Whenever you face a spiritual battle, you have one of two choices: You can either be weak, or be strong. The choice is yours!
In every difficult situation, the Holy Spirit wants you to be strong, but not in your own strength. The Apostle Paul wrote:
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” (Ephesians 6:10 NKJV)
God wants you to be strong in Him, and rely on His strength. He doesn’t want you to fight the enemy on your own.
Yes, you have an enemy, and that is the devil. Whenever you find yourself in conflict with other people, you are actually dealing with an unseen adversary. The Apostle Paul explained this when wrote:
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12 NKJV)
The Apostle Paul also wrote:
“Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11 NKJV)
The wiles of the devil are the schemes and strategies that he has planned against you. By relying upon the armor of God, you will have the ability to stand against the devil and overcome him in your life. God wants you to wear this armor and defeat every difficulty that the enemy sends your way.
Paul called this the armor of light:
“Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” (Romans 13:12 NKJV)
God wants you to put on His armor, so that you can shake off all the works of darkness from your life. Once you put it on, don’t take it off. This is the key to living a victorious life! It is also important to understand that you can’t help others, until you have experienced victory for yourself.
What is the purpose of the armor? It has been given to you so that you can stand against the devil and not live in defeat. The Apostle Paul wrote:
“Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand (the devil) in the the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:13 NKJV. words in parentheses mine.)
Once you resist the attacks of the enemy, you need to stand against him until he leaves. That is when you know you have the victory! The Apostle James wrote:
“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7 NKJV)
Yes, you can resist the devil, in the authority of the name of Jesus, and he will flee from you in terror. This is what God wants you to do every time the enemy comes against you!
The Apostle Paul then gives us a description of the pieces of armor God wants us to wear:
“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” (Ephesians 6:14-15 NKJV)
At this point, he shows the importance of the shield that we are meant to carry with this armor:
“Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” (Ephesians 6:16 NKJV)
Paul clearly states that it is the shield of faith that gives us the ability to extinguish every single fiery missile that the devil sends our way. Do not settle for anything less in your life. You can defeat the devil every time by using your faith. The Apostle Peter expressed this, when he wrote:
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” (1 Peter 5:8-9 NKJV)
Do be surprised when you come under attack by the enemy. Every believer in Christ experiences this from time to time. The difficulties of life come to everyone! When you know you are under attack from the enemy, stand against him firm in your faith. The devil is a defeated foe, and the victory belongs to you. Jesus defeated him at the cross, so that you can walk in victory. The more you overcome the devil, the stronger your faith in God will become.
You are holy, dear saint!
Steve Smith
P.S: We will look at the rest of the armor of God in the next post, including the sword of the Spirit.
[All Scripture quotations have been taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version, copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.]
Are You Holy? 