How to Stand Against Satan / Part 2

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All Scripture references are from the New Scofield Reference Bible.
(This message was first printed in 1998.)

Put on God’s Panoplia

Now notice carefully as God begins to set before us the battle:

Wherefore, take unto you the whole armor [panoplia] of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Ephesians 6:13)

He uses the word stand. The song for Christians is not “Onward Christian Soldiers.” Frankly, that’s not a very appropriate song for a group of defeated Christians to sing. But I’ll tell you the song that is appropriate: “Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross….” My friends, we are called upon to stand. Someone has said, “As pilgrims we walk, as witnesses we go, as contenders we run, but as fighters we stand.” God instructs you and me to “stand therefore, having your loins girded about with truth.”

Paul begins now to tell us what we are to put on, and I am going to mention briefly this armor. The first thing he talks about is truth. That truth primarily is the Lord Jesus, His person and His Word — what is stated in the Bible. And we are to have our waist girded with truth. The girdle in a Roman garb held everything together. It’s sort of like what happened in the Civil War. Many years ago, when I was just a boy, a man told me how they won a battle in the Civil War. The uniforms during the Civil War included suspenders. So his side simply cut the suspenders of the enemy, and when they started into battle they couldn’t get their guns because they had to hold their pants up! It was much the same for the Roman soldier. It was the girdle that held together everything he had on.

May I say to you that the Word of God, the truth, holds everything together. The minute you get away from that you lose everything. You cannot be a soldier and be ignorant of the Word of God. And so the first thing is to have your waist girded with the truth.

Then put on the breastplate of righteousness — which protects the heart and all the vital part of us. And this is the place where we get disturbed today. Oh, how many people are disturbed because they have failed to put on the breastplate of righteousness. A blind preacher in the Bay Area has called me three times because he’s afraid he’s committed the unpardonable sin. He just can’t believe that God is now going to receive him and that he has on the righteousness of Christ which covers his heart and protects him and brings peace to him. He doesn’t realize that he can stand in the righteousness of Christ so that,

…as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ, our Lord. (Romans 5:21)

And, friends, we are yonder in Christ this day in that glorious position. What a peace and joy this fact should bring to the heart. Therefore, we should put on that part of our armor, the breastplate of righteousness, without delay. How important it is!

And then have “your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” Actually that’s the foundation of the gospel of peace, “for other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11). This is the foundation on which we rest; it’s the only foundation. You cannot fight unless you can stand. How important that is. It’s fundamental in boxing; and these men who are expert golfers tell you that you have to get your position right and your feet on a solid place before you can hit the ball, and even then sometimes you don’t hit it!

As Christians, our feet must be correctly shod and anchored. And the child of God who is not properly shod is going to wobble and stumble, and certainly the enemy will be able to overcome him!

In addition to all the soldier’s armor we’re told to take up “the shield of faith.” It actually says above all take up this shield. Have you ever seen the shield that the Greek hoplites, the heavily armed infantry, used? The shields were called doors — they were that big — and protected the entire body. Shoulder to shoulder the hoplites would put down in front of them a regular barrier of shields. They would stand behind the barrier while the enemy made the attack. Then they would move forward and put them down again. That is the way the hoplites advanced. As you can see, they would win the battle because of these shields that they had. The child of God is told here, in addition to the armor, to take the shield of faith. Why? So “ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”

Now may I say this to you very carefully. I believe in apologetics and all of these very fine books on archeology and on science that confirm the Bible. But in the final analysis, my friend, you’ll have to get back of the shield of faith. You cannot overcome, you cannot stand against the enemy just on the basis of intellect, just on the basis today of one man beating another man in an argument. On the intellectual level, it doesn’t make any difference which side you’re on, the smarter man will win every time. The real issue, however, is faith — a living faith. May I say to you, friends, we’re living in a day when a great many people in this materialistic age think if they could just get it into their hand or look at it under a microscope they would be convinced. What would it convince you of? What is really important in spiritual warfare? What is the real problem today?

The real problem is lack of faith. Oh, my beloved, to believe God today, that is the shield and the only shield that will keep the fiery darts of the wicked one away from you. I recall that when I was in college (which was as liberal as it could be) I had a philosophy professor who tied me up intellectually every class period, and I didn’t have sense enough to keep quiet. I spoke out in every class. And he always had an answer. He used to whip me down intellectually by saying, “Well, Mr. McGee, have you read this book or that book?” Well, I’d never even heard of the book! So I began to read. I read more under that man than I’ve ever read. Actually, I read seventy-five books that year! He helped me in that way. Finally I went to a man who had about twice the number of degrees this philosophy professor had, a very brilliant man, and I said, “I’m stuck, I can’t make it. And I’ll get out of the ministry if I lose my faith.”

Well, this man sat down and went over all this ground with me, all of the philosophic approaches. And he had answers, intellectual answers. But then he concluded by saying this, “Vernon, you’re going to find out as a young man preparing for the ministry that there are dark moments when you’re going to have to walk with God by faith.” My friend, in the final analysis you too are going to have to walk with Him by faith. God has the answer for you, but you’ll have to learn to walk with God by faith. What a tremendous thing this is.

Then Paul says, “And take the helmet of salvation.” I’m glad that’s next, because God does make an appeal to the mind. The helmet protects the mind, and God never asks you to believe anything that’s contrary to reason. I cannot accept the statement that “faith is a leap in the dark.” If it’s a leap in the dark, don’t take the leap. God says unless you know where you’re leaping don’t leap. God is not asking you to do something that’s strange or bizarre. God is appealing to you on the basis of reason and intellect:

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isaiah 1:18)

So, then, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17)

God has a document, and He asks you to believe the evidence that He wants to present to you. He wants you to put on the helmet of salvation, and we do need to be able to meet these skeptics on an intellectual level.

Not only is He the One who provides the equipment we have for defense, but He also provides the weapons we need for offense. He says here,

And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:17)

Now the sword of the Spirit is not a plaything to run around just jabbing people with, giving them a little verse of Scripture every now and then. I’ve been talking to some young folk who have actually been driven away from the church and even driven away from their homes because they have just been pricked so much with the Word of God. I don’t think that’s the way you are to do it. I’ve come to an opinion today that it’s not the way the sword is to be used. Did you know that the Roman Empire gave a man in the army literally years of practice with that sword before it was put in his hands for actual combat? The Roman government would never throw a man into battle who did not know how to use that sword because it was hand-tohand encounter.

In our day there was a man who walked up and down the streets here in Los Angeles with a Bible under his arm, yelling at the top of his voice, “You’re going to hell!” And if someone said anything to him he would curse the person out. I thought, My, what a messenger Satan has in downtown Los Angeles! My friend, we are to use the sword skillfully. The Word of God should be handled intelligently today and in a way that will not bring disrepute upon the cause of Christ.

Then finally Paul adds,

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.… (Ephesians 6:18)

This is real prayer. This is not some little prayer meeting where a few cold Christians come together and remember a few petitions. This is a prayer made in the power of the Holy Spirit, and it’s only this kind of prayer that will enable us to overcome.

You and I this moment, friends, are in a battle; it’s a tremendous battle. You are asked to stand, and the only way you and I can stand is to take the armor of God. This idea today that the so-called surrendered life is just to sit back and do nothing. My friend, you are to do something! If you are a saved person, you are to put on the whole armor of God and, wearing that armor, you cannot be harmed by the enemy. “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). And with that armor you and I can go through this world living for God.

Oh, that you and I as Christians might recognize we have an enemy, a spiritual enemy. He is greater than we are. And at this hour he’s getting victory over many believers just because of their negligence, just because they’re not putting on the whole armor of God. May God enable us to put on that armor and stand for Him, “and having done all, to stand!” But you say, “I’m always defeated.” That’s very disturbing to see, and God does not intend it to be that way. But, my friend, you do have to meet His conditions. You do have to put on the armor of God. You have to come to the Word of God, the Bible, for instructions and do it His way. You cannot do it your way and expect to win.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. (Isaiah 55:8)

It’s only as you and I will come, recognizing our enemy and then prayerfully putting on this armor, that we cannot be defeated. In fact, we are absolutely defenseless and at Satan’s mercy unless we have on the full armor of God.

Oh, God, help us to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.