Summary of Figuring out life: during spiritual battles
Preamble
Brent asks a challenging question: “Did any of you expect to meet with God this morning?” Brent explains that most of us don’t expect to meet with God throughout our average day. So how do we prepare ourselves to meet with God and face the spiritual battles that happen everyday?
Ephesians 6:10-17
Brent has us all turn to this section in the Bible. Verses 10, 11, and 12 tell us that we are in a spiritual battle. Put on the full armour of God.
The full armour of God
Belt of truth
Roman soldiers would wear a loose fitting toga. The belt would cinch everything up around the toga, and they would hang a weapon from it. Brent points out that the first thing we need to equip is “the truth.” But, why? This is because the Devil attacks our foundation. He will challenge our belief system and he wants us to question the truth about God. He wants us to be skeptical of our God and what He represents. We need to seek out and devour God’s truth (His Bible.)
Breastplate of righteousness
The “body armour” of a soldier protects the soldier’s vital organs from attack. Without “spiritual body armour” we are easily attacked in those areas. The Devil will attack our identity in Christ. We are children of God and we are a part of His family. “Righteousness” means that God sees us as “right” before Him (Romans 8:1). But the Devil will attack us on this concept. He will try to convince us that God will not accept us for who we are.
Boots of peace (sandals)
Footwear would protect a soldier’s feet from long marches and it would also provide good footing. Our “spiritual boots” will give us stamina for the long struggles that challenge our faith. Being at peace with God offers security (a secure spiritual footing). Our soul is settled and we can face the battles around us because our soul is calm and secure with God. The Devil will attack this concept and try to convince you that you are not “at peace with God.” The Devil will also try to convince you not to have peace in your relationships with people. He will convince you to have grudges. Yet we are saved (salvation). We are not at war with God. We are not passive as Christians. We need to stand firm in our beliefs and be ready to share our understanding of God. We have an ever present message of peace, and the love of Jesus Christ. “This is my story, this is my song, praising my saviour, all the day long.”
Shield of Faith
This item absorbs the initial attacks from the opposing army. Our faith is like this shield. The Devil will get you to question the faithfulness and goodness in our lives. “How can God do this to me? Why is God leaving me to suffer?” But we find our power in life from God. We are dependent on God, just like a soldier’s dependence on his shield.
Helmet of Salvation
The Devil will attack us on our hope of salvation. He will tell us that there is no hope. But salvation gives us hope. God will not turn away from us. Once saved, God will continue to draw near to us regardless of how much we push him away. Our minds need to be saturated with the truth of God.
Sword of the Spirit (The Word of God.)
Our sword is the Bible. The Holy Spirit draws us close to Jesus. The Holy Spirit enables us to have faith.
We need the Bible. It is a necessity when we are alone
When was Jesus tempted? When we was alone. Jesus always faced those temptations by saying, “It is written….” We need to memorize scripture. We need to study it because we will be tested! God’s Word equips us with the truth and the ability to fight against all the attacks from the Devil.
We can’t do this on our own
We think we are strong and we can fight off our own skepticisms about our faith. But this is when the Devil laughs at us. He knows our own armour is made of cardboard, and we have laid aside the powerful armour of God. We get lulled into thinking that we don’t need to put on the armour. When we think we don’t need it, we believe we can live life on our own. We think we can do life without God.
The armour doesn’t prevent pain and suffering
The armour of God is basically a promise that we will experience hardships and trials. Our lives will have struggles, but we are called to stand firm in our faith and love for God.
About this Message Series
This is a message in a series called Ephesians. The goal of this series is to discuss the topics and themes that arise from the New Testament book Ephesians. The book of Ephesians is a letter that Paul wrote while in prison. Sometimes it is called a Prison Epistle. It was written to encourage believers. He was encouraging other faithful followers of Jesus to serve in unity and love in the midst of persecution. This series was started in January 2016.
About the Speaker
Brent is the lead pastor here at SouthRidge. He and his wife Pam were part of the original church plant.