City and World
...to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:12

Paul closes out the letter of Ephesians by reminding Jesus-followers of the unseen spiritual battle being waged against God's people by Satan. Pulling from the book of Isaiah and using the metaphor of a Roman soldier, Paul tells believers what "equipped" looks like for the Christian.

Ephesians 6:14: "Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth,"

• Satan is the “father of lies.”  We must know the truth. Do you know the gospel? Are you growing in your knowledge of the Word?
• Begin to memorize key Scriptures.
• One recommended approach is to program your FightClub around memorizing Scripture together. See OUR WEBSITE for the details.

14b "and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,"

• This involves knowing and believing who you are in Christ. You stand not condemned before God because the righteousness of Jesus has been credited to your account!  As a result, you can and should display Jesus through the integrity of your character.

15 "and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace."

• We can advance on the battlefield with confidence because we carry with us the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

16 "In all circumstances take up the shield of faith..."

• Belief in God and proper application of His Word is like a shield against the lies of Satan.

17 "and take the helmet of salvation..."

• Protect your thinking. Preach the gospel to yourself.

17b "and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God"

• The Word of God is our only offensive weapon mentioned. Again, we must know the Word!

18 "praying at all times in the Spirit…"

• Without prayer—a total reliance upon God—our efforts in spiritual warfare will be empty and futile.

If we were soldiers in a physical military combat zone, we wouldn't think of going onto the battlefield without our weapons and our gear. But every day, Christians stroll mindlessly onto the spiritual battlefield with little to no attention given to their spiritual armor and sword.

Will you commit to starting your day with the admission that you need God's ongoing grace and pray something similar to what Paul prays at the end of this section on spiritual warfare?

19 "and (pray) also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak."