“Finally brethren, be strong in the Lord, and the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye 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.”
Ephesians 6:10-12
The key to winning any battle is to know who your enemy is. In war, if your military is focusing all its effort on defeating the wrong target and doesn’t even know who its real enemy is, they will lose the battle. Too many Christians focus their efforts on fighting the wrong target. The scriptures clearly tell us that the real enemy behind every opposition we face is not earthly, but rather spiritual forces. Often when someone has a difficult situation with another person, they see that person as their enemy. In reality, the true enemy is the one pulling the strings in the spiritual realm. When we realize that the devil and his forces of darkness are our true enemies, then we can focus our weaponry on fighting the right target.
1 Timothy 6:12 declares: “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”
The fight we are fighting is the good fight of faith, against an enemy that has already been defeated. It is such wonderful news to realize that our true enemy has already lost! That means no matter what the battle looks like, we can rejoice because it’s already been won for us. In fact, we have won the battle before it ever started! Jesus gave us the victory by paying the price for our sins when He died on the cross and then on the third day was resurrected. He put the last enemy under our feet! Therefore, there is no enemy that can come against us that has not already been defeated. We have the victory! We win because Jesus won on our behalf! “If God be for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31
Now all we have to do is what Ephesians 6:13-18 tells us, which is: “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and 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, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked 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, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints…”
All we must do is believe in our heart that God’s promises will come to pass regarding our situation, and then speak the word of God over whatever obstacle we face. When we speak the word of God over the situation and believe in our heart that what we say shall come to pass, we enforce our victory. We win! (see Mark 11). This is the shield of faith and the sword of the spirit spoken of in Ephesians 6.
In addition, we make sure the rest of our armor is fully intact. Making certain that our feet are shod with the gospel of peace. We speak peace, we act in peace and we pursue peace in all situations. We don’t get worried or filled with strife and fear. Instead, we stand firm on the promises of God and walk in the peace of God.
The helmet of salvation must be firmly in place as well. This means not every thought is allowed past that helmet! If the thought is negative and doesn’t line up with God’s word, then we remove it and replace it with God’s thoughts. If it’s a thought of fear, failure or defeat, we throw it out and replace it with thoughts of victory based on what the promises of God declare about the situation! (see 2 Corinthians 10:5).
In addition, we must walk in love (the breastplate of righteousness), for “faith worketh by love”. (Galatians 5:6b) If you don’t walk in love, your faith will not work. Therefore, we must get rid of all offense, bitterness, unforgiveness and anger towards others. (See 2nd Corinthians 13).
In order to do all of the above effectively, we need the belt of truth solidly in place. If we don’t know the truth, then none of the above can work. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32. “ Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father; but by me.” John 14:6 “Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth.” John 17:17 “Thy word is true from the beginning and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.” Psalm 119:60 When we know the truth of God’s word and how it applies to our lives, then we can exercise our faith in that word and stand firm on that rock of God’s truth.
Therefore, fight the good fight of faith. Keep all of your army on and walk in the victory God has intended for you! “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world; even our faith.” 1 John 5:4
Further reading see: Ephesians 1:16-23, 1 Corinthians 13, Mark 11:22-26, Hebrews 11: 1-35, Luke 11:1-13, 1 Corinthians 15
