1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with a promise: 3“that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth.”
4You fathers, don’t provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
5Servants, be obedient to those who according to the flesh are your masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as to Christ, 6not in the way of service only when eyes are on you, as men pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men, 8knowing that whatever good thing each one does, he will receive the same good again from the Lord, whether he is bound or free.
9You masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him.
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13Therefore put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace, 16above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints. 19Pray for me, that utterance may be given to me in opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the Good News, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
21But that you also may know my affairs, how I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will make known to you all things. 22I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know our state and that he may comfort your hearts.
23Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love. Amen.
In the Midst of Battle
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
The first major battle of the American Civil War was known as the First Battle of Bull Run or the First Battle of Manassas. Tensions had built up between the North and the South for a long time. Trouble was coming to a head. Inexperienced generals led both sides. In the north, the leaders spent a great deal of time gathering supplies and raising troops to fight. In the south, preparations were made with much more urgency. They knew the fight was on. The people of the north didn’t take the threat of war too seriously. They figured, if it did come to battle, it would be over before it started. The North far out-gunned and out-manned the South. This battle was fought only 25 miles south of Washington, D.C. Thinking that the battle would be over before it started, many sightseers from the north took their picnic lunches and bottles of wine, and they headed to the battlefield as though they were going to watch a sporting event. The women were dressed in their fluffy dresses and big hats. Men had on their best outing clothes. All was fine and dandy until the battle began. The party-goers were soon awakened to the reality as cannonballs ripped past their carriages. It was reported that heads and other body parts were seen flying around them. The onlookers gasped in horror at what was going on. They fled in panic from the battlefield, escaping the unexpected danger as fast as they could. The troops fled to the north and were defeated that day. They never really believed that a war was on and that they were in the middle of it.
The same thing happens to many believers. They go through life dressed up and ready for a party, but they aren’t battle-ready. They have their “bottles of wine and lunch boxes”, but they’ve left their swords, shields, helmets, and armor all back home. They are defenseless. Paul tells the church in Ephesus that there is a war on. It is raging. We may think that we’re just combating a hostile person in traffic or an outrageous politician enacting laws that are hostile to the things of God. But we’re fighting enemies that we can’t even see. They are not obvious. We mistakenly believe it’s the political party or corporate boogeyman that is the problem, but they are the frontman for the enemy of our souls. Paul tells us that we are not fighting against flesh and blood. That means we’re not in a battle with entities that we can see with our eyes or kill with our hands.
We are in the middle of a battle against legions of demons who wage war from another realm. Their leader has given them instructions to kill, steal, and destroy. And they are hell-bent on doing a good job of that. Read Ephesians chapter 6 carefully. Study it intently. Memorize it if you can. Incorporate it into your daily Christian life because, whether you know it or not, you are in the midst of a spiritual battle. Casualties are lying on the ground all around you. There are “body parts” flying past your head. Wake up! Open your eyes! PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD. Because you will need it.