A large portion of the content of this lesson came from Dressed To Kill by Pastor Rick Renner.Ephesians 6:11 NKJV Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
We are to stand guard over the battlefields of our own lives.
(Like the Guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery)
You must stand guard over the will of God for your life!
Maintain a critical position over the assignment that God has given you until it is completed.
You must determine that you will not give the enemy an inch.
The most important battlefield of your life is your mind!
There are three words that we all need to know in studying spiritual warfare:
- Wiles
- Devices
- Deception
- The word “wiles” comes from the Greek word “methodos”, and it literally means “with a road” or “on a road.”
What Paul is saying to us is that the enemy travels one road, one lane, or one avenue. In other words, he primarily has only one trick in his bag, but he has learned how to use that one trick very well.
If the devil operates on one single avenue, what is the destination that diabolical road is headed toward?
2 Corinthians 2:11 NKJV (11) lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.
- The word “devices” is the Greek word “noemata” and denotes the insidious plot of the enemy to fill the human mind with confusion.
Another way of saying this is that it bears the notion of “mind games”.
“…we are not ignorant of the mind games that Satan tries to pull on us…”
We must make a mental decision to take charge of our minds.
We must stop listening to ourselves and start speaking to ourselves.
We must speak to our emotions and senses dictating to them exactly what to believe.
If we do not renew our minds and yield to the work of the Holy Spirit in our souls, it will be only a matter of time before a solid stronghold of deception begins to dominate and manipulate his self-image, his emotional status, and his overall thinking.
- Deception occurs when a person believes the lies that the enemy has been telling him.
The moment someone begins to accept Satan’s lies as truth is the very moment those wicked thoughts and mind games begin to produce the devil’s reality in his life.
When you embrace the devil’s mind games and perceive them as truth, you give power to them!
We begin to put faith in those lies and give them power to create that reality in our lives.
The name “Devil” comes from the Greek word “diabolos” and means the repetitive action of hitting something again and again, until the wall is so worn down that it can be thoroughly penetrated.
Make up your mind today that you are someone he will not be able to “wear down” until he can “pave a road” into your mind and confuse your emotions with “mind games.” You are not going to be able to be “deceived” until you believe his threats and false perceptions and cause them to become a reality in your life!
Ephesians 6:12 NKJV 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.
Wrestle (Greek: pale) struggling, wrestling, hand-to-hand fighting
Palestra was a huge complex for combat sports in the day. There were boxers, wrestlers, and pankratists that worked out in these facilities. These were dangerous and barbaric sports; extremely violent. The victories often went to those that killed their opponents. Boxers wore spiked gloves and had serrated blades attached. Wrestlers could break fingers, choke, gouge the face and eyes, etc. Pankratists were a combination of all of the above.
Paul uses this wording to convey to us that this is an intense conflict we are waging.
Whoever fights the hardest and the meanest and whoever lasts the longest is the winner in your confrontation with the enemy. Therefore, you had better be equipped, alert, and prepared before the fight begins.
We stated earlier that the majority of spiritual warfare is with the flesh and the mind. Is this a conflict with this thought?
Absolutely not.
Our real adversaries are an unseen host of wicked spirits that are working behind the scenes. However, they can’t do anything unless our flesh cooperates with them. That’s why they come to tempt, seduce, deceive, and assault our flesh and our minds.
By living a crucified, sanctified life on a continual basis, we are able to neutralize any attack the enemy would try to wage against our flesh.
Ephesians 6:12 NKJV 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.
Notice that Paul (by the Holy Spirit) uses the word against four times in this verse. When the Holy Spirit repeats Himself, he is trying to emphasize something because it is important.
The word “against”, is used because it depicts a forward position or a face-to-face encounter.
Paul tells us there are four classifications of demon spirits:
- Principalities
- Powers
- Rulers of the darkness of this world
- Spiritual wickedness in high places
At some point in our Christian experience, we will come into direct contact with evil forces.
- Principalities – “achas” – denotes ancient times and they are at the top of Satan’s domain and they have held their lofty positions of power and authority ever since Lucifer fell.
- Powers – “exousia” – delegated authority. These demons have delegated authority to carry out all manner of evil and wickedness.
- Rulers of the darkness of this world – “kosmokrateros” – the rank and file demon spirits organized as a military force. It has to do with discipline, organization, and commitment.
- Spiritual wickedness in high places – bad, vile, malevolent, vicious, or malignant. These spirits are sent forth from the spirit realm to afflict humanity in all manner of bad, vile, vicious and malignant ways.
If we have the power and authority of Jesus Christ over all of these forces, then why is so much of the church living defeated lives? It is because they often have something we do not.
As Christians, we have no power shortage, nor are we short of God-given authority. We simply have a great lack of discipline, organization, and commitment.
Once we match the discipline, organization, and commitment that the enemy possesses in his camp, we will begin to move into the awesome demonstrations of God’s power.
Our lack of commitment and the secret places of our lives that have never been fully surrendered will stop us dead in our tracks whenever we try to deal with the devil’s attacks.
On the other hand, when we choose to live holy and surrendered lives – carefully guarding our minds and equipping ourselves with the whole armor of God, we become AWESOME weapons in the hands of an Almighty God!
God has not left us naked before the enemy!
God has given us spiritual weaponry that has the ability to counterattack and defeat any scheme that the devil would try to use against us!
Ephesians 6:14 NKJV Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
The Loin-belt of Truth
The loin-belt was the least attractive, the least noticeable, and the most boring piece of armor that the Roman Soldier wore.
Even today, the belt seems to be an insignificant thing. Without it though, your pants fall down, your shirt comes untucked and you would look like a mess.
The loin-belt was the most vital part of all the weaponry that the soldier wore. The loin-belt held it all together!
The loin-belt of truth is the written Word of God!
It is also the only visible piece of armor we have.
When you ignore the Word of God and cease to apply it to your life on a daily basis, you have willfully chosen to let your entire spiritual life come apart at the seams.
You absolutely cannot function as a believer without the Word of God having an active and central role in your life. You may run on a little steam from the past for a while, but you won’t run very far.
The Bible must be the governor, the law, the ruler, and the “final say-so” in your life.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, (17) that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Paul tells us the inspired Word of God will equip us with the “gear” we need in order to walk in the power of God and to maintain our victorious position over the devil.
For the believer that neglects the Word of God, it is only a matter of time before they feel very condemned in every area of their lives.
Hebrews 5:12-13 NKJV For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. (13) For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.
Need peace? Let the Word dwell richly in your heart.
Colossians 3:15-16 NKJV (15) And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. (16) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Want strong faith? Get in the Word on a daily basis.
Romans 10:17 NKJV So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
This is hearing on a continuous basis. If you want strong faith on a daily basis, then get in God’s Word and stay there.
If you do not have the loin-belt of truth positioned in your life, you will not be able to walk in the other pieces of weaponry God has given you.