This week’s devotions are based on Week 10 of the Series Ephesians: Becoming Who You Are (CLICK HERE)
The goal is to be the last person standing.
In Greco Roman wrestling, the winner was the contestant who was standing after throwing his opponent to the ground three times. The winner has to overcome the tactics of his opponent and stay on his feet.
Perhaps this is the picture Paul has in mind as he encourages us, “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.” The one standing is the victor. For the Christian, we want to be standing, not falling for the schemes of Satan on the day of evil (which will come). (On a side note, I wonder if this picture has anything to do with the three temptations that face Christ in the desert in Matthew 4. After he threw Satan down the third time, Satan left…defeated…I digress.)
Paul then goes on to draw a picture of a Roman soldier ready for battle. We could spend time on all the pieces of armor and try to discern why its the belt of truth vs the helmet of truth…but today let’s just reflect on the descriptor of each piece of armor. For in the descriptors we have all we need to combat offensively and defensively the schemes of Satan. There are seven things God gives us to stay on our spiritual feet in the day of evil. Today, the first three:
- Truth: 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,
The identity of our enemy is the “Father of lies.” The foundational component behind his schemes is deception. His ideal is when we question God’s truth and begin to replace it with our own truth. He loves to twist or leave out some of God’s truth so that it sounds good, but it is subtly leading us to believe a lie. Truth is the essence of God. He is full of grace and truth. His Word is truth. He is nothing but truth. If Satan is going to use lies and deception, we must be grounded in God’s truth. Jesus said in John 8:31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
- Righteousness: with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
Satan loves to create doubt in our identity. With regularity he gets people to think, “God will never forgive me.” We can believe that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world…except mine. As a result, Satan leads us to think we can make ourselves feel better and be of better standing before God if we just do more good things. He tricks us into thinking we can find a righteousness by our own works. The effort is futile and we will always fall short. That is why God gives us his righteousness, his perfection to cover all our sins and imperfections. There is no question of our standing before God when we wear the “breastplate of righteousness.” Satan can try to hit our heart with doubt and despair, but it won’t penetrate because our chest is covered with Christ’s righteousness…and that alone establishes our identity and standing before God. Romans 3:22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
- The Gospel: 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
A distraction for the Christian is all the bad news in the world around us. Five seconds on the news and one can shake their head at the evils around us. Reporters sensationalize the events. Atrocities are so many. The future is made to be uncertain. All of this can leave our hearts at unrest and lack of peace. A quick litmus test to see whether Satan is at work or God’s Spirit is at work is simply this: Is my heart full of fear (satan) or full of peace (Spirit of God)? Our steps through life will encounter evil and all its ugliness and negative impact, yet the Gospel which tells us our biggest problem in life is taken care of because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus leaves our hearts at peace. That’s what the Gospel does…it brings peace wherever it goes. Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
We have four more to cover tomorrow, but I pray already you are seeing the great blessing God has given you in his truth, righteousness, and Gospel that readily can throw Satan to the ground and leave you standing firm!
Apply: Which of these three armaments from God is what you need most today? As you put on truth, righteousness, or the Gospel of peace, what begins to change about your perspective of your day?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for giving to me all I need to discern Satan’s tactics and knock him to the ground over and over again. Help me to find the strength, peace and assurance in the gifts of armor you give to me! AMEN.