Friend, we need to equip ourselves for battle against the enemy by putting on the armor of God. What is the armor, you ask? I’m going to tell you just what that looks like and how you and I can fight back against the enemy with the Word of God. Let’s dive in!
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Transcription:
When I think of fearless, I think of the photographer who said, “Sure, I’ll go free diving with the great whites in Guadalupe!” I can’t even imagine even to get the most incredible shot of these awesome creatures. All right. Welcome to Shark Week on the Bible for Busy People. Yep. I know you’re watching it on Discovery Channel, and that’s why I thought it would be a fitting time to talk about what to do when you and I are under attack. We have a real enemy. He goes by many names, Satan, the devil, the father of lies, and he doesn’t show up in a red suit with horns and a tail. But he often shows up in our thoughts. He attacks our faith with doubts. He attacks our joy with discouragement. He attacks our hope with fear. So, today you and I are going to continue to study what to do when we are under attack. Now, so often the devil takes us by surprise. Just like that photographer found out, when she went down under the water in Guadalupe, that you can’t tell when a shark comes up behind you. You might be looking at one and not know that there’s another one. So often the devil ambushes us. It’s often when we’re weakest. Remember last time we studied Jesus, when Satan tempted him, he had been fasting for 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness, and that’s when Satan came and tried to tempt him. And what did Jesus do? You and I learned, we fight back with the Word of God. Satan can come to you with thoughts like this, “Oh, God doesn’t really care about you. I mean, how long have you been praying that one prayer? I mean, he could just answer it. If he really loved you, don’t you think he would?”
Those are the types of thoughts that he sneaks in. Comes up behind us when we’re not looking, when we’re tired, when we’re frustrated about something, and that’s when you and I have the opportunity to follow Jesus’ example. You and I can fight back with the Word of God. We can say no, actually,
The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles.
That’s directly from Psalm 34 (verse 17). We also took some notes from Peter who encouraged us to stay alert because the devil is always ready to attack and to stand firm. Today we’re going to focus on how to stand firm, and the apostle Paul is going to walk us through that. So join me in Ephesians chapter six, beginning in verse 10.
A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
I put the word his in italics and in bold, and I underline it too. It’s his mighty power that makes us strong. Verse 11, now.
Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
This war, by the way, little note here is an invisible one, but it’s just as real as anything you and I can see. Verse 13 now.
Therefore,
This is a powerful transition since all of this is going on.
put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion.
Here comes again, these two words.
Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
There we go. Paul is telling us exactly what we need to do to equip ourselves for battle, every single day. Every soldier dresses for battle. Nobody runs in there with bare feet and a tank top. No, they come armored up. So, what if you and I started putting on the armor of God as we dress in the morning? There are six pieces of armor, so let’s take ’em one by one. We’ll start with the helmet of salvation. What does that mean? It means that you begin your day knowing that you’re saved. Romans 10, nine says,
If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
That means you don’t have to question it all the time and wonder, am I good enough to go to heaven? No, Jesus is letting you into heaven on his score. When you ask for forgiveness for your sins, for the things that you’ve done wrong, then he washes you white as snow. You are saved. You have a relationship with God here on this earth. Peace that you can’t explain here. An eternal life in heaven, in a perfect place. So, that’s what putting on the helmet of salvation looks like.
Number two, the body armor of God’s righteousness. When you put on that helmet of salvation and you know that you’re saved, you are covered by his righteousness, you can keep that close to your heart. The breastplate of righteousness. That’s what that’s about.
Number three, the belt of truth. I was when you and I keep God’s Word close to us, it surrounds us every day. Just like what you’re doing right now, you’re surrounding yourself with the truth. That’s powerful. You keep it close by and the devil’s lies can’t get through to you.
Number four, the shield of faith. We talked about this yesterday too. We watched as Jesus held up the shield of faith when the devil tempted him in the wilderness. When those fiery arrows come, when the devil comes and attacks you at your weakest point, he attacks you sometimes through people, through your emotions. You hold up that shield of faith. And how do you keep a strong faith? Well, Romans 10:17 says,
So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.
So every time you open God’s word, your faith is getting stronger.
Number five, the shoes of peace. Oh my goodness. You can carry peace with you wherever you go because God has given it to you, and it’s our joy to be able to share that peace with others. So always put on the shoes of peace.
And finally, the sword of the spirit. Your weapon is the Word. Remember how Jesus used it yesterday against the devil? You can use it today against the devil. Fight back. We have an enemy, but he is a defeated enemy and we have a Savior who is a victor forever.
All right, until next time, you are really loved.
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