Ephesians 6:10-11
Thoughts from Pastor Stuart
Dive Deeper
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”
Ephesians 6:10-11
Behind the Scenes
Ephesians is perhaps my favorite book of the bible and Chapter 6 my favorite chapter. There’s something about how Paul walks the believer through this book that always resonates with me. I’ve heard that this book can be divided into three sections:
- “Sit”- Paul spends no small amount of time at the opening of this book reminding us of who we are and calling us to really sit in the knowledge of what Christ has done for us. It’s as if he is calling us to pause and really take a hard look at the truth of the Gospel.
- “Stand”- Then, in full understanding of who we are in Christ, His perfect love for us, and the amazing truth of the Gospel, Paul calls us to stand on our faith. He calls us to a level of ownership in our faith that can only come from first sitting in the truth that is our foundation.
- “Walk”- Paul then calls us to do something with that faith, to walk out what we believe- boldly and confidently. He reminds us that we are in a war against the evil one but everything we need for victory has already been granted to us.
Make it Real
Chapter 6 of Ephesians talks about this war starting with the above verses. In verse 10, Paul shifts gears and calls us to arms. This is a veritable battle call. He calls us to “put on the full armor of God, so that (we) will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” (Emphasis mine).
There are three things I want to point out here. First is that we have a real enemy who schemes against us daily. His goal is to sidetrack and discourage us. He wants nothing more than to pull us off course and render us useless for the Kingdom. He knows he cannot have our souls if we are believers because we have been sealed by the Holy Spirit. But he will go out of his way to make sure that we don’t do anything good with the salvation we’ve been given.
Second is that we are called to put on the full armor of God if we hope to withstand the schemes of the devil. We cannot hope to be able to withstand under his temptations and alluring if we do not properly apply the armor that God has provided. We need every piece of this armor and if we leave even one piece behind, we will be vulnerable. We have to daily (sometimes minute by minute) put on the FULL armor of God.
And third is that the armor comes from God and not from ourselves. When we try to stand firm against the enemy with nothing more than our own man-made armor, it’s like going into battle wearing paper armor that’s colored in with crayon. It’s useless and foolish. We are fighting a spiritual war and we need armor that has been specially designed to fight this battle well. And God is faithful to provide it.
Take a few minutes now and read through the FULL armor of God (verses 12-17). How can you use each piece that God has given you to battle the temptations and trials you face today? We have everything we need to succeed because we serve a good and gracious King who has seen fit to armor His people for battle. His armor will never fail you. When worn consistently and properly, this armor will carry you through any battle. It doesn’t take the battle away, but it does ensure a victory! So, stand victorious today, my friend, and ARMOR UP!
Crystal Garnett
ACF Digital Discipleship Team Lead
End in Prayer
Father,
Thank You for giving me everything I need. Help me to study this armor and know how to use it properly. Teach me to turn to Your perfect provision instead of my own. Help me to trust that You are enough, and You will give me everything I need to succeed. I love you, Lord. Thank You for standing by my side through every battle. Thank You that I have victory in Your name!
Amen!