As Christians, we face a formidable foe in Satan.  He is crafty and constant in his efforts to overthrow our faith and will use any means possible to accomplish his will.  Fortunately, we learn exactly how to overcome all of his assaults against us in Ephesians 6:10-18.  Here is the opening of that text.

Ephesians 6:11-13 (ESV)
¹¹  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹²  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

While we are all vulnerable to falling from grace, we do not have to because God has given us the means to stand firm.  Jude said that God can keep us from stumbling and present us before Himself blamelessly (Jude 1:24).  All we have to do to withstand the devil is put on the impenetrable armor of God.

There are several points of importance in Paul’s introduction to the armor of God.  First, we must understand what we are up against.  We are not wrestling against flesh and blood.  Our battle is not against mere human beings.  We might be able to outthink man.  Physical strength alone could be enough to overcome any earthly foe we might face, but Satan and his spiritual forces of evil cannot be defeated by such things.  Our strength must come by God’s might (Ephesians 6:10).  God’s “might” is found in the armor that He has provided for us, but we must wear it.

What part of the armor should we put on?  The answer is all of it.  Paul said, “Put on the whole armor of God.”  A physical armor protects all the vital organs of the body, leaving the soldier well protected against any frontal attack.  From head to toe, the soldier is protected.  As soldiers in the army of God, we are well protected too, as long as we do not leave off any part of the armor.  If we leave off a part of the armor, maybe because we feel it is too cumbersome to wear, we leave ourselves open to the attacks of Satan, and we should be sure to realize that he will attack.

How do we actually put on the armor of God?  After all, we know we are not talking about literal, physical armor.  We do it by studying the Word of God.  Think about the individual pieces of the armor (belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, properly prepared shoes, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit).  They are all either directly related to the Word of God (Paul calls the sword of the Spirit the Word of God), or they are produced by the Word of God.

Why do I so often exhort you to study God’s Word?  It is because it is our defense against the assaults of the devil.  As long as we are equipped with God’s Word, we will stand firm in the faith.  The devil knows this, and he does all he can to keep God’s Word away from us.

Luke 8:11-12 (ESV)
¹¹  Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. ¹²  The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

Do not allow the devil to snatch God’s Word from you.  Study it consistently.  Wear it like armor, and you will prevail against all the schemes of the devil.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things