Ephesians 6:10-11 (NKJV) 10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
I believe God is calling his people to resist the devil in this very evil day. How effective we are in that depends on how much we are submitted to God. James 4:7 tells us this and both things are directives. We must cultivate greater and greater submission to God, and we must resist the devil in every area of life. To this end, I have been looking at some of the weapons God has given us to use in our resistance. Today I want to begin looking at a set of weapons that are primarily defensive in nature. That is the full armor of God Paul speaks of in Ephesians 6.
While it is important to understand that we have offensive weapons we can use against the kingdom of darkness, one of the most important types of weaponry in history is armor. Armor enables the soldier to be more effective in applying his offensive weapons because he can do so while having protection from the enemies. Throughout history people have looked for armor that would be effective. From Greek and Roman times into the middle ages, metal and leather armor was used to minimize damage to vital organs while also giving the soldier the freedom of movement to use his weapons.
As the weapons got more and more powerful, there came a point where there was no armor that could protect the soldier. The horrific casualties of the American civil war and World War 1 were due to this fact. The soldiers who “went over the top” of the trenches in World War 1, charged into machine guns and artillery from which their uniforms could not protect them. They charged into machine guns and accurate rifle fire knowing that whether they lived or died was at the mercy of luck or prayer. Nothing else would save them.
By World War 2, armor was once again beginning to play some role. The most effective armor of that day was the tank. These motorized weapons of war could protect the fighter inside them from most small arms and machine gun fire. When tanks were in the fight, the infantry would stay behind them until cover was found. The tanks also provided greater fire power than they could muster alone. Since they were mobile platforms they could go where the soldiers needed them and destroy the enemy with local artillery fire. Of course, any armor is eventually defeated, and antitank weapons could defeat an armored column, but they were a great improvement over what was available before.
One of the most important developments in modern war fighting has been the evolution of body armor. Today’s infantry soldier wears a kit of protective clothing that can stop bullets, shrapnel and other hazards of the battlefield. The armor is designed to protect the vital organs of the body. Many of the injuries that killed soldiers in the past, either do not happen at all or produce wounds that, while still severe, do not produce death
Paul understood the need for protection in battle. In today’s scripture he begins with the words finally. The book of Ephesians contains some of the most powerful revelations to the body of Christ in the Bible. You should take the time to read all this letter because what Paul is telling us is in light of what he has already written. Paul tells us to take up these truths as weapons with which to fight. Although this word does refer to both the offensive and defensive weapons a soldier would carry, I think the focus here is more on the defensive.
In the time Paul was writing, the church was suffering great persecution. Being a Christian costs something, even today. Paul wanted his readers to know that God understood and provided things that could protect them in the battle. The church was at war then and we are at war now. Although the physical resistance was more imminent than most of us face today, the spiritual war is just as real for us as it was for them. We cannot hide from it, rather we are told we are to fight it so that others may come to know Jesus. The only safe place on the battlefield is behind armor with weapons we have been trained to use.
Paul tells us to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Sometimes the battle gets difficult for all of us. There are days when we do not think we can fight any more. Paul is not telling us to “man up” and quit complaining. He is telling us that there is a strength available that comes from God. Tapping into that strength will enable us to both survive and thrive in our warfare.
We must realize that we can only be strong “in the Lord.” We do not have the strength necessary in ourselves. Paul understood this in a very personal way because God had revealed it to him in his times of weakness.
2 Corinthians 12:8-9 (NKJV) 8Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Some feel that Paul is talking about a physical issue, but in speaking of his “thorn in the flesh” he called it a messenger of Satan. The word translated messenger is the word for angel. Paul was constantly being followed by people who opposed his ministry and caused him trouble. In one town he was taken outside the gates, stoned and left for dead. I believe this “messenger” of Satan was a demonic spirit that followed him wherever he went. Either way, it was something that Paul asked God to deal with. God said that his grace was sufficient to do the job. The key that we need to see here is that the Lord said the same thing to Paul that he later said to us in Ephesians. He says God’s strength working in us is perfected in our weakness.
Paul was not told that there was no help. He was told that he had to recognize that he had no strength in himself that could deal with the problem. He had to learn to draw from the strength that was available to him through grace. Some interpret this to mean that grace was there to give him the power to endure, which is true. Nevertheless, I believe that it is also the power to overcome the resistance of Satan’s messengers in our lives. Paul did not just survive; he overcame to the point where his words make up approximately one third of the New Testament. Truly God’s grace and the strength that it provides is enough!
Paul continues by saying that we can be strong in the Lord and the power of his might. To be strong in the Lord means to be given the strength that God has. What is this strength. Paul calls it the power of his might. Power here is a root word that means vigor. Vigor is the level of intensity of action we are capable of. It also carries the idea of dominion. We have God’s vigor available to us. We are strengthened with his dominion. At 72 I am blessed of God to be very vigorous. However, what kind of vigor and dominion does God have?
The word might means ability. Paul is telling us that we can believe God to be strengthened in whatever we face by the ability that is available in God’s vigor and dominion. God is called “almighty God.” Almighty means having complete power. I heard one preacher say that to be almighty means you have the power to do anything.
Paul encourages us to be strong in the Lord’s strength which is made available to all of us by grace. The power with which we will be strengthened or made stronger than we are, is his might or his ability to do anything. When I look at my circumstances considering my inherent ability, I have a hard time seeing a way through that will produce good results. However, understanding the revelation in this letter, I can bring my weakness to God and exchange it for his strength. He will strengthen me to do anything I need to and be victorious in any situation.
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