Being a Christian, whether you realize it or not, you are a part of a deadly war between light and darkness. You cannot afford to be ignorant and you cannot be neutral. If you try to be neutral you are going to find yourself in the most dangerous place of all. The day you make a commitment to Jesus Christ is the day a very real spiritual war begins in your life. Conversion makes our hearts a battlefield. There is a battle going on, and God is calling you to be in it! It is a spiritual battle, waged not against men but against the rulers and powers of darkness. So if you are not properly equipped you will be defeated. You must be armed with girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation. You must have taken up the sword of the Spirit so that you have an offensive weapon with which to fight, and you must be constantly in prayer so that you have the mind of Christ at all times. Only then can you hope to defeat Satan and achieve victory.
Ephesians: 6:10-17.
In the Old Testament we find a righteous man faced same kind of battle in his life. “In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright, “ he feared God and shunned evil” (Job: 1:1). Without Job’s knowing it, a dialogue took place in the invisible world. As the Lord and Satan had their strange encounter, the subject quickly turned to this well-known earthly man. The Lord calls Satan’s attention to Job’s exemplary life, and Satan’s responds with a sinister sneer. “Of course, who wouldn’t serve you the way you’ve prospered and protected him. Take away all the perks and watch what happens; the man will turn on you in a flash.” God agrees to let the adversary unload on Job. And so, in today’s terms, the Lord bet Satan that Job would never turn on Him. A “divine wager agreement” was established. Satan instigates a sudden and hostile removal of all the man’s possessions, leaving him bankrupt. Within a matter of minutes, everything he owned was gone. Job had no prior knowledge or warning. That morning dawned like every other morning. The night had passed like any other night. There was no great angelic manifestation, not even a tap on his window or a note left on the kitchen table. In one calamity after another, all the buildings on his land are gone, and nothing but lumber and bodies litter the landscape. It occurred so fast, Job’s mind swirled in disbelief. His entire world instantly changed. Just like in Job’s life, we never know what this battle will bring in our life. Things will unfold apart from our awareness. With proper armors and readiness, we can win this battle. Ours is a walk of faith, not sight; trust, not touch. Leaning long and hard, not running away. It could be a test that drops us to our knees or it may be a treasured blessing, our heavenly father already provided us with weapons of warfare. Let’s put on it and fight a good fight.
As believers you are part of God’s army, called to do battle with devil. But if you are not armed and equipped, with a battle plan and a clear line of communication to our Commander-in Chief, you will be defeated. Satan is a shrewd and ruthless enemy, and if you are going to fight him you must be properly armed. You must put on “the whole armor” not just the pieces that are most comfortable.
The Girdle Of Truth- The Believer’s Integrity
A soldier in Paul’s day had a leather girdle that he tightened about his waist to protect his loins and carry his weapons of warfare, such as a dagger or sword. The belt also held his tunic together so it wouldn’t be snagged. In Christian armor, it is integrity that holds everything else together. If you do not have integrity in the big and small things of your life, you are going to lose the battle. Without truth everything falls apart. Satan will come against you with lies and bring a lack of integrity into your life. Jesus is the Truth and will strengthen you with His integrity. Would people say that you are a man or woman of integrity? If not, then you cannot win the battle.
The Breastplate of Righteousness- The believer's purity
The breastplate of a soldier was sometimes made of woven chain. Whatever the material, the purpose was same, to cover the soldier’s vital organs. For Christian, the breastplate is righteousness. The enemy wants to attack you not only with lies, but also with impurity. He wants you to read filthy magazines, watch immoral movies, and engage in all temptations of the flesh. The bottom line is that Satan wants to get into your heart and mind. He’s looking for a crack in your armor. And don’t be fooled. Satan knows where that crack is.
Is your heart pure before God? If not, then you cannot win the battle.
The Shoes Of Peace-The Believer’s Tranquility
A Roman soldier needed good shoes in order to be victorious on the battlefield. Oftentimes, his shoes would have hobnails on the sole, very much like football cleats because when they were fighting they needed solid footing from which to move. Jesus gives us peace and unless you have peace, you can never make war. Sounds like a contradiction, doesn’t it? But you’ve got to have the peace of God in your heart first. When Satan comes against your tranquility, he throws out stones and briars of doubts and discouragement to cause you to stumble. Do you have peace now? If not, then you cannot win the battle.
The Shield of Faith- The believer’s Certainty
The Roman soldier’s shield measured approximately two by four feet and was made of wood covered with leather. In that day, soldiers dipped arrows in oil, then lit them and shot them at the enemy. These shields were vital to protect the soldier from getting wounded and burned. Satan is going to fire flaming arrows of doubts at you. He wants to place subtle doubts in your mind about God and His Truth. He knows a spark can ignite a big fire. You will need to feed your faith and starve your doubts. Are there any seeds of doubt in your mind today? If there are, then you cannot win the battle.
The Helmet Of Salvation- The believer’s Sanity
A soldier used a helmet to protect his head because if his head is wounded, he wouldn’t be able to think. Every believer needs to have the mind of Christ under the control of Almighty God. When person is saved, for the first time he has the right mind. A person without the Lord Jesus Christ has a form of insanity. They do not operate with the mind that God made them to have. The most important thing for you to have at all times is an assurance of your salvation. Do you know that you are saved? If you do not have the assurance of salvation through Jesus Christ and if you cannot control your thoughts, then you cannot win the battle.
The Sword Of The Spirit- The believer’s Assault Rifle
The “sword of the Spirit” is our assault rifle. Until now, all the armor has been defensive. Now we come to our offensive weapons- the Word of God. In Mathew 4, Jesus confronted Satan with three simple words: “It is written…”And then He quoted passages from Deuteronomy to defeat Satan. Think of areas in which you know Satan will tempt you, find some Bible verses relating to those areas, write them on little cards, and put them where you see them often. Memorize them. Learn them by heart, and be ready to use them when the Enemy confronts you. Avoid in putting yourself in vulnerable position so that you will be an easy target. Do you have the “Sword of the Spirit”? If not, you will be always in the defensive posture and cannot drive the enemy away.
Be dressed for battle, keep your armor on, and when it’s all over but the shouting, you’ll still be on your feet.
