Fighting the Spiritual Battle

The latter part of Ephesians 6 has a lot to say about how to successfully fight the spiritual war we are engaged in as Christians. Here are a few things I noticed as I was reading:

• Be strong (v. 10) It's not going to be easy, so we're going to have to be tough. But the important thing is we cannot fight the battle on our own strength. We have to be strong in HIS might.
• Have all of your equipment and weapons ready (v. 11, 13-17). You have to put on the whole armor of God. If you are missing one piece you will be vulnerable. But I think it's important to note that getting all the pieces in place takes time and preparation. We can't just put them on all of a sudden like putting on a suit of literal armor.
• Know who the enemy is (v. 12). We are not fighting people, but ideas. We have to appeal to the mind and the heart. See also 2 Cor. 10:3-5.
• Pray at all times (v.18).
• Be vigilant and on the alert (v.18). The devil and his forces are crafty and attack us in various ways.
• Pray for others fighting with you (v. 19) Paul asked them to pray on his behalf.
• Speak boldly (v. 19-20) See also 2 Cor. 3:12 and Eph. 3:12.
• Surround yourself with faithful helpers (v. 21) Paul talks about how Tychicus helped him by carrying a message to the Ephesians. Even Paul needed help carrying out his work and fighting the battle. This is obviously apparent in many other of Paul's writings as well (e.g., Rom. 16).

Fighting this fight is more important now than ever. As Rick talked about yesterday, we are surrounded by people who call evil good and good evil, and are actively trying to destroy the ways of God. And many young people these days tend to fall into this category. But let's be their spiritual opposition - let's go out there and fight back.