The Greatest Fight of Your Life
Be Strong in the Lord
Minister Joaquin Chavez
Ephesians 6:10-13
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil 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 firm.
Put on the armor of God v.11
- Recalls the command in 4:24 to “put on the new self, created to be like God in true holiness and righteousness.” The “armor of God” can be understood as the armor that God provides, the armor that God himself wears, or even the armor that is God himself.
- In the Old Testament, (Isaiah) the armor language suggests it is the armor God wears. Some of the armor- truth, righteousness, and salvation- suggest we are to put on God or at least the characteristics of God. The idea is therefore close to 5:1: “Be imitators of God.” Only by taking the characteristics God reveals can we be strong.
The greatest enemy you will ever face is yourself
- Schemes of the devil, spiritual forces in heavenly places
- Romans 7:20 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
Did you notice the distinction he makes? Paul says, “Hey, I know I struggle with sin. But I also know that my sin is not me- this is not my true heart.” You are not your sin; sin is no longer the truest thing about the person who has come into union with Jesus. Your heart is good. In the core of your being you are good. Yes, there is a war within us, but it is a civil war. The battle is not between us and God; no, there is a traitor within who wars against our true heart fighting alongside the Spirit of God.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
1 Peter 5:6-11
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Having done all to stand firm
Who needs to prepare for battle?
- Someone who lets fear hold them back - Someone who is their worst critic
- Someone who does the things they do not want to do - Someone who has lost hope
- Someone who cannot be their true selves - Someone running from the truth
- Someone who is holding on tightly - Someone who is struggling with faith
- Someone struggling to love
What are we to do
- We stand firm because we are holding on to Jesus.
- Firmness comes from our dependence on Him. (Be strong in the Lord, strength of his might)
- Every soldier leans on each other. There is no one man army
- You cannot do this alone. (Moses, David, Paul, and Jesus leaned on people)
My own personal civil war/fears
If you give it all up to God, you won’t get back what you really want/need.
What would people think of you if you were your real self?
What if they knew your darkest secrets or thoughts?
Who are you without your work and what you do for people?
Would people really sacrifice to help you in your times of need?
Would people cast you aside because you want the wrong things?
Is Gods strength enough to get all the things he wants you to do done like he used to in the past?
What if you lose the relationship if you speak the truth?
If I sacrifice all, will it even make a dent or be for nothing?
Applications:
1. Spend some time thinking about how much you fear vs how much you trust God. Rate yourself out of 100% to see where you currently are.
2. List out all the areas of fear that are keeping that percentage down.
3. Pray to Jesus to help you conquer the fear in those areas so you can trust him more.
4. When you are afraid, read a character of the Bible who God helped overcome their fears. Ask God to help you have that same strength and courage. Share with a fellow believer who can provide strength.
5. Make a plan to make more time to prepare yourself to wear God’s armor so you can stand firm in the Lord.
Questions:
Who is your favorite Bible character that showed great strength and stood firm for God?
How firm in Gods strength do you feel from 1-10? Why is that number not higher?
How hard do you work to have Gods protection in every part of your life? Why is not more if you want to be safe and achieve your dreams?
Belt of truth - truth is regarded as the quality that will protect the most vulnerable part of the body and will keep believers upright and enable them to “stand.” Or, to put it the other way around, without truth believers will be vulnerable to the schemes of the devil- the father of lies. Falsehood is a chink in believers’ armor, so to speak, that if exposed can enable the enemy to penetrate the most vital regions of the anatomy.
Breastplate of righteousness - Because of its background in Isaiah, righteousness here most likely refers to ethical righteousness rather than forensic, in the sense of righteous conduct, thought, speech, and general ethical outlook. Being a righteous person protects the believer from corruption of the heart- after all, if the heart goes bad, all is lost. The enemy must not be allowed to corrupt a believer’s sense of right and wrong, or to mislead them into unrighteous conduct. That is a certain path to ultimate spiritual destruction, so the believer must protect their own heart at all costs.
Take up the shield of faith - The imagery of the shield also resonates with the protective stance of the Lord, who promised Abraham, “I am your shield” (Gen 15:1). For Israel, “He is the shield that protects you” (Deut 33:29), just as David calls him “my shield, the horn of my salvation,” and “shield to all who take refuge in him” (2 Sam 22:3, 31). Protection from attack is an expression of the Lord’s love and care for his people. Faith, trust, or confidence in God’s loving care is the effective defensive protection that will keep believers safe from attack.
Helmet of salvation - the association between helmet and salvation infers that knowledge of God’s salvation protects the believer’s mind from attack. In this vicious spiritual battle, it is possible that believers may lose hope of victory, succumbing to pessimism. But the mind, with its attitudes and convictions, is protected from such traps buy the knowledge that God’s salvation is certain. He is himself victorious in battle against his enemies, which in turn ensures that believers are on the winning side of this warfare.
Sword of the Spirit - the word here refers to a short sword used for hand-to-hand close combat. Preachers, teachers, evangelists, teachers, and all who proclaim the word of God are involved in frontline fighting in this treacherous spiritual warfare. The enemy is up close and personal and is therefore an imminent threat. Those who teach and share the word of God are at immediate risk in this battle and must, therefore, be properly prepared to with the full armor of God.