10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
— Ephesians 6:10–20
This passage is very clear on the fact that we have an enemy. It should cause any believer to be sober minded about the reality that Satan is real, and he has a real plan of destruction for his or her life. While that can be somewhat alarming, we do not need to be afraid.
We don’t have to fear in the midst of this reality because our God has provided us with all we need for victory. In this passage, Paul tells us about the armor that God has designated for us to wear as we go toe to toe with the enemy. And, time and time again, he tells us that we are to “put on” this armor. In other words, it’s up to us to be prepared for the battle we are heading into.
When one of my sons (in order to protect his identity, we will call him “Baleb”) was around the age of 4 or so, he was determined he would grow up to be a pirate. In order to be the best, most fierce pirate around, he would outfit himself with every form of toy weapon he could find. It was not uncommon for him to have a bow and arrow, several knives, a pistol or two, and mostly likely a sword as well. (See photo below). And really, it seemed to make sense. If you are going to go into a make-believe battle, you should be geared up with every weapon that is available to you.
And the same is true for you and me. We are in a battle! It would be silly for us to be in the this battle and not gear up with every available weapon. So, today, put on the armor of God! Stand firm! See the victory that God has for you.