What Position Are You Fighting From?
Standing firm in the armor of God doesn’t stop the spiritual warfare from raging. It stops it from defeating you. – Tony Evans
When my son was younger and we would have family movie time, there was always something that would happen at the end of each movie. He would immediately run back to his room and grab anything that resembled something from the movie we watched and go into full-blown actor mode, acting out parts of the movie in our living room. He took pride in becoming a lion, or any other animal that had been seen in the movie, as he pounced on any “prey” that walked by.
But one of his all-time favorites was when he was acting out a fighting scene. Whether it was cowboys and Indians or ninjas, you could find him dressed in fighting attire ready to fight the battle and stand in victory.
Thinking back on all those precious moments of my son as he was playing and fighting imaginary villains in our living room got me thinking about the battle that we face every single day. The real battle between darkness and light – good and evil. Dear friend, it’s real – even if we don’t want to acknowledge it. John 10:10 tells us that there is a real enemy. His only objective is to kill, steal, and destroy and he will stop at nothing until he has accomplished that task.
To have an ignited walk that impacts the world around us, it’s important to know what position we are fighting from. And to know that we must understand how to fully wear the armor that God inspired Paul to write about in Ephesians 6.
Over the next several weeks, we will dig a little deeper into exactly what this armor is and why it is necessary to experience victory. When we fight the battle from the right position, victory overflows from our own walk with God into our marriage and our relationship with our children, not to mention every other area in our life. It’s all about understanding your position.
Tony Evans says this about waging victorious warfare:
“When Paul established the church at Ephesus, he wanted the believers to know they had the power to withstand the attacks of the enemy, Satan. He wanted them to realize that they could stand firm in their faith and refuse to yield to sin and thoughts of defeat. They had been given spiritual weapons more powerful and effective than the enemy’s.
Paul lists those weapons in Ephesians 6, but sums up their usage in verses 10-11 where he writes, “Be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil.” In order to stand valiantly, they needed to understand they were not strong enough on their own to resist Satan’s temptations and tactics. It was God’s power and strength that empowered them to overcome the wiles of the devil.
Paul explained to the Ephesians that they needed to use weapons of spiritual warfare on a daily basis. God protected them, and he protects us. But one way he does this is through believers putting on the full armor of God each day.
Always keep this truth in mind: You are not fighting for victory; you are fighting from a position of victory. Christ has secured the victory for you, and he offers it through the armor of God. The victory is yours when you are well-dressed for warfare.”
I’ll be honest friend. I would have had more victory moments in my life if I would have taken the time to understand God’s armor more, how to wear it (and then actually wear it into the battle of life), and truly understand what position I was already fighting from. I can’t wait to uncover the armor that has already secured us a position of victory with you in the coming weeks!
Heavenly Father,
I praise you for the victory that we already have in Jesus. The battle is real and sometimes I seem to get stuck in it. I lose sight of who the real enemy is and what his purpose truly is. Keep my eyes open Lord so that I can see the spiritual battle that rages. Keep my gaze locked on you and teach me how to wear my armor. Help me to put it on each day. In Jesus name, Amen.
Dig Deeper:
“What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? Romans 8:31 CSB