The Spiritual Battle
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
1 Peter 5:8
The apostle Paul explained how each of us who believe in Jesus Christ will inevitably encounter our own fierce struggles, those places where we feel overwhelmed and are tempted to surrender. Instead, we must take our “stand against the devil’s schemes” and “stand firm” (Ephesians 6:11). Rather than cower in fear or crumble as we recognize our weakness and vulnerability, Paul challenged us to step forward in faith, remembering that we do not rely on our own courage and strength but on God. “Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power,” he wrote (v 10).
Ephesus was a major Roman city in the ancient world, so the idea of a soldier’s armour would have been an easy concept for the Ephesians to understand. And since Paul wrote this letter while under house arrest in Rome, he would have seen many examples of Roman armour on which to base this analogy. The Roman army was a fierce fighting force, and that level of intensity would be needed to do battle “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” that oppose believers in Jesus (Eph 6:12). In the challenges we face, He is only a prayer away (v 18).
We have many struggles, and we will never escape them by our own power or ingenuity. But God is more powerful than any enemy or evil we will ever face.
Bible Reading
Ephesians 6:10–20.
Prayer
Almighty and Eternal God, In the Spiritual battles I must fight, by Your Holy Spirit, help me to be strong and faithful to You. I ask this in the name of my Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Amen