As we talked about yesterday, not every thought that pops into our mind is worth holding on to. Ideas fuel our lives and therefore we must be conscious of the ideas we hold onto. A perceived speculation of someone’s opinion of you can cause you to change your course of action. Meaning you are thinking about taking action in a certain direction but in your mind picture a person who has a negative response to what you want to do. And that imagined idea can cause you to change your course. Ideas are powerful and we want to use them, not be used by them. As we saw yesterday in Luke 4, the devil tried to implant certain destructive ideas into Jesus’ mind to get him to doubt who he was, take a counterfeit alternative to his purpose and to kill himself. Jesus wasn’t phased or deceived and Paul in Ephesians 6:10-17 shares some insights into standing firm against these strategies of the devil.
“Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Paul says. “Be strong,” it’s a deliberate choice to be strong in God. It takes knowing the word of God and believing in it to walk in its true power. Then he says, “put on all of God’s armor,” emphasis on “all”. You need all of these aspects to stand firm and unwavering against the strategies of the devil. There is no reason to be fearful or intimidated at all, in the strategies of the devil. This is one of the benefits of being strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
The battle we face is not against the people around us, it’s in the unseen realms. It’s in the ideas that can pass through our minds and that people believe that stand against the truth. And this armor is what allows us to dominate in the heavenly places and in the physical.
Paul says, “Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.” Remember this armor is a metaphor that gives insight into spiritual truths. The belt of truth is knowledge, understanding, and application of the truth. The only way to be fluent in the truth is to be dedicated to reading and studying the written word of God. In Luke 4 Jesus shuts down the ideas of the devil with the truth of the bible. The body armor or the breastplate covers your heart. Your heart is where your belief system is. Righteousness is our position and right standing in God that we have through faith in the actions of Jesus. Understanding and believing in true righteousness allows you to shut down and reject ideas that stimulate doubt, guilt and shame.
Next are the shoes of peace that come from the Good News. The Good News brings peace, and solves problems. The more we understand the will of God the more we are prepared to live it out. Not getting distracted with ideas that exist just to waste our time.
Next is the shield of faith with which we stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Faith is belief in the unseen. If we know what we have faith in, then when we have a thought that speaks against it we don’t dare to believe it. Then comes the helmet of salvation. A helmet covers your head which holds your mind. With our mind on the things of God which are hope, and life we keep ourselves from being distracted with depression, worst case scenarios and failure. Instead we use our imagination to think about what it would look like to create community transformation. Thinking thoughts like, “If I had no limits how would I have the biggest impact possible?” (that’s a really good thought to think).
Then comes the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. The words of truth tear down and uproot incorrect ideas. It shines a light on the darkness and on the hidden motives of destructive ideas.
To be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power is to continually grow in knowledge, understanding and application of the truth. It’s to truly believe in what God speaks to you and refuse to cultivate ideas that don’t come from him, no matter how enticing.