The Church’s Battle Gear
Opening Prayer
Lord, fortify me in the battles I will face as a child of God. Strengthen me, Lord.
Read EPHESIANS 6:10–24
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Final Greetings
21 Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. 22 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you.
23 Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
We can be sure that if we decide to take God seriously in devotion, Satan will take us seriously in temptation. That’s why we need spiritual weapons for spiritual battles.
Think Further
Maybe the sight from his prison cell of a heavily armed Roman soldier triggered this picture for Paul. His list of equipment sticks in the mind, but this is no fanciful picture. Paul ends his letter with stark realism about the immense difficulties of standing firm (14) in God, because of the intense hostility of spiritual attack when rulers, authorities and spiritual forces of evil act against (a word repeated four times in verse 12) God. Someone said that the devil doesn’t waste his fiery darts on nominal Christians. Paul is not writing to them!
Resist thinking only of personal protection here, as though it only relates to the medium-sized helmet of salvation and size-eight shoes of peace that would fit me. Rather, we must see how this armor is a corporate set of equipment for the whole church, which desperately needs protection. Our history is littered with examples of divided and broken churches. Just as the various gifts complement each other, so too do these pieces of equipment (Eph. 4:11). They sum up many of the qualities necessary for Christ’s community to stay strong and united.
This is how a praying church maintains unity under pressure on the frontline of the spiritual battle: we are armed with the belt of truth safeguarding inner integrity (Eph. 4:21); the breastplate of righteousness (Eph. 4:17–21) around a community of people put right with God and living aright together; feet fitted with peace (Eph. 2:14); the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation protecting hearts and heads; and the sword of the Spirit—God’s Word (Heb. 4:12).
The battle outcome is assured. Paul is not a convict in chains but an ambassador who sends Tychicus with positive news. The final greeting with God’s grace and peace includes undying love, because the one certainty above all else is that God’s love has the last triumphant word over creation.
Apply
What evidence do you see of battle in your life? What would it mean for you “to stand” in these particular battlefields?
Closing prayer
Lord of hosts, show me where I am wasting time on false battles and lead me to fight Your battles with Your weapons.
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