Daily Bread 2011 - Ephesians 6
Daily Bread 2011 – Ephesians 6
The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
What Does This Mean?
As we seek to become imitators of God and His Son, there will be opposition. Satan has always opposed the purposes of God as the fallen angel from the beginning. Since he didn’t succeed in thwarting Jesus, the Son of God, from obtaining victory on the cross, he has turned his efforts toward us. But as we stay close to Christ, and the weapons He has given us in this chapter, we can be assured of victory as well.
The description of the full armor can certainly be traced Paul’s familiarity with the Roman soldiers of his day. The shield of faith that Paul is talking about is not the small shield used in hand to hand combat, but the large whole body shield use to protect the soldiers. The belt of truth represents loyalty and faithfulness, and the breastplate of righteousness represents Christian character, both of which are essential for not only the soldier, but the soldier of Christ. (Asbury Bible Commentary)
As we share our faith with others it not only strengthens them, but also keeps us from being vulnerable to the devil’s schemes. Then, Paul gives us a discipline which not only protects our salvation, but also is an offensive weapon, the Word of God. The Word of God can dismantle the devil’s schemes as it reminds us of who God is and who we are as a child of God. Finally, Paul tells us to pray in the Spirit on all occasions (I.e. With the Word of God, the Sword of the Spirit!) with all kinds of prayers and requests. We don’t need to say anything fancy, or stand, or fold our hands in a certain way, we are to pray early and often just as a child goes to their parents for things they need!
What Does This Mean For Us?
It means that as we seek to imitate God and follow Christ, there will be trials and spiritual battles. We have been given an arsenal of spiritual weapons to fight the battle. One of the devil’s most effective schemes is to keep us in the dark as to the weapons we do have. A Christian who does not engage in the spiritual disciplines, is like a sitting target for the evil one. Why?
As it says, “Be strong in the Lord and his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes”. If we try to fight these battles on our own, we will lose! But Greater is He who is in you than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4) As we stay connected to God through prayer, being in His Word, and living our lives in the ways in which God has planned for; the devil can’t touch us! That is a great promise! That is why we also need to pray for each other.
Dear Jesus, protect us from the power of the enemy. We know as we stay close to you and exercise the same discipline you found necessary to protect you from the devil’s schemes, that we can stand up against him and be victorious. I pray for all those reading this that they would be strengthened by Your Word especially the Word that they are Your child and saved through Your Son, Jesus. The victory has been won and we are yours forever! Amen.
The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
What Does This Mean?
As we seek to become imitators of God and His Son, there will be opposition. Satan has always opposed the purposes of God as the fallen angel from the beginning. Since he didn’t succeed in thwarting Jesus, the Son of God, from obtaining victory on the cross, he has turned his efforts toward us. But as we stay close to Christ, and the weapons He has given us in this chapter, we can be assured of victory as well.
The description of the full armor can certainly be traced Paul’s familiarity with the Roman soldiers of his day. The shield of faith that Paul is talking about is not the small shield used in hand to hand combat, but the large whole body shield use to protect the soldiers. The belt of truth represents loyalty and faithfulness, and the breastplate of righteousness represents Christian character, both of which are essential for not only the soldier, but the soldier of Christ. (Asbury Bible Commentary)
As we share our faith with others it not only strengthens them, but also keeps us from being vulnerable to the devil’s schemes. Then, Paul gives us a discipline which not only protects our salvation, but also is an offensive weapon, the Word of God. The Word of God can dismantle the devil’s schemes as it reminds us of who God is and who we are as a child of God. Finally, Paul tells us to pray in the Spirit on all occasions (I.e. With the Word of God, the Sword of the Spirit!) with all kinds of prayers and requests. We don’t need to say anything fancy, or stand, or fold our hands in a certain way, we are to pray early and often just as a child goes to their parents for things they need!
What Does This Mean For Us?
It means that as we seek to imitate God and follow Christ, there will be trials and spiritual battles. We have been given an arsenal of spiritual weapons to fight the battle. One of the devil’s most effective schemes is to keep us in the dark as to the weapons we do have. A Christian who does not engage in the spiritual disciplines, is like a sitting target for the evil one. Why?
As it says, “Be strong in the Lord and his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes”. If we try to fight these battles on our own, we will lose! But Greater is He who is in you than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4) As we stay connected to God through prayer, being in His Word, and living our lives in the ways in which God has planned for; the devil can’t touch us! That is a great promise! That is why we also need to pray for each other.
Dear Jesus, protect us from the power of the enemy. We know as we stay close to you and exercise the same discipline you found necessary to protect you from the devil’s schemes, that we can stand up against him and be victorious. I pray for all those reading this that they would be strengthened by Your Word especially the Word that they are Your child and saved through Your Son, Jesus. The victory has been won and we are yours forever! Amen.
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