Ephesians 6:10-24 The Battle And The Equipment

My commentary began:  "As Christians, we face three enemies:  the world, the flesh, and the devil.  The world refers to the system around us that is opposed to God, that caters to the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life ... The flesh is the old nature that we inherited from Adam, a nature that is opposed to God and can do nothing spiritual to please God."

"The important point is that our battle is not against human beings.  It is against spiritual powers.  We are wasting our time fighting people when we ought to be fighting the devil who seeks to control people and make them oppose the work of God."

"We are involved in a hand-to-hand battle and are not mere spectators at a game.  Satan wants to us our external enemy, the world, and our internal enemy, the flesh, to defeat us."

"Since we are fighting against enemies in the spirit world, we need special equipment both for offense and defense.  God has provided the whole armor for us, and we dare not omit any part.  Satan looks for that unguarded area where he can get a beachhead."

This special equipment includes truth, righteousness, the good new of the gospel, peace, faith, salvation ("a mind controlled by God"), and the Word of God.

Paul lets us know that prayer (maintaining a connection with God) is vitally important in our battles.  "We are to keep on praying until the Spirit stops us or the Father answers us.  Just about the time we feel like quitting, God will give the answer."

Father, it sure is a battle.  Show me any parts of Your provided equipment that I'm not using properly.  Lead me to fight the battle against the enemies of the spirit world and not against people.  And help me to maintain that vital link of prayer with You.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford