Ephesians 6:10
Ephesians 6:11
Ephesians 6:12
Ephesians 6:13
Ephesians 6:14
Ephesians 6:15
Ephesians 6:16
Ephesians 6:17
Ephesians 6:18

James 1:13
James 1:14
James 1:15

Exposition of 1Peter 5:8
Exposition of 1Peter 5:9

Cyberhymnal Hymns on Topic of Spiritual Warfare (scroll down)

2 Chronicles 20:1-25 Ambushing Satan with Song - John Piper

THE METAPHOR OF THE CHRISTIAN SOLDIER

Soldier Illustrations

Exposition of 2 Timothy 2:3-4
Three Kinds of Soldiers - Ten Principles of Warfare
Roman Soldier by Edward Gibbon (Decline & Fall of Roman Empire)
The Roman Soldier - Description from Jewish Historian Josephus
A Few Soldier Stories and Sermons

THE AMALEKITES: A PICTURE OF PERSISTENT SPIRITUAL WARFARE
 

Jehovah Nissi: Exposition of Exodus 17:8-16

THEREFORE, TAKE UP THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD: dia touto analabete (2PAAM) ten panoplian tou theou: (Ep 6:11-17; 2Cor 10:4)

Therefore (1223) (dia) (remember to always query this term of conclusion which occurs over 1000x in the NAS - Always ask at least what is the author concluding which will force you to re-read the previous context. You will find that this discipline of questioning the text will slow you down and facilitate meditation. In in this case serves as a marker of of something constituting cause thus  indicating a reason -- on account of, because of, for the sake of .

Fight, though thy foes increase; fight, till the dawn of peace;
Fight, till the war shall cease, then shout and sing.
Shout, then triumphantly, shout, shout the victory;
Shout, “Glory be to Thee, O Lord, our King! (Play)

Take up (353) (analambano from ana = up + lambano = take) means literally to take up, to assume. Depending on the context analambano can mean to cause to go up, to lift up and carry away as in the Ascension of Christ (Acts 1:2, 11, 22), to take up in order to carry (Acts 7:43, Eph 6:13, 16), to pick up (someone to take along on a journey - 2Ti 4:11-note), to take aboard a ship (Acts 20:13, 14).

Paul like a military general to his troops commands the believers to take up their armor. The aorist imperative conveys a sense of urgency and demands that one take decisive action. Do this now! Don't delay!  So when the battle is the most fierce, the soldier of Christ may still be able to hold his or her position even against the most determined attacks.

Wuest adds that analambano means to...

 “to take up” in order to use, “to take to one’s self,” thus, “take up” as one takes up armor to put it on. The verb is aorist imperative, which construction issues a command given with military snap and curtness, a command to be obeyed at once and once for all. Thus, the Christian is to take up and put on all the armor of God as a once-for-all act and keep that armor on during the entire course of his life, not relaxing the discipline necessary for the constant use of such protection. (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans)

Analambano is used 69 times in the Septuagint (LXX) (Gen. 24:61; 45:19, 27; 46:5f; 48:1; 50:13; Exod. 4:20; 10:13, 19; 12:32, 34; 19:4; 28:12; Num. 14:1; 23:7, 18; 24:3, 15, 20f, 23; Deut. 1:41; 32:11; 2 Ki. 2:9ff; 2 Chr. 25:28; Est. 5:1; Job 13:14; 17:9; 21:12; 22:22; 27:21; 36:3; 40:10; Ps. 50:16; 72:3; 78:70; 139:9; 146:9; 147:6; Isa. 40:24; 46:4; 63:9; Jer. 4:6; 7:29; 13:20; 46:3; Lam. 3:41; 5:13; Ezek. 2:2; 3:12, 14; 8:3; 10:19; 11:1, 24; 12:6f; 16:61; 43:5; Dan. 2:5; 4:34; Hos. 11:3; Amos 5:26; 7:15; Zech. 5:9)

TDNT notes that analambano in the LXX has such senses as

“to load,” “to set on the feet,” “to raise” (a song), “to lift up” (in prayer), “to receive” (instruction), and “to keep upright.” It can also become a term for rapture. (Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W.  Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Eerdmans)

Analambano is used 13 times in the NT...

Mark 16:19 So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.

Acts 1:2 until the day when He was taken up, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen....11 and they also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven."...22 beginning with the baptism of John, until the day that He was taken up from us-- one of these should become a witness with us of His resurrection."

Acts 7:43 'You also took along the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of the god Rompha, the images which you made to worship them. I also will remove you beyond Babylon.'

Acts 10:16 And this happened three times; and immediately the object was taken up into the sky.

Acts 20:13 But we, going ahead to the ship, set sail for Assos, intending from there to take Paul on board; for thus he had arranged it, intending himself to go by land 14 And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene.

Acts 23:31 So the soldiers, in accordance with their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris.

Ephesians 6:13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

Ephesians 6:16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one.

1 Timothy 3:16 And by common confession great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Beheld by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.

2 Timothy 4:11 Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service.

Ray Stedman illustrates the importance of full armor in warfare...

BRITISH ADMIRAL LORD DAVID BEATTY commanded a flotilla at the Battle of Jutland during World War I. As the battle began, British and German ships engaged each other in a long-range artillery battle. It quickly became apparent that there was a major flaw in the British ships. First, a heavy cruiser, the Lion, was hit by an artillery barrage and quickly sunk. Next the Indefatigable was hit in the powder magazine, and was blown to pieces. Then the Queen Mary was sunk, taking a crew of 1,200 sailors straight to the bottom. Watching this destruction among the proud ships of his fleet, Admiral Beatty turned to his bridge officer and said with characteristic British restraint,

"There seems to be something wrong with our ships today, Chatfield."

Though the British ships eventually turned back the German fleet, it was later discovered that there was a fatal flaw in the design of the British ships. Though they had heavily armored hulls, their wooden decks offered almost no protection against enemy long-range artillery shells that dropped almost straight down out of the sky. Only after the British began to armor their ships on top as well as on the sides did they stop losing ships to German long-range artillery.  Effective armor is a crucial element of victory in any war including spiritual warfare...If you leave anything unprotected, the enemy will find a way to exploit that chink in your armor and he will destroy you. In Ephesians 6, Paul calls us to "be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power." How do we do this? How do we become strong in the Lord as Paul exhorts us to? By putting on "the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." And note that word full. We cannot merely put on this or that piece of God's armor in some random or incomplete fashion. We cannot leave any part of ourselves uncovered and unprotected. We cannot give our enemy any little opening, or he will exploit that opening to his advantage. (Ray Stedman. Spiritual Warfare - Available online and highly recommended!) (Bolding added)

Full armor (3833)(panoplia from pás = all, every + hoplon = weapon, originally any tool or implement for preparing a thing, became used in the plural for weapons of warfare) is literally wholly armed and refers to the complete set of instruments used in offensive and defensive war. The literal meaning referred to the full preparation of a foot soldier for offense and defense - the complete suit of armor. Certainly Paul could claim knowledge of the Roman soldier’s armor, being chained to one for some three years.

Don't miss the qualifying phrase "of God". It is His armor, not ours. He provides the full armor, but believers must recognize the battle and implement God’s sufficient provision by faith and obedience. Trust and obey...there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey!

Vincent commenting on full armor writes that there is...

An interesting parallel passage, evidently founded upon this, in Ignatius’ Epistle to Polycarp, vi.

“Please the captain under whom ye serve, from whom also ye shall receive your wages. Let no one of you be found a deserter. Let your baptism abide as your shield; your faith as your helmets; your love as your spear; your patience as your whole armor. Let your good works be your savings (the deposita), that you may receive what is justly to your credit.”

Gibbon relates how the relaxation of discipline and the disuse of exercise rendered the (Roman) soldiers less willing and less able to support the fatigues of the service. They complained of the weight of their armor, and successively obtained permission to lay aside their cuirasses and helmets (Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire - chapter 27). (Vincent, M. R. Word Studies in the New Testament)

SO THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO RESIST: hina dunethete (2PAPS) antistenai (AAN): (Eph 5:6,16; Ecclesiastes 12:1; Amos 6:3; Luke 8:13; Revelation 3:10)

So that (2443) (hina) introduces a purpose clause, the reason we are to take up the full armor is now explained.

Will be able (1410) (dunamai [word study] - see study of related word dunamis) means to have power by virtue of inherent ability and resources.  Note the passive voice which indicates that this is an internal enablement provided by an outside source, the Spirit of God. The tense is aorist so Paul is saying that we will be enabled to effectively resist.

Notice that Paul uses dunamai three times in this short treatise on spiritual warfare and each time it is in the passive voice indicating an external source of enablement to which the believer must be willing to yield and receive from the Holy Spirit!  (Ep 6:11, 13, 16-See notes Ep 6:11, 13; 16) In other words, attitudes such as self confidence, self sufficiency and self assurance, etc, have to be cast off like filthy garments of unrighteousness if we are to receive the necessary divine empowerment God graciously makes available.

Evil (4190) (poneros from pónos = labor, sorrow, pain) refers to evil and means active evil in opposition to good. When Satan is referred to as the "Evil One", the NT writers chose poneros rather than kakos, this latter word basically denoting a lack of something (it is not as it ought to be and thus is bad) but also used to refer evil in a moral sense.

Day (2250) (hemera) is literally the time space between dawn and dark or the whole 24 hours. In the present context, day refers more to a point or period of time.

Wuest writes that...

The definite article before “day,” marks it out as a particular day, probably, as Expositors says, “the day of violent temptation and assault, whenever that may come to us during the present time.” (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans)

Resist (436) (anthistemi from anti = against + histemi = stand) means literally to stand or set against. It means to arrange in battle against and so pictures a face to face confrontation. It means to set one's self against, to stand firm against someone else's onset, to oppose (place opposite or against), to resist by actively opposing pressure or power, to withstand (oppose with firm determination). It involves not only a psychological attitude but also a corresponding behavior. It was used to refer to an army arranging in battle against the enemy force and so to array against.

Grant Richison makes the important observation that anthistemi...

"is a term of defense, not offense. The Christian must build fortifications against the Devil. The Christian is at war. We should establish bulwarks of faith against our enemy. We resist by obeying the commands of verse eight. We would do well to remember that we cannot fight the Devil in ourselves." (Richison, G: Today's Word)

BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity (topos - see discussion below). (In these two passages, Paul, like a commanding general in the fierceness of battle, barks out 4 commands all in the present imperative and three of these commands are with the negative, a Greek construction which forbids the continuance of an action which was already going on!) (Ep 4:26, 27-notes)

Paul commands the Ephesian believers to stop sinning (getting angry for the wrong reason, wrong time, wrong attitude, etc), to stop letting the sun go down on their anger and to stop giving the devil an opportunity. Remember that opportunity (topos) was used in Greek to refer to a territory, land, a defined place, an area (“District,” “town,” “dwelling-place”). In short topos can refer to an area of any size depending on the context. As used figuratively here topos refers to a  place, opportunity or occasion. Paul is saying for these believers to stop giving the devil a foothold or base for operations which parallels his instruction here in Ephesians 6:13 to hold their ground and not give an inch of territory to the devil or his minions! Don't make a "spot" for the devil to come sit in your life or between you and another individual, especially your mate! He specializes in driving a wedge between husband and wife (cf Genesis 3:1, 12, 13) and anger is one of his primary vehicles. It is interesting that topos is used in another passage on anger...

"No man will be able to stand before (LXX = anthistemi = stand against) you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you." (Joshua 1:5)

"The LORD will cause your enemies who rise up against (LXX = anthistemi = stand against)  you to be defeated before you; they shall come out against you one way and shall flee before you seven ways." (Dt 28:7)

Flee immorality 1Cor 6:18

Flee from idolatry 1Cor 10:14

Flee from these things [love of money], you man of God 1Ti 6:11

Notice that every use of flee in these passages is in the present imperative and thus is a command to continuously flee. The believer is never instructed to flee from the Devil but to resist him!

Constable adds that

"Whereas God commands us to forsake the world and deny the lusts of the flesh we should resist the devil. Satan’s desire is to get the Christian to doubt, to deny, to disregard, and to disobey what God has said." (Tom Constable's Expository Notes on the Bible)

In a parallel passage James  also uses verb anthistemi calling on believers to...

Submit  (line up under - do it now! It is urgent! = aorist imperative) therefore (because God opposes the proud who refuse to submit but gives grace to the humble who willingly, lovingly yield to Him)  to God. Resist (anthistemi - aorist imperative) = take your stand against) the devil and he will flee from you. (Jas 4:7)

Comment: What a paradox - it is the humble man or woman that Satan will flee from, not the one who is filled with pride! People who believe that the Devil is red believe a religious fairy tale. This passage makes it very clear that the Devil is yellow! The Devil is not afraid of us but of our faith. By depending on the Lord the weakest Christian can not only check the Devil but he can vanquish him. It is amazing that God has given Christians the power to resist the greatest creature ever made! The Devil is mighty but not invincible. Some people act as if the Devil is almighty. This is a sad mistake because it defers to him too much. Furthermore, an attitude of indecision and doubt when facing the devil makes him bold and aggressive in his attacks but confronting him with a resolute will and firm confidence in God's promise (that the enemy must flee) unmasks him as a coward. The devil cannot lead a man or woman into sin without the consent of that person's will. As long as the individual's will is submissive to the control and guidance of the Holy Spirit, that person can stand victorious against any deception and seduction the devil might cast his or her way.

Before we can stand before Satan, we must bow before God. Peter resisted the Lord and ended up submitting to Satan!" (Wiersbe, W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor)

Peter uses anthistemi calling on believers to

Humble (aorist imperative - be willing to bow down to Him) yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time 7 casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you. 8 Be of sober spirit (aorist imperative), be on the alert (aorist imperative). Your adversary (see word study antídikos), the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist (anthistemi - aorist imperative) him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. (See notes  1 Peter 5:6; 5:7; 5:8; 5:9 )

Comment: Grant Richison writes that "This lion produces a howling or roaring sound. The lion uses his roar to frighten his game. By his roar, he immobilizes his victims. His roar is a weapon. What the Devil cannot accomplish through allurement he tries to achieve through dread. Lions usually range near six hundred pounds, standing four feet high. They run at twenty feet per bound and at about a hundred yards in five seconds. They are totally unpredictable. They will attack for no apparent reason. They have extremely powerful voices. Fear will blunt an aggressive Christian life. A roaring lion intimidates by his roar. The Devil intimidates by fear. He casts fear into weak Christians because that will intimidate them from a life of faith. As a lion in the wild chases a herd of gazelles and runs down the weak of the herd, so the Devil usually catches weak Christians first because he freezes them in fear. Fear incapacitates us from moving ahead with our Christian walk. ( Bolding added. From Today's Word)

when the devil had finished every temptation (of Jesus), he departed from Him until an opportune time. (Lk 4:13).

I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome (nikao [word study]- come off victorious over) the evil one (the devil and his evil angels). (1Jn 2:14)

Comment: These young men know sound doctrine and so are strong against sin and error because they have His Word in them and are enable to overcome the wiles of the devil, who makes havoc of spiritual children (Ep 4:14-note)

You are from God, little children, and have overcome (be victorious over) them; because greater is He who is in you (the Spirit of Christ) than he who is in the world. (the spirit of the devil and his henchmen) (1Jn 4:4).

Comment: The context speaks especially of false doctrine, which the Spirit of God will help the believer discern as error.

We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him and the evil one does not touch him. (1Jn 5:18)

Comment: The word for "touch" means to lay hold of or to grasp in order to harm. Because the believer belongs to God, Satan must operate within God’s sovereignty and cannot function beyond what God allows, as taught for example in Job 2:5. God protects His children and places definite limits on Satan’s influence or power.

IN THE EVIL DAY: en te hemera te ponera:

making the most of (redeeming = exagorazo) your time, because the days are evil (poneros = actively harmful and hurtful). (Ep 5:16-note)

When is the evil day? Although there is not complete agreement on the meaning of this term, the evil day surely began one day in the garden of Eden when the "Evil One" (Eph 6:16-note) tempted Adam and Eve and

"through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because  all sinned" (Ro 5:12-note).

Any day when the evil one comes upon us in force is the evil day. Every day of temptation is an evil day in this sense for the Christian. The phrase "the evil day" at least implies that not all days are evil. Some days as we have all experienced are worse than others. There are seasons in our lives when pressures are more intense, and when problems, trials, and temptations seem to gang up on us all at once. Surely these would classify as evil days. This phrase probably does not signify a literal twenty-four-hour day, for it could be a day, a week, or even years in length. But by the mercy and grace of God, thankfully not all of life is a relentless, excruciating trial. So while every day is not an evil day, we have to agree with God's Word when it tells us that, in general, life is an unrelenting struggle. The struggle varies in intensity from time to time, but it extends from the cradle to the grave.

AND HAVING DONE EVERYTHING, TO STAND FIRM: kai apanta katergasamenoi (AMPMPN) stenai. (AAN):  (Malachi 3:2; Luke 21:36; Colossians 4:12; Revelation 6:17)

NEB “to complete every task”

NAB “do all that your duty requires”

TNT “when you can do no more”

Brc “you will be able to see things through to the end.”

When Martin Luther was placed on trial for his views before the council in the German city of Worms, amid high drama he reportedly affirmed,

“Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me, Amen."

Having done (2716) (katergazomai [word study] from katá = intensifies meaning of verb + ergazomai =  work or engage in an activity involving considerable expenditure of effort) means to work out fully and thoroughly, to accomplish or achieve an end, to finish or carry something to its conclusion. To work so as to bring something to fulfillment or successful completion and implies doing something with thoroughness. It means to do that from which something results. This verb always means to complete the effort and the work begun.

Puritan writer William Gurnall says that...

In heaven we shall appear, not in armor, but in robes of glory. But here these are to be worn night and day; we must walk, work, and sleep in them, or else we are not true soldiers of Christ...We must not confide in the armor of God, but in the God of this armor, because all our weapons are only “mighty through God”.

Having done all includes both dressing oneself in God’s armor and resisting Satan. Having done everything that is required. Having done all these, be ready, for the Devil will attack again and again. Vincent adds having done "everything that the crisis demands" We are not called to do merely as well as our neighbors; nor even to do well on the whole, but to do ALL (Greek = pas, meaning all without exception!) — to leave nothing undone that can contribute to the success of the spiritual battle and then we shall be able to stand firm.

Everything (537) (pas) in context refers to everything which the crisis demands.

Bratcher and Nida explain that...

In this context it would seem that the writer is talking about a constant series of battles with the enemy, not the final, eschatological, once and for all battle; in this view, the participial phrase would mean that after fighting each battle to the end the Christian warrior will still be on his feet, ready for the next battle. (The United Bible Societies' New Testament Handbook Series )

Stand - In Inductive Bible Study, a "key word" is one which functions like a key to unlock the truths in a passage and is often determined to be "key" by repetition but not all words that are repeated are "key". In these passages on spiritual warfare clearly "stand" (Greek = histemi) is a key word as it occurs three times (Ep 6:11, 13, 14- notes Ep 6:11; 13; 14). In addition and even the word "resist" (anthistemi) here in Ephesians 6:13 is derived from the Greek word for "stand" (histemi).

Stand on truth -- The Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s. If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.... We are more than conquerors through Him...For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast. (1Sa 17:47; Ro 8:31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37-notes; 1Cor 15:57, 58; 1Jn 5:4, 5)

Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus
by George Duffield

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross;
Lift high His royal banner, it must not suffer loss.
From victory unto victory His army shall He lead,
Till every foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the solemn watchword hear;
If while ye sleep He suffers, away with shame and fear;
Where’er ye meet with evil, within you or without,
Charge for the God of battles, and put the foe to rout.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the trumpet call obey;
Forth to the mighty conflict, in this His glorious day.
Ye that are brave now serve Him against unnumbered foes;
Let courage rise with danger, and strength to strength oppose.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, stand in His strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the Gospel armor, each piece put on with prayer;
Where duty calls or danger, be never wanting there.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, each soldier to his post,
Close up the broken column, and shout through all the host:
Make good the loss so heavy, in those that still remain,
And prove to all around you that death itself is gain.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the strife will not be long;
This day the noise of battle, the next the victor’s song.
To those who vanquish evil a crown of life shall be;
They with the King of Glory shall reign eternally.

Stand firm (2476) (histemi)  means literally to support oneself on the feet in an erect position. It means to take up or maintain a specified position or posture. In context it conveys the idea of digging in (the Roman sandals had spikes for this purpose). To "stand" was used as a military term for holding on to a position.

Stand firm on the truth, the sound doctrines which Paul wrote about earlier in Ephesians -- e.g., the believer's access to the same source of power that brought about Christ's resurrection (Ep 1:19-note), Christ's position far above all demonic powers (Ep 1:21-note), Christ's indisputable Headship over all things (Ep 1:22, 23-notes),  and our inseparable union with Christ (Ep 2:5, 6-see notes Ep 2:5; 2:6) to mention just  a few of the truths Paul had taught the Ephesian saints about their position and power in Christ. It follows that because it is so vital for saints to know who we are in Christ before we can stand firm, any teaching on spiritual warfare which restricts itself to Ephesians 6:10-18 will at best provide only a partial view of truth on this crucial topic.

From a practical standpoint one stands firm by living the obedient, Scripture–dominated, Spirit–empowered life - the Spirit in such a state is not quenched or grieved and strengthens the obedient believer to stand firm. The greatest weapon we have in warfare is not what we say to the devil but how we live the ''Christ life''. Obedience, surrender, submission to God and His Word of Truth -- this is the believer's greatest "weapon" in spiritual warfare. It's not binding but it's bowing, saying ''yes'' to Jesus and enabled by His Spirit committing to do His Word...at the moment He says do it...then at that moment of loving obedience  to your Lord you have become a veritable "fortress" against the devil.

Believers are to face the enemy, not converse with him or turns their backs on him. The moment we face up to him that is the first step to victory. Victory is not something we have to win, but is something that has already been won for us at Calvary (Col 2:15-note). Believers do not fight as much for victory as from victory.

We must live in light of the fact that just as much as "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for our life," so it is true that "Satan hates you and has a terrible plan for our life"! The reality is that believers have an enemy who wishes nothing but evil for us and who does not rest or grow weary in seeking to accomplish his nefarious objective.

Using the metaphor of a battle, in the military sense to stand firm meant to hold a watch post or to stand and hold a critical position on a battlefield while under attack! The intent of Paul's exhortation is not unlike that of our Lord to the embattled church at Thyatira, whom He commanded, “hold fast until I come” (Rev 2:25-note). Each of us as believers need to be strengthened in the inner man, letting our mind be affected by the truth, and letting the Spirit of Christ motivate us (Ezekiel 36:27, Php 2:12-note) and live His life through us. Stand firm by being in His word, obeying His word, repenting quickly and returning to your first Love. In spiritual warfare, if you are disobedient you are deceived and a deceived person doesn't even know it! Furthermore when you are deceived you are a prime target for defeat! That is how good the Deceiver is. Remember his territory is the darkness, this present world system (see below), and even though believers have been transferred out of darkness and into God's marvelous light, we can still choose to place ourselves under his domain by willing disobedience.

John Piper has an insightful comment on this present "world system" writing that...

"We must cultivate the mindset of exiles. What this does mainly is sober us up and wake us up so that we don't drift with the world and take for granted that the way the world thinks and acts is the best way. We don't assume that what is on TV is helpful to the soul; we don't assume that the priorities of advertisers is helpful to the soul; we don't assume that the strategies and values of business and industry are helpful to the soul. We don't assume that any of this glorifies God. We stop and we think and we consult the Wisdom of our own country, heaven, and we don't assume that the conventional wisdom of this age is God's wisdom. We get our bearings from God in his word. When you see yourself as an alien and an exile with your citizenship in heaven, and God as your only Sovereign, you stop drifting with the current of the day. You ponder what is good for the soul and what honors God in everything: food, cars, videos, bathing suits, birth control, driving speeds, bed times, financial savings, education for the children, unreached peoples, famine, refugee camps, sports, death, and everything else. Aliens get their cue from God and not the world." (The War Against the Soul and the Glory of God -- Desiring God)

Many Christians have a wrong idea about spiritual warfare. They picture the Christian army as assaulting the kingdom of hell, and on patrol against demons and spiritual enemies. Much of this is based on a misunderstanding of Matthew 16:18: And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. It’s easy to see how a first reading of this passage gives the picture of the church as an assaulting army, bombarding the gates of Hell, and plundering Hell and conquering it. The problem is that this understanding is completely inconsistent with the rest of the Scriptures. Nowhere do we read of the church assaulting or conquering Hell in this way. Instead, we should understand what is meant by the phrase “the gates of Hades.” In the ancient world, the city council, judges, and city leadership gathered together at the gates of the city. It was the place where the city life was planned, organized, strategized. It’s in this sense that Jesus speaks of the gates of Hades. He means that no satanic strategy, no plot from Hell will ultimately succeed against the church. Instead of picturing the army of the church seeking out and attacking some kind of demonic fortress, we are to have the idea that Jesus illustrated in His ministry. Jesus didn’t patrol around, looking for demons to conquer. That would almost be allowing demons to set the agenda for His ministry. Instead, Jesus knew what God the Father wanted Him to do, He set about doing it, and He dealt with satanic opposition when it arose. When satanic opposition raised itself, Jesus stood against it and was not moved.

So the idea is that God has given us a call, a mission, a course to fulfill. Satan will do his best to stop it. When he attacks and intimidates, we are to stand. It is plain that this is Paul’s emphasis in Ephesians 6:11 and 6:13. We love an energetic church that advances the Kingdom of God so vigorously that it shakes the councils of hell, but we don’t let principalities and powers set our agenda. We do the Lord’s work and stand against every hint of spiritual opposition.

God gives the Christian a glorious standing to maintain by faith and spiritual warfare:

· We stand in grace (Ro 5:2-note)

· We stand in the gospel (1Cor 15:1).

· We stand in courage and strength (1Cor 16:13).

· We stand in faith (2Cor 1:24).

· We stand in Christian liberty (Gal 5:1).

· We stand in Christian unity (Php 1:27-note).

· We stand in the Lord (Php 4:1-note).

· We should stand perfect and complete in the will of God (Col 4:12-note).

All in all, there is a lot bound up in that little word, stand.

· It means that we are going to be attacked.

· It means that we must not be frightened.

· It means that we must not droop or slouch, being uncertain or half-hearted in the fight (no self-pity is allowed).

· It means that we are at our position and alert.

· It means that we do not give even a thought to retreat. (Ephesians 6)

Craig Brian Larson gives the following illustration...

Recently NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ran an article about the Alaskan bull moose. The males of the species battle for dominance during the fall breeding season, literally going head-to-head with antlers crunching together as they collide. Often the antlers, their only weapon are broken. That ensures defeat. The heftiest moose, with the largest and strongest antlers, triumphs. Therefore, the battle fought in the fall is really won during the summer, when the moose eat continually. The one that consumes the best diet for growing antlers and gaining weight will be the heavyweight in the fight. Those that eat inadequately sport weaker antlers and less bulk.

There is a lesson here for us. Spiritual battles await. Satan will choose a season to attack. Will we be victorious, or will we fall? Much depends on what we do now—before the wars begin. The bull-moose principle: Enduring faith, strength, and wisdom for trials are best developed before they’re needed. (Craig Brian Larson quoted in 10000 Sermon Illustrations. Dallas: Biblical Studies Press)

In his third short epistle the apostle John warned believers of the need to...

Paul’s one great fear was that, 

that possibly after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified (see word study on adokimos) (1Cor 9:27)

NO FURLOUGHS
IN THIS SPIRITUAL WAR

"It is weary work being a pilgrim; come, give it up. Am I always to be mortified? Am I never to be indulged? Give me at least a furlough from this constant warfare."

"Curse God, and die."

"What is the good of being so zealous? Be quiet like the rest; sleep as do others, and let your lamp go out as the other virgins do."

"Why do you hold to these denominational creeds? Sensible men are getting more liberal; they are removing the old landmarks: fall in with the times."

Do you ever wonder whether the Bible can be trusted? Scottish reformer John Knox confessed that he passed through a dark time when his soul was filled with "anger, wrath, and indignation, which it conceived against God, calling all His promises in doubt." Do you sometimes wonder if God exists? The staunchest of Puritans, Increase Mather, wrote in his diary that he was

"greatly molested with temptations to atheism."

"For more than a week Christ was wholly lost. I was shaken by desperation and blasphemy against God."

Don't be surprised if you pass through similar struggles. As followers of Christ, we are in conflict with God's enemy, the devil, the father of lies (Jn. 8:44). We wrestle against him and "the rulers of the darkness of this age" (Eph. 6:12). Two of the pieces of armor God has provided for us when we are attacked by doubt are "truth" and "the shield of faith." They can "quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one" (v14-16). As we saturate our minds with God's Word, our faith will be strengthened. Then we'll be able to stand when doubts assail us. --V C Grounds (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)