The Battle of Our Lives

The church is the body of Christ, the bride of Christ, and now we are also to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ.

The hard truth is that we have an enemy who wants to slaughter us.

Satan and his demonic realm rebelled against God and all things holy. Intent on destroying Jesus Christ, he doesn’t mind using us to do it. He knows his time is short and wants to take everyone he can with him to destruction.

We face three tactical challenges in this battle before us.

1. We cannot overcome the world by fighting the world but only by putting our affection and trust in God.
2. We battle our own flesh. To get the victory here, confess sin, put away petty pride, and yield yourself to God.
3. We battle the deceiver himself. We don’t have the power to fight him; instead, be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.

Satan’s powers are organized. We wrestle against “principalities,” demons who have the oversight of nations (like generals). And “powers,” the privates, the demons who want to possess human beings. We wrestle “the rulers of the darkness of this age,” the demons who run Satan’s worldly business. And against “spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places,” the demons who have charge of religion (v. 12).

God tells us to armor up and stand firm in defense. Nowhere are we told to attack and advance. When the Bible speaks of us as fighters, it says we are to stand.

Like an army sergeant, Paul orders us to stand ready in our protective armor. The enemy’s methods shouldn’t outwit us. But instead, we should guard ourselves in these specific ways:

• “Having girded your waist with truth” (v. 14). A soldier’s girdle held his whole uniform in place. If the girdle were lost, your toga would fly open, and your pants would fall down. Funny to us now, but tragic in battle. Truth holds everything together.
• “Put on the breastplate of righteousness” (v. 14). Put on Christ again, and underneath, it should beat a heart and a conscience right with God. When we stand clean, without sin, we are protected.
• Strap on your feet the gospel of peace (v. 15), so you can face the enemy.
• As a believer, your “shield of faith” (v. 16) covers the rest of your armor and protects you from the fiery darts of the wicked one.
• Put on the helmet of salvation (v. 17). Your helmet protects your head, mind, and intellect. God’s Word presents intellectually satisfying and right arguments (see Acts 24:25 and Romans 10:17).

All this armor mentioned so far covers the front of the soldier. No protection is provided for retreat. A retreating Christian is open season for the enemy.

Our only weapons for offense are God’s Word and prayer.

The “sword of the Spirit” (v. 17), God’s Word, is quick and powerful and sharp (see Hebrews 4:12). It discerns our spirit. It delivers truth.

In prayer, lay hold of God for the spiritual resources you need to do battle.

Paul asks the Ephesians to pray for him like this. At the very moment he writes about spiritual warfare, he is experiencing it. But he doesn’t back down. Instead, he asks them to pray he would be brave and keep sharing the gospel.

As he says goodbye, Paul writes a masterful benediction that includes the great words of the gospel: peace, love, faith, and grace.

This kind of “peace” follows the grace of God, and no one understands its depth.

“Love” joined with “faith” proves the Holy Spirit controls your life. And, of course, “grace” has been our keyword. It wraps the letter up like a bow—appropriate since grace is the gift of God by which you are saved and kept safe today.

Yes, we are in for the fight of our lives, but the Lord Jesus has already won the war.