“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.” Ephesians 6:10-11 ESV
Reflection: what is the devil’s battle plan against you and your family, and what are you doing about it?
When you look at what is going on around the world right now, the amount of battles and even wars we are in the middle of, it can become very overwhelming to process. There are real, physical wars in several countries. There are political battles, as we have just witnessed through the last election. There are economic battles causing hardship all over the world. There are numerous battles within healthcare. There are moral and ethical battles for the minds of the children and youth. There are cultural battles caused by mass migration, changing and washing out western traditions and societies. There are even religious battles within churches, for the heart and soul of mankind. Pretty much any place you turn, there seems to be a battle going on. It is difficult to see the big picture, to try to figure out what is actually going on, and what to focus on.
Thankfully, Paul gives us an insight to what is actually going on in chapter 6 of his letter to the Ephesians, and even how to prepare for battle. Bottom line, what we are seeing all over in the form of battles in the physical world, is really a symptom of something deeper. Of what is happening in the spiritual world. As he explains, “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 6:12 ESV. Notice that he doesn’t say that the battle is limited to a part of the world, or a country; and, it is not limited to only a few sectors of society. No, in a way he gives a pretty dark view of the battlefield. It is against “rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness”.
He is referring to all the world here, to all the powers over the world.
But, as if that is not enough, he explains that there is another force and battle, perhaps a parallel battle going on in the heavenly places, that we also battle against, which are “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” So what we might see manifesting in the physical as a political, economic, moral, ethical, battle, even within our families, it is probably started and directed from spiritual forces. And, that, in a way, makes more sense. Because some of what we see play out all around doesn’t make a lot of sense most times. People seem to be fighting about pretty dumb stuff, even when there really are some simple solutions. If you think rationally, that is.
Paul starts this whole paragraph with the words from our focus verses today. “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.”Ephesians 6:10-11 ESV. The real battle going on is so big, that we cannot fight by ourselves. We need Almighty God, our Everlasting Father, to strengthen us, by His might. That is how serious this is. And, it is not just to get strength. No, we need His armor. “God has an armor?”, you might wonder. It is probably more correct to say that God is the armor, that we need to be clothed in. And Paul mentions 5 elements of the armor, plus a weapon. Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Faith, Salvation. And the weapon is the Word, the sword of the Spirit. This thought of being “clothed” in the Lord is consistent in Scripture, such as “for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” Galatians 3:27 NIV
The Lord has not left us fighting these battles by ourselves. In fact, we cannot win if we fight by ourselves. In addition to becoming strong in the Lord, Paul writes, “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.” Ephesians 6:13 NIV. The only winning strategy.