God’s Soldier (Ephesians 6:10-18)

Posted by on Apr 16, 2014 in Weekly Word | 0 comments
Ephesians 6:10-18 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Efesini 6:10-18  “Del resto, fortificatevi nel Signore e nella forza della sua potenza. 11 Rivestitevi della completa armatura di Dio, affinché possiate stare saldi contro le insidie del diavolo; 12 il nostro combattimento infatti non è contro sangue e carne, ma contro i principati, contro le potenze, contro i dominatori di questo mondo di tenebre, contro le forze spirituali della malvagità, che sono nei luoghi celesti. 13 Perciò prendete la completa armatura di Dio, affinché possiate resistere nel giorno malvagio e restare in piedi dopo aver compiuto tutto il vostro dovere. 14 State dunque saldi: prendete la verità per cintura dei vostri fianchi; rivestitevi della corazza della giustizia; 15 mettete come calzature ai vostri piedi lo zelo dato dal vangelo della pace; 16 prendete oltre a tutto ciò lo scudo della fede, con il quale potrete spegnere tutti i dardi infuocati del maligno. 17 Prendete anche l’elmo della salvezza e la spada dello Spirito, che è la parola di Dio; 18 pregate in ogni tempo, per mezzo dello Spirito, con ogni preghiera e supplica; vegliate a questo scopo con ogni perseveranza. Pregate per tutti i santi,

     Paul tells us in verse 20 that he is bound with chains awaiting his trial (“I am an ambassador in chains.”). In this condition, God gave him spiritual imagery as he viewed the Roman soldier guarding him. You can almost imagine Paul staring at this soldier in all his protective armor as the revelation of the Word of God comes to him. The Roman soldier’s protective covering represented pieces of a Christian’s spiritual armor; the armor of God is more powerful than any power of darkness or enemy that can surround or come against us.

The key that makes this entire message possible appears in three phases: verse 11, 14 and 18.  Paul imperatively says, “Put on” indicating that believers are responsible for putting on God’s (not their) full armor. No army can physically win a battle without protective covering. And so it is true with us. Our spiritual armor is able to stand against the schemes of the devil (v. 11). The metaphorical description of truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation and prayer are more than words. If a soldier makes all the necessary preparations in clothing himself with the full armor of God, then he will be ready for phase two: “stand: (in defense) in v. 14. Stand is also stated in the imperative and implies a sense of urgency. The third phase is what every soldier must remember when he has done steps one and two. He must “be alert” in v. 18. There is a direct correlation between being alert here and praying. Jesus, in the garden of Gethsemane, told His disciples to “watch and pray” (Matthew 26:41). A believer can’t pray unless he is alert and an alert spiritual soldier watches what is going on so he knows how to pray to the Lord, His commander.

Pray with me: Lord, you have given me everything I need to face the spiritual struggles of each day. Help me to daily put on Your full armor, stand my ground and be alert by arming myself in prayer.



Leave a Reply