Walking Through Ephesians
“Walking Through Ephesians - Day 13”
Categories: Walking Through EphesiansEphesians 6:10-24
Video games like Call of Duty or Halo are not real. They mimic real battles and real enemies. The spiritual conflict that we are in is not a spiritual video game, it is heart to heart combat with the forces of evil.
The battle in which we are engaged takes preparation. Soldiers quickly learn that any person who is going to go into military conflict must be very, very clear about three things. If these three things are not clear in his or her mind, their mission is bound to fail. Number one, they have got to be able to identify the enemy. Number two, they’ve got to know exactly what they are supposed to do. Number three, they must be fully acquainted with their equipment and their weapons and know how to use them.
If we don’t know the enemy, and we don’t know what we are supposed to do, and we can’t use our weapons, we’re no good as a soldier, and we will be defeated! It is an understatement to say, our adversary is formidable. We need the power and strength of the Lord to be able to stand against him. The soldier of Christ is to “Stand!” A soldier doesn’t fight very good sitting in the middle of the battlefield. The assignment is for those who are willing to take a stand, not for those who passively sit.
Soldiers of Christ are to stand strong (Eph. 6:10). It’s not our strength. It’s not our intellect, or our moral fortitude that’s going to win the battle against the evil one. We will only win the battle when we realize that we are totally dependent upon God. Put on “the whole armor of God.” It’s His armor. He gives it to us. We are totally defenseless against the evil one without what God gives us. If we are going to stand strong, it’s in what He has done for us. Stand strong in His mighty power.
Also, we are to stand against the wiles of the devil. We must recognize the devises of the devil and expose them for the lie that they are by shining the light of truth. As soldiers of Christ, our task is not just to hold our ground, but to advance into the territory of the enemy and expose the lies he uses that is killing people.
Further, we stand alert in prayer. Prayer is a powerful part of our standing. It gives us the boldness to live and speak as we ought. If the battle is in the spiritual realm, if it’s a battle for the mind, then we need a spiritual answer. That’s what prayer provides.
Finally, stand in love. We stand against the evil one, persistently to the end, dressed in the armor of God, and constant in prayer, because we are standing, first and foremost in love. “Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.” (Ephesians 6:24). When we’re fighting an evil one who’s motive is hatred, whose method is deception, we counter that by loving the Lord Jesus Christ with all sincerity. The only way we will win the war is if we love the One we are fighting for.
