21 Days of Prayer and Fasting
Day 16
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:13-17
All these items in the armor of God are defensive except for the sword of the Spirit. However, even the sword can be used in a defensive way to block the blows of an enemy. For a long time I missed the purpose of this passage. I missed the command to withstand or to stand in evil days. The reality of a spiritual attack is certain, and since the days are evil, Satan thinks he has the upper hand. Feeling emboldened, the devil will go on the offensive, but the armor of God is given to protect believers, so they can endure to the end.
I wanted to use the armor to go on the offensive. I wanted to feel equipped and empowered. I wanted to go take on the devil and his forces. I wanted to be one who fought and won. But I am not the hero of heaven. Jesus is.
One day Jesus will mount up with the armies of heaven. One day Jesus will defeat Satan and all the forces of evil. But on that day Jesus will come because it is time. It is not a battle to protect heaven from the forces of evil. It is a day of judgment upon evil.
Heaven is never panicked in this spiritual battle. The Kingdom of Light can withstand anything the enemy can muster. Even at the moment of His death, Jesus is in complete control of what is happening around Him. I do not need to fight an external spiritual battle to win some type of ground for heaven. God knows the day when Jesus will defeat and judge Satan. Heaven is waiting for that day.
God gives me this armor to protect me from the forces of evil. My battle is not external but internal. I fight to surrender every part of myself to the Lord. Rather than fighting the external battles to achieve something, I must wage war on an internal battle that attempts to corrupt me.
Every day I live in a world that attempts to move me from the Kingdom of Light to a system of darkness. Those external assaults are directed at my internal character. The armor of God prevents and exposes the folly of those attacks. It protects me as I look inward and wage the battle against my flesh.
Prayer: Father God, I thank You that You defend me from the spiritual attacks of the enemy. God, my battle is an internal battle. A battle that rages against my heart, my mind, my will, and my desires. Lord, I put on the whole armor of God so that I can stand in these evil days. I focus today on the belt of truth. Expose the lies I have believed and show me Your Truth today. I ask for Your Spirit to show me the truths of Your Word. Reveal to me the traps of the enemy and recall to my mind the scripture I need in those moments of attack. You are all powerful and there is not panic in heaven. As you wait for that day, I stand in You, assured and protected.