Monday, June 21, 2021

Stand My Ground

 


STAND MY GROUND
Ephesians 6:13
I take up the full armor of God, 
so that when the day of evil comes,
I am able to stand my ground, 
and having done everything,
to stand.

And just so we know what that full armor looks like, Paul compares it to the armor of the Roman soldier of his time. 
Verse 14 Belt of Truth buckled around the waist
Verse 14 Breastplate of Righteousness arrayed ( put on )
Verse 15 Shoes/Sandals of Peace: Feet bound (wrapped) and ready (firm foundation/prepared) to go out and preach the gospel of Peace
Verse 16 Shield of Faith, which extinguishes all the flaming arrows of the evil one
Verse 17 Helmet of Salvation
Verse 17 Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Zechariah 4:6; John 1:1-14)
Verse 18 Praying in the Spirit at all times, for everything and everyone 
Verse 19 Pray for the delivered persecutors, for wisdom to preach the gospel boldly
Verse 20 Pray for the delivered to speak freely and fearlessly

James 4:7-8
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

1 Peter 5:8-9
Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.

1 Timothy 6:12
Fight the good fight of the faith [in the conflict with evil]; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and [for which] you made the good confession [of faith] in the presence of many witnesses.

While Ephesians 6 outlines most of the armor we put on as Christ's elect, there are others which are woven into the Breastplate of Righteousness: 

1 Thessalonians 5:8
But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the Breastplate of Faith and Love, and the Helmet of our Hope of Salvation.