I’m going to be blunt, as believers and children of God we are in a battle, this battle is spiritual and we need protection from this spiritual warfare!
I expect you’ve experienced times of this battle that you were/ are aware of and other times that you may not have been aware that you were/ are, in fact, under attack.
Knowing about this battle is the first step. As you go forwards on your Christian journey you will discover and learn to recognise and identify when spiritual warfare is happening. Both in your own life and in the world.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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.
Ephesians 6:10-12
The most important part to note is verse 11!
Our protection comes from the Lord, our Saviour. As Children of God, He will protect you! See Psalm 91.
With this you can refuse to be defeated, remain strong, be filled with peace and become resilient!
When you do this you will be able to realise the protection God gives you and be able to stand against the devil and his schemes.
Identifying Spiritual Warfare
The enemies schemes and attacks can come through many different means and channels. But before I give some examples, it’s important to note that the devil should not be what you put your focus and attention on. We don’t need to go around looking for him and what he gets up to. We need to keep our focus and attention on the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The devil does not need or deserve any of our attention! I am sharing the following simply so you can be aware of, not blame yourself or even think that any of it is what you deserve; because you don’t! Spiritual attacks could be in the form of:
- Events & situations
- Sickness & Disease
- Thoughts & Beliefs
- Other People
On the other hand we don’t want to give the devil credit where its not due! Some of these can be a result of the actions of ourselves or other people.
Relevant Reading: Why is There Suffering?
But if you are able to identify when the war, battle, problems, difficulties are spiritual you can learn how to deal with and stand against it and ultimately “be strong in the Lord” (v1).
The Armour of Spiritual Warfare
We, as Children of God have been given all the tools, so to speak, to deal with and gain protection from spiritual warfare. In this post we will have a look at the Armour that God has for us all.
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.
Ephesians 6:13
We are required to “put on” this armour. Ideally once we have put it on, we shouldn’t take it off! But sometimes, life can get in the way and some parts of the armour may break off or “get rusty”! But it is your responsibility to make sure that it is polished and that you are wearing it all!
The following verses tell us what each part of the armour is and represents:
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.
Ephesians 14-17
Let’s break it down:
Body Armour: Righteousness
Belt: Truth
Shoes:Peace
Shield: Faith
Helmet: Salvation
Sword: Holy Bible- word of God
Protection from Spiritual Warfare
This armour is our protection from spiritual warfare. Therefore, we should be wearing and using it at all times!
The Righteousness, comes from following the Lord Jesus, becoming more like him and less like ourselves, we can pray and ask Him for help with this.
The truth comes from knowing and accepting the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who they are, what they have done, is doing and have promised.
The Peace comes from the Good News, this is that Jesus dies and overcame death for you so that you may have a relationship with God and have eternal life.
Faith comes from trust, which is a knowing that God delivers and fulfils His promises. This can be developed and improved by building a relationship up with Him.
Relevant Resource: Indestructible Faith
Salvation comes from knowing you are saved from death. Having been born again.
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 3:3
The Word of God, is the Holy Bible. We need to be reading it and with that comes knowledge and wisdom.
So, you can see how you can recognise and be protected from the “firey darts” of the enemy and spiritual warfare that you come across during your time here on earth.
Remember this armour has been given to you so put on and maintain it.
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