront his onslaughts.
But we have the strength of the Lord and the armor the Lord has provided to stand against his evil schemes. Taking up this armor means adhering to the truth of its existence in our lives. Truth is our key protection against this enemy, because he constantly lies and promotes the very deceptions he himself believed, that we don’t need and cannot trust God. So just as the Roman soldier’s belt held all his armor in place, so truth holds all the protection we need in place. And the truth is that we have been declared righteous in Christ. There is no condemnation in Christ and despite the devil’s claims that we are hopelessly condemned, the truth acts as a breastplate protecting our vulnerable and vital organs. Our stance is shored up by the truth that through believing the gospel we have entered into a relationship of peace with God that we can never lose. Our shield is faith in these truths and the confidence of our salvation is like a helmet protecting our minds.
And we have two weapons to aid us in this battle: the Word of the Spirit and prayer. God’s word, vouchsafed to us by the Holy Spirit, is the truth-reinforcer, teaching us about our salvation. And prayer is our lifeline to God who fights our battles with us to stay true to the gospel. So we are to pray for all the saints, for the entire church in its various parts, that we might see the gospel spread. We must seek to bring more lost souls into the fold, and thereby defeat the devil at his own game. We are not responsible to make them believe but to speak with boldness as God’s ambassadors.
Discussion Questions
- What is the fiercest battle you have ever engaged in?
- In what sense was it your strength that got you victory, if you were victorious, and it what sense was it a strength outside of yourself?
- God’s armor to support us against the lies of Satan is truth, which includes:
- The belt of truth (the belt in Roman armor held everything else together): the truth is what will keep us on the right path and able to see through the schemes of the devil. We will notice that he is at work in the disunity he seeks to breed and the false teaching he seeks to promulgate.
- The breastplate of righteousness: We are positionally righteous before God because of what Jesus has done and there is no condemnation, though the devil seeks to condemn us before God’s throne daily (Rev 12:10). And we are growing in personal righteousness thus protecting ourselves from his accusations and our own.
- Shoes of the readiness given by the gospel of peace: We are ready to take the message to any and all, a direct salvo against the enemy.
- The shield of faith: We trust our God and depend on His strength, not our own, to vanquish the foe.
- The helmet of salvation: We stand firm in our rescue by God and give testimony to it for all who will listen, praying that they too will receive it and cease following the devil.
- The sword of the Spirit: The Word of God is the Spirit’s weapon in our hands, the truth that guides us and protects us and thrusts its way into the hearts of those who are deceived as we once were. We pray by the aid of the Holy Spirit, who directs our thoughts and hearts toward the truth and toward God the Father.
Which of these truths do you need to take most to heart?
4. How have you seen prayer act as a weapon against the wiles of the devil?
5. Perseverance is the hallmark of maturity and genuine commitment. How has God been developing perseverance in you?
6. Where has God called you to speak boldly in this cosmic war?
About the Author Randall Johnson
A full-time pastor since 1979, Randall originally graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary (ThM) in 1979 and from Reformed Theological Seminary (DMin) in 1998. He is married with four grown children and a pile of epic grandchildren.
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