By Pastor Danny Evans

Ephesians 6:11: Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 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.

We are in a war. And, unfortunately, as Christians we many times forget our military character. When that happens, we don’t we have any idea how to fight the daily warfare to which God calls us. And make no mistake, he calls us to war.

But how can God call us to love others and also call us to war? Are we not supposed to be peaceful and love all men? The answer to this problem is that our enemy is not a man. Verse 12 says, For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Someone who discipled me used to say that if your enemy has a social security number, you have the wrong enemy. We are not fighting men, we are fighting for men to save men from the one who seeks to destroy mankind. The Bible says our enemy is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. This is how we can love our enemies the way Jesus tells us too … because they are not really our enemies. They are believing the lies of the prince of darkness. He is manipulating them and tearing their life apart just like he used to do to us, and unless we suit up and go to battle that’s what he continues to do to us.

Every Christian is born a warrior. It is our destiny to be assaulted and to fight back. When we don’t put on the armor of God, it’s like a solider going into battle without armor. We walk out into the war zone without armor and oblivious to the battle and then we are surprised when we get hit. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “I try to live for God but everyday I just keep getting defeated.” Well, no duh, you are unarmed, ill equipped, and refuse to listen to your commander.

The truth is when you go into battle like that it would be shocking if you weren’t defeated. This is my challenge to you today, “suit up” put on the armor of God! If you are not sure what the armor of God is, read this excerpt from a blog by Pastor Tullian:

JESUS IS THE ARMOR OF GOD.

• JESUS is the truth and the standard by which all things hold together (John 14:6). (belt)
• JESUS is the righteousness, humanity’s only hope before God for acquittal of sin, protecting our spiritual vitals from the wages of sin: death (2 Cor. 5:21; Rom 3:23-24). (breastplate)
• JESUS is the gospel of peace, who from heaven ventured to earth to reconcile humanity to God by absorbing the hostility of sin that once divided the two (Ephesians 2:14). (shoes)
• JESUS is the object of our faith, which gives us highest defense of our acquittal before God. Our faith is not measured by how much faith we exert, but in whom we place our faith (1 John 5:10-12). (shield)
• JESUS is salvation, the only way to God (Acts 4:12), in whom our entire worldview is conceived, by whom we understand reality, and from whom we receive every life application. (helmet)
• JESUS is the Word of God (John 1:1), the Word literally made flesh (John 1:14), the exact imprint of God’s nature (Hebrews 1:3), the message incarnated for our behalf, to see, hear, feel, and know, and whose message is sharper than any “two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow” (Hebrews 4:12). (sword)

Put on Christ today… you will never fight against sin and win until you first run to the only One who has fought sin and won. Get away from distractions, rearrange your schedule around spending time in His Word with Him, give Him your best not the leftovers.
There is nothing more important in this world than your relationship with Him. Make Him a priority. If not, you are an easy target for Satan. And he is a murderer. He kills everything he touches and he wants to see you destroyed.