I start this edition of the Holy Wars series with what I believe is the most profound teachings that teach us how to fight our enemies. I will start off by running down the verses I am going to touch on, and give a brief overview of these teachings. Later on in the continuation of this series I will break down one by one the details of our fight against evil. The armor of God is our only hope in this battle between us and the evil spirits that lord over this world.
Ephesians 6:10-12
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 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.
Our enemy is not flesh and blood, that’s right ladies and gentlemen, NOT against flesh and blood! Our struggle is against the rulers of the kingdoms of this world, and folks this doesn’t mean kings and queens. There is evil at work behind the scenes in this world. Our flesh eyes cannot see the spiritual realm, we can however sense it. When we take God’s teachings and apply them to ourselves everyday, when we clothe ourselves in the armor of God we wash ourselves of our own sinful nature. We fight evil by not giving in to the lies and deceit that are constantly poured in to our ears, our eyes, our hearts, and our minds. We become as blameless and holy in the eyes of God as possible.
Ephesians 6:13-18
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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 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.
All of these things are what we use to defend ourselves and fight against the enemy. With the belt of truth we wrap our lives with truth and honesty, to become free of the webs of lies and deceit that that this world spins around us everyday. With the breastplate of righteousness we defend our bodies, our internal organs if you will, from the unrighteous deeds and sickness that consumes this world. We become as blameless as we will allow ourselves to be. With our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace we will be equipped to move amongst the evil, and to protect our path from the darkness of the devil. The shield of our faith in God that will protect us from anything that the devil or his minions could possibly hurl at us. Not one single thing the devil has can take us from God; with our faith in God we can take any attack! With salvation we are saved, so we equip ourselves with the helmet. The word of God acts as our sword, the only weapon we need to fight the enemy. You see, we will not march to war on a physical level, but on a spiritual level. Remember that your flesh eyes cannot see the battle that is being fought. We must protect ourselves by being righteous, and imitating our lord Jesus Christ.
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