The Battle Against Us

Click here for the audio message of – Ephesians 6:10-20

Our Scripture this morning is no doubt a familiar one to most of you. It describes the whole armor of God. In the first five chapters of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he is describing a true believer. What they are like and how they live a spirit filled life.

Now, he closes his letter by giving a warning to his readers about the spiritual warfare that is occurring and will continue to occur throughout their lives. Which, by the way, still continues with us today. Thankfully, Paul not only describes the warfare, but gives instructions on how to win the war.

God provides us with the things that we need, Paul refers to it as armor. As we know, ultimately Satan’s power over Christians is already broken. The war is won through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He conquered the power of sin and death.

However, as we live in this fallen world we will continue to faces the battles of evil, of sin, of temptation on a daily basis. This is what Paul is preparing us for. We need the Lord’s power. We need the strength of His spirit. We need His Word to strengthen us for victory.

So often today, we find ourselves getting upset, irritated, or maybe disappointed with other people. We must remember that Jesus told us to love our neighbor. So Paul tells us that our war is not against flesh and blood. Our war is not against other people, even though that is who it seems like we are battling against.

Our war is actually against the rulers, the powers, the world forces of darkness, and the spiritual forces of wickedness. These four classifications are different rankings of evil spirits in this world.

The rulers or the principalities are the demons who have oversight of the nations. The powers are the demons that want to possess people and make them do their bidding, we talked about them last week. The forces of darkness are the demons that are in charge of overseeing Satan’s plan. The spiritual forces of wickedness are the demons that are in charge of the religious institutions.

The reason Paul lists these four categories of evil is to let us know that Satan has a plan and he has his demons well organized to carry out that plan as effectively and efficiently as possible. This battle does not just last a day, but it lasts a lifetime for the believer. We are to stand firm, to stand our ground.

We are to put on the full armor of God. We need to use all of the things that God has provided for us to be victorious in our battle. If we were to leave something behind, then that would leave us open for attack. The idea is to wear the full armor of God each and everyday of our lives.

Usually, Satan’s assault on us in not direct or obvious. Remember, Satan is a pretty crafty and clever character. Satan is the prince of the power of the air and the god of this world. He opposes God’s work and he hinders our work for the gospel.

Often times Satan gets to us through our work. When we become disappointed or discouraged and want to give up or maybe we do give up on things, that is Satan’s hand. Or when there are some issues in the church that creates conflict and division, there is Satan at work again enjoying our separation from each other and from God.

Make no mistake about it though, it is indeed a struggle for all believers. You cannot excuse yourself from the battle or think that you are not part of it. In fact, if you don’t feel yourself being attacked then you better check to see which side you are on.

There are certain things we need in our battle that Paul mentions as he closes out his letter to the Ephesian believers.

First, the belt. We all know what a physical belt does, it holds are pants up so we can keep our shirts tucked in, right? The belt of truth is simply knowing and keeping the truth of God’s word with us. We are to live believing the Word of God.

The breastplate of righteousness. A breastplate protects the vital organs, the heart, the lungs, etc. As believers live in obedience to the Word of God and are in communion with Jesus Christ, then the righteousness inside of us grows. This isn’t a self-righteousness, but a God given holy righteousness.

Shoes. Shoes give us a consistent foundation to stand on and provide us with traction. Our spiritual shoes or foundation again is the gospel. We are at peace with Christ and know that He is on our side. We can stand firm knowing that God is there with us.

The shield of faith. A shield protected the entire body from the enemy. Our trust in God’s Word and His promises is our shield. It protects us from all temptations and sin. When we reject God’s blessings and when we are disobedient to Him, then we allow room for Satan’s lies and deceptions into our life.

The helmet of salvation. Of course, we know a helmet protects the head. Professional athletics wear them, soldiers wear them, even little kids wear them while riding their bikes. The idea here again is to protect your head, to protect your thoughts spiritually. Don’t let Satan get in to your head. Don’t let him try to convince you that God does not, can not, and will not love and save you.

That is not true. That is the type of mind games that Satan plays with us. We must not get discouraged. God is here with us and He is in control. He will not abandon us and He will save all those who come to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.



So far all of these items listed are defensive weapons. Now Paul gives us an offensive weapon to use. That of course is the Word of God, the sword of the spirit. Christ is the Word of God. That is what we all need. We need the word of God flowing from us each and everyday. That is how we “attack” people. That is our offensive weapon.

The other offensive weapon we have is prayer. And we have talked about this a few weeks ago.

This is still our battle today and we have the same armor and weaponry that the Ephesians had. When you head home this afternoon, think about your battles. Think about your armor and your weaponry.

Are there pieces that you are missing or things that you need to work on or practice.

The Christian life is indeed a battle, but we must not get discouraged. We must not become fearful or always defensive. We are also told that the believer’s life is a walk, a race, a challenge, and an adventure.

But we must not forget it is a battle and we need to be prepared for whatever comes our way. We must stand firm on the truth of God’s word and pray for the boldness and the faithfulness to continue to live and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Closing Prayer

Lord, we thank you for providing us what we need for this battle. Help us to put on your full armor. Give us the strength to honor you during our battle with the evil of this world. Help us to remember that you have already won the war.

When we fail and lose a battle, pick us up and put us back on the path to righteousness. Through you Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you now and forever, we pray and give thanks.

AMEN.