“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.“

 Ephesians 6:10-13 

–

October 27, 2025

Our new four-week series explores the Armor of God. Before we dive into all those wonderful components, let’s pause on these first verses. Do you ever just gloss over this part, to get to the armor pieces? I have.  

Why do we need armor? If we aren’t fully convinced of its necessity, it’s that much easier to neglect getting “suited up” each day. Paul says we must stand our ground against what? Against the devil’s schemes. Not against a superstition or random evil in the atmosphere. Friends, we have an enemy. Though we know he loses in the end, Jesus and the authors of scripture tell us that Satan is currently active and constantly ready to pounce. Your enemy the devil prowls about like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). 

And he has an army. Maybe a number of armies. There are powers of darkness and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. I don’t know which elements of evil are a principality vs a power vs spiritual force of evil, but we know they exist and advance the purposes of Satan. 

We can be pulled into the error of ignoring Satan, or the error of overstating his reach and his power. If Paul (and Jesus) tell us to resist his schemes, we really do need to assess him properly. 

In the sixth century B.C., the Chinese general Sun Tzu said ”If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles” (The Art of War). As believers, we must modify this as “if you know the enemy, and know your protector’s strength and your own need of it, you need not fear the result of any battle.” 

What do we know about Satan? 

  • He is a created being; he has limits, he does not know everything, he cannot be everywhere. 
  • He is a liar and a murderer 
  • He blinds unbelievers and deceives and sows discord among believers 
  • He will be defeated and his work destroyed  

What does Satan want? Destruction. “The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy.” Satan hates God, and hates who God loves: us. He hates believers and those who may still become believers. He works to derail our faith, kill our joy, destroy our hope.  

Tomorrow we’ll look at some of his tactics. Meanwhile, thanks be to God who has won the victory! We need not fear any battle. 

Questions for Reflection and Discussion 

  • Are you tempted to either ignore Satan’s existence or live in great fear of him? 
  • What causes us to fear Satan’s attacks? What would it look like to know our enemy, ourselves, and our God well enough to move us from fear to peace and confidence? 

Church Reading Plan: 2 Kings 8; 1 Timothy 5