Spiritual Under Armor

(The following is an excerpt from the message that was preached on August 23, 2020.)

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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. (Ephesians 6:10-12)

This has been a really crazy year, right? The coronavirus hit us in February, then there were heavy rains and floods in many parts of the country. School classes were cancelled, people started working from home, businesses have gone bankrupt, and on top of all of that, we’ve had the daily struggles and trials that come with just trying to live life in the 21st Century.

And so we’ve been speaking a lot about God’s peace and the care and protection that God offers you. And that’s true and that’s all good. But we’ve got to be careful that we don’t get the wrong idea. You see, here’s what may happen:

A person might hear about the fountain of peace and joy that comes to us when we follow Christ. And they might get an idea of what the typical Christian life looks like. And they might think, “A person who is living the true Christian life is filled with peace and joy, the worry and the fears of the world don’t bother them, and they just float through life on a cloud and everything is just bliss.”

And then that person might look at his own life, and see, well, that’s not me. That’s not how I live every day. And then that person might conclude, “I’m a terrible Christian. I feel like every day is a battle, every day is a struggle. And so I’m not living the way the bible says I should live. I must be doing something wrong.”

If you’ve ever been tempted to think like that… don’t. Because here is the truth: the Christian life is a battle. We are in war, and you are a soldier. So if you feel that every day is a struggle and a battle, then you’re not doing anything wrong. You’re living life exactly as the bible describes it.

On the other hand, if you’re coasting through every day without a care in the world, everything is peaches and cream, and there are no troubles or trials with anything, then you’re doing something seriously wrong.

The Christian life is a struggle and it’s a war. When you decided to follow Christ, you declared war on the devil and all the forces of evil that are in this world. The question is not: are you a soldier? If you’re following Christ, you are a soldier.

Here is the question to ask yourself: Are you a soldier who is trained and prepared for battle, or are you not?

When we engage in spiritual battle, we may be attacked in a number of ways.

Physically: through illness or disease. In the bible we read about people who are blind and deaf and lame because demons have bound them. 

Mentally: attacks can bring depression, worry, fears. The devil can speak all kinds of lies into your mind, to cause you to worry and fear, or else to act stupidly.

Spiritually: these attacks cause you to doubt the truth, to doubt facts that we read in scripture. These spiritual attacks will cause you to think that God is not all good, or God is not all powerful; that you are not really saved, or your place in heaven is not guaranteed.

So, how do we stand up to these attacks? You cannot fight this in your own strength. You can read books, speak to lots of doctors, work harder, take medicine, follow a 12 step program, or anything else. You can try all these things, but in your own strength you will not stand up against these attacks.

So what should we do?

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

Be strong in the Lord. Draw on his mighty power.

The mighty power of the living God is working within you. As I said before, we are all soldiers. Sitting on the sidelines and watching the battle from a distance is not an option. And so be strong in the Lord.