By David Roadcup
There is a battle raging! The fight is all around us, a fight that influences each of us as leaders in the church. The enemy is real, powerful, and focused. The enemy is Satan, the liar and father of lies, the deceiver, the hater of all things holy, righteous, and just. As leaders, we must be aware of his goals and of what Scripture says we must do to protect ourselves and our churches from his onslaught.
Satan knows that every soldier has great potential to do damage to his kingdom of darkness. He will stop at nothing to take us down. John Eldredge wrote, “The story of your life is the story of the long and brutal assault on your heart by the one who knows what you could be and fears it.”
In Ephesians 6:10-20, Paul provides a detailed explanation of who Satan is and how we can defend ourselves from his attacks.
The Enemy We Face
Paul lists several characteristics of Satan in Ephesians 6.
The enemy is real (6:11). “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (New American Standard Bible, 1995). The presence of Satan (evil) is a reality in our daily existence. We know he is present and real from seeing him tempt Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11) to arguing with the archangel, Michael, over the body of Moses (Jude 9), to experiencing our own personal spiritual struggles.
The enemy is unseen (6:12). “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,” Paul explains that we cannot fight against this enemy with mortars, guns, and tanks. It is not a physical battle but one that takes place on battlegrounds in the spiritual realms.
The enemy is powerful (6:12). “But against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Interestingly, Paul uses words and phrases that indicate cosmic powers and authorities. These all generally point to ultimate world control which was and is Satan’s final goal.
The Equipment We Wear
The Praetorian Guard, mentioned by Paul in Philippians 1:13, was an elite military branch of the Roman Empire. The main purpose of the Praetorian Guard was to protect Roman emperors. We know that Paul was under house arrest when he wrote the book of Philippians. He would have been guarded 24/7 by a member of this elite group. Paul had apparently been successful in leading some of the soldiers in the Praetorian Guard to Christ. Since Paul saw soldiers daily, commentators believe Paul simply took the individual pieces of the armor they wore and applied them to how we should protect ourselves.
Paul lists the items of the soldier’s armor in the order in which they were put on. Together they compromise the panoplia or the complete set of armor worn before taking the field. In Ephesians 6:13-17, Paul wrote,
Therefore, 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. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
The Belt of Truth. The belt was a critical component of the soldier’s armor. The soldier would secure his belt tightly when going into battle. It held many of the pieces of armament together. Truth for the believer is the key in establishing our faith.
The Breastplate of Righteousness. The breastplate covered the body from the shoulders to the thighs. Polybius tells us that it was known as the heart protector. It also protected the lungs and other viscera of the body. Our personal righteousness is a powerful protector of our lives. Righteous living is simply a protection from the payback of sin in one’s life.
Our Feet Shod With the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace. The soldier’s boots (Caligae) were shoes thickly studded with sharp nails so as to assure a good grip. Commentators are mixed about the application of this piece of armor, but it would appear that the believer is to be prepared to hold their ground and be adequately prepared to share their faith when the opportunity presents itself.
The Shield of Faith. The Greek word for shield is also the word for door” The shield was a large oblong or oval shape made of two layers of wood covered with linen and hide and bound together with iron. The shield protected the warrior from the flaming arrows of the enemy. When Satan has unleashed his projectiles at us with all of their fury, our faith will protect us from his intense attack.
The Helmet of Salvation. The metal helmet was used to protect the head and the brain. Our salvation is given to us as a definite form of protection. Through our confidence in our salvation, we know we are secure in Jesus.
The Sword of the Spirit. The sword is the only offensive piece of armor. This short-handled sword (gladius) was a powerful weapon in battle. Our confidence in the Word of God as our weapon of war wields power and impact in our spiritual battle.
The Energy We Need
The energy we need in our battle comes through prayer. Paul wrote,
With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Soldiers and armies need power in various forms. When we pray, the power of God provides spiritual victory. Prayer is the key. We pray personally, we pray as a leadership team, and we pray as a congregation to be victorious when it comes to the battle. Samuel Chadwick wrote, “Satan dreads nothing but prayer. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.”
As leaders in the church, when experiencing intense spiritual warfare, our best defense is to follow the instruction from Paul and internalize his exhortation to stand firm, use the equipment God has given us, empower ourselves and our churches in prayer, and experience the victory that comes as believers in Jesus.
Elders, pray and lead well.
Author: Christian Standard
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