Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6:13 NIV)
In verse thirteen, Paul again exhorts the church at Ephesus to put on the full armor of God. He wants the church to prepare for spiritual battle. When the day of evil comes, he wants the church to stand their ground against Satan. Next week I will begin examining the armor of God piece by piece.
Note that Paul says when the day of evil comes. He did not say "if" the day of evil comes. Spiritual battles will come to every believer. Wisdom dictates preparation for such a day, so that you can stand your ground, and administer defeat to Satan.
At the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told the following parable. "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." (Matthew 7:24-27 NIV)
In this parable Jesus compares people, who hear and obey the Word of God with people, who hear the Word, but then fail to obey. To only hear is likened to building your house on the sand. To hear and to obey is compared to building your house on the rock. Certainly, the house built with the foundation of rock will be much stronger than the house built on the foundation of sand.
The point I want you to see is that the storm came to both houses. Obedience to God does not exempt you from the storms. The day of evil will come, and when it does, Paul instructed the church to be clothed with the full armor of God.
It is important to recognize in spiritual warfare that there are times when all you must do is stand. Notice that Paul said, And after you done everything. When you have done everything else, then there is nothing more to do but stand.
What is everything? How do you know when you done everything? There is only one way to know. You must be intimately acquainted with the Word of God and with the Holy Spirit. Just as the Holy Spirit gave specific instructions for battle to the nation of Israel in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit will instruct you as you face spiritual battle. If there are any adjustments needed in your life, the Holy Spirit will gladly reveal that information to you, if you are sensitive to him. If there are specific instructions that you need to hear, you can depend on the Holy Spirit to tell you what to do. Stay sensitive to him.
The enemy desires to put you on the defensive. He wants to take back territory that you have already obtained through Jesus Christ. As Jesus taught us, Satan desires to steal, kill, and destroy. (See John 10:10)
For twenty months my daughter led a Bible study in our home. Most of the participants in that Bible study were in a drug rehabilitation program called Alpha. Some of the participants were strongly committed to Jesus Christ as Lord. It is obvious that Satan would attempt to lure them back into a life of drug and alcohol abuse. At times, they struggled with these issues. But the Alpha program had provided daily steps for these young men and women to implement to help them stay clean. They knew the positive daily habits that they should develop. They knew the steps that they should take, if the pressure to lapse became strong. Then having done all to stand, they could stand knowing that the grace of God is sufficient.
God called the church to purity. Paul said, It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. (I Thessalonians 4:3-8 NIV)
This statement could shock some in today's sex obsessed culture, but God created sex. Yes, he created it for procreation, but he also created it for pleasure. Sexual intimacy should be enjoyed between a man and a woman within the boundaries of a marriage relationship. A Christian married couple, operating in obedience to God, will experience more sexual fulfillment than those living in sexual promiscuity. But, Satan speaking through today's culture says just the opposite.
It is plain to see that sex is an area in which believers must continually be vigilant and not give place to the enemy. Impropriety in this arena can cause much pain and even reproach to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
So, we must do those things which are wise. We must fill our hearts with the Word of God. We must not look at things that are unhealthy. Pornography is a huge problem in the church today among men. However, there are television programs and movies, which most of us men should avoid, even though many would consider them acceptable to watch. Men and women must not allow unhealthy emotional attachments to develop with members of the opposite sex.
Then, after we have done everything that we can do, we can stand against the strategies of the enemy knowing that our victory is secure.
There are sins of commission, but then there are the sins of omission. Many believers omit daily fellowship with God through prayer and the Word of God from their schedule. Make a commitment to regularly pray and feed on the Word of God. Do everything you can do to make fellowship with God a priority. Then stand refusing to budge when the enemy tries to steal your time.
Distraction is a major weapon of the enemy. If the enemy cannot lure you into sins of commission, then he will attempt to fill your life with activity, so that you will neglect the truly important matters such as fellowship with God through prayer and the Word of God.
In conclusion...
God loves you with an everlasting love, and his plans for you are filled with purpose, peace, and great joy.
- Always make God your focus, not Satan.
- Do those things that you know to do.
- Stay sensitive to the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
- When the day of evil comes, stand firm and secure on the foundation of the Almighty God.
- Always know that God's grace is sufficient.
Wayne L. Williams
wayne@fotwm.org
Wisdom From the Word
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