Reading: Ephesians 6:10-20

In Ephesians Paul talks about being in right relationship and in submission to God’s order and authority and concludes with “Finally, my brethren.” We’re wasting our time if we’re putting armor on a rebel or someone who’s out of alignment to God’s order.

The first thing I ask myself before putting on the final application of God’s armor. Am I in right relationship with others? Have I forgiven those who’ve offended me? Am I under authority and submitted to those God has placed in and over my life? Armor covers love, but it doesn’t cover hate, selfishness or selfish ambition. It’s the final application before entering into warfare prayer, and persevering there for the brethren.

Notice the word “against” is used six times! We are to be in the aggressive, offensive position. We can’t just be for the right things; in warfare we are against an enemy or enemies. Jesus came for the purpose of destroying the works of the devil, not to just defend us from the works of the devil. He was on the offensive, not defensive.

The gates of hell are the headquarters of where the works of the devil originate. Jesus said that “the gates of hell will not prevail against the church”, in other words we’re on the offensive and they won’t be able to keep us out of their territory. It’s time to break through hell’s gates and snatch souls and populate heaven.

And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, “hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.
Jude 22-23

We’re opposing the wiles of the devil, principalities, powers, rulers of darkness of this age, spiritual hosts of wickedness in the spirit realm, not people – but who’s influencing them. The armor of God is how we protect ourselves spiritually from our greatest vulnerability – the enemy attacking us through the weakness of our flesh or the weakness and passivity of our mind and heart, which accompanies a defensive only stance.