Put on your full armor, stand firm against satan

"Sooner or later every believer discovers that the Christian life is a battleground, not a playground, and that he faces an enemy who is much stronger than he is—apart from the Lord.” — Warren W. Wiersbe author of “Be Rich”

I would dare say that every day is a battle. Sure there are moments filled with joy and gladness.

But during most days, there is a battle that continually rages. A battle against the world, the flesh and the devil. A spiritual battle. And as you may or may not know, we must fight a spiritual battle with spiritual weapons and spiritual armor.

As Ephesians 6:11 popped up on my phone a few days ago, I noticed a little adjective in the sentence I have glanced over far too many times before. Let’s look at Ephesians and you’ll see what I’m blubbering about.

10 “Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength.

11 “Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil.

12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.

13 “For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.

14 “Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest,

15 “and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace.

16 “In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

17 “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit ​— ​which is the word of God.

18 “Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints.” — Ephesians 6:10-18 (CSB)

Take a peek at verse 11. Do you see the adjective that has me all amazed? It’s a four letter word that changes everything. Full.

In my day-to-day battle of the spirit, am I clothing myself with the FULL armor of God?

Verse 10 is clear that when we put on the full armor of God, the Lord strengthens us.

It’s only through the Lord we can STAND against the devil and his schemes and win.

On our own we aren’t strong enough or smart enough to stand against Satan. It takes Christ power within us; it takes the armor God offers.

So what is the armor, what does it mean? I’m so glad you asked. Walk with me through the armor if you will.

The belt of truth: Truth is knowing who God is and who we are made to be, Christlike. Truth is living with integrity. By living with integrity and knowing who God is, we can face Satan with no fear.

The breastplate of righteousness: Righteousness means being in right standing with God. Being forgiven and free of sin. The accuser (Satan) cannot accuse what doesn’t exist. Put on righteousness.

Sandals of peace: When we shod our feet with the gospel of peace, we carry peace everywhere we go. We are at peace with God and one another.

Romans 12:18 CSB says, “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

Does this mean there will never be disagreements? Nope. But you can be at peace with God and man even in the darkest valley. Peace is a characteristic of God, and he calls us to be like him. Be at peace with him and your neighbor.

The shield of faith: When we have faith, we believe God, and we press on in what he’s calling us to do. We exercise perseverance despite what we see.

“Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1 CSB)

The helmet of salvation: “But I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds may be seduced from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” — 2 Corinthians 11:3 (CSB)

Satan longs to attack our minds just as he defeated Eve in the Garden of Eden. But Satan cannot lead us astray when we have a mind controlled by God.

Filling ourselves with God’s word, the study of scriptures, and worship time, we can not be led astray because our minds will be full of the things of God.

The sword of the spirit: This is our offensive weapon. All the other parts of our armor are for the defense. God’s word is our sword.

“For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” — Hebrews 4:12 (CSB)

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness,” — 2 Timothy 3:16 (CSB)

It is our greatest tool as a believer. But we must read and apply it to our lives each day.

Prayer: Our communication with God. Prayer keeps us connected, rightly directed, and alert to Satan’s schemes.

Friend, God’s word reminds us that Satan prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).

It’s inevitable that he WILL show up ready to wage war on your life. It’s WHO he is.

Don’t wait for the attack. I’m preaching to me too.

Be ready, put on your FULL armor and STAND FIRM against him. He is lurking and looking for us to leave any part of our armor off, leaving us exposed to his schemes.

Don’t be caught unguarded. Put on the FULL armor.

Cassie Downs, formerly of the Ellsinore area, is a bible teacher, author, retreat host, founder of Everyday Jesus Ministry, and serves as operations pastor at The Hill Church. A leader full of passion for seeing women follow Jesus and His plan for their lives. She is an avid reader and loves to travel. Cassie lives in Stockton, Mo. with her husband, Dustin and their three children. Connect with Cassie at cassiedowns.com.