DAY 15
Be Strong, Put on the Full Armour, Take Your Stand
Week 3 – VICTORY THROUGH HIS POWER
‘Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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. Therefore, put on the full armour 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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
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. 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, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.’ Ephesians 6:10-20
‘Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.’ Ephesians 6:10-11
As we begin our final week, we move from praying for a greater revelation and manifestation of God’s power, to the urgent need for us to appropriate His power, so that we can be victorious in our conflict with evil spiritual powers. We have seen how much has already been accomplished when God victoriously raised Christ from the dead and seated Him far above all principalities and powers. However, Paul is also aware that while the ultimate battle has been won, there is still an intense, ongoing spiritual warfare prior to the final Victory Day when Christ will return.
This emphasis on spiritual warfare is given not to alarm us but to alert us to the reality of what we are engaged in. The first-century Christians in and around Ephesus would have been fully aware of this, given that many had been saved out of an occult background where other gods and goddesses were freely worshipped and celebrated (see Acts 19). Yet, the challenge to continue the battle and live in spiritual victory is timeless, relevant for all eras and cultures, including our own. So how are we to live out Christ’s victory against spiritual opposition? Paul highlights three key actions:
- Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. The ‘Lord’ here refers to Jesus Christ, reminding us that we are not in a hopeless fight against a fearsome enemy but can be strong ‘in the Lord’ and in His authority since we are seated with Him in heavenly places. We are to be strong ‘in His mighty power’.
- Put on the full armour of God. Paul likely references the armour and weapons worn by Roman soldiers of his day, a picture his hearers would have readily identified with. However, this imagery also draws on an older, more powerful concept: the ‘armour of God’ as described in Isaiah (see Isaiah 11:5, 52:7, 59:17). Just as God is depicted as a warrior who puts on righteousness, faithfulness, peace, and salvation, so we must put on the same armour, which He now provides for us.
- Take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Paul reminds us that we have an enemy, the devil, who has ‘schemes’ against the people of God. We must be alert to this, but not fearful, knowing that we can and will ‘stand’.
Finally, it’s important to note that the imperatives in this passage are plural. While these instructions are relevant for individual Christians, Paul’s overall concern is that the Church collectively would be strong, as we put on God’s armour and stand as one.
DEVOTIONAL
by Samson Abioye
QUOTABLE QUOTE
“In spiritual warfare, our strength is not in ourselves, but in the mighty power of God. We are to stand firm, not because we are strong, but because we are equipped with the armour of God.”
– John Piper - pastor, theologian and author
Prayer points
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- Let’s take some time to intentionally put on the full armour of God as we spend time with Him. Use Ephesians 6:14-17 to work through putting on each piece of spiritual armour and reflect on its significance.
- Pray that our church family would experience a strengthening in the Lord and an increased revelation of His mighty power.
- Pray for the Church, that we would wear our armour together and stand as one, in unity, to fight against the devil’s schemes across our nation and world.