Our Spiritual Battlefield

03.15.09

J.A. Matteson

"Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might." Ephesians 6:10

The Christian ought not to naively entertain the notion that in his natural endowments he is Satan’s equal. In the natural those in the Beloved are no more a match for the prince of darkness than is a squirrel to the ravenous the lion. In the natural Satan will devour you swiftly, effortlessly, and thoroughly while contemptuously mocking and laughing at your naivety. The adversary is adept at being crafty and modifies the variety, intensity, and duration of his assaults.

His relentless pursuit is intended to wear you down as a predator his prey. By grace the Christian can withstand this fiendish assailant, but to do so he must heed the conditional directive of the Lord, “Abide in Me and I in you… apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5); to be victorious the branch must remain in the Vine. The Roman coat-of-arms was intended to protect the soldier’s body from a mortal blow. The battlefields of the world experience periods of violence followed by peace. The spiritual battlefield on which the saint finds himself is vehemently more hostile, and perpetual. There will be no truce, as it is a fight to the finish; there will be no treaty, in that light and darkness have no part with each other; there will be no peace until the Prince of Peace returns in glory and His enemies become His footstool. The serpent loathes the Seed of the woman and marshals every force of hell in a vain attempt to destroy her children; their existence is in defiance to his temporal dominion, “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9).

In the Greek the Apostle refers to the armor of God in the singular. The translators have supplied the antecedent “whole” so that the English reader would understand that the Lord’s armor consists of the entirety its parts; if a part is missing the armor has not been put on and the saint cannot prevail. With the armor Christians can be victorious to stand against demonic forces that in the natural would obliterate them instantly. With God’s spiritual armor Joshua came against Jericho and David against Goliath—it was not their physical armaments that won the victory, “Some boast in chariots and some in horses, but we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God” (Psalm 20:7).

Truth: God’s Word is the foundation upon which you stand and Satan tirelessly tempts you to doubt it, “Has God said?” (Genesis 3:1). Additionally, as children of Abraham the saint instinctively imitates his Lord by walking in the truth.

Righteousness: the breastplate protected vital organs from injury, especially the heart; the heart is deceitful and must be guarded from worldly pollution “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23). After Bathsheeba grieving David reflected on the importance of guarding his heart, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

Shod your feet: proclaiming the Gospel is every saint’s obligation as it is a message of peace to sinners, alerting them that they are at enmity with God and that peace with Him is available through Jesus Christ. Shield of faith: the natural circumstances of life do not define spiritual reality; do not attempt to apply human reasoning to them. Practice childlike trust that your heavenly Father is providentially working things together for good and reject the fiery darts of doubt, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways”, declares the LORD” (Isaiah 55:8).

The helmet: the helmet protected the head which houses the brain—the center of life; deliver a forceful blow and life will cease. After the Fall the Lord told the serpent that the Seed of the woman would crush his head, sealing his ultimate fate. Spiritual regeneration brings life eternal and while Satan may bruise and harass you on your pilgrimage he cannot extinguish the spiritual life which God supplies, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (John 5:24).

Sword of the Spirit: the sword is both defensive and offensive and to be wielded every time the enemy releases an accusation or statement antithetical to the Word of God, “The Lord rebuke you Satan, for it is written….!”

Copyright 2009 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8)