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. – Ephesians 6:10-13
God does not leave us defenseless or powerless against the enemy of our soul. Instead, He gives us His Spirit to go with us. God does not send us ill-equipped into battle against this powerful adversary who is seeking to devour and destroy us. Instead, He dresses us in His own armor. We cannot fight with our limited human resources, but we are more than conquerors through Jesus who loves us. (Romans 8:37) In order for us to fight the good fight of faith, we must put on the armor of God … ahead of time, in advance of the skirmish. We put ourselves and others at extreme risk if we wait until the battle begins to ready ourselves for war against sin and evil. The enemy does not allow us to call timeout or grant us a recess to gather our ammunition and put up our shield. This is why we should arm ourselves with a daily dose of God’s instructions and God’s truths and God’s promises found in God’s Word. It is for this reason that we should spend time praying for God’s power and God’s wisdom and God’s protection every day and throughout the day. We need to remember, rejoice in, and rely on the good news of Jesus in order to safeguard our heads, hearts, and homes. Knowing how the enemy works, let us be vigilant in our advance preparation for the battle and reliant on the armor and presence of God when the battle rages. Jesus is with us in the battle, giving us the courage, guidance, and strength that we need to conquer every foe. Make war! And if you go down, go down swinging, knowing that there is grace for every lost fight because you are trusting in Jesus, and Jesus has dealt a knockout punch to sin, Satan and death for you. You will rise again to fight again and win in the end. Because of grace we don’t give up in our fight against our spiritual enemies; by grace we get up and fight on!
