I’m continuing to post about spiritual warfare.  The Apostle Paul had a lot of insight in this area.  Of course, not everything he wrote sounds good to me.

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

This is one of those Scriptures that I have to embrace whether I like it or not.  I’m told under the authority of the Holy Spirit to always be prepared to stand my ground.

This is a great lesson that the church needs to hear.  So many people give up when things get hard.  Some of us are under the impression that working for God should be all hearts and flowers.

Why then does Paul use the analogy of a warrior, fully armed, and dressed for battle?  The fact is that there are spiritual forces that don’t want us to succeed in our service to the Lord.  The victory comes from knowing that it’s the Holy Spirit giving you strength, and not giving up.

We need to learn how to stand in the center of opposition.  The ancient Romans knew how to do this.  It was the secret to the success of their army.  Each of the Roman soldiers was taught how to defend a 3-foot square of ground from an invading army.  When they fought side by side, there was no way to break through their lines.

We need to get it into our heads that the only way to victory is to move forward in the Lord.  Backing up WILL NOT get you out of the battle.  It only means that you’ll have to fight to regain that ground later.

Of course, the thing about this verse that gives me the most trouble is Paul saying when the day of evil comes.  Not “if”, not “there might come a time when problems arise”.  He tells us in a straight forward way that this day is coming whether you’re ready or not.  So the best thing to do is prepare now.

The word that Paul uses for stand literally means to stand in opposition to.  This word is used elsewhere in the Bible.

Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7

The word, resist, in this verse is the same word as stand that Paul used.  We need to stand our ground and resist the devil.  We’re told that if we do this, in submission to the Lord, the enemy will flee.  It’s the time frame between the resisting and the fleeing that gives us the most problem.

Why would the devil ever flee from us?  After all, we’re not that strong compared to him.  The answer is back in the verse from Ephesians.

The phrase, after you have done everything, actually translates after you have fully accomplished your work.  When you’ve done everything you were assigned to do by the Lord, then it’s time for the Holy Spirit to take over.  One thing I’m certain about.  The enemy is no match for the God I serve!

So, being forewarned with the knowledge that the day of evil is coming, we need to be ready.  We must be fully armed and prepared to stand our ground in Christ.  Then we’ll see the victory of God manifest in our situation.

In my next post, I’ll start talking about what it takes to be fully armed and dangerous to the enemy’s kingdom.

Question: What are you going through right now that will require you to stand your ground?

© 2019 Nick Zaccardi