Ephesians 6:10-18, the Whole Armor of God, and the “ammunition” (as I have heard it called) of Prayer (v18), Spiritual Warfare, Faith’s warfare

Exhortations for Spiritual Warfare

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the [a]wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of [b]the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 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. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which, you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

                Let us not overlook the word withstand (v13). This verb suggests vigorously opposing, bravely resisting, standing face-to-face against an adversary, and standing your ground. It is allergy season for many of us so, I cannot resist the urge to get into the Greek derivation (anthistemi) compare this to antihistamine from (anti)-against and hestemi:  to cause to stand. Just as an antihistamine puts a block on histamine, anthistemi tells us that with the authority and spiritual weapons granted to us, we can withstand evil forces.

                Now let us get into Spiritual Warfare, Faith’s Warfare. Paul advises us or cautions us to put on the whole armor of God to stand against the forces of hell. Our warfare is not against physical forces, but against invisible powers who have clearly defined levels of authority in a real, though invisible, sphere of activity. Paul, however, not only warns us of a clearly defined structure in the invisible realm; he instructs us to take up the whole armor of God to maintain a “battle stance” against this unseen satanic structure. All this armor is not just passive protection in facing the enemy; it is to be used offensively against these satanic forces. Paul’s final directive: we are to be “praying always with all prayer and petition in the Spirit” (v18). Thus, prayer is not so much a weapon, or even a part of the armor, as it is how we engage in the battle itself, with God’s Word being our chief weapon employed against Satan during our struggle

6:18 Prayer “in the Spirit” INTERCESSION

                Any prayer that is directed, energized, and sustained by the Holy Spirit is a prayer that is prayed in the Spirit. It falls into the same category as being in the Spirit, speaking by or in the Spirit, and singing in the Spirit. Praying in the Spirit:

1.            Will be according to God’s will (1 John 5:14, 15)

2.            Will glorify the Father through the Son (John 14:13)

3.            Is based upon God’s character, ways, and Word (John 15:7)

4.            Comes from a clean heart (James 5:16)

5.            Is prayed in full assurance of faith (James 1:6)

6.            Is asked in Jesus’ name (John 14:14)

                All prayer is literally “Every order of praying.” The specific method by which spiritual warfare is carried on. Prayer is to include supplication in the Spirit, a phrase that explains or makes clear Rom. 8:26, 27 and Jude 20, where Holy Spirit-assisted prayer is taught and directed, In 1 Cor. 14:14, 15 Paul shows that such praying may include prayer “in a tongue” not known to the person praying.

                To bring this into relative importance, if you will, the metaphor here is based on the Armor and battle dress of the first-century Roman soldier. The military metaphor is intended to show the reader that we are engaged in an active battle now. Some suggest that this viewpoint of a continuous aggressive struggle minimizes the accomplished victory of the Cross and, it in fact asserts that victory even more. All spiritual warfare waged today is victorious only based on appropriating the provision of the Cross and Christ’s blood. Personal faith that positions itself against strongholds are two distinct and complementary facets of spiritual life. This entire passage lends further support to this perspective “to stand against” (v11) means to hold at bay aggressively or to stand in front of and oppose; “wrestle” (v12) means to engage actively in one-on-one combat; “to stand” (v13) means to be found standing after an active battle; and “stand” (v14) means to take your stand for the next battle.

(v15) Preparation refers to that which is already accomplished and ready

(v16) The wicked one is a direct reference to the personal assault of Satan against believers

We put our trust in Jesus! Clothe yourself daily with the full armor of God so that you can stand against the satanic plans and schemes of the Devil. By faith, understand that we are in a real spiritual battle and must be alert, watching in prayer, and praying in the Spirit. Be committed. Stand as the victor in the spiritual battle. Pray always with every kind prayer in the Holy Spirit. Be steadfast and watch, praying sacrificially and faithfully.