ephesians.bible/ephesians-6-12
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor 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 armor of God, so that when the day comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around 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.-Ephesians 6:10-17
Whether you realize it or not, there is a struggle going in this world between opposing forces. It is a struggle between the dark and evil forces of this world, and the forces of light and good represented by Jesus Christ. And you have to choose which side you are going to make your stand with, because there is no neutrality in this struggle. Either you are standing with Jesus and everything he represents or you are standing with the devil everything he represents. And as a follower of Christ, whether you think it or know it, you are engaged in spiritual warfare on a daily basis. That is why Paul tells us to put on the armor of God on a daily basis. We put on “the belt of truth” which holds everything in place, which is God’s word the Bible. We put on the “breast plate of righteousness” which protects our vital organs, which represents our daily turning to God for strength and protection. We put on the nail studded shoes of the Roman soldiers that enable us to keep a firm footing, which represents the hope we have in Christ. We take up “the shield of faith” which enables us to stand firm with other believers. We put on the “helmet of salvation” which protects our most vital organ of all our head, which represents the greatest gift God has given to us our salvation. And last we take up “the sword of the Spirit” with which we can defend ourselves, which represents our intimate and applied knowledge of God’s word the Bible. All of these things combined give us the strength to make our stand daily against the dark and evil forces of this world. Are you ready to make your stand today?