How to Stand Firm Against Satan’s Attack: One Critical Secret

INTRO: Satan can and will attack Christians. When he does, God does not expect us to pick a favorite piece of armor, or the one that is the easiest for us to wield, with the least effort. If we do not want to fall victim to Satan’s evil, we need to do the work to put on “the full (complete) armor of God.”

KEY VERSE: Ephesians 6:10-18

 

PROGRESSION:

  1. Think Singular
  2. Put It All On
  3. Know Your Theology

15 QUESTIONS THAT HELP YOU PUT ON ALL OF GOD’S ARMOR

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It is hard to read Ephesians 6:10-18 and not want to stand firm. It is a gripping image. A Christian who relies on the Lord, imbued with God’s power as resident strength, as ability that makes them more than enough for the task, is going into battle at God’s command! They are firmly and confidently on their feet. No matter what Satan throws at them, they come out as they went in, upright, firmly standing their ground. Victorious. They may look like they have been in battle, but that look was earned by triumphing over a dark and sinister power when it truly mattered. I want to be that warrior. You? 

Don’t Back Down

I want not just to prevail against God’s enemy and ours, I want to stay on my feet through the whole fight. I may get knocked backwards, but who wouldn’t? I just don’t want to get knocked down. While that is probably impossible, it is the picture that is painted for us here. Three times in verses 10-14 we are told to stand. And in verse 14, the opening “Stand your ground” is a command. It does not sound optional or impossible. “Stand me up at the gates of hell and I won’t back down! No, I’ll stand my ground, won’t be turned around, … and I won’t back down!”* 

Forgive the unceremonious jump from Scripture to Tom Petty, but I couldn’t shake that lyric. The words from Ephesians depict a Christian warrior standing strong even though Satan has attacked with such obvious evil determination that it seems the very gates of hell have come against them. We are called to stand our ground and not back down. It is a compelling image for sure. 

Don’t Pick a Fight

That is not to say that we should mimic Petty’s defiant spirit. We are going to stand strong in God’s mighty power, not our own! It is cocky and dangerous to invite Satan to “hit me with your best shot, fire away.” ◎ That attitude will lead to a heap of trouble and a truckload of pain. Pat Benatar is not a better role model than Petty! Besides, the imagery does not strike me as if we are bringing it to the enemy. We are not supposed to be looking for a fight. But if he brings the fight to us, if he threatens what God has given us to defend, we are not supposed to back down. We are commanded to stand, come what may, even if what comes is not a flesh and blood enemy but an evil leader, an invisible but mighty power, a supernatural master of wickedness, or our contemporary dark world. 

Tall order, but thankfully not an empty one. The Commander who gave it is none other than the God of the universe who has provided both sufficient armor and power to accomplish the task… if we depend on him.

  1. Think Singular 

So let’s talk about that armor. Not in its various pieces as you might expect, but as a whole. My point is just a single thought, just as the armor is a single weapon. We are told that standing strong requires us to not just use some of God’s mighty power, but his full armor. Since this is a pretty important fight, given the magnitude of the battle, let’s slow down a bit. Instead of tearing the armor apart piece by piece to analyze it, we need to consider it as a united whole, as one piece, not several.

Why? Because the text tells us to. The term for a full or complete suit of armor is used twice, suggesting that God doesn’t want us to miss it. Once in verse 11 and then again in 13 where it says “every piece” in the New Living Translation. The Greek prefix for “all” or “whole” is added to the word for “armor.” That tiny little prefix “pan” carries a ton of weight. When God chose the word “armor”, he doubled down on the importance of a full suit of protection by using the singular form and then adding a prefix to make sure we get that we are supposed to put it all on. You don’t see it clearly in the New Living Translation, but that exact term is repeated in verse 13 where it says “every piece.”

  1. Put It All On

There are half a dozen separate pieces of armor that comprise the entire suit, seven if you include prayer is verse 18, as some do. But to my point, six or seven does not matter. Put all of it on. How well do you think you would fare with just the shoes of peace? You may even know the Scriptures well, but without faith and salvation, you are wielding a sword and have a belt around your waist, but have precious little else to protect yourself from attack. One missed thrust from an enemy sword and you will not stay on your feet, let alone stay in the fight.

Maybe you have a reliable faith, maybe you even have the gift of faith. But this text tells us that it is not enough when going up against the “evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” “This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.” Ω Missing pieces leaves us with more than a chink in our armor. It is a hole, and whole parts of our self and life are left unprotected. Put it all on! But how?

  1. Know Your Theology

So know the truth that sets us free, trust in God’s righteous over your own goodness and good deeds, rest in knowing you are at peace with God, guard your heart against the fiery temptations and lies of the enemy, keep your mind always locked onto your eternal hope and God’s present promises, as you steadily access the power of Scriptural truth that you have stored away in your mind and heart so that you are prepared and ready for the battle that will surely come.

That sounds like the armor represents a ton of heavy truth. And that it does. Truth is the belt that holds it all together, we are righteous in Christ, at peace with Him, saved, by faith, that is found in the word of God. One could say that we need to know our theology to wage a successful fight as God’s warrior. Looking at it as a whole, we see a whole lot of doctrinal truth. 

Know the Truth

Know this, the Bible does not say that the truth will set you free! Not exactly, anyway. What it says is, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free,” (John 8:32). Truth is freedom. But the truth does not magically set free those who care nothing about it or are lazy about knowing it and have little or no reliance on it. It will not set you free if you do not know and use all of it as armor against the evil one.

Ephesians 6:13 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. Ω

15 Questions to Help Put on the Whole Armor of God:

  1. What does the Bible mean when it says we’re made righteous through faith in Christ Jesus? 
  2. What does God promise us who are made right with Him (in Christ Jesus) that protects us from Satan?
  3. Can you articulate why we need peace with God, and what the peace is that the “good news” offers?
  4. What role does living by following Jesus’ example have to do with that peace with God?
  5. What are the fiery arrows of the devil, and how does faith stop them before they wound you?
  6. How is it that Stan’s attack occasionally gets past our God-given armor and hits its mark in our lives?
  7. Which “fiery arrows” are particularly troublesome for you personally to resist?
  8. What proactive measures do you take to keep from being caught off guard when those arrows come?
  9. How do you learn where your weaknesses are and then work to grow stronger against them?
  10. When one of Satan’s attacks gets past these defenses, how to recover and get back on your feet?
  11. Do you have a (Biblically) well-informed faith that serves you adequately when the devil comes knocking?
  12. What exactly does the helmet of salvation do for us that is vital to our victory over Satan when he attacks?
  13. How do you proactively keep your mind from all human reasoning that contradicts God’s truth?
  14. Do you know the difference between reading and studying the Bible?
  15. Do you read the Bible almost daily AND study it systematically so that you know the truth? 

Next Article: Fight Off & Fight On! An Encouragement to Stay in the Fight 

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* “I Won’t Back Down,” co-written by Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, recorded by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers; 1989; album Full Moon River; owned by the Tom Petty family

◎ “Hit Me with Your Best Shot,” written by Eddie Schwartz, recorded by Pat Benatar; 1980; album, Crimes of Passion; rights purchased from Schwartz by Round Hill Music

 Ω Peterson, Eugene H. The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2005.