“… my brothers, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Why take to you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, with which you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; [Ephesians 6:10-18]
I know we sometimes feel like we are fighting a losing battle. No matter what we do, in trying to improve the circumstances in our and others lives, we seem to be losing ground. Perhaps it is because we try to fight life’s battles on our own terms, in our own power, and with our own limited perception as our guide. Because our perception is limited, there is no better place to look for answers than to our creator, who arms us with everything we need to fight life’s battles, literally. In God’s Word, He reveals to us the armor and only weapon we need to fight, and all the instruction we need in using them.
First our Father demonstrates to us our biggest mistake, that of trying to fight these battles in our own power, and instructs us to; “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might “. Also, He makes clear to us who our true enemies are; “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”.
Then He presents us with the armor we need to defend ourselves against these powers, and teaches us how to don it. He gives us the Spirit of Truth so that we have discernment, righteousness so that we don’t stumble before our enemies, and “feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace”. But “above all” He gives us the shield of faith we need “to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked”. But we must wear “the helmet of salvation” which bears the ensign of Jesus Christ, who already fought life’s battles, and died, yet arose victoriously in the power of God’s might.
Oh, but we can’t forget the most critical weapon of all, essential because it is the only offensive weapon He offers us. We must wield “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” with boldness and confidence. Remember, that every time Jesus was faced with evil, as when tempted by satan in the wilderness, He used the only weapon He needed; The Word. [Matt. 4:1-11]
Finally, we are to be constant in prayer, alert at all times of the spiritual forces at work in our lives, and the lives of those around us, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood”. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: {For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;}”[IICor.10:3-4]. Therefore it is clear that our greatest weapon is prayer.