Spiritual Warfare: Suit Up!

We live in a world of “quick fixes”.

We want the magic pill that will take away all problems and fix anything that is going wrong. Churches are not exempt.

Salvation in Christ is a long-term commitment.

We do not make the decision as a hope it will all the sudden make things “right’. As we see in this passage it is because of salvation we have a struggle.

John 10:10 NIV

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

We must actively prepare & expect the battle.

Sometimes the best method of standing firm is having the awareness that something may happen. Not in an anxious, hyper vigilant looking around but an underlying realization something may happen soon.

Stand firm in Christ!

The verb “stand” happens many times over in this passage. It is a reminder our continual task is to be resolute and not shrink back.

Stand firm in Christ’s power!

Put together with the preceeding point we see the battle is not something we do on our own, nor with our own strength.

How—suit up regularly.

We cannot just put on the armor once and hope that is enough. We must continually suit up. We must come back to Christ and what is true of Him, which is true of us to be reminded of whose we are.

The armor is a gift from Jesus.

We cannot get this on our own. We are not capable of having this be true of ourselves apart from him. He is truth. He is righteousness. He is faithfulness. He alone provides salvation. He alone gives the Spirit.

We must work out these gifts.

We cannot be passive in the traits of the amor of God.

Philippians 2:12 NIV

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,

The fight is for the Gospel.

All of these battle armor is connected to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is not just about truth in general but the fight for the salvation of the world. It is a fight to realize who we are in Christ.

We need the Word of God.

For Paul, this meant the OT as we know it.

Persevering prayer is essential.

We know this as a church but we must be reminded. We are praying for the supernatural strength of Christ to be present in our life daily.

Keep watching. Stand guard.

We can easily get so content that we become “lazy” in the Gospel. This is one of the many attacks we can succumb to if we are not careful. The mission of the Church, which is the Gospel of Jesus, to proclaim his salvation which is a lifelong relationship growing to meet challenges of life; is too important for us to get “lazy” and “content”.