The battle against the spiritual forces of evil that Paul describes here is not a defensive battle on our part. The Christian church is on the offense. They aren’t invading us; we are invading their territory and driving them out. The devil covertly attacks us with lies and temptations because that is the only way he can stop us. He is helpless otherwise against us because nothing can stand in the way of the advance of God’s Kingdom through us. We still need to defend ourselves against his schemes of course. We know that he is coming against us to undermine our advance, so we should not be caught out. Paul’s metaphor of the armour of God focuses on our need to be completely secure in God. We have a firm grounding in God’s truth. We must know that our status with God is secure and that our salvation is assured. We must trust in God alone, for anything else we might trust in will be vulnerable and will make us vulnerable. Notice that among all the defensive elements of the armour of God there is only one offensive weapon needed: the Word of God. Darkness cannot overcome light, rather, light always overcomes darkness. So, it is with truth and lie. Lies are the only weapon the devil can work with. He keeps people bound in lies. The word of God is like a light that shows up these lies. It shows that we stand, not in condemnation, but in grace. It shows that the God is not against us but for us. It shows the doors we thought closed, to be open.
Pray for people as you feel the Spirit of God leading you.
Read Ephesians 6:10-24
