There are three sections to Part 1.
The Christian life is not a playground— it's a battleground. And whether we like it or not, every Christian is called to be a soldier and to "fight the good fight" (I Tim. 6:12). No good soldier enters a battle without being fully prepared and protected.
Likewise, God does not expect us to go to war unarmed. He has given us the armor and weapons we need for the fight, and He expects us to use them. Ephesians 6 tells us, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore, take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand" (Eph. 6: 10-13).
What is the armor of God that we are to wear?
Paul went on to list the different parts of the armor that we are to put on by faith; we are to put on the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.
(Read Eph. 6:14-17)
While putting on this armor is important, our posture in battle is even more vital. Notice the emphasis Paul placed on the word "stand" in this passage. We are told to "stand therefore"
(Eph. 6:14), fully clothed in God's armor, so that we "may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Eph. 6:11) and to "withstand in the evil day" (Eph. 6:13). Having done all this, we will then be able to stand (Eph. 6:13).
Why this emphasis on standing?
Many people misunderstand the purpose of the Christian's armor.The purpose of the armor is to help us stand so we don't lose the ground that Jesus has won for us. In fact, the entire book of Ephesians talks about our posture as Christians. The first three chapters describe the wealth that we have inherited through faith in Christ. Because of His grace, we have the privilege of being seated with Christ in the heav-enlies
(Eph. 2:6) and of sharing in His riches.
In Ephesians chapter four, Paul moved from talking about our wealth in Christ to our walk in Christ: "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called" (Eph. 4:1).
Because today we have the privilege of sitting with Christ on His throne, we are to walk in the will of God and according to the calling He has given us. This means that we are to "walk not as other Gentiles walk" (Eph. 4:17) but instead should "walk in love"(Eph. 5:2) "as children of light" (Eph. 5:8), being careful to
"walk circumspectly" (Eph. 5:15).
Anyone who is seated with Christ on His throne and is walking with Him, revealing Him to an evil world, is going to be attacked by the Enemy. Spiritual warfare goes hand in hand with our wealth and our walk. The privilege of partaking in the riches of Christ's grace and glory as part of His Body is not without its responsibilities.
We should not expect to sit and walk with Him unless we are also willing to stand for Him in the battle against Satan. He has already won the war for us-it's our responsibility to hold on to His victory.
It's important to remember that the purpose of our Christian armor is not for use in gaining new territory. Of course, we are involved in a conquest.
When Jesus said, "The gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18), He was talking about the movement of His army, the Church, in gaining territory and claiming the spoil. But even as we are conquering, we must remember that we do not fight for victory but from victory. Christ has already won the victory for us, and we have already entered into our spiritual inheritance in Him. Thus, our role in the battle with the Devil is that of claiming and holding on to the territory and inheritance won for us by the Lord Jesus Christ.
We find a beautiful illustration of this truth in the Book of Joshua. The Children of Israel were preparing to enter the Promised Land-their inheritance. God told Joshua, "Arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have l given unto you,
as I said unto Moses" (Josh. 1:2,3). In other words, God was saying, "Start walking. You already have the inheritance; now claim it by faith." While the Israelites had to fight the inhabitants of the land, they did not do it to conquer new territory but merely to claim the inheritance that God had already given them.
However, knowing the land was theirs and claiming it by faith was not enough. The Children of Israel also needed to have strength and courage. Three times in Joshua 1 we find the Lord telling Joshua to
"be strong and of a good courage" (Josh. 1: 6,9; see also
Josh. 1:7). In telling the people about God's commands, Joshua gave them the same exhortation (Josh. 1:18).
Likewise, Paul gave us the same instructions for our spiritual warfare: "Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might" (Eph. 6:10).
Having strength and courage is important not only for the battles but also for the so-called times of peace. It is at these times, when we have let down our defenses, that Satan attacks the hardest and gains the most victories. This is what happened to the Israelites. Under Joshua's leadership, they conquered the land and claimed their inheritance. But a new generation came along that didn't appreciate their inheritance and didn't know the Lord as they should. Their strength and courage waned. As a result, they could not stand against their enemies, and they lost their inheritance.
Judges 2 tells us, "And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel" (Judges. 2:10). Have you ever wondered how the people could forget the Lord and what He had done for them so quickly? It may be that the older generation had not kept the Lord's command to teach their children the Law given to them in the wilderness and to relate to them how He had brought them out of Egypt (see Deut. 6:6-25). Likewise, our responsibility as parents today is to teach the Word of God to our children so they might teach it to our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren.
It is also possible that the older generation taught the younger one but that the new generation didn't want to listen. They were content in the land and didn't think they needed God anymore. As a result, the Lord permitted them to be conquered by various nations —the inhabitants of Mesopotamia, the Moabites, the Philistines, the Canaanites and the Midianites (see Judges. 3:8,12, 13,31; 4:2; 6:1).
Time after time the Children of Israel would sin by rejecting God, and He would allow the surrounding nations to invade and take over their inheritance. Each time the Israelites were unable to stand against them: "And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed" (Judges 2:14,15).
Why couldn't they take a stand against their enemies? Because they were bowing down to idols:
"And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them" (Judges. 2:17). Each time they were enslaved by other nations, they would cry out to God, and He would eventually send a judge to deliver them. But as soon as they had their land back, they would return to idol worship and other sins. They never learned their lesson and worshiped only the Lord.
Like the Israelites, we have a tremendous inheritance in Christ. How do we translate that wealth into a daily walk with Him? By bowing. When we bow down before the Lord in worship and pray to Him, then we are practicing our position in Jesus Christ. Even though positionally we are seated with Him in the heavenlies, practically we're still here on earth. The only way to translate that position into practice is by bowing before the Lord continually, remembering our inheritance in Him. When Paul considered everything Christ had done for him, he stated, "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph. 3:14 and also see Eph. 5-12). When we try to walk without first bowing before God, we will walk out of His paths and will lose ground. As a result, we will not be able to stand against the Enemy.
Before we can stand against Satan and his army, we must first bow before the Lord in prayer and worship and then put on the whole armor He has given us. We wear this armor, not to gain new territory but to prevent the Devil from robbing us of our inheritance. Satan wants to spoil and pillage our wealth and enslave us. But when we stand in the strength and power of the Lord, we will be victorious in our fight.
This was a lot longer of a devotional. I hope you enjoyed reading it.
I pray these devotionals will help you become a stronger Christian.
I would love for you to comment on or share this devotion.
All verses are KJV.
See past posts to find previous parts and sections.
Until Next Time………
Sincerely,
Nataly Russell
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