Ephesians 6:13-17 – Put on God’s armor and resist the devil’s advance

In the previous three verses, Paul had described the enemies with whom Christians are engaged in a spiritual conflict. The enemies are not people we relate with in our homes or the church. The enemies we have to encounter are the devil and his cohorts. Having identified the real enemies, Paul’s call is for believers to resist evil in this wicked generation. But of course not without our protective armor. God had provided the armor so that we will be protected. We are to put on the armor. And after we have put it on, we are not to cower from the fight. Instead we are to stand firmly and resist the onslaught of the evil forces.  

Verses 14-17 describe the different pieces of armor we have in order to resist the enemies’ advances. Let us look at each piece of the armor:

·         The belt of truth refers to personal integrity. Like the belt, truth will hold the other pieces of armor securely in place.  

·   The breast plate of righteousness suggests that believers must be just and upright. Righteousness is one of God’s characters and we must seek to live a righteous life.  

·      The shoe of the Gospel of peace is a call to be ready to advance with the message of peace. To effectively share this message, we His messengers, must first experience His peace. We refuse to battle against fresh and blood (humans), and be embroiled in needless bitter fight.

·       The shield of faith is to quench the fiery darts of the evil one. Trusting God and His Word are very essential to douse any doubt that the devil would hurl at us. When we have absolute faith in God, no circumstance, no matter how great, can get us down.

·       The helmet of salvation speaks of a certainty of our salvation. We need to be certain that our salvation is secured so that we will not vacillate in our belief.

·    The sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. This is the only piece of offensive weapon in the armor. In Hebrews 4:12, the Word of God is also referred to as a sharp two-edged sword. This is the piece in our weapon that can cut off the false argument of the devil. Jesus used this in His temptation and effectively thwarted the enemy’s advance. We need to know the Word to effective use it to nullify the enemy’s threat.           

When we are ready and prepared we can resist the advance of the devil effectively. At our disposal to frustrate the work of darkness are the different pieces of God’s armor: truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation and the Word of God. We resist the devil and his lies with truth, honesty and integrity. We also resist his work when we choose to walk righteously and seeking peaceful relationship with others. Besides we can continue to build an unwavering faith in God that will enable us to douse all the devil’s fiery doubts. We also refuse to entertain doubt regarding our status as God’s children and question our salvation. Most of all we must be thoroughly acquainted with the Word of God, for when we are fully equipped with His Word, we will not be tossed to and fro by every doctrine and deceitful scheme of the devil. So let’s stand firm and resist in these evil days!