Stand Your Ground

Recently I drove by a billboard advertising a one man show based on C.S. Lewis' classic book, Screwtape Letters.  It reminded me that this man of letters, brilliant and witty, understood that there was indeed a real malevolent being who made it his aim to undo the great work of God in our lives.

In this blog I would like to look at this idea from the great Pauline take on spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6.  I am calling this "Stand Your Ground" because Paul writes in Ephesians 6:10-11, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes."  Sometimes we need to do this in our own spiritual battle with this malevolent being and other times it is standing in the gap for someone you love.  But let us not take this matter lightly.  The battles are real.

In Watchman Nee's little book, Sit, Walk, Stand, he writes, "Only those who sit can stand. Our power for standing, as for walking, lies in our having first been made to sit together with Christ. The Christian's walk and warfare alike derive their strength from his position there. If he is not sitting before God he cannot hope to stand before the enemy.”  Often times, we think of the armor of God as preparation for going to war against the old evil foe.  But we have to remember that Jesus already defeated the devil.  Jesus was accused of casting out demons by being the prince of demons but he responds, "Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house" (Matthew 12:29).  So like the old apocryphal Luther story, if the enemy shows up, just throw an inkwell at him.

When I was in College (in the 1960s) I attended an evangelism seminar where a pastor in Newark, New Jersey was the keynote speaker.  This pastor had resigned his church and bought a candy store across the street from an inner city high school.  He developed many relationships with students and adults in the neighborhood and shared his faith openly.  Then on April 4, 1968 Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.  Riots broke out in cities across America including Newark.  But the night when the riots reached a crescendo a large, powerfully built black man stood in front of the pastor's candy store and said to any potential arsons or looters, "You are not touching this store."  The next day that candy store was the only intact store left for many blocks.  That man had not come to fight but just to stand his ground.  That's what we are called to do when it comes to dealing with the enemy.

Getting back to Ephesians 6 Paul tells us to put on the whole armor of Christ.  But in reality, putting on the armor of Christ is the same thing as putting on Christ.  Jesus is the belt of truth.  He is our breastplate of righteousness.  He is the Prince of Peace.  He is the source of our salvation.  His words are the sword of the Spirit and He is the author and perfecter of our faith. 

Therefore each piece of the armor of Christ is both a gift and a weapon that is meant to be used rather than admired.  A quick history lesson may help here.  During the early Roman Republic (that's B.C.) soldiers had to provide their own armor.  That meant that you had to be pretty well off to be a soldier.  But as the Republic grew into an Empire a lot more soldiers were needed.  Therefore the Empire provided the armor for its soldiers, much as we do today in the U.S.  This was true during the time when Paul wrote Ephesians.  So God gives us these pieces of armor as a gift, if you will.  But these "gifts" are meant to be used.  When you put on the belt of truth you should become more truthful.  When you put on the breastplate of righteousness you should become more righteous.  When you put on the shoes of the Gospel of peace you should become more a peacemaker.  When you put on the helmet of salvation you should introduce more people to the Savior.  When you take up the sword of the Spirit you should use God's Word more to defeat temptation.  When you take up the shield of faith you should quench more arrows of doubt.

These weapons also represent the opposite of what the enemy throws at us.  The devil is a liar and always has been (John 8:44).  He tells us lies like God can't be trusted and that we are without hope.  God tells us that no one loves us like He does and that with Christ we are never without hope (1 John 4:10, 1 Peter 1:3).

The enemy says that we will never be righteous enough to gain God's approval.  God tells us that Jesus is our righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30).

The enemy tells us that we should fret and worry about everything.  God says that in Christ we have a peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

The enemy tells us that we have to earn our salvation.  God tells us that we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8).

The enemy tells us that the Word is weak.  God tells us that the Word is able to produce faith and defeat temptation (Romans 10:17, Matthew 4:4).

The enemy tells us that faith is not enough to overcome our human failings.  God tells us that faith is the victory that overcomes the world (1 John 5:4).

Finally Paul ends this passage not with another piece of armor but with the way to do battle.  It's not by arguing or picking up weapons the way we see people fighting in our modern political atmosphere.  It is by prayer.  "Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere" (Ephesians 6:18). 

"Pray in the Spirit."  That's an interesting phrase.  What does it mean to pray in the Spirit?  Is it different from other kinds of prayer?  "In the Spirit" is sometimes used by Paul to indicate a contrast to being "in the flesh."  So Paul writes in Galatians 5:16 (ESV), "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."  In this verse "by the Spirit" could just as easily be translated "in the Spirit."  By contrast praying in the flesh might be praying for our own selfish desires (James 4:3). We also see this phrase used by John in Revelation 1:10, "On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet…"  Can you be in the flesh on the Lord's Day?  Just ask any parents who are trying to wrangle their children to get ready for church.  But I would suggest that being "in the Spirit" is something that is understood more by its results than in trying to figure out a definition.

I was once in a prayer meeting of about 250 people.  A newcomer came that night and was welcomed.  However during the prayer meeting he began to "prophesy" but the content of this prophecy was totally wrong.  One of the leaders went over to him to tell him that he would have to be quiet or to leave.  He loudly refused.  At that moment the entire prayer meeting began to "sing in the spirit" (1 Corinthians 14:15).  The man began to move towards the door without anyone laying a hand on him, while saying all the way to the door and out the door, "I am not leaving." Praying in the Spirit may not be a specific piece of armor but it is an effective weapon in our warfare.

Therefore whenever you meet the enemy remember to have your armor on and stand your ground.  He is a defeated foe.

William Fischer