You cannot stand against the enemy without your battle rattle. You must be wearing the whole armor of God. The battle is not a natural one, therefore natural weapons are ineffective. Spiritual battles are fought with spiritual weapons. The armor has a purpose, our responsibility is to put it on.
In the Christian life we fight against "principalities and powers", the incredible fiendish powers of fallen heavenly messengers headed by Satan (1 Peter 5:8). To withstand their assaults, we should rely upon God's strength and utilize each piece of his defensive armor. Paul is not just giving his advice to the church, yet to everyone inside the church. The entire body should be equipped. As we fight against "the rulers of the darkness of this world", battle in the strength of the church, whose force comes from the Holy Spirit.
In verse 10:
Here we have the two angles united: human undertaking coincided with the Lord's movement. We are to be strong, however in the Lord’s strength. The strength of the Lord's obviously alludes to his Spirit. Not by your own strength for man is weak and frail. Sometimes we tend to give in spiritually, but by God’s strength we can overcome.
This verse presents the general inspiration for Paul's directions. Particularly, the strength and power through and of the Lord. Paul opened his letter with a supplication for the Ephesian Christians to gain insight and information (Ephesians 1:15-23). After talking about the use of wisdom, Paul noticed that the believer does not depend on their own strength, however on God’s power to be victorious in life's battles.
The accompanying verses will offer a framework of each piece of the allegorical defensive layer (armor) of God. Each piece associates with a territory of spiritual life significant for dependence upon God's strength. Paul's portrayal of these parts will finish with an emphasis on supplication and prayer (Ephesians 6:18–20), again asking God for strength and victory in the fight. Simply by depending on God through these spiritual devices, would we be able to beat the evil spirits and prevail by God's will.
In verse 11:
‘Put on’ indicates an action we must take. It is not like an athletic uniform we put on for the game. We must have all our issued gear, if we forget one piece, we will be vulnerable to the enemy. As soldiers always do, we should periodically check our gear. The enemy uses underhanded tactics to slip us up and can use our goodness against us.
To start with, believers should plan to use all instruments accessible to them. A couple of pieces are not adequate, particularly considering the subsequent capability, which are the plans of Satan. Just with each piece of the armor of God can a believer sufficiently stand against the plans of the Devil. Similarly, as a Roman officer could not sensibly enter a fight with a fractional suit of defensive layer, or with just a portion of his weapons, a believer will not be as effective in spiritual war except if all aspects of God's armor is incorporated.
Second, Paul calls the Devil's work toward believers as "wiles" or schemes. This shows a planned assault against believers. It is clear Paul does not have as a primary concern actual violence, yet a spiritual fight (Ephesians 6:12). Furthermore, the Devil appears to explicitly look to obliterate the work of all believers. Fortunately, his force is no counterpart for the power accessible through God. Believers should implore and completely depend on God's assets to stand firm (Ephesians 6:13) against the Devil’s assaults. Utilizing God’s armor completely and totally, is critical to enduring this spiritual battle.
In verse 12:
We are not fighting natural physical forces but demonic forces. These who are not "flesh and blood" are demons over whom Satan has control. they are not simple dreams; they are genuine. We face a ground-breaking armed force whose objective is to crush Christ's church. At the point when we trust in Christ and join his congregation, these creatures become our adversaries, and they attempt with everything to dismiss us from Christ and back to sin. Although we are guaranteed of triumph, we should take part in the battle until Christ comes, since Satan is continually engaging against all who are on the Lord's side.
The enemy uses evil troops in different areas of our lives (non-believers in government, music, movies, and etc). He could be using someone in the congregation right now, (who is this guy, I wish he would hurry up, what is for lunch, wonder what the score is). We need spiritual power to overcome Satan, and God has given that in his Holy Spirit inside us and his armor encompassing us. If we feel debilitate, we are to recall Jesus' words to Peter: “Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
In verse 13:
Christians need all the battle rattle gear (whole armor). It is not like choosing what shirt to wear with what pants, should I wear this with that, do I wear a tie, or what shoes go with that outfit. We cannot select what part of gear we will take for the day. It takes all the gear, all the armor. You will not see a firefighter running into a burning building without full protective gear. You will not see a medical team heading into surgery without their PPE (personal protective equipment). All means all. “Having done all to stand” is from a military term meaning to hold a watch-post or hold a critical position. how can we stand our ground if we have not done everything we are to do?
In verse 14:
In ancient times, the girdle around the loins held the other parts of the uniform in place. If the girdle were lost, the rest of the armor could be lost. If people do not know Jesus, they have already lost everything.
These next two verses indicate something we should have already done as a believer (having). The initial two pieces of God's reinforcement are noted in this verse. Paul portrays these pieces of a Roman soldier’s attire in the request they would have been put on. To begin with, Paul refers to the "belt of truth." In that time, a belt was tied around the midriff instead of clasped. It was subsequently "girt" or attached as Paul notes. These were not flimsy segments of material. A soldier’s belt was thick and solid. The remainder of a soldier’s armor was attached to this belt. For the Christian, truth is to be safely associated with us for our prosperity. Truth incorporated the precise information with respect to God and the uplifting news of Jesus (Ephesians 1:13; 4:15, 21, 25). Truth "ties together" all the other things we accept. Without bringing together truth, we simply have incoherent, separated pieces.
Second is the "breastplate of righteousness." This belt would hold the breastplate set up, just as the scabbard holds a sword (Ephesians 6:17). A Roman's breastplate would commonly be produced using bronze or networking chainmail and would cover the fundamental vital organs (heart, lungs, stomach). Righteousness is fundamental for securing the existence of the believer through spiritual fighting. Additionally, the breastplate is an essential method for knowing who the ally is; this is one of the clearer ways for soldiers to perceive each other in a battle. Moreover, a Christian's conduct is intended to distinguish them to the world, and different believers, as a supporter of Christ.
We should cover the heart. The righteousness of Christ protects your spiritual vital organs from Satan’s attacks. His commandments are truth (Psalms 119:151), we will know the truth (John 8:32), Jesus is the truth (John 14:6), the Holy Spirit is of truth (John 14:17), God is truth (Romans 3:4), and the Gospel is truth (Colossians 1:5). One sinned then judgment came, and righteousness was given by God (Romans 5:18: Philippians 3:9).
