When you become a child of God, you gain an enemy you didn’t have before. After you have decided to live your life for Jesus, Satan’s goal is to foul up your life, so you lose the faith that is growing inside you.
The good news is God has already supplied the protection you need to ward off any and every attack in the spiritual realm.
Ephesians 6:12 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.
Neil Anderson describes it with this illustration. Imagine you are standing at one end of a long, narrow street lined with two story houses on both sides. At the other end of the street stands Jesus Christ. Your Christian life is the process of walking down that long street of maturity in Him.
There is absolutely nothing in the street that will keep you from reaching Jesus. When you receive Christ, you fix your eyes on Him and start walking. But since the world we live in, is still under the curse of sin, and the dominion of Satan, the row houses on either side are inhabited by beings who are committed to keeping you from reaching your goal. They have no power or authority to block your path or even slow your step, so they hang out at the windows and call to you. They try to take your attention from your goal. They try to stop your growth. They try to disrupt your progress.
This is a picture of spiritual warfare. How do we survive these distractions, attacks, and hardships?
Ephesians 6:13 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.
This verse tells us we have everything we need to stand strong when these moments happen. We are equipped, with all authority, and protection.
However, our role is not passive. God asks us to be active participants in the spiritual defense that He has provided for us.
Satan is a bully and the only way to get rid of a bully is to confront him. The only way to confront him is in the Name of Jesus and by the power of His Holy Spirit.
How do we show up to fight? How do we win spiritual warfare?
Ephesians 6:14-17 addresses this: 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.
If we put on the belt, the breastplate, the boots, the shield, and the helmet, we are covered on all sides. No matter if the attack comes from the sky, the ground, the side or the front, we are covered.
Verse 17 says the word of God is the Sword of the Spirit. This is a weapon that is offensive. That means that the soldier uses it to strike his enemy.
Imagine a soldier or a gladiator in training, practicing sword thrusts and moves and positions. Now, he must practice them ahead of time relentlessly. If he is a superior fighter and has a great fighting instinct, at the time of battle, he will instantly recall which thrust, which position suits the precise moment.
The gladiator will never be able to use the thrust in the fight if he has not first practiced it. This is why we read the Bible! It is a weapon! Do you feel like you’re losing ground today? Overwhelmed? Under- resourced? Anxious or scared?
God has equipped you for that battle. He has given you all you need to fight to win. Pick up the weapon He’s given you. The sword of the Spirit, the word of God.