The purpose of a soldier’s armor is to protect vital parts of his body during a battle. Missing just one piece of his armor renders him vulnerable and open to the enemy’s attack. The Bible tells us that we are fighting a spiritual war – against the principalities, powers and rulers of darkness in this world. We, too, need to be equipped with spiritual armor in order to fight our battles and stand our ground.
Prepare yourself for battle. We must first recognize that we have an enemy! He does not play by the rules and will choose to attack us in the areas that we are weakest in. Unless we prepare ourselves, we are exposed to the enemy’s attacks. We also need to be familiar with the full armor of God. Every soldier who goes to battle must know what he is equipped with in order to fight well. Paul instructs us to put on the full armor of God. When the enemy attacks us with lies, we can protect our minds with the helmet of salvation that assures us of who we are in Christ.
When we are tempted to sin, we can fight back with the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God! Don’t give up ground. Is there an area in your life that is constantly being attacked by the enemy? Don’t remain passive! Make a decision today that you will not cede ground because of the enemy’s attacks. Be fully equipped, stand firm and believe that you will be victorious over the enemy.
Reflect:
1. Identify an area of your life that is constantly under attack by the enemy (feelings of worthlessness, plagued by guilt, shame, or worry).
2. Prepare yourself for the enemy’s attack by equipping yourself with a specific truth in God’s word (Psalm 139:14).
Prayer:
Dear God, thank You for giving me all that I need to stand firm against the attacks of the enemy. Help me to identify the areas of my life that I am weak in and show me how to resist the enemy’s attacks. I confess my dependence on You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
Ephesians 6:10-18
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.