Ephesians 6:10-13

Ephesians 6:10-13

For the remaining time, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His strength.  Put on the complete set of God’s weapons and armor in order that you are powerful enough to stand against the crafty scheming of the Devil, because our struggle is not against blood and flesh but against rulers, against authorities, against the ones who rule over this world of darkness, against the spiritual ones of evil in the heavenly places.  Because of this, take up the complete set of God’s weapons and armor in order that you all should be powerful enough to resist in the day of evil and to stand after accomplishing everything.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

In the first sentence of this section we have an emphasis on strength.  In fact, not only do we have an emphasis on strength as a topic but we have the emphasis in the Greek, too.  Paul uses three different words in this first sentence alone.  The command, “be strong” (ἐνδυναμόομαι), is a word that rather pathetically most English translations translate as “to be capable” … but in reality it is the root word for our English word dynamite.  The next word, “power” (κράτος), is a word that is often used with respect to might or ability to control things.  The third word, “strength” (ἰσχύς), is a word that really means exceptional capability in any direction but it is most often used with respect to physical capacity.  What we see here is Paul reminding us that in the Lord we are explosively powerful, capable of exerting control, and exceptional in capacity.  That’s a great place to begin!

Do you see yourself as strong in the faith?  How can that strength lead to positive interaction in the world as you follow God?

Second Thought:

Having spoken about our ability to be strong, Paul then turns us to focus on the ones against whom we use our power.  We’re not fighting against the average people in this world – although those are the people against whom we most commonly think we battle.  Rather, we are fighting against the rulers and powers of this world.  We are fighting against the ones who intentionally rule this world in darkness.  We are fighting against the evil spiritual forces of this world.  Perhaps our greatest foe is the Devil himself.  Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but the great power around us.

How do you feel knowing that in many respects your greatest adversary is the Devil?  How does this help us speak to our need to be strong that we discussed in the first thought?

Third Thought:

As we get set to transition into the next section of verses, we should talk about the complete set of God’s armor.  Notice that it is God’s armor given to us.  It is not our armor.  We do not fight with our own strength.  We fight with God’s strength.  Because we fight with God’s strength, we can also be confident that we will stand when all is done.  Lean upon Him, and victory is ours.

How do you lean upon God?  Why is it important to you that you fight with God’s weapons and armor?

Passage for Tomorrow: Ephesians 6:14-15