Back to the Battle

I mentioned yesterday that I am studying what it means to battle the enemy (meaning satan) who seems to desire nothing more than to distract me from God, His purposes, our relationship with one another, etc. In that, I am reading through, studying, and dissecting Ephesians 6:10-18. I'm writing down what I am learning. Feel free to study along.

I'm writing out the verses so you don't have to go get your Bible.

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

My first thought is this. Know whose armor you are wearing. Armor was often custom fit for each soldier. It's how it protected them so well. We are told to put on (literally pick up or take up) the full armor of God. This is the armor of God. Custom fit for God. GOD. And we, who are in the image of God, have an armor custom fit for us. You have, at your hand, the strength and might of the Lord God. Think about that for a second. Let that sink in. Armor, Custom Fit for God, is yours for the wearing. Put it on. And don't just put on some of it, put on the FULL Armor. All of it.

Second, Know why you are putting it on . . . so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. (vs. 11) TO STAND FIRM AGAINST THE SCHEMES OF THE DEVIL. Put on all of it. (vs13) so that you will be able to stand firm, resisting evil. I looked up "standing firm" in the original text. It basically means taking a battle ready stance. Think of judo (sorry, it's the mental picture I got). There is a basic fighting stance that when mastered allows you to be quick and flexible, but immovable when the enemy strikes. So "stand firm" means that you are in the "ready" position, and when the enemy strikes, you will be able to withstand the blow. So, if you have on the full armor of God, you are not only ready for the strike that will come, but you will also be able to stand up to (stand firm) whatever the enemy sends your way.

And Third, Know your enemy. (vs 12). Sometimes for me, the best way for me to think about what something is, is to think about what it isn't. It lets me rule out stuff. So to think about who my enemy is, I thought about people that I have an "enemy like" relationship with. Then I thought about who others might say their enemies are. Then I wrote all of those down as "who your enemy isn't."

Who your enemy isn't:
Each Other
Your Mom, Dad, Aunt or Uncle
Your Husband or your Wife
Your Annoying Neighbor
Your Daughter or Son
Your Friend that hurt your feelings
Your Boss or Your Sister or Your Brother

It's not:
A Teacher, or a Lawyer, or that person that wanted to get you fired.

It's not:
The person who convinced your teenager to start drinking or doing drugs or,
The person your spouse had an affair with.

If you want to know who your enemy is, know who it ISN'T.

vs. 12 For your struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

All that to say, I must remember that my enemy is not human. And it's not even the people I know that don't act human. And, I need to rest my mind now. That's a lot to take in, in one day.