Daily Warfare

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 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. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— Ephesians 6:10-18

When you wake up in the morning and get dressed for the day, you’re probably not thinking about stepping onto a battlefield. But the enemy is all around us, constantly assaulting our hearts and minds with temptations, adversities, emotional attacks, and more. And some days, it feels as though we are standing on the front lines of combat with no protection whatsoever.

Therein lies our misunderstanding; we do have protection. The Lord made a provision for our nakedness in battle. He hasn’t sent us to war unprotected; instead, He’s given us a suit of armor that the enemy can’t penetrate—the armor of God.

In Ephesians 6:10-18, the apostle Paul tells us step by step how to prepare for our daily warfare, and yet most Christians don’t pay much attention to the instruction. We may say, “Well, that’s a nice metaphor, but we shouldn’t take it literally. After all, the armor isn’t real.” Yes, it is. It is as real as the clothes on our backs.

Do you want to see a dramatic change in your life? Do you want to stand strong in the face of adversity? Do you want to overcome temptation? Then you need to dress for battle.

I challenge you to intentionally put on your spiritual armor every day for the next seven days. Put it on one piece at a time—the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the sandals of peace, the shield of faith, and the sword of God. Just try it as you meditate daily on Paul's instructions to the church at Ephesus, and watch what God will do.

Thank You, Lord, for the protection of Your armor. Teach me to dress in it every day, to walk in the knowledge that I am protected from the assault of the enemy, and to renew my mind daily with Your promises. In Jesus' Name~Amen