Satan’s Strategy for Your Life #8: Fighting In Our Flesh
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”—Ephesians 6:10-11
In J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, Théoden says, “I will not risk open war.” Aragorn responds, “Open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not.” As followers of Christ, we are at war whether we want to be or not! A war involving real people, with real souls is at stake! Our participation in the war is not optional; we were drafted in the moment we trusted in Christ. This world is not a playground, but a battlefield! Satan wars against God’s people and wants our destruction and we must be equipped to fight! The only problem is that many of us go into battle without the proper battle attire. In our passage for today, Paul concludes his letter to the Ephesians by saying, “Finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might”—Ephesians 6:10. Our continual temptation is to fight Satan in our own strength, by our own cunning, and our own power. But, that’s like trying to fight Al-Qaeda with a squirt gun—it’s weak, foolish, and deadly. Throughout His Word, we are told to “be strong in the in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” We cannot and must not foolishly try to fight a spiritual foe with fleshly weapons; we must fight a spiritual battle with spiritual weapons. Paul describes the spiritual nature of the battle,
“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”—Ephesians 6:12.
Fighting a spiritual battle requires that we be armed in spiritual attire, therefore we must “put on the whole armor of God…” Our armor is a metaphor for how we are to live our Christian life. It is not a checklist, but a lifestyle. It is a visual aid that helps us remember that we are in a battle and how we are to conduct our life in light of our relationship with Christ. We do not stand against Satan in our own strength, but in the name and power of the Lord our God. As David said when he fought Goliath, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied”—1 Samuel 17:45. David didn’t fight Goliath in his own strength, but in the name of the “Lord and the strength of His might.”
Have you been trying to fight the enemy in the flesh? Have you been so busy submitting to the tyranny of the urgent that you haven’t taken the time to nourish your soul at the feet of Jesus? Have you been too busy to read His Word or to pray? Repent! And then fall at His feet in worship! He will forgive and equip you to battle on in His name! Quit waging war in the flesh and arm yourself with the armor of God forged by God’s own hand in eternity! It is the only appropriate attire for this spiritual war and it is the only attire that will help us live in the victory accomplished by our Savior Jesus. Amen.
In J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, Théoden says, “I will not risk open war.” Aragorn responds, “Open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not.” As followers of Christ, we are at war whether we want to be or not! A war involving real people, with real souls is at stake! Our participation in the war is not optional; we were drafted in the moment we trusted in Christ. This world is not a playground, but a battlefield! Satan wars against God’s people and wants our destruction and we must be equipped to fight! The only problem is that many of us go into battle without the proper battle attire. In our passage for today, Paul concludes his letter to the Ephesians by saying, “Finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might”—Ephesians 6:10. Our continual temptation is to fight Satan in our own strength, by our own cunning, and our own power. But, that’s like trying to fight Al-Qaeda with a squirt gun—it’s weak, foolish, and deadly. Throughout His Word, we are told to “be strong in the in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” We cannot and must not foolishly try to fight a spiritual foe with fleshly weapons; we must fight a spiritual battle with spiritual weapons. Paul describes the spiritual nature of the battle,
“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”—Ephesians 6:12.
Fighting a spiritual battle requires that we be armed in spiritual attire, therefore we must “put on the whole armor of God…” Our armor is a metaphor for how we are to live our Christian life. It is not a checklist, but a lifestyle. It is a visual aid that helps us remember that we are in a battle and how we are to conduct our life in light of our relationship with Christ. We do not stand against Satan in our own strength, but in the name and power of the Lord our God. As David said when he fought Goliath, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied”—1 Samuel 17:45. David didn’t fight Goliath in his own strength, but in the name of the “Lord and the strength of His might.”
Have you been trying to fight the enemy in the flesh? Have you been so busy submitting to the tyranny of the urgent that you haven’t taken the time to nourish your soul at the feet of Jesus? Have you been too busy to read His Word or to pray? Repent! And then fall at His feet in worship! He will forgive and equip you to battle on in His name! Quit waging war in the flesh and arm yourself with the armor of God forged by God’s own hand in eternity! It is the only appropriate attire for this spiritual war and it is the only attire that will help us live in the victory accomplished by our Savior Jesus. Amen.
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