The Full Armor of God
Last
week we learned that all people, even more so Christians, are engaged in
Spiritual Warfare. As in any natural war, we must understand who our enemy is
in Spiritual Warfare. Today we will learn about the nature of Spiritual
Warfare, the enemy's targets, and how believers effectively fight against our
arch-enemy Satan and his forces. (Ephesians 6:10-18).
I. The Nature of
Spiritual Warfare (Ephesians 6:10-12)
“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.” (ESV). The war is on 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. To express the nature of the war, the
Apostle Paul used a sporting analogy of wrestling.
Paul’s
readers knew what physical wrestling was like. It was the most popular
organized sport in ancient Greece. It was even added to the original Olympics
in 708 B.C.”[1]
We use the term “wrestling” to describe all kinds of struggles, and it provides
a vivid image of intense effort.
In
football, basketball, and most other sports, the prayers are given a “time out”
to catch their breath. But not in wrestling. The wrestler has to be in top
physical form. Once he enters the ring, he can't let his guard down even a
second, or his opponent will pin him to the ground.
Similarly,
Christians can't say, “Time Out, Devil,” I need a breather. The devil doesn’t
believe in taking weekends or Mondays off. He doesn’t go easy on you because
you are going through some hardships. That’s when he increases his attacks on
you even more.
The
devil doesn’t spare anyone. He tempted Jesus, Peter, and other disciples and
will tempt you and me. I Peter 5:8, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great
enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to
devour.” The Good News Christ has already won the victory, and on the great
judgment day, He will send Satan and his followers to hell.
Paul
trained the believers to recognize that the nature of their warfare war is not
earthly but spiritual. Sometimes we mistake people as our enemies. No doubt
they could be used as the devil's agents, but our real enemy is not people but
the devil and his fallen angels.
Paul
addresses them as “evil rulers, authorities of the unseen world, mighty powers
of darkness, and evil spirits in the heavenly places. Here Paul probably refers
to the most depraved abominations, including extreme sexual perversions, occultism,
and Satan worship.”
Did
you know there is a Satanic Temple in Salem, MA? They plan to organize
SatanCon, a 10th-year celebration of its existence, during April
28-30 in Boston. We, as Christians, must be aware of the Satanic presence and
guard ourselves against his attacks. Where does Satan attack the believers the
most, and how can we protect those vulnerable areas?
II. Three Battle Grounds
In
any physical warfare, the enemy targets their opponent's strategic
installations, i.e., communications, military assets, airports, bridges, and
clean water sources. Whoever controls those installations could win
the war. Similarly, in Spiritual Warfare, the devil tries to take control of
three strategic areas in the life of a believer. In the warfare language, we
call them the three battlegrounds: The mind, the heart, and the mouth.
1. Your Mind. It
is a prime target for the enemy. You can be born-again and heaven-bound,
but your effectiveness on earth is greatly diminished if you have the wrong
mindset. He whispers in your mind saying; no one loves you, you are a failure,
there is no hope for you, etc.
The
Truth is that you are loved, have eternal worth, and can do all things through
Christ.
If it is thought of as pride,
fear, unbelief, lust, depression, guilt, or condemnation, you should refuse to
dwell on it, and it must be cast out. A common phrase says, “An idle mind is
the devil’s workshop.” Therefore, do not let it remain idle. Let’s renew our
minds through God’s word.
Your Heart.
In this case, your "heart" means your attitudes and emotions. Wrong
attitudes and negative emotions are killers. The undealt arrogant, rebellious, and
contentious attitudes open doors for the enemy to enter our lives, marriages,
and families and ruin them.
Watch
out if we are constantly given to anger. You might be giving a foothold to the
devil, so be quick and don’t let the sun go down while you are angry. Ephesians
4:27. “Keep your heart with all
vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you crooked
speech and devious talk far from you. Proverbs 4:23-24.
I
want us to see how the enemy is strategically attacking us. First, he attacks
our minds by making us think wrong thoughts about God, ourselves, others, and
the world around us. Then he goes after our hearts contaminating the
wellsprings of life through wrong attitudes and negative emotions. Then he goes
after the third battleground, our mouth.
Your Mouth.
The mouth is a powerful instrument, and the devil knows it. Our mouth has
spiritual power for either good or evil. The same mouth can pronounce a
blessing or a curse. (Jas. 3:10). Our words can be a vehicle for the human
spirit, the Holy Spirit, or an evil spirit.
The
enemy inspires us to speak lies, unbelief, slander, gossip, and hurtful, harsh
sarcasm. Many of us carry wounds from things said to us years ago. Don't let
the devil bring curses through your mouth. Psalm 141:3, "Set a guard, O Lord,
over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips." Let’s be vigilant in
protecting these three significant battlegrounds in our lives.
III. Put on the Full
Armor of God.
In
any physical war, soldiers never put themselves in combating situations without
armor. Using the Roman Soldier's Armor as a visual example, the Apostle Paul
describes the armor as a defensive and an offensive weapon. Three were
considered defensive: Breastplate, Shield, and Helmet. Two are considered
offensive: The sword and the shoes. One is neutral: The belt.
Today
we will only deal with the neutral weapon, the belt of Truth: Vs.
“Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth
and the body armor of God’s righteousness.” Interestingly, Paul puts it very
first on the list! This means it is one of the essential pieces. Why the belt?
What
purpose did the belt serve for a Roman soldier? What purpose does the belt of Truth
serve for us? A Roman soldier's belt was multi-purpose, and the belt held
everything in place. It held the tunics they wore under their armor. It kept
the breastplate secured around the soldier from banging against his chest. It also
contained a sheath for his sword or dagger.
A
soldier without a belt amounts to nothing on the battlefield in the same way
believers can not hold the armor together without the belt of Truth. Satan is a
master deceiver. After deceiving Eve into sinning, he cleverly deceived many
people through his lies.
The
world we live in teaches that Truth is what we make of it, that good and evil
are relative, and that there are no absolutes, only equally valid opinions. How
do we know the absolute Truth to hold on to it? "If you abide in My word,
you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall
make you free.”
Jesus
called the Pharisees, “For you are the children of your father, the devil, and
you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He
has always hated the Truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it
is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
John 8:44-45. How can we refute all the lies of the enemy?
We
will overcome the enemy's lies by putting on the belt of Truth. Let’s follow
the Apostle Paul's advice to the Colossian believers to overcome our adversary.
“But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander,
and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old
sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed
as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.” Col 3:8-10.
