Ephesians 6: 10 – 13 NLT
“A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 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.
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.”
These verses are frightening to read. The thought of fighting “evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” is actually terrifying.
Often I suspect we avoid thinking about Satan. We try to concentrate on a loving God and doing things to please him. Yet Satan is out there. 1 Peter 5: 8 tells us “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”
We also tend to focus on the world we can see, hear, taste, feel and smell. We rely on that and not on the spiritual world which is very powerful. Perhaps in 2024, we are starting to realize the power of things we can’t experience with the 5 senses as we learn about AI – artificial intelligence. Governments are now trying to figure out how to control AI so that people aren’t mislead by false information. Even though AI has many benefits, I’m sure Satan is delighted with the opportunities it gives him.
Satan does his best to destroy any work done by God. When Jesus was on earth, Satan spent 40 days in a desert place trying to convince Jesus to go against God’s will in some way. I suspect Satan thought he had succeeded when Jesus died on the cross. But that was not the end! God is powerful and can and will defeat Satan. That is why Paul writes these words as he begins to warn us about Satan’s attempts to mess us up. “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.”
Satan is a spiritual being and he understands and knows us more than we think. He sees our weaknesses and has good ideas on how to divert us from God. He’d love to see our witness for God destroyed. Frankly, on our own, we can’t repel Satan. We need God’s strength and power.
That is why Paul is going to tell us about God’s armour. Remember, Paul was in prison as he wrote Ephesians. He could look out of his “cell” and see Roman guards dressed in armour. God leads him to use that picture as he tells us how we can fight Satan successfully. The next days of our devotions will look at the things God gives us in this war against Satan.
“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.” Life as a child of God is a battle. Becoming a Christian is not entering a life of roses and peace. It is a war. But we are on God’s side. We are “strong in the Lord and in his mighty power”.
Our song for today is A Mighty Fortress is Our God by Michael W. Smith.