While spiritual battle is detailed in chapter 6 of Ephesians, much of the intelligence information comes in the first five chapters. Those chapters detail Who God is, what He’s done to redeem us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and therefore, how to live lives that please and honor Him. It is a matter of acting on what we know to be true and not reacting to the person who seems to be creating the “opportunity” for me to test the armor!  Keep that in mind as we dig a little deeper into our SOPs, or Standard Operating Procedures. From a military perspective our SOPs are a set of general instructions that describe how to operate.

So, what do we do when the enemy closes in and is inciting temptations, instilling doubts, encouraging fear, or making accusations? And how about when we see deceptions and schemes happening all around us, evil advancing, and we are astounded at what people are falling for? What do we do when we see evil politicians prospering and truth falling to the street? Not to even mention when that person does that thing again that makes me crazy! The first thing, according to Ephesians 6:10-11; “… Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.”

Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. The book of Ephesians clearly states that as believers, we are “in Christ”. There is no stronger fortress! Ephesians also proclaims that He is far above all rule and authority (Ephesian 1:20-22), and since we are in Him we have His mighty power. For the Christian, to “be strong” is to have confidence in God’s authority, power, and ability, and behave like it’s true. He can keep us from erupting in anger; descending into despair; settling into self-pity or selfish behavior. Jesus has strength for us.  He isn’t surprised at the enemy’s schemes and neither should we be. Understand conflict will come, but we can be confident in His strength.

Put on all of God’s armor… Make no mistake, it comes from God and is custom made for the battles we face as well as day to day living. More on that later, but don’t miss the why of putting it on: so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. This part is going to take a little unpacking.

Some of the strategies of the devil we’ve already discussed, but as a reminder: they include lies, deceptions, divisions, accusations and temptations – to name a few. He would certainly like to destroy our firm standing, but he’ll settle for discrediting and making us ineffective. And the words “be able to stand firm” guarantee victory is available if we utilize what God has provided. In putting on the armor, as we stand strong in the Lord’s mighty power, we need not give way to the enemies’ evil strategies. Church, we should never give the enemy an inch! But, we must individually stand.

Yes, the command is to stand. Not advance, not overthrow, not beat the tar out of the enemy. Trust God to do what God will do. Standing is what is needed by us, and it will be enough for us to do.

But stand on what, exactly? I’m going to make a bold assertion. Based on what we know about God, what we know about our position in Christ, what we know about our human nature, and what we know about our enemy; spiritual warfare is the test of our convictions. Do we really believe what we say we believe? Are we willing to deny the lures of the world, the devil, and our own flesh in order to obey God?

The pieces of armor that are named in Ephesians 6 represent the basic fundamentals of our faith, and the correct understanding and application of them. They indicate the correct action to maintain so we don’t react impulsively and recklessly. We won’t be prepared for the time of battle if we aren’t applying these SOPs in our everyday lives, everyday: Truth, righteousness, evangelism, faith, salvation. And take up the sword, the Word of God – and pray! Got it?

When you see that list laid out it is so clear that our battle is not against flesh and blood, and we cannot allow it to become so. No! This equipping is God’s fabulous means of coming against the forces of evil that are coming against the Church. Can you see it???  It is the Christ-likeness that our behavior portrays that frustrates the opposition forces. And, these same tools are effective in reaching those people who are still behind the gates of hell that need to see and believe that they can be set free. Genius plan, and totally God-glorifying! He makes us strong in His mighty power, not our own, and deals a death blow to the powers of darkness as we apply what He has provided! Pretty amazing, in a humbling kind of way. Spiritual warfare requires that I face contrary forces and circumstances, including my own natural inclinations and reactions, by choosing to always obey God.  And that is why I say that spiritual warfare is a test of our convictions. And when I stand on my convictions, I am taking a stand for the Church as well. And you do the same!