Lesson 29 – Standing Firm Against Evil
Read Ephesians 6:10-17 - https://www.bible.com/bible/59/eph.6.esv
Having looked at each piece of armor in the last 2 lessons, let’s go back to verse 13 and look at one more aspect of walking in strength. Actually, it says here we’re not walking at all, we’re standing – we are to put on the whole armor so we can do two things.
The first thing God wants us to be able to do is withstand in the evil day. This evil day is any time in our lives we face difficulty or attack or discouragement. Because we recognize our real enemy as the spiritual forces of evil, we also understand we will be attacked by those forces every day of our lives here on earth. Jesus told His disciples that “in this world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). All through the rest of the New Testament we are told to not be surprised when persecution of hardships come, because we live in a world dominated by sin and ruled by the “god of this world” who is the devil (2 Corinthians 4:4).
God designed our armor to help us withstand those attacks. Jesus faced the same attacks as we do (Hebrews 4:15) and yet He withstood those attacks. But you might say, “Yes, because He was God He could do that!” I ask you to look at Luke 4:14. Jesus had accepted the guidance of the Holy Spirit at His baptism in the previous chapter of Luke, and from this point on He allowed Himself to be guided by the Spirit of God for His ministry and strength and power – to show us we can do the same thing because He’s given us His Spirit as well.
The second thing God wants us to be able to do is stand firm. It’s not always easy to stand firm when you’re under attack. The most important thing to remember about standing firm is that you have somewhere solid on which to stand – you don’t want to be on a place that shifts and moves under your feet. Psalm 40:2 tells us where we can set our feet to be firmly planted, and that is on the solid rock of Jesus Christ. And the way we do that is by knowing Him – through His Word – and trusting Him completely. The Bible calls that “living by faith in the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20).
One more phrase in this verse is important for us – “having done all.” We have a responsibility in this battle – we must do what He asks us to do. We must be fully engaged in this battle. We are the ones responsible for putting on our armor – because we are the ones who need it in place. We can’t pray, “Jesus, You put the armor on for me today” and then expect it to be in place even though we haven’t thought about it. If we haven’t consciously put on our helmet of Salvation so that our thoughts are protected by believing we have new/eternal life - we’re still accountable to our Father in Heaven for what thoughts we allow to take hold in our minds. We can’t do it on our own, it must be by our choice even though not by our strength.
Live your life each moment conscious of what He is doing in your life – living consciously in His presence is also “praying without ceasing” – 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
*Using these 6 pieces of armor will allow us to _____
*After His baptism, Jesus allowed Himself to be guided by _____ _____ _____
*Who is responsible for putting on the armor?