As we have seen in our previous blogs, the initial step in defeating the devil and his schemes is to RESIST him. And, his primary weapon to steal our hopes and our joy is “the lie.” Remember what Jesus said about the devil, that he is a “…liar and the father of lies.” (Jn. 8:44). He tries to convince us that his plan for us is better than God’s plan for us. He will dress up his plan to make it look attractive, and if we buy into his deception and act upon it, he will have gained the victory, resulting in our own defeat which is usually loaded with a pile of regrets for having bought into his lie in the first place.

Our primary weapon in resisting the devil’s lies is to simply stand upon the truths that God has revealed in His Word, the Bible. In other words, we defeat the lie by proclaiming and acting upon the truth. As we saw last week, Paul used the metaphor of a Roman soldier putting on his armor as he prepares for battle.  And this is just the time when we need to put it on also, that is, when we sense that Satan is bearing down on us, trying to convince us to believe and act upon the lies he is hurling against us.

And so, in addition to speaking and acting on the truth, we are to…

“Take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm” (Eph. 6:13).

And so, just what are the different items of the Christian’s armor? All items are primarily protective pieces of armor to ward off the attacks of the evil one as he begins to hurl lies at us. Paul lists seven of them in Ephesians 6:14-18. We could spend a week on each, but that’s not my intention here, as I simply want to list each one and provide a short synopsis of its importance and application. I think that you will find it interesting that Paul begins at the very place where resistance begins, just as we have noted above.    

1) Gird your loins with TRUTH, that is, put on the proper protection for your loins. As Paul says, that protection comes with knowing and acting upon God’s “truth;”

2) Put on the breastplate of RIGHTOUSNESS, that is, protect your mid-section by continuing to live a righteous life, become more like Christ in your character, conduct, and commitment to serve others;

3) Cover your feet with the preparation of the GOSPEL OF PEACE, that is, be prepared to live out, as well as share, the Gospel that brings peace in all of our relationships, both with God and with others;

4) Take up the shield of FAITH that will deflect all of the “fiery arrows” of the evil one, that is, trust God, believing that doing God’s will rather than the devil’s is the best of all decisions you will make;

5) Put on the helmet of SALVATION, that is, be confident in the fact that Christ has redeemed you and is working out His purposes in your life;

6) Take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the WORD OF GOD, that is, focus your thoughts on the exhortations and promises revealed in His Word; and finally,

7) Cover all of this in PRAYER, remaining alert with all perseverance and making petition for all the saints as they are also engaged in battle with the enemy of our souls.

So, friends, let’s practice each day resisting the devil and his lies. And at any time his efforts to destroy you seem to be getting more acute, then put on the armor of God: TRUTH, RIGHTEOUSNESS, THE GOSPEL OF PEACE, FAITH, SALVATION, THE WORD OF GOD, AND PRAYER. Let’s all learn to defeat his lies that try to steal our joy and destroy our walk with Christ.

Blessings to all of you.