Today, we are going to continue in the theme: Fighting to Flourish! I love the last two blogs written by Michelle, acknowledging the spiritual battle we are in as believers, and how it is not a passive fight, it is an active one! If you missed the last two blogs, I encourage you to go back and read them now!
A few weeks ago, Pastor Grant mentioned a quote in his sermon that has stuck with me and goes along so well with this idea: “it is a fight to finish faithful.” Faithfulness doesn’t happen by accident, it happens on purpose! It is not easy or convenient, it is a FIGHT! But God, in His grace, has given us everything we need in this Spiritual battle. He has given us His Spirit and His Armor, and “if God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)
Michelle touched on this passage in last week's blog,
Ephesians 6:12
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
We know from this verse that our fight is not against the people around us. The enemy uses sin and the people around us to distract and blind us from the true, spiritual battle we are up against.
I love that in the beginning of Ephesians Paul also says that Christ is above all rule, authority, power, and dominion (Ephesians 1:19-22). In Him, we have the victory and through Him, we can fight to finish faithful!
Ephesians 6:10-18
“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”
We know that Paul was in prison when he wrote this, so we can assume that he was writing while looking at a Roman soldier and his armor, which can give us a little insight into his illustration.
The first instruction in this passage, is to be “strong in the Lord and in the power of His might”. This battle is fought through a growing knowledge and understanding of God through His Word, and through dependence on His strength through His Spirit!
The Armor of God:
The Belt of Truth (v.14)
In this time, a belt wasn't specifically a part of a soldier's armor, it was used to gather the garments together underneath before the armor could be put on. It prepared one for action and put one in a battle state of mind. Similarly, knowing the truth of the Bible puts us in a spiritual state of mind and is the foundation of our walk as a believer.
The Breastplate of Righteousness (v.14)
As Christians, we live from a place of righteousness not for righteousness. We are counted as righteous, through the blood of Jesus! Putting on “the breastplate of righteousness” is recognizing and placing our Identity in Christ!
Shoes for your feet (v.15)
Readiness given by the gospel of peace (v.15). We have to be mobile, surrendered, and ready with the Truth! (1 Peter 3:15)
The Shield of Faith (v.16)
When the flaming darts of the evil one come, we extinguish them with the shield of faith. I love this quote from John Piper, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. The fight of faith is a fight to feast on all that God is for us in Christ. What we hunger for most, we worship." Faith is activated when we know the truth and believe it. When we know God’s Word and believe what it says, we can recognize the lies of the enemy and fight those lies with the truth.
The Helmet of Salvation (v.17)
Keeping the Gospel in front of us and knowing we are fighting from a place of salvation, helps us to remember how this battle ends. One of my favorite songs is "He Who Is To Come", written by Passion, and there is a line in it that says “the story has been written, we all know how it ends, my future has an anchor and my eyes are on the Savior, and He’s coming back again”. Keeping the victory in mind helps us battle in the in between.
The Sword of the Spirit (v.17)
“Which is the Word of God!” Every day we choose to be in the Word, we are equipping ourselves for battle. Being in God's Word helps activate all other parts of the armor. It helps us know the truth, helps us put our identity in the righteousness of God, helps us to be ready, to look where God is working and join Him, it builds our faith, it helps us keep the Gospel in front of us, and it helps us fight the lies of the enemy through truth! We can’t afford not to be in God’s Word!
I love what Tara Leigh Cobbel says in The Bible Recap on this passage as another element of the armor, “in ancient battles, soldiers had no armor on their backs so archers stood back-to-back so they could see each others’ blind spots and protect each other's weak spots. God never intended for us to walk or fight alone.” Godly community is a huge part of fighting this fight!
A key truth to remember as we are looking at the Armor of God is to recognize it as just that, it is HIS Armor, meaning we put this on IN His strength and not our own. There are a few key words that stand out to me in this passage “take up”, “fasten”, “put on”. We can be confident that we have complete access to ALL parts of God’s armor through Christ, we just have to access it. These phrases are key in reminding us that this is not a passive fight, it is an active one! It takes effort, intention, and purposefulness to “take up”, “fasten”, “put on”, and “stand.”
I love verse 18, “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” The way we activate the Armor of God is through praying in the Spirit.
Prayer Tip: Put on the Armor of God
Romans 8:26-27
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
Prayer Points:
God, help me to wake up everyday recognizing that I am in a battle, and help me to actively and intentionally put on Your Armor!
God, help me to always be actively growing in Your Word and in Your truth.
God, strengthen me in You and in the power of Your might.
God, help me to know Your truth and put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, as well as putting on the shoes that is the readiness given by the Gospel of peace.
God, help me to take up the shield of faith in all circumstances, as well as the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is Your Word!
God, help me to do this all through the strength and power of Your Spirit! Help me to walk by Your Spirit and not my flesh.
Personal Prayer:
God,
I come to You in the mighty Name of Jesus! I thank You that You have already won the final battle and that You give me everything I need to fight during the in between! Protect me, God, from the schemes of the enemy, I pray that You would remove them in the mighty name of Jesus and that only Your sovereign plans would be what comes to fruition in my life. Help me, God, to be led by Your good Spirit. Help me to take up Your armor everyday and “fight the good fight.” Strengthen me in You and in the strength of Your might! Help me to fasten the belt of Truth, to put on Your Righteousness, to put on the readiness given by the Gospel of peace! In all circumstances, God, help me to take up the shield of faith and allow it to extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one. Help me to take the helmet of Salvation and the sword of Your Spirit, Your Word! Help me to pray at all times in the Spirit, and show me what to pray even when I don’t know what to ask. Let all my prayers be in line with Your, perfect will! Help me to fight to the end, keeping alert with all perseverance! It is in Jesus Name that I ask all of these things,
Amen.
In Christ,
Madison Hartley
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