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Ephesians 6:10-17, 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. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Have you ever heard the cliché, “Dress for the job you want?” It may be common, though sometimes impractical, but it has a ring of truth to it. Another, more appropriate, turn of phrase might be to “dress appropriate to the interview.” That is to say, if you are interviewing for a job as a supervisor, you should dress according to what you would dress like every day in that job. This is simple common sense, but we all know this sense is not so common. Spiritually we are called to be prepared in our hearts and in our ensemble choices.

We will all be tempted to compromise in our walk with God. While it might seem obvious that we would say no to any temptation, the truth is that we all fail from time to time. Also, Satan is not going to be so direct that we are prepared for full-frontal assault and thus able to repel it so easily. In fact, he will approach from our blindside, or directly from behind our defenses. He will be subtle and even possibly appealing in his attack. Satan’s goal is to see us removed from the lamb’s book of life for a final time. He is dedicated to your total emotional and spiritual destruction. Our first step is to remember exactly who the enemy is. (Ephesians 6:12)

We must be ready for battle at all times. (Ephesians 6:11) It takes very specialized equipment to withstand the onslaught of Satan’s schemes.

Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:14-17)

Prayer is the adhesive which holds our armor to our souls. Jesus prayed for our deliverance. (Luke 11:4) As those who belong to Jesus we are never left to our devices on the battlefield. He not only protects the external vulnerabilities of our souls, he actually inhabits the interior of our selves. Faith and prayer are the actions of the children of God. We believe in the viability of the armor of God to protect us. We trust in the salvation of our redeeming Savior. So we enter the battlefield with hope and even assurance.

Be sure that our armor is powerful, but for good reason. Satan’s attacks will be vicious and ruthless. He will employ every weapon in his arsenal to wound those of faith. He will lie and deceive the very best of us if we are not aware.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, or the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. (2 Corinthians 10:3-4)

Put on God’s armor daily. Get used to its weight and what an impact from Satan feels like. Even with this great protection we can be swept off our feet. Always remember, a soldier can be knocked down and still the battle rages on. Rejoin the fight and continue in God’s army like the soldier you truly are. The belt of truth preserves us against the false teachings of the evil one. The breastplate of righteousness maintains our own righteousness which is bestowed by God. We have the shoe of peace to enable us to keep our composure while the sinful fall around us. The shield of faith protects us against the weapons of the enemy. The helmet of salvation enables us to focus on that which is trying to harm us and all around us. The offensive weapon we are given is the Sword of the Spirit, that is the Word of God. As we fight this battle, we do so with the assurance of something more powerful, more substantial, and ultimately more effective than anything the adversary could bring to the battlefield – The Word.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)

Satan is fighting a losing battle only because he is fighting God. May we all be found to be living for and fighting for God. No matter what battles we face. Regardless of the philosophies of principles that consume man, Christians are called to a very specific battle. God is with us. Put on your armor and march. Satan will never win against God.