We are the army of God. And typically, armies prepare for war before they are attacked. Christianity is under attack and, therefore, if you call yourself a Christian or a follower of Jesus Christ, then you are under attack too. But this war is not a physical war, at least not yet. This is a spiritual war and, therefore, we must fight this war with all the spiritual tools that God gave us as described in the Bible.
Let’s unfold “The Whole Armor of God” from Ephesians 6:10-18 (NLT)
10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. We must be and remain strong throughout the battle and God gives us His mighty power to do it.
11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. Once we put the entire armor of God then we can stand firm against ALL the strategies of the devil. The devil is relentless and never stops attacking. If one strategy doesn’t work against you, he will come up with a new one until he gets you down. He is always on the attack and never sleeps. Therefore, our strategy should be to put on all God’s armor and keep it on at all times.
12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. We tend to think that people are the enemy. But the Bible tells us that the real enemy is Satan and all the evil spirits that we cannot see with our eyes. However, we can sense them in our spirit because God made us in His image which means we all are spirit beings too. This is a spiritual battle!
13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Every piece of armor has its specific function, and we are to wear all the pieces. The goal is to not only survive the battle but to stand firm, meaning you are unharmed and not barely surviving on the ground. You are standing and firm!
14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. We are not only to fight and stand firm, but we are to stand our ground. God gave us several specific tools as part of His armor. We defend our ground with the truth. And Jesus is the truth (John 14:6)! Additionally, righteousness covers the entire body as our "body armor." We have the ability to be righteous but it’s our choice.
15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. The Good News of the Gospel gives us peace to know that we will be with Jesus when our physical body dies. When we are at peace, we can think more clearly and then become fully prepared.
16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. The Bible also tells us that everything is possible for those who believe (Mark 9:23). Without faith, we accomplish nothing. Faith stops the enemy’s attacks on their tracks. The darts simply fall to the ground.
17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We must accept Jesus as our Savior to be saved. Once we are saved, then we can and must use the entire armor to protect us from the enemy’s attacks. If you notice, most of the equipment is used to defend ourselves from the attacks of the devil. But the Word of God is the truth that cuts through all lies. It is our biggest offense weapon to destroy the enemy.
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. In these days when the attacks of the devil are constant so our prayers should be also. We must pray on every occasion we can, day and night. There are so many people in need of God who are lost and searching for answers. Others, who are believers, need our prayers of support and faith to help them get through the rough circumstances they’re living through.
I hope I have encouraged you to pray incessantly and to put on the entire armor of God that is at your disposal. There is no time to waste!