12 November | EVERYONE
"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6: 11,12
It is nighttime. There is no moon, no stars. There may be, but the fog is too dense and envelops the city in its dark sheet. In the midst of the darkness, a sinister character appears silently. Humanity sleeps. Men, women, and children sleep. The strange being moves from side to side, and is dark and evil. Incredibly, he is a well-known being known under the name of the devil and Satan.
Many people believe that the devil is nothing more than a myth or a fictional figure. My description above does not have much to do with reality. The Bible describes him as a beautiful angel who rebelled in heaven and after failing in his selfish struggle to seize the throne of God, was cast down to Earth. In today's text, and alluding to demonic powers, Paul warns that we must be wary of them, which act from an intangible dimension for us.
If our struggle were against a flesh-and-blood being like us, perhaps the apostle's advice would be to eat well and exercise a lot to resist their attacks. But to defeat an evil spiritual force, we will only be victorious if we put on the "armor of God."
Later, Paul mentions, among other pieces of the divine armor, prayer, knowledge of God's Word, and gospel readiness, which refers to seeking a person to make them a disciple of Jesus. If we put on that armor, the enemy will not be able to defeat us. Christ already defeated him on the cross of Calvary.
Take Action
Though defeated, the enemy still punches dangerously, but if you stand united to Jesus and put on the armor of God, victory is certain, and you have nothing to fear. Sing "The Armor of God" (if possible, with your family).