Ephes. 6:10-12

Ephes. 6:10-12 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. [11] Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. [12] For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

v.10 - be strong IN THE LORD. This is the command if we are to be strong at all - it should be i the Lord. This leads us to the next verse...

v.11 - put on the whole armour OF GOD. We are commanded what to do. And this verse tell us HOW to do it. The armour that is of God is able to properly protect us. However, there is a condition: put on the WHOLE armour. We are later given a list, albeit, not totally literal, yet descriptive. If we run out to battle with only salvation (helmet), yet don't have any breastplate (righteousness), or shoes/sandles (gospel), or even a weapon/sword (the word), then how do we expect to STAND/SURVIVE/WIN/ADVANCE?? Paul is emphasizing that we seek God's work in EVERY area of life. We are not only supposed to have saving faith. We are not only supposed to keep God in one corner of the week or one corner of our lives or heart. He is supposed to permeate our whole lives. And if He doesn't... we won't be able to stand.

It really makes us think. Truth is a piece of armour. We should be seeking truth. We should be researching, praying, seeking truth, and not just be satisfied with what we currently know. Sandles of the gospel are our armour. We should be spreading the gospel. We should be seeking the salvation of our friends, neighbors, family, poor, etc. If we don't, we are actually missing a piece of armour, and Satan can attack us somehow from that point of access.

v.12 - we shouldn't be fighting with our bodies, with force, as some other religious fanatics may try. It is worthless. We are only making headway when the battle on the spiritual battlefront is being engaged. As an example, we should share the gospel with someone's ears. But on another level, we should also be confronting that person's spirit by praying for him in our quiet time. Using only physical means will never get the job done. If we have no Spirit (holy) in us, our words are powerless - they have no real weight. If our lives are caught up only in daily routines, or just going to church, or even just reading the Bible, yet we don't have a relationship or a prayerlife, then we don't have real life or real power.