Ephesians 6, especially the part about the armor of God, is such a great passage of scripture! Lately, when I've been writing past devotions, I've found myself referring to these verses and wanting to encourage praying on our armor.
I realized though, that we needed a whole series - a whole two-month series - on how to do this.
During the course of this two-month long series, I'll be taking a week off in June and a week off in July. Altogether, this series will have seven installments. We'll go into each piece of armor, talk about how to pray them on and what they're purpose is.
For our first week though, we're going to be talking about knowing our enemy - who are true enemy is and why we need this armor. It'll be a great way to get our feet planted and have a foundation for who we're fighting against. It's hard to win, to even fight, when we have no idea who our opponent is and his tactics.
Second Week - Belt of Truth.
Third Week - Breastplate of Righteousness.
Fourth Week - Shoes of Readiness.
Somewhere mid-June we'll have a break week.
Please be sure to follow along, read along, and share with whomever.
Have a great, joy-filled June!
Photo by Nik Shuliahin 💛💙 on Unsplash
As a writer, I’m encouraged to have a villain with a tragic past, someone who’s been wronged, someone that can attract sympathy. In real life though, our villain doesn’t have a tragic past where he’s been wronged. He had a great existence living and worshipping our good God, but that wasn’t enough for him. He wanted to be god and rebelled against the true God. God couldn’t let someone who was trying to overthrow Him stay in His kingdom, so our villain was banished from Heaven. Now, his main goal in life is to cause misery, all because he didn’t get to be king.
It’s easy for us to think of other people as our enemies. The family member who hurt us, the friend who betrayed us, the co-worker who harasses us, the racist, the gossip, the murderer even. Yet, we’re told that they’re not who we’re to fight against. Peter describes our real enemy, Satan, as a lion ready to attack. Jesus warns that Satan is the prince of this world and that all he wants is to steal, kill, and destroy. The devil’s first encounter with humans is as a deceitful serpent who uses his words to encourage evil.
Four of our enemy’s tactics are: One, he lies to us. Jesus calls him the father of lies, that lies are the language he speaks. Satan instigates or feeds us lies through media, our own self-esteem problems, and through the words of others. Two, he targets us in our weaknesses. Satan chose to tempt Jesus at the end of His forty-day fast – partly with food. The devil often knows our triggers, our traumas, and our struggles. He loves to use them to hurt us and to try to get us away from God. Three, he confuses us. Satan used scripture to tempt Jesus and questioning to plant doubt in Eve.
How to not know our enemy: Ignore Satan and his demons – Refusing to acknowledge our opponent causes us to be unprepared for their attacks. Blame them for everything – Satan and his demons can’t make you sin, it’s our own decision. It’s our choice to sin that sometimes puts us in a bad situation, not Satan. Believe his lies – The devil knows how to make his lies seem like truth, this is why we need our armor. Dwell on him – Philippians 4:8 is our list of things to dwell on, and Satan doesn’t fit into it.
God’s Guidance:
Ezekiel 28:13-17 (NIV) – “You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysolite and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.”
Isaiah 14:12-15 (NIV) – “How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.”
Ephesians 6:11-12 (NIV) – “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.”
1 Peter 5:8 (NIV) – “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
John 10:10 (NIV) – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
John 14:30-31 (NIV) – “I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me. “Come now; let us leave.”
John 8:44 (NIV) – “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
Matthew 4:2-7 (NIV) – “After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’””
Genesis 3:1-5 (NIV) – “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.””
Genesis 3:6 (NIV) – “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.”
Genesis 3:13 (NIV) – “Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.””
Philippians 4:8 (NIV) – “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Application:
1. Reflect on what your top triggers, traumas, and struggles are and strategize how to guard against temptations in these areas – talk to God about each one
2. Think of the lie that Satan has fed you the most, now find a Bible verse that reveals the truth – try asking a friend to help you find one
3. Write out Philippians 4:8 every day this week – Bonus: Categorize things throughout your day by whether you should dwell on it or not
Strength Point:
Satan causes chaos, destruction, and confusion, but God provides order, life, and peace.
Song of the Week:
Prayer Prompt:
Hi Jesus! Thank You for Your protection against my enemy and his forces. You are so much stronger than he ever can be. In fact, You’ve already claimed the victory over him. I’m sorry for fighting against other people and thinking of them as my enemies. I pray, God, please strengthen me to stay awake, clear-minded, and __. Create an awareness in me of my enemy and his tactics; not for me to dwell on, but to prepare and guard against them. Remind me to guard my mind and heart around all types of media, negativity, and __. I know that Satan’s main goals are to steal, kill, and destroy and that he employs lies and chaos to do just that, let me never think or believe differently. In the same way, let me never forget that Your main goal is to save people and to give abundant life, which You do in gentleness, mercy, and love. Thank You for revealing to me who my real enemy is and how to get through his attacks. I know I can always count on You to fight for me! I love You, my mighty King! In Jesus’ Name, I pray, amen.
A Prayer to Pray over Others:
Hi Jesus! Thank You for Your protection against our enemy and his forces. You are so much stronger than he ever can be. In fact, You’ve already claimed the victory over him. Help my friend to stop fighting against other people and thinking of others as their enemies. I pray, God, please strengthen them to stay awake, clear-minded, and focused on You. Create an awareness in my friend of our enemy and his tactics; not for them to dwell on, but to prepare and guard against both. Remind them to guard their mind and heart around all types of media, negativity, and the things of the world. I know that Satan’s main goals are to steal, kill, and destroy and that he employs lies and chaos to do just that, lead my friend to understand and believe this. In the same way, let them never forget that Your main goal is to save people and to give abundant life, which You do in gentleness, mercy, and love. Thank You for revealing to us who our real enemy is and how to get through his attacks. I know we can always count on You to fight for us! I love You, my mighty King! In Your Name, Jesus, I pray, amen.
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