Put on the Full Armor of God!

Ephesians 6:10-11

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. 

Paul said that 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. We have real challenges even though we are walking in the light of Jesus. This is the reason why we need to put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, we may be able to stand our feet without stumbling.

Paul gives us very practical ways to stand firm in the solid ground in the Lord in Ephesians 6:14-17, “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.”

Jesus tells us that the kingdom of God is like a farmer who had a field of wheat that was damaged by an enemy who sowed weeds in with the wheat.

Let us read Matthew 13:24-26

²⁴ Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶ When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

We should be aware that all the Christians including us face a real enemy – Satan. The devil opposed the spread of the Kingdom of God. He does everything within his limited power to damage the expansion of the Kingdom of God.This is the reason why Paul reminds us that “our struggle (battle) is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens” (Eph.6:12)

The Kingdom of God progresses against the kingdom of evil and darkness in the world. We must recognize that the world, flesh, and the devil are all opposed to the expansion of the kingdom of God. We see signs of this reality throughout the world on the news every day even though we see the peaceful mood in our peninsula.

I feel that there is greater persecution of Christians today than at any other time in history. That may surprise, but it is true. But the enemies of God have never learned that the persecution of believers does not stop the kingdom of God from growing.

We should keep in mind that Satanic opposition to the growth of the kingdom is real and should not be overlooked. This is the reason why we should put the whole armor of God.

In order to stand against the schemes of the Devil, and to be able to resist in this evil day, we’ve got to take up the full armor of God. Every day we should fight the spiritual battle to be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength.

In spite of hearing tragic persecutions toward Christians in many parts of the world, but the best news about this opposition is that no matter how hard the enemy tries to stop the progression of the kingdom of God, he cannot stop it. We are promised victory over the devil. Though sometimes he seems to be winning battles, the victory is already ours. Jesus guaranteed the victory when He died on the cross and inaugurated the kingdom with His blood. He said, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). The debt has been paid. Satan can never stop the growth of the kingdom of God.

So let us take the shield of faith, and by faith, we will be extinguishing the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word.

And we should pray at all times in the Spirit and we should not overlook about the devil’s scheme to destroy us in our lives, so that we must stay alert against the devil’s scheme with all perseverance and intercession for all the believers especially who are being tortured and persecuted in this world.

Finally, let us remember that the Kingdom of God is growing and cannot be stopped. In Daniel 2: 44, the prophet declared, “ In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor it will be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever”

Jesus inaugurated the kingdom through His work on earth. He established the kingdom through his death on the cross He now reigns as king of the Kingdom of God.

This eternal kingdom that Daniel predicted has come as a present reality. So that we can fight the good fight by declaring the Kingdom of God, His sovereign reign.

We shall see the victory in the power of God as we are seeking for the Kingdom of God. He shall reign forever and ever. Amen.