Scripture:
Ephesians 6:10-20 NKJV
[10] Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. [11] Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. [12] For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. [13] 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. [14] Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, [15] and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; [16] above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. [17] And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; [18] praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— [19] and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, [20] for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Observation:
Over the last several weeks, in the men’s bible study we have been going over the letter Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus. It’s been an incredible time of study. I truly appreciate those men and what they bring to the table. The letter to the Ephesians is a power-packed letter that prepares the church for the unseen things that most people want to excuse away as despicable human behavior, and in a sense that’s exactly what it is, however today I want to challenge you to see a little deeper. I want us to look into what is actually happening all around us and hopefully change our perspective on how to handle our interactions with those who are in our lives. Paul is truly one of my favorite Holy Spirit led writers in the bible. In my mind he is a literary genius. Half of the new testament is attributed to him, so I’m sure we could all agree that he is a powerful man of GOD. Writing this letter from a prison cell, I picture him looking at a Roman soldier, of course it was never the same one for long, because Paul’s spiritual focus was always 20/20. His physical eyesight may not have been so good, but his spiritual eyesight was on point. The Romans had to change the guards regularly because Paul would lead them to Jesus. If there is one thing he knew, it was the task at hand. He knew how to be strong in the LORD, even when he was weak in the flesh. That’s exactly why he gave this direction, as he began to unfold the true purpose of his letter, to prepare us for the battle that was at hand even if we could not physically see it. Sitting there looking at the guard and knowing the enemy’s tactics, Paul begins to explain that what we face is not truly human opposition, but spiritual warfare. It’s the schemes of the devil, and he can not be defeated with human efforts. The church would have to dive deeper than the flesh to overcome the enemy at hand. The adversary lives in an unseen world to the human eye. Paul knew that. He had stood side by side with these Roman soldiers in the past. That’s the privilege of being a Roman citizen. The conversations with them as he was sitting there in a prison cell had to be interesting. I listen to them in my mind on occasion, “Now Tiberius you know who I was, you know what I was taught. I was a true and firm pharisee. Living to the strictest form of the Jewish law. There is no other reason for me to stand here and proclaim the name of Jesus, unless something astonishing had happened in my life that involved a risen savior. HE is alive, I have seen HIM. Listening if HE can change me, HE will do the same for you. What an amazing opportunity to show the real love of Jesus. Right there in the face of opposition. A man who seemingly didn’t care if Paul was alive or dead, yet Paul cared enough to want to see them in heaven. That statement brings us to the first piece of armor. The belt of truth, knowing what GOD says and not believing the lies of the enemy. Listening to the fact that the righteousness that a believer stands in is not their own. Two very important pieces of the armor that Paul is explaining to the church. He quickly follows it with a helmet. Something to protect the thinking process. Now I know I am running through these pretty quickly, but as usual the clock is ticking. As you can see by how the armor unfolds a believer’s approach to the battle is substantially different than most. Approaching in peace, rather than hostility with faith in the one who has already won the battle, Jesus Christ as a shield. HE is big enough to deflect all the fiery darts the enemy shot at us. I just looked back at the order in which the armor is written and realized the shield comes before the helmet. Knowing Jesus as our LORD and SAVIOR protects our salvation. So it only makes sense for it to be written that way. But here comes the one piece of armor that is vital; the sword. Now this piece can be somewhat tricky to handle. That’s why Paul makes the statement in another letter that it has to be rightly divided. You can’t cut the ears off from people who need to hear about the love of GOD. It’s nice to see the armor all displayed like this, but if you don’t know how to put it on you are running into battle unprotected. It is applied through praying in the spirit. Literally allowing the Holy Spirit to lead your prayers. I would like to continue to discuss this armor, but it’s time to let you into my world
Application:
Over the last few months there has been a spiritual attack on my life. I can’t tell you exactly when it started and how it sidetracked me. Some of us that have been watching might think it was when my phone got shut of for writing these SOAPS… and yes that was a heavy blow. It wounded me. But it started way before that. You see, the enemy knows our weaknesses, and he likes to exploit them. I would run down a list of them but instead I will just say I am human. I am weak… but I am grateful that inside my weaknesses GOD’S strength can be seen. Over the last few months it has been getting easier and easier for the enemy to whisper little lies into my ear, and for me to believe them. That’s why it is pivotal to know GOD’S truth, it’s what holds all the armor together. The attacks are subtle and you might not think much of them… but in the same way a pack of lions likes to wait until a gazelle is isolated before they pounce, the enemy is not much different. As I look at it today I can see it clearly. But as it was unfolding, it was a little harder to see. I am so grateful that my righteousness does not come from my human efforts. I would be sunk in the mud if that were the case. Yes the attacks have been relentless and yes I have taken some heavy blows, but how are you going to call yourself a soldier when your armor has no dents, GOD is forging character in me that will not collapse in times of adversity. I am a soldier. A warrior of Christ. Today I see the enemy clearly, and will not give into him one more minute.
Prayer:
Father, we love you and we want to thank you for fighting our battles. We know that even when it seems like we are being defeated… you have already won, and if we will simply change our perspective. We will fight from victory rather than for it. Help us to see this warfare for what it is. We do not fight against the physical person we see standing in front of us. It’s deeper than that. The last thing we want to do is cut the ears off of those who need you. Today we speak life into the victory, rather than death into the one we see as an enemy… even though they are no enemy at all. Allow love to be our banner. Let us approach every battle with the peace that passes all understanding. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus we pray amen.