In the first part of this series on spiritual warfare, such warfare’s reality and a Scriptural view of it were presented. This time you will learn about the believer’s armor and other weapons available to us to wage this warfare successfully.
Ephesians 6:13-20: Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
The apostle Paul compared the armor of God to the Roman soldier’s uniform. Each part of the uniform and each piece of equipment had a specific purpose. Likewise each part of the believer’s armor does something to enhance our spiritual defenses and offenses. Much more detailed teachings on spiritual warfare are available in the Remnant Bible Study Course on this website, especially Lesson 3 of Level 3 (Lesson 2 of Phase 3 in the 1st Edition). Since this is a blog, a very concise summary of the essentials of it, including the believer’s arsenal, is presented in this blog series. The weapons can be divided into defensive and offensive categories.
DEFENSIVE WEAPONS
1. The belt of truth: The Roman soldier’s belt held the rest of the uniform together. It also served as a way to gird (hold) up the tunic typically worn in order to enable the soldier to move quickly. Likewise, our belt of truth as Christians is the truth of who we are and Whose we are, the truth of the Bible, and truth in daily living. We are soldiers of the cross, blood-bought, born-again, Spirit-filled saints, purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ, adopted into the family of God the Father, guided by God’s Word, and righteous in thought, word, and deed. Such a way of thinking, living, and knowing makes us difficult targets for the enemy to disable.
2. The breastplate of righteousness: The breastplate of the Roman soldier’s uniform was made of small metal plates and, in later times, metal chain mail which covered both the front and the back of the torso, its primary purpose being to protect the heart. The righteousness of Jesus Christ credited to our account as saved people, outworking into our lives as a righteous walk with God, protects us against the lies, slander, and other attacks of the enemy.
3. The shoes of the preparation of the Gospel of peace: Roman soldiers wore strong, heavy sandals laced halfway up the calf. Wearing them and keeping them on gave them mobility and also availability to their commander. As believers we must wear and keep on our shoes, so to speak. We do this by daily reading and meditating on the Scriptures. This helps us to memorize them and stay in readiness to witness to the lost. The sandals also had hobnailed soles, giving the soldier good footing in battle. Our Gospel gives us, as Christian soldiers, sure footing in the face of Satan’s lies and intimidation tactics.
4. The shield of faith: The Roman soldier had more than one shield, but the one specifically envisioned here is the large shield, about four feet long and two to two-and-a-half feet wide, thick as a man’s palm at the edges, made of wood and covered with leather. The edges were designed so that in battle they could be interlocked, forming a virtual wall. The shields were kept moist to protect against flaming arrows shot off by an enemy, and the shield itself was designed to protect the soldier’s whole person. Our faith in God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and God’s Word helps shield us from various fiery darts of the enemy, such as hateful thoughts, urges to sin, and so on. If our faith is at the level it should be, it should protect us entirely. Our shield of faith should be large enough to protect everything and everyone for whom God has made us responsible, including our personal righteousness and provision for all whom God has committed to us (such as family members, for example). The fact that the Roman soldiers’ shields could be interlocked shows us that we are not in this battle alone. We as believers should fellowship with and pray for one another regularly, having faith in God. The Godhead is with us also, as are the angels.
5. The helmet of salvation: The helmet of the Roman soldier’s uniform was made of metal in order to effectively protect the head in combat. Correspondingly, demons love to attack believers’ minds and lead them astray. Wearing the helmet of salvation includes reading and knowing God’s Word and being instilled with correct Christian doctrines. We must guard our minds like we guard our hearts, knowing we are saved and that we are on the winning side of this spiritual conflict.
B. OFFENSIVE WEAPONS
1. The sword of the Spirit: Roman soldiers had a variety of weapons at their disposal. The particular example that Paul uses in the Ephesians 6 passage is the short sword, which was used for close-in combat, which was intense, life-and-death battling. The kingdom of darkness is persistent and ruthless. The sword of the Spirit, we are told plainly, is the Word of God. We are to know it and know it well, a point iterated several times earlier already. The Bible not only enables us to grow as Christians and provides guidance for us, it also is effective in combatting the enemy. Even Jesus, when He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, used the Word of God (Matthew 4:1-11). And indeed, the sword of the Spirit is a living and powerful weapon (Hebrews 4:12).
2. Prayer: Paul concludes this section of Ephesians 6 under discussion with the mention of prayer. We are not only to pray for ourselves and our own needs but also for others, including our fellow believers. That most certainly includes those who are being persecuted, for Paul noted that he was in chains at the time and we know he spent time in prison for being a Christian. There are many types of prayers that can be made, including praying in the Spirit (prayer language) once you have received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Prayer is a formidable weapon. It is not limited by time or distance and can even assail Satan’s strongholds in the second heaven.
Although not mentioned in the Scripture passage just examined, there are additional offensive spiritual weapons available to the believer.
3. Praise: This frequently relates to God’s awesomeness and fearsomeness, and our response to these. Praise calls forth God’s intervention and is also an appropriate response to it (Exodus 15:1-21; Psalm 103:1-5). The Word used with praise makes this weapon effective (Psalm 149:6-9; Revelation 12:9-10).
4. Preaching: This is not pop psychology, motivational speaking, or necessarily even discourses on theology, but is instead solely and exclusively the preaching of the Word of God. It is another way of using the sword of the Spirit. We note, however, that only those who are spiritually mature and who are called to the pulpit should preach. A preacher who uses the Word of God the way the Lord intended will be effective in what he does, and those who sit under his preaching will benefit as well. For those of you who are called to the pulpit, this is a solemn responsibility. Never back down from preaching the Bible regardless of the opposition and what the opposers want you to do; stay in the Word’s power (Isaiah 55:11; 2 Timothy 4:1-5). If you waver, the enemy will pounce not only on you but also on the congregation you are shepherding.
5. Testimony: This means being a witness for Jesus Christ. We witness by our lifestyle as well as by our words. We speak of such things as the Gospel, telling others what the Lord has done for us, and so on, and we live in obedience to God and His Word. We must not backslide. That does terrible damage to our testimony. If you have backslidden, repent and rededicate your life to Jesus. A damaged testimony can be restored, although the best thing is not to backslide in the first place. Effective testimonies demonstrate and enforce the victory Christ won at Calvary, and serve as reminders that Satan and his kingdom are doomed (Proverbs 22:1; Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Peter 3:15-17; Revelation 12:11).
As you can see, there is a lot we as Christians have available to us to wage spiritual warfare. Some of our weapons are defensive while others are offensive. In the natural world, a successful army has good defenses but maintains a fighting (offensive) stance and readiness. Likewise, as spiritual combatants we should make good use of the armor of God to protect ourselves, but we are to be on the offensive towards the kingdom of darkness. That does not mean we constantly go around shouting Scriptures into the air and rebuking demons. Be grounded in the Word and prayer and guided by the Holy Spirit. By doing these things you will know when to actively take the fight to the enemy. Other than that, maintain a readiness to wage spiritual warfare. You do that by staying prayed up, read up, and living a life that is holy and pleasing to God.
The kingdom of darkness is persistent, and as we have learned in Part I, the spirits we fight are demons. Can Christians have demons? Believe it or not, the answer is yes. Can we be possessed by demons? No, we cannot. In Part III, the concluding part of this blog series, we will learn why Christian demonization is possible and then we will turn our discussion to deliverance.
