"The entrance of thy words giveth light (Psalm 119:130)."
Ephesians 6: Putting on the Armor of God.
The Bible warns us that we are in a battle: "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings (1 Peter 5:8-9 NIV)."
Any good thing you have the devil wants to damage or destroy. This includes your family, your health, your finances as well as your mental health.
To be successful in spiritual warfare, we must keep both our thinking and our behavior under control and in conformity with Scripture.
Controlling our thinking is of fundamental importance. It makes peace and self-control possible. Controlling our thinking will prevent spiritual strongholds from developing. And it will weaken and make possible the destruction of those that already exist:
"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NKJV)."
Thoughts contrary to the expressed will of God are inevitable. The objective is not to entertain them, not to dwell on them. Every time you entertain a thought contrary to the will of God, you are giving an advantage to the devil in some way—even if you don't experience any immediate negative consequences.
Some quick suggestions:
- Thought substitution: If you recognize that a thought is coming from a demon, think about something else.
- Reciting Scripture will help. "For the word of God is living and active . . ." {Hebrews 4:12 NASB} Scripture has power, in and of itself.
- Recite Scripture out loud. This is more effective since the demon can hear.
- Examples are provided later in the article.
The Bible tells us how to be successful in our battle with Satan. The basic biblical instructions are found in Ephesians 6:
"Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:10-12 NLT)."
We are to told to do two things to be successful: 1) To rely on Gods power, not on our own strength. 2) To put on God's armor; that is, to know, recite and use Scripture. These things go together.
"Without the strength of God and the protection of spiritual armor, it is impossible to stand against the attacks of spiritual enemies."1
The Bible provides a synopsis of what God's armor is and some basic instructions. These instructions use the then familiar analogy of a Roman soldier getting ready to go into battle:
"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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 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 saints (Ephesians 6:13-18 NIV)."
Knowing, reciting, believing, using and obeying Scripture is what's necessary for us to be successful. This is what the Scripture means.
You can also use this Scripture as a daily checklist. This is recommended, especially for new Christians.
Using the Scripture as a checklist accomplishes two things:
- It reminds you of what you need to do to be successful.
- It reminds you of Scriptures that you can recite, during the day, as needed.
Here's what I suggest: Every morning, use each piece of the armor as a memory tool. Then recite one Scripture, partial Scripture or biblical principle—relevant to what you're struggling with—that goes with that piece of armor. Don't say the same thing every day. I'll provide some examples.
First, the belt of truth:
- "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." {1 Peter 5:8 NKJV}
- God loves me. {Romans 8:38 et al.}
- No weapon that is formed against me will succeed. {Isaiah 54:17 NASB}
- All things work together for my good. {Romans 8:28}
- I am an overcomer. {1 John 5:4}
- ". . . greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." {1 John 4:4 NASB}
Second, the breastplate of righteousness:
- Love God. {Deuteronomy 6:5}
- God has forgiven you, now you must forgive others. {Colossians 3:13 et. al}
- "I will set nothing wicked before my eyes . . . " {Psalm 101:3 NKJV}
- Every thought captive. {2 Corinthians 10:5}
- Trust and obey.
- Do not gossip. {2 Corinthians 12:20}
- No lust, no triggers.2
Third, my feet are fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. This Scripture "refers to a believer's stability or surefootedness from the gospel which gives him peace so he can stand in the battle."3
- I have a sound mind. {2 Timothy 1:7}
- I am strong in the Lord. {Ephesians 6:10}
- I have the mind of Christ. {1 Corinthians 2:16}
- "For we live by faith, not by sight." {2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV}
Fourth, the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one:
- "I will fear no evil, for you are with me . . ." {Psalm 23:4 NIV}
- "Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong." {1 Corinthians 16:13 NASB}
- "Be anxious for nothing . . ." {Philippians 4:6 NASB}
- "Trust in Him at all times . . ." {Psalm 62:8 NASB}
- "Be strong and courageous." {Joshua 1:9 NIV}
- "The Lord is for me; I will not fear . . ." {Psalm 118:6 NASB}
- "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." {Philippians 4:13 NKJV}
This part of the Scripture can also be used directly. When you're under attack, you can pray as follows: "I thank you, Lord, that I have the shield of faith with which I can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." You don't have to say anything more.
Fifth, the helmet of salvation:
- " . . . put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation." {1 Thessalonians 5:8 NASB}
- ". . . whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right . . . think about these things." {Philippians 4:8 NASB}
- Do not think about people you don't like.
- "I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart . . . I will be glad and rejoice in You . . ." {Psalm 9:1 NKJV}
- "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past." {Isaiah 43:18 NIV}
Sixth, the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.
- "Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." {John 14:27 NIV}
- "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. {1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV}
- "Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong." {1 Corinthians 16:13 NASB}
You will notice that some items could be placed in multiple categories. This is a reminder tool—and nothing else.
Finally, pray.
- Pray 'in the spirit.' Prayer will do you little good unless you are also making a good faith effort to be obedient.
- Think of problems as a prayer alarm.
- Pray 'continually': The adverb translated 'continually' was used in the original Greek text to refer to a hacking cough. A hacking cough is not something that occurs all the time. But it does keep coming back. And it comes back frequently. Get in to the habit of talking to God.
- It is especially important that you pray when you come under spiritual attacks.
It is my recommendation that do the 'putting on the armor' exercise when you first awake in the morning. I do this before I get out of bed.
So that's it. The battleground is primarily in our minds. The idea is to base our thoughts and behavior on Scripture—not on how we're feeling. If we go by our feelings, we will be defeated.
Ephesians 6 makes it possible for us to understand the spiritual battle we are in—and win. It makes it possible for us to experience the blessings of God—rather than the torment of the devil.
Note: I recognize that there is some overlap between this article and the articles on affirmations and declarations. In practice, there will be some overlap if you do all three exercises as a part of your morning routine.
1 Enduring Word commentary.
2) Avoiding masturbation and pornography is the objective.
3 Walvoord, John F. & Zuck, Roy B., The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty New Testament, (Colorado Springs: Chariot Victor Publishing, 1983) 643.
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