By Pastor Ronald Bernier , Master Builder Ministries Inc.
As I consider the different men and women whom God used for His glory, each one had to be strong in the power of His might. The walk of faith is not for the cowardly, but those who put their trust in the Lord and call upon His name. The Apostle Paul summarizes the scope of this fight as he was getting ready to close out his letter to the Ephesian church. He encouraged them to get dressed up for the battle and be mindful of their opponent and his schemes.
“Put on the whole amor 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. 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.” Ephesians 6:11-13
We see in these verses that wickedness and spiritual powers are in various jurisdictions. The ideas convey civil, municipal and familial powers. Each of these jurisdictions can be displaced by the people of God as they learn to be priest, overcoming sin, and serving their generation according to the various teachings outlined by Paul throughout the book of Ephesians. This is what it means to put on the armor. This is what is meant by being strong in the Lord.
There are times when the reality of warfare become so clear, even surprising us as to how strong the opposing forces can be. What we must not do is surrender, quit, or accept things as if they will never change. Faith requires us to stand, fight, trust and be dressed up. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Let His Holy Spirit guide us and equip us for His call. Our God is bigger than any enemy. He will be glorified as we fully commit ourselves to His plans and purposes.