In order to live a victorious life in Christ, we must first recognize that there is a serious spiritual war going on around us all the time. The battles in this war are for the hearts, minds, and souls of humanity. Since Satan knows that his time is short, he wants to take as many people to hell with him as he can. This never-ending war will continue until the Lord’s return, and if we want to be the “peculiar treasure” of God that shines in this dark world, we must “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Eph. 6:10).

Too often Christians get busy and distracted by temporary things rather than keeping our minds focused on eternity. We forget that “our adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8) The Bible tells us to resist him. James 4:7 says to “submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you,” and verse 8 says if we draw nigh to God that He will draw nigh to us.

I’m not sure that adults take this passage in Ephesians 6 seriously enough. These verses are often used in children’s Sunday School classes and in Vacation Bible School, because children enjoy coloring and making the armor pieces. That’s great, but adults need to recognize the urgency of putting on this armor, too. We need to stand against the “wiles of the devil” (verse 11), because Satan and his demons have carefully devised schemes and tactics that they use against people, and they have had many years to practice and improve their strategies.

We are not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against these wicked spiritual beings, so we should realize that we cannot fight these battles in the flesh. We must with God’s help use the provisions of this armor, relying upon His power in order to stand strong against the enemy. This is not a one time attack. These attacks will come again and again, so we must stay watchful and alert.

I will try to summarize the six pieces of armor (see Ephesians 6:11-18) that we must put on. First, we have the belt of truth. Knowing the truth of God’s Word will keep us from the deception of false teachers and cults. The breastplate of righteousness represents the godly character that results from obeying the truth that we know. Shoes that are the preparation of the gospel of peace remind us that we are to be peacemakers just as Christ tell us in Matthew 5:9. In order to share the gospel in this troubled world, we need to be at peace with God, others, and with ourself. Completely trusting God and all of His Word is like a shield, allowing us to quench the fiery darts of the enemy. The helmet of salvation reminds us of the hope we have because we have believed what Christ’s death on the cross did for us, repented of our sins, and we now live as “new creatures in Christ”. The sword of the Spirit is the offensive weapon that we use to fight the enemy. After Jesus spent those 40 days in the wilderness, the devil came to tempt Him, and in response to each temptation, Jesus spoke truths from the Word of God until the devil departed. That means that we must read and know His Word in order to use this weapon well. And finally remember to watch and pray always for ourselves, and for all believers, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.