Ephesians 6:10

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places... Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, taking the shield of faith... and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit...

Paul's final exhortation to the Ephesians: stand strong in the Lord against a very real enemy, clothed in armor that is ultimately Christ's own.

Parting Words That Matter

This passage is often associated with spiritual warfare. It may not be the only New Testament text on the subject, but it is one of the clearest. As Paul finishes his letter to the believers at Ephesus, he comes to his final exhortations: "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord."

Someone's parting words are often the most important. We see this with Jesus—the Olivet Discourse of Matthew 24 and 25, the Upper Room Discourse of John 14 and following. These are among His last sayings, and you could spend years studying them because final words carry such weight. So it is with Paul here.

The book of Ephesians is a powerful work showing who we are in Christ. The first three chapters deal with our position—saved by grace through faith, seated in Him. Chapters 4 and 5 move us from sitting to walking in Christ. But chapter 6 is about standing—understanding that we are in the midst of an onslaught from the enemy. There is no physical foe in this passage; it is clearly a spiritual battle.

"Be Strong" — An Old Exhortation

The call to be strong is not new. Moses gave it to Israel in Deuteronomy 11:8, charging them to be strong so they could possess the land. In Deuteronomy 31:6 he says, "Be strong and of good courage. Fear not, nor be afraid of them. For the Lord your God, he it is that does go with thee. He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."

Moses then turns to Joshua in verse 7: "Be strong and of good courage." Privately in verse 23 God gives Joshua the same charge: "Be strong and of good courage, for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land... and I will be with you."

God Himself repeats it three times in Joshua 1. He commands Joshua to be strong and very courageous, to meditate on the law day and night, and adds, "Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee." Ten chapters later, in Joshua 10:25, Joshua passes the same charge to Israel: "Fear not, nor be dismayed. Be strong and of good courage, for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies."

The Same Strength for a Spiritual Battle

Those Old Testament exhortations were given to men preparing to fight other men. Ephesians 6 is uniquely different—Paul speaks of a battle against a spiritual foe. Yet the strength is the same. Israel had to rely on the Lord, who promised to go before them and never forsake them. God's strength enabled their victory over physical foes, and that same power enables us against our spiritual enemy.

Notice Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3:16, that they would "be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man." Then in chapter 6, "be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might." So often we encounter the defeated believer—downcast, discouraged, beaten up by the world, the flesh, and the devil. Very likely the cause is that he has been fighting in his own strength.

When Israel returned from Babylonian captivity to a ruined Jerusalem, God spoke to Zerubbabel through Zechariah: "Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord." That physical obstacle could only be overcome by God's Spirit. In the same way, the spiritual things we face can only be overcome by the Spirit of God.

Put On the Whole Armor

"Put on the whole armor of God"—circle the word whole. So often we put on the armor only in part, still trusting in ourselves in some fashion. It is like learning to ride a bike: Dad is holding the back, providing the balance, yet we want to do it on our own—and how many of us remember falling when we tried? We must rely completely on the Lord.

We put it on "that you may be able to stand." Obedience to this exhortation is imperative. Even those we look up to falter when they rely on themselves. Think of Peter, who even after the Spirit was poured out had to be withstood to his face by Paul (Galatians 1-2). If we want to stand—against a physical foe, an obstacle, or something far greater spiritually—we must lean wholly on God or we will fall.

Is the Devil Real?

We stand "against the wiles of the devil." A line from a film years ago put it well: "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he didn't exist." In 2002, Barna research found 59% of Americans reject the existence of Satan, calling him merely a symbol of evil. 75% of Catholics and 55% of Protestants held that view. By April of this year, Barna found 4 out of 10 Christians strongly agreed Satan is not a living being, with another 19% agreeing somewhat—nearly 59% of Protestant Christians.

This only reveals ignorance of the Scriptures. The Bible makes clear Satan is a being created by God. He began as the angel Lucifer; we read of his fall in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel. He possesses intellect (2 Corinthians 11:3, beguiling Eve through his subtlety), emotions (Revelation 12:17, "the dragon was wroth with the woman"), and a will (2 Timothy 2:26, those taken captive "by his will"). Intellect, emotion, and will—the three things that make up a person.

He is named throughout Scripture: Satan the adversary, the devil the slanderer, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Belial, the evil one, the tempter, the prince of this world, the god of this age, the prince of the power of the air, the accuser of the brethren, the destroyer, the deceiver. He is pictured as a serpent, a dragon, and an angel of light. He was perhaps the most beautiful angel God ever created, but he became proud—read his five "I wills" in Isaiah 14—and in his fall took a third of the angelic host with him. Those fallen angels are demons. He is a murderer and liar (John 8), a confirmed sinner (1 John 3), the accuser (Revelation 12), an adversary (1 Peter 5:8).

A Powerful but Defeated Foe

Many Christians who do believe in Satan mistakenly think he is equally as powerful as God—a dualistic view of a good God and an equally powerful bad Satan. That is not true. God is all-powerful, all-knowing, omni in His attributes. Satan is a created being. He is not omniscient; he cannot read your thoughts. He is not infinite. And, as we'll see, he can be resisted. God has placed limits on him—read Job 1 and 2.

I personally do not want to get to know Satan; I want to know God. But Paul says we are not ignorant of his devices. These 60% of Christians who say he's merely a symbol simply don't know the Scriptures. No wonder so many in the church are overtaken by sin. If you don't believe in the truck, you have no problem playing on the freeway—but you'll be overtaken so quickly.

The word "wiles" is the Greek methodia, from which we get method. It means cunning arts, deceitful crafts, trickery. The devil is no weakling, yet if we do what this passage says, we can stand and resist his methods.

We Wrestle — But We Don't Pick the Fight

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Notice Paul does not say, "Let's go out and pick a fight." We are not looking for a fight; the fight has come to us whether we want it or not. The day you said, "I want to follow Jesus," you picked a fight with the enemy. You became the friend of God and the enemy of the devil—a good place to be.

Hell was actually created for Satan and his demons as a place of punishment, and he is not there yet. The common misconception pictures Satan already in hell as the MC of a party. He is not. Right now he walks about the earth as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. But at the end of the millennial reign of Christ he will raise an army against God one last time, be defeated, and be cast bound into the lake of fire. So the question is not whether we'll pick a fight—it's whether we're ready for the fight that's coming.

A Hierarchy of Darkness

This verse reveals a kind of hierarchy in the spiritual realm. They may not share the same office, but they share the same goal: to destroy. Principalities are like the chief rulers among them. Powers is exousia, authorities or jurisdictions, another level. Rulers of the darkness of this world literally means the lord or prince of this age—those actively at work on earth deceiving and destroying. Spiritual wickedness in high places means depraved, wicked spirits—I would connect these with the fallen angels of Genesis 6, now bound in chains in the abyss.

None of this sounds good, and these are the things we wrestle against. So verse 13 becomes clear: "Wherefore, take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day." Because the battle is spiritual, we must be arrayed spiritually. You cannot fight spiritual beings physically.

Not Crucifixes — but Spiritual Weapons

Hollywood struggles with this; every depiction involves physical things—a crucifix, holy water, or a hero like Arnold with big guns. You cannot defeat a spiritual enemy with physical armaments. Nowhere does Paul say take up a crucifix or holy water. It has to do with the name of Jesus and His Word.

Underline "the evil day." We're not picking a fight, but we should be ready when it comes. This clears up Matthew 16:18, where Jesus says the gates of hell will not prevail against the church built on the confession that He is the Christ. Many picture the church storming the gates of hell, like the gates of Mordor. But in ancient times the city gates were where elders gathered, judgments were made, and strategies devised. So "the gates of hell will not prevail" means the strategies and plans of the devil will not prevail against God's people.

Jesus modeled this. He never went hunting for demons. As He went about ministering, demons cried out to Him and He withstood them—but He didn't go looking for a fight. Some corners of the church think it's time to "take up arms and go get that devil." That's not what Scripture teaches. The point is that the enemy's strategies will not overcome the church.

Full of Bluster

The enemy comes at us with all kinds of shock and awe, seeking to scare us. But Isaiah says a day is coming when we'll look at him and say, "Is this the one who deceived the nations?" I used to run five to seven miles a day, and one route passed a house with a chihuahua. That little dog would come out barking like the toughest thing alive, racing along the fence. As I kept running past, I think he believed he'd won and walked away satisfied. I suspect that's how it will be when we finally see Satan for who he really is: "You've got to be kidding me—this is the one who scared so many into a corner?"

That doesn't mean he is weak. Scripture is clear he has power God has allowed him, and jurisdiction over the earth because man handed it to him at the fall. But he is a defeated foe, and a day is coming when he will be cast into the lake of fire. Until then, the church must be ready when he comes against us.

The Belt of Truth and the Breastplate of Righteousness

"Stand therefore"—but you can only stand if you've done what the previous verse says: put on the whole armor. As believers we already possess these blessings (Ephesians 1), but we must put them on.

It's no accident Paul starts with the belt of truth. The belt isn't really protective armor, yet it's vital: it gathered the soldier's garments together so he could move freely, and it was the foundation everything else attached to. Paul wrote during the heyday of Rome, whose military prowess shaped its armor for specific purposes—even its helmet exposed the ears so soldiers could hear their generals, unlike the Greeks. Jesus said, "I am the truth," and Pilate's question, "What is truth?" still echoes through our universities. Without truth, everything flies apart. Truth holds things together.

Next, the breastplate of righteousness. Marvel at God's intellect: He gave us a ribcage and muscles to guard our vital organs, and a hard head to protect the brain. But natural protection isn't enough in battle, and neither is our own righteousness. "Your righteousness will not stand up on the day of Christ Jesus." Isaiah 61:10 says God "has covered me with the robe of righteousness." Whose righteousness? Christ's.

Turn to Isaiah 59:16-17, a prophecy of the Messiah 700 years before He came: "His arm brought salvation unto him, and his righteousness sustained him. For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak." Paul surely drew the breastplate of righteousness from Isaiah. Notice Jesus also wore garments of vengeance and a cloak of zeal—which are not part of our armor. We are not sent to bring vengeance and zeal upon the heathen; Jesus does that in the future (Isaiah 63; Revelation 19). His righteousness, given to us, protects all the vital parts of our spiritual life.

Feet, Shield, and Helmet

Third, "shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace." Literally, we must have a prepared foundation. Alexander's armies used studded sandals to advance over rugged terrain, and the Romans did likewise—a sturdy, steadfast footing. Our foundation is the gospel of peace. "There is no other foundation that a man can lay than that which is Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:11). On Christ the solid rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.

Fourth, the shield of faith. The Roman soldier had a small round buckler for close combat and a large oblong shield about four feet tall and two and a half feet wide for distance attacks. The enemy often comes from an unseen distance, so we keep the shield of faith to "quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one." These darts were burning javelins tipped with hollowed lead filled with flammable tar that would explode on impact. The shield doesn't just block them—it extinguishes them, forcing the enemy into close combat where we fight with the sword of the Spirit.

Fifth, the helmet of salvation, also called "for a helmet the hope of our salvation" in 1 Thessalonians 5:8. This helmet protects our minds from the discouragement of the enemy. Many have been broken in battle by discouragement and despair. But fixing our eyes upon Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith—who for the joy set before Him endured the cross—restores our souls.

The Sword of the Spirit

Now we move from defense to offense, and I like offensive weapons. "Take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Like any sword, it must be wielded—not merely carried around as a deterrent. Consider it practically: our nation holds over 1,800 strategic nuclear missiles, but they were no deterrent on 9/11. Simply possessing the sword of the Spirit doesn't stop the enemy; we must wield it.

The enemy wields the Word too. In Genesis 3 the serpent used Scripture against Eve; tempting Jesus, Satan quoted it—always out of context, adding, subtracting, or twisting. The enemy knows the Bible well, so we must know it better. Paul charged Timothy, "Study to show yourself approved unto God... rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). Hebrews 4:12 says the Word is sharper than any two-edged sword—it is already sharp; we must know how to use it.

The Greek word here is the short, dagger-like Roman sword, about two feet long, used in close-quarter combat. It was the soldier's most important and most-used weapon. Many Christians have fallen by the wayside through the enemy's temptations because they didn't know how to use the sword of the Spirit, or didn't take up the whole armor—they had it but never used it, never ready for the evil day.

The Weapon of Prayer

Many stop at verse 17, but Paul doesn't: "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints." He told the Thessalonians, "Pray without ceasing." Prayer is an effective weapon. In 2 Corinthians 10, "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations... bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."

Prayer is something like an air assault in our fight. E. M. Bounds' book The Weapon of Prayer—available in our bookstore or free online—is well worth reading. We often reduce prayer to asking for parking spaces or relief from a toothache, but God reveals it as a mighty weapon to tear down strongholds. In Joshua 10, Joshua prayed and God made the sun stand still and hurled down meteors that killed more enemies than Israel did. In 2 Chronicles 20, Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir came against Israel; the people fasted and prayed, and God told them to stand and see His salvation as the three nations destroyed one another. Do not neglect this fierce weapon.

"The Lord Rebuke You"

Jude references a story from the Old Testament tradition, the Assumption of Moses. When Michael the archangel contended with Satan over the body of Moses, he brought no reviling accusation but said, "The Lord rebuke you." If Lucifer is tough, Michael is equally formidable—yet even he did not rebuke Satan in his own authority. The Lord is the one who rebukes the enemy.

This concerns me about prayer meetings where people say, "I rebuke the enemy." I don't see that in Scripture. I see Michael say, "The Lord rebuke you," calling out to God, who then rebukes him. James tells us, "Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." We are called to resist, and we can only stand by heeding Paul's exhortation to put on the whole armor proactively and daily.

Stand in the Evil Day

Check your armor throughout the day. Are your feet founded on the gospel of peace? Do you have on the breastplate of righteousness? When Satan accuses you—"You're a sinner, you're wicked, God will never accept you"—you answer, "You're absolutely right, but I am clothed in the righteousness of Christ. It's not my work, it's His." When he tries to discourage you with your past, recall the helmet of the hope of salvation, all because of what God did for you. Jesus wore that helmet and that breastplate, and one day He will put on the garments of vengeance and destroy the enemy once and for all.

Until then, we need not let the gates of hell prevail against the church—but only if we recognize there is a real enemy, an adversary who goes about like a roaring lion. He is the destroyer, liar, and murderer, yet a defeated foe whom we can resist so that he flees. Sixty percent of the church says he doesn't exist—closing their eyes and pretending he's not there. It's foolishness.

Paul tells us in Ephesians 5 to "walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, for the days are evil." Eyes wide open, understanding the times. The evil day is here. Are we ready? Are we listening to our commander, the Lord Jesus? Are we standing—feet shod with the gospel of peace, belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, helmet of salvation, shield of faith, sword of the Spirit, praying always in constant communication with our commander?

If not, we may fall, fail, or despair. If that's you today, it's time to stand up and put on the armor that you may be able to stand—strengthened in the Lord, not your own strength, in the power of His might. And you will see victory. I guarantee it, because God does not lie. He speaks truth.

Closing Prayer

Father, I thank You that You desire that we would be victorious, and You have given us the instruction on how to be victorious. Lord, I pray that we would take heed to the exhortation of our brother Paul and stand in the evil day, understanding the times, that the days are evil. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.