Great Protection – Ephesians 6:10-17 (NIV)

Great Protection – Ephesians 6:10-17 (NIV)

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 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. 13 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. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Paul encourages us to be strong in the Lord to stand against “the rulers” and “authorities… in the heavenly realms.”

I wonder if these are the same rulers and authorities he mentioned in chapter 3…

Ephesians 3:10 (NIV)

10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,

Regardless, we are to put on the armor of God:

Belt of Truth – secures everything together
Breastplate of Righteousness – guards your heart/life so you can live
Feet fitted with gospel of peace – provides a stable foundation
Shield of faith – protection against what we fear
Helmet of salvation – guards your head/mind
Sword of the Spirit – protection, defense against enemy weapons

Paul clearly takes this life seriously and attributes a lot of real power to the enemy. Given his trust in the power and protection we have from God, it would seem reasonable that truly leaning into these things would allow us great protection.