ON THE VANGUARD

NOT PHYSICAL, BUT SPIRITUAL
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
Ephesians 6:12

Our enemy, the devil, is crafty. He uses schemes and strategies, hides in the unseen, and assaults us when we are not looking. His mission is for our destruction. And as Matthew Henry says, “…he has a thousand ways of beguiling unstable souls.” He comes to steal our very life from us, kill our souls, and destroy us in every way possible (Jn 10:10). Yet even with his force of demons, the Christian can stand on this truth, that “…greater is He that is in [us] than he who is in the world” (I Jn 4:4). With this promise then, let us be strong in the Lord, wearing His armor, and stand our ground against the enemy.
“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.”
Ephesians 6:10-11
The fight is all around us and without the proper stance we are easy kill. Our enemy cares nothing for us, but rather is bent on finishing us off. He will throw at us temptations, illness, injury, and a slew of other schemes from his knapsack of evil. And because this is no secret, we are given instruction by Paul to be strong and stand firm. Strength and courage in God are a requirement when standing against the enemy, as we are powerless on our own. It is God who enables us to accomplish any measure of progress on the vanguard. The standard can only move forward as the battle is fought and won.
But let us not enter into this war unclothed, exposing ourselves to the enemy. We are given armor and the simple command to ‘put it on.’ Nothing we possess in the physical can withstand the onslaught on darkness in the spiritual. Therefore, we would do well to follow Paul and put each spiritual piece on daily. Remember, our enemy prowls around like a lion and watches for whom to devour as his next victim (I Pet 5:8). As we can never know for certain when and how he will pounce on us, let us constantly be ready like David who seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it (I Sam 17:35). David wore no physical armor, but in his spiritual armor he was protected.
“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”
Ephesians 6:13
Evil has come and there is no chance that it will lighten up any time soon. As a result, our best defense to withstand is to not give in to his allurements and assaults. When the devil stands up to us, we then need to boldly stand up to him under the power of God. The Message reads Ephesians 6:13 as follows. “Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet.” How can we still be on our feet standing if we fail to wear every piece God has provided? And each piece has a specific purpose, enabling our victory against the enemy to be a reality.
Now put on the armor and join me ON THE VANUARD!