A Spiritual Battle

     All around us a battle wages that is not of this world. A spiritual battle in which we must fight with weapons that seem wimpy to the world, but have the power to send the devil's minions cowering away. Truth, righteousness, readiness, faith, salvation, and the Word of God are these weapons. Ephesians 6:11-18 describes how we must prepare for the battle at hand, and how we must take our stand against the “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” In order to use the weapons given us by our Father, we must understand how to use these weapons. So, let us enter the spiritual battle training arena.

Truth 

     In our world today, truth is an abstract concept. And yet in Ephesians 6:14, it says to “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.” Paul points out in this passage that truth is an important part of our armor when we go into battle with the “spiritual forces of this world.” The first thought that enters my mind when I think of a belt is the fact that belts are often used to hold one's jeans up. This may sound kind of funny, but it does in fact seem to apply to the picture that Paul draws in this passage. After all, without truth, what is left to support our belief in God?

Righteousness 

     All Christianity is based on our faith and acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Savior. Does this, however, give us an excuse to be anything but righteous? In Jam 2:26 it says, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” Other passages emphasize that faith is a huge part of what saves us from our sins, however, what is “faith without deeds?” Do we truly desire to please God if we do not repent of our wicked ways? After all, Paul tells us to “Stand firm... with the breastplate of righteousness in place.” Despite the fact that faith is a huge part of Christianity, our spiritual battle is dead if we do not strive for righteousness.

Readiness From The Gospel of Peace

     Ephesians 6:15 says that our feet should be “fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” Feet are an extremely important part of our daily lives. Without feet, we could not walk to school. Without feet we would have a hard time walking up and down the stairs. Can you imagine having to walk on two stubby legs without feet? The same is true in our spiritual walk with God. We must be ready to do anything and everything for our Savior who has brought peace of mind to the hearts and souls of men.

Faith 

     Additionally, a Christian should “take up the shield of faith.” With that shield, one can “extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” In battle, without a shield you are almost defenseless. Yes, your feet are protected and yes your chest is protected and yes your pants are not going to drop when you least expect it, but this equipment only gives a person the bare minimum in protection. This is why Paul says that we should “take up the shield of faith.” Without faith, without belief in what we are fighting for, there is no way in which we can stand our ground against the “devil's schemes.”

Salvation 

     In our walk with God, we must have some kind of armor to protect us from blows to the head. This peace of armor is our salvation. All people on earth are “destined to die once and after that to face judgment.” However, God sent His son to die on the cross for our sins so that we might have eternal life. Without this act of love from God the Father and God the Son, there would be no reason whatsoever to go into battle. After all, blows to the head our fatal!

Word of God 

     In our battle, we should also “take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” When in battle, we cannot make any offensive moves unless we have a weapon. So, God has provided us with a weapon so that we can make offensive moves. God's message of salvation cannot spread unless there is a way to “fight.” Our weapon is the Word of God which is revealed to us through the Bible. The Bible is a guidebook which tells us how to live and how to make “offensive” moves. Its message seems controversial to the world, but it is in fact the only way that we can live at peace with all peoples.

     The battle ahead seems extremely difficult, however, our Father in heaven has given us many tools to use. All we have to do is accept these tools, put them on, and learn to use them properly. If you have not read Ephesians 6:11-18, please do so now, and then accept the armor that is mentioned in this passage. Do not let it sit on the shelf and collect dust where it will do you no good. Entering a battle with even one missing piece of armor will result in your death. So, I challenge you to take your stand against the devil, and then let God do the rest.