Spiritual Battle II

"Put on the full armor of God" (entire, complete) "so you can take a stand against the devil's schemes." Ephesians 6:11

I must anticipate that the devil is going to send lies my way and is going to try and discourage me. Each piece of armor protects me and compliments the other pieces. If one piece is missing, I am left vulnerable to the devil's attacks.

(vs.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." Paul repeats the reason behind putting on the full armor of God—to stand—"and after you have done everything, to stand." I am not supposed to equip myself for defence alone. God wants me to continue the ministry Jesus began on earth: spreading the gospel. While I'm doing this work, however, I should expect the devil to try and stop me. He doesn't want God's message proclaimed, and he doesn't want me to continue following Jesus' commands either. So Paul says, "and after you have done everything," (defended the gospel, been obedient to God, offered your life as a living sacrifice to God, kept the faith, fought off the devil and his schemes) "to stand." We are to be victorious in this battle. Not just survivors, but conquerors. Not standing there with tattered armor and our helmets falling off—but with our sword raised, our shield held fast, ready for the next battle. This victory is impossible on our own, but we're not called to fight on our own. God is in each piece of armor, going before us in the battle.