by Ptr Oyette Fernando
We are embroiled in a spiritual warfare and the battleground is in our mind. Against the unseen enemy, we have to put on the full armor of God to be able to stand and deliver. The Bible says a battle is raging in the unseen world-not against people, circumstances or organizations but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over the present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. The apostle Paul made it clear that this battle is not in the physical or material realm but rather against the hierarchy of demonic forces in the spiritual realm.
Ephesians 6:10-20 gives us two commands. The first is “Be strong in the Lord,” and it tells us how: “In the strength of His might.” This command teaches us to do things not on our own effort but to allow God to work on our lives so that the same power that brought Jesus back to life will give us the strength to win the battle. The second command exhorts us to “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take stand against the devil’s schemes.” God is a faithful God and He has provided us with the armor to protect us from both the subtle and frontal attacks of the enemy. Our responsibility is to pick it up and put it on with urgency because the enemy is relentless. He works double time to deceive us by feeding us lies about God, ourselves and others. With the same deception, he pursued Eve in the Garden of Eden to disobey God. If you fall into his deception, you think you are doing the right thing at the right time at the right way. Literally leaning on our doorbell, he is ready to devour us in our vulnerability but God has given us the BELT OF TRUTH. This armor is critical for all other armors are attached to it. To go to battle we must put in on first. This armor allows us to be true to God and maintain an open and honest relationship with Him. The belt helps us to be true to ourselves and to others.
Aside from deception, Satan employs the strategy of condemnation to make us feel guilty. But God has given us the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS to protect our hearts. In Romans 8:1 the apostle Paul reminded us: “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.” The enemy works hard to inflict fear in our hearts that we would dwell in our mistakes and take our eyes off Jesus. But the Breastplate of Righteousness protects our hearts that we may conform our will with God’s will and apply the truth in our lives.
Satan also uses the strategy of casting doubts in us so we will lose our footing or foundation. Yet God has shod us with SANDALS that give us balance and help us to be ready to step forward to share the Gospel that brings peace between God and man. We are reminded of the need to know and understand the Gospel as the basis of our eternal security and assurance of our salvation. Sharing our faith is the most powerful faith builder available.
The enemy’s attacks don’t always come in subtle ways. Sometimes he gets frontal with us and attacks us with fiery darts and missiles. These fiery missiles such as hateful thoughts, burning desire to sin, pride in earthly possessions, desires of the flesh and overwhelming depression weaken us and render us most vulnerable to the enemy. God has provided us with the SHIELD OF FAITH we raise to protect us from and extinguish these flaming arrows. This shield of faith gives us absolute confidence in God, his power, his promises and plans for our salvation.
Satan uses our mind as the battleground of his relentless attacks. He builds doubts and instills negative thoughts in our mind so we will hide in our shells and shut people out of our lives. To protect our head, God provides us with the HELMET OF SALVATION. Once you’re hit on the head, you’re done. Thus, it is important that we have a clear understanding of what God has promised us - the hope of salvation.
Finally God has given us the SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, which is the word of God, to go against the lies, traps and temptations of the devil. Psalm 119: 105 says,“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” The word of God is our life. In the gospel of Matthew Jesus demonstrated to us how to wield the Sword of the Spirit when he was tempted by Satan. Similarly in James 4:7: “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
In the Garden of Eden we remember how Satan deceived Eve to turn against God. We have been wrestling with an evil force that seeks to destroy everything that is good in our lives. The evil force is Satan, the enemy who relentlessly wages war against us in the battlefields of our minds, employing the potent weapon of deception so he can control our lives. Proverbs 23:7 clearly sums this up: “For as he thinketh in heart, so is he.” We have to remember 5 basic truths about this spiritual warfare we are engaged in. First, there is an invisible world that is just as real as the visible world. Second, we are involved in an in visible war and the battleground is in our mind. Third, our foe is formidable and his goal is to destroy us and discredit the cause of Christ. Fourth, we must respect our foe but not fear him. And fifth, as believers in Christ, we don’t fight for victory but from victory. To win this war, you have to develop a strategy: 1. Make a commitment to love God with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your soul. Surrender your life to Jesus and let the Holy Spirit dwell in you. 2. Make a decision to get rid of the filth that you have been feeding your mind. James 1:21 exhorts us: “Therefore get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.” 3. Focus your mind in good things. You become what you think. Philippians 4:8 states: “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. 4. Commit yourself to prayer. Pray with confidence that God is not only listening to you but is going to act on your behalf.
Finally, you may have strongholds in your life that need to be broken. Let me encourage you: GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE. There is a war going on but the good news is that God has provided us the armor and it is our responsibility to pick it up and put it on. God has given you and I the weapons – His Words. In Matthew 4:10, when Jesus was being tempted by the devil, He said,“ Away from me, Satan. For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’ “
