We have been discussing with our #VirtuousCowgirls about some off the aspets of the spiritual realm. That of course has gotten us onto the topic of spiritual warfare and how to protect yourself from the enemy's schemes. Our enemy prowels about like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour (1Peter 5:8), how can we safeguard ourselves against that? The Woman of Virtue in Proverbs 31 is described as one who laughs at the days to come (Proverbs 31:25). We have made a cowgirl version of that and it goes, "She’s adorned with brawn and nobility, and she scoffs at the devil’s schemes." Click here to read the full version of The Virtuous Cowgirl.
How does one do that though? How does one prepare for battle against a being they cannot see? Paul gives us a great illustration in Ephesians 6:10-20. At that time, Paul was a prisoner of Rome and was under house arrest. He would have had Roman Soldiers posted as guards at the doors of his home, and the gate of his garden, if he had one. It is likely imagined that as Paul was writing his letter to the people in the church of Ephesus, he was gazing at one of these guards, and the Spirit of the Lord prompted him to pen the words we find in Ephesians 6.
verse 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
Paul is closing his letter with these words, which is why he is saying "finally." We must be strong in the Lord, strong in His promises that He gives us, strong knowing He is who He is, strong knowing He always overcomes evil by His mighty power.
verse 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
God gives us armor, spiritual armor, to protect us from the devil's schemes. It's up to us to make sure we put it on every day. A leader in the military would never let his soldiers go out without being fully armed and ready for battle. We can't either. Just as a soldier goes through Boot Camp to learn how to use all the armor given them, we must allow ourselves to be discipled by a mature believer on how to apply and use our spiritual armor as well.
verse 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.
This is important to understand, so important. We must understand that the flesh and blood standing against us is not the enemy, but it is the spirit working behind that person. As you mature you will be able to recognize, or as the scripture says, discern, between spirits (1 John 4:1, 1 Corinthians 12:10). The devil, Satan, still has authority over the earth (Matthew 4:8-9), and we must recognize that. Man is basically evil, but that doesn't mean we need to attck man as the enemy, for there is hope for the natural man through Christ.
verse 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.
To combat the rulers, authorities, and powers of this dark world we must put on the full armor of God. If we do not do this we will not be able to stand our ground. Each and every peice of armor has a purpose, just as the equipment that we use and wear around horses have a purpose, so does God's armor. Over the next 7 days we will look at each and every peice, how it works, how it functions, and how we apply them.
Finally, once we learn how to use these so you can stand against the devil's schemes, the only thing we can do is stand. That means that once we have done everything we can, we must continue to stand, not be defeated, but to continue to stand on God's promies and in His mighty power, even when it seems the world wants to knock us down, we must stand.
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