¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. (Ephesians 6:13 ESV)
Whether you think about this often or not, by virtue of your allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ, you are in the midst of a war. This war is not fought in the way we see wars in the world, with artillery and tanks and bloodshed and capturing cities. This war is fought in the spiritual realm. Many Christians have rightly called it spiritual warfare.
The Apostle Paul recognized this war and wanted to warn the church at Ephesus about it, as well as prepare them to be ready. To be ready to what?
He isn’t necessarily saying to be ready to win the war – because in a very real sense, thanks to the death and resurrection of Christ, the war is already won!
He also isn’t challenging to church to lob the head off of Satan or his minions, because at the end of the day, Satanic powers are much more powerful than human powers.
Paul is challenging the church at war to do one thing: To stand. To stand firm.
This means that he is cautioning them about giving in to, being ignorant of, or allowing Satan’s fiery, subtle darts from knocking them down in their faith and commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Satan hates God. He hates God’s people. And he is a formidable foe.
Thankfully, the Lord has provided his people with protection, called the armor of God, that allows us to stand against Satan when he attacks.
Brothers and sisters, meditate deeply on this text. Do not let your guard down. Satan hates our church and will do what he can to divide and destroy us. Let us stand firm in the power of God and watch him flee!