“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.” (Ephesians 6:10-12)
This world is a spiritual battlefield. Spiritual skirmishes rage daily in every person’s life, especially in the followers of Jesus. Spiritual warfare is a reality. Perhaps many of the struggles you experience daily are, in reality, spiritual battles. Spiritual warfare is explicitly replete in the Bible and is implicit on every page. It is the understood back story of every story in the Bible. It is important to be aware that spiritual forces interact with our lives in a major way.
One of the most important passages in the Bible on spiritual warfare is found in Ephesians 6:10-20. In this passage, we find the exhortation to put on the whole armor of God so that we can stand on the evil day. We need the armor of God to wage spiritual warfare successfully. It is a necessity. Paul goes on to list and describe each of the six pieces of armor. The first three verses of this passage serve as an introduction to the teaching of spiritual warfare in the rest of the passage. In these verses, we find three important and fundamental truths.
1. We Are Weak
The call and command to be strong in the face of the devil’s attack implies that we are weak against that attack. Do you feel weak right now? Everybody feels weak at times. Sometimes, we can acutely feel that weakness in a debilitating way. But whether we feel weak or not, we all are actually weaker than we would like to admit. We may even put on a pretense of strength, but God knows our hearts. That’s why God commands us to be strong in him. We are mighty only when we put on the whole armor of God. The reason we put on the whole armor of God is so that we have the ability to stand against the schemes of the devil. If we attempt to stand in our own strength, we will surely fall.
2. Our Enemy is Strong
Angels are mighty beings. Satan was the highest archangel of God before his fall. He is no match for God, who is all-powerful, but we are no match for him. He is described as a roaring lion who prowls around seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). The imagery of a lion is the imagery of great strength. Satan is also called the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2). He is called the ruler of this world (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). In 2 Corinthians 4:4-4, Satan is called the god of this world who has the power to blind the minds of unbelievers. In like manner, it is said in 1 John 5:19 that the whole world is under the power of the evil one, Satan and that he leads the whole world astray (Revelation 12:9). His strength is not only brute strength but also intellectual strength. But the Bible also tells us (1 John 4:4) that he who is in us (Jesus by the Holy Spirit) is greater than he who is in the world (The devil). We must come to grips with the reality that we cannot defeat the devil in our own strength.
3. Only the strength of the Lord Will Give Us Victory
If we are weak and our enemy is strong, we need an outside power source to defeat him. It seems as though many people suffer under the delusion that their strength is sufficient. That mistake can be fatal in the spiritual life. Others know that they are too weak and are discouraged. The biggest deception is that the devil is not real, so if we only find the right technique, we can, our own selves, overcome all the struggles of life. That is a sad path to see people follow. It eventually leads to defeat. The only source of strength available to us to defeat the devil is the strength of the Lord. As we put on the whole armor of God by prayer and the Holy Spirit, we can stand and have victory in the spiritual battles of life. Wasted time and energy are expended by millions of people seeking to deal with their problems apart from the power of the Lord. The Lord Jesus defeated the devil at every turn during his life on earth, and he is defeating him every day, culminating in his glorious return when he will defeat the devil permanently and establish the eternal kingdom of God. In the meantime, we can have victory as we tap into the strength of the Lord. It is available to everyone who will admit and trust that they are weak, that their enemy is strong, and that only the strength of the Lord will give them victory.