Sunday, July 19
Ephesians 6:10-18 NKJV
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—”
Notes
One Bible translation says “take your stand.” (NIV)
Another says, “Stand firm.” (NASB, NLT)
Another says, “Stand against.” (GNT, MSG)
Yet another says, “Stand up.” (NIRV)
The Living Bible (TLB) says, “Stand safe.”
The Amplified (AMP) says, “Successfully stand up against.”
Now notice how Paul points out that, while we are always engaged in spiritual warfare, there are particular times when Satan turns up the heat. He calls it the evil day—“… that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13 NKJV).
Notes
Paul goes on to tell us something about the devil. He informs us that when the evil day comes, the enemy has been strategizing and scheming to take his best shot.
Ephesians 6:11 says, “… that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (NKJV, emphasis mine).
The word wiles is from the Greek word μεθοδεία (methodeia), and it means the devil is methodical and strategic.
So the great Apostle Paul warns us that we need every piece of the armor of God to successfully stand against the carefully laid snares of Satan! Paul’s intent with writing Ephesians 6 is that when the dust settles and the battle is over, the Christian is standing victorious!
Notes
Now, let me share 3 key ways to maintain your footing and successfully stand in the evil day of attack.
I. Keep a clear conscience
The Bible directly links a clear conscience to spiritual victory.
Paul the Apostle writes to Timothy his son in the faith:
1 Timothy 1:19 TLB
“Cling tightly to your faith in Christ and always keep your conscience clear, doing what you know is right. For some people have disobeyed their consciences and have deliberately done what they knew was wrong.”
1 Timothy 1:19 ERV
“… and their faith is now in ruins.”
The very name, devil, means “accuser.” When our conscience isn’t clear before God, the devil has an open door to accuse us in our minds and shoot us down with guilt. And because of unconfessed sin, our relationship with God is broken so we don’t have access to His peace and power.
Illustration
In my neighborhood, we’ve had some break-ins where thieves have been found to come into garages and steal stuff. So I’ve developed a little saying I tell myself when I’m going somewhere for even a real short time—“Never give a thief a chance. Close the garage door.”
Every Christian needs to have that attitude about the devil—“Never give the thief a chance. Close the garage door of your conscience by keeping it clear and right with God!”
- Practice quick repentance.
- Never go to bed with unconfessed sin.
- If you mess up, fess up and repent quickly.
- Keep short accounts with God!
1 John 1:9 KJV
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Notes
II. Power up daily by time spent in the Word and Prayer
Joshua 1:8 NLT
“Study this Book of Instruction (God’s Word) continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”
Illustration
We have some beautiful flowers in our backyard. And we’ve noted that in Texas summers when it’s over 100 degrees outside and you could fry an egg on the driveway, you have to water them every day.
They will never make it on yesterday’s water. If we miss a day or two, they begin to droop, and wilt, and turn brown.
So if we want to enjoy their beauty we must take the time and trouble to water them daily.
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Your spiritual life and mine are no different.
In the day of evil when the warfare is hot, the number one thing we must do is keep our inner man strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. And we do that by daily watering our soul with the water of God’s word and prayer.
In order to stand strong in the day of evil, you must:
- spend daily time with the Captain of your Salvation,
- drawing from His strength,
- listening to His counsel,
- guided by His hand!
Notes
III. Keep moving forward
Job 17:9 NLT
“The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.”
Exodus 14:15
“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward.’”
The armor of God is designed for someone moving forward, there is no piece of armor for the back, for someone in retreat. The armor protects someone advancing, not retreating!
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So let’s sum it up: To stand strong in the day of evil we must
- Keep a clear conscience.
- Power up daily by time in God’s Word and prayer.
- Keep moving forward.
Notes