The Proper Way to Fight // June 11, 2021

Armor of God

The New International Version Chapter 6

The Armor of God

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Introduction

State name

Something God has placed on my heart: making sure we are fighting the right fight and having the proper tools to do it

Pray

Reading of Ephesians 6

Illustration

I used to struggle with heavy anxiety. I am serving in the Army National Guard and every time I put on uniform, I struggled with my confidence and I think it also affected my self-esteem. I was not confident and I did not feel I was equipped to lead. The interesting part about this is that I prayed my way through the entire thing. I clung to the strength of Jesus like never before, because I honestly did not have anyone or anyone else to walk me through or make me feel like I was confident enough to take on this fight. Literally the only place I found peace was in the presence of the Holy Spirit. I learned that every time I had to go to a drill weekend, there would be a pattern of anxiety slowly building up. As I focused on that pattern, I realized that this is not something I have to keep dealing with, but I can put the enemy back in his place. I noticed the areas that I was being attacked, and that is the area I would fight.

Point 1: Pay attention

Verse 10 states to be strong in the Lord - what does strength in God look like?

It looks like obedience

It looks like hope

It looks like discernment

e. We are not here fighting just any random fight. The enemy is strategic in his evil ways. So, how do we become “able” or “strong” in God? .

f. to become strong can also, in Greek, mean to become to become able to do something. How does a body builder build? They put in the exercise, time and discipline to reach their goals

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 74.7 ἐνδυναμόομαι

74.7 ἐνδυναμόομαι: to become able to do something—‘to become able, to become capable.’ Σαῦλος δὲ μᾶλλον ἐνεδυναμοῦτο ‘Saul became all the more able’ Ac 9:22; τοῦ λοιποῦ ἐνδυναμοῦσθε ἐν κυρίῳ καὶ ἐν τῷ κράτει τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ ‘finally, in union with the Lord become capable by means of his great strength’ Eph 6:10.

6. The purpose of armor is to protect the important things underneath. For example, the army wears helmets to protect their head. They wear body armor with heavy breastplates to protect their most vital organs, like their heart and their lungs. The same concept applies here, in the Word of God.

7. The Bible says “stand firm and wear the belt of truth.” What is the purpose of a belt? It SECURES and HOLDS UP your clothing! Therefore, truth is what keeps you secure.

8. Verse 14 also states to put on your breastplate. What does your breastplate cover? It covers the most vital organs of your body. Your heart, your lungs, liver…even the bones like your sternum and more. Without the protection of the breastplate, you are left vulnerable to whatever comes at you, and the results of getting hit by the enemy could be fatal.

a. Righteousness protects the most important inner parts of you. Why are these inward parts so important?

Psalm 51:6

King James Version Psalm 51

Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts:

And in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

That is the place where God makes things known to you.

9. Verse 15 states with your feet vetted with the readiness that comes with the gospel of peace.

a. vetted means to have extremely careful examination of

b. pay attention to where you are getting your peace from! If you are not experiencing peace, I challenge you to start with looking at where you are in your life, in that exact moment you are feeling at disease

10. Verse 16 says your shield of faith will extinguish the fiery arrows. Not just block them, but literally put them out. I am not sure if you have ever read the book of Job but if you have not, I encourage you to go read it. I think about how much Job experienced and how much went down around him, yet the enemy could not touch him. He felt the affects of what was happening around him, but the enemy could not touch him. Faith will be your covering and faith will end the plans that the enemy has. Faith will guard and stop the very thing that is coming to kill you.

11. Finally, verse 17 talks about the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

a. The largest part of the brain, the cerebrum initiates and coordinates movement and regulates temperature. Other areas of the cerebrum enable speech, judgment, thinking and reasoning, problem-solving, emotions and learning. Other functions relate to vision, hearing, touch and other senses. - hopkinsmedicine.org

b. Salvation covers your every move. Salvation is the medicine to the sin that causes death. Salvation allows you to be in the middle of a war, yet still be able to use all of your God-given abilities. Salvation is the thing that protects, keeps and solidifies your eternity.

c. The sword, the Word of God, the “physical” only weapon described here, is your method of fighting back

12. The Bible continues on to say, “pray in the Spirit on all occasions and when you pray, be alert. And pray for other people!!!!

13. If we tie up all of these things and understand that this is far beyond what we can fight in the natural. Verse 12 tells us the exact purpose of this armor. Know what you are fighting. I was not fighting anxiety, I was fighting an attack of the enemy. So I got in my Word, I went into my prayer time and I mustered up the strength to fight. And I put on my armor and I kept my faith in my hand and I remembered that I am Saved and because I’ve got salvation, I have access and ability to utilize and be smart about every move I make.

14. Know what you are fighting

15. Let me pray for you.