10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints."
Ephesians 6:10-18
One further word must be said before we turn to the armour itself. If Paul is describing something which is central to the experience of the Christian, in emphasising the reality of spiritual battle - as is certainly the case, then we must recognise that it is no sign, when we are under attack, that we are failing as Christians. Being under pressure, and being troubled by temptation, for example, does not mean that we are not living the Christian life properly. Indeed, in this context, it may mean the exact opposite, for it is precisely when we are what we should be that Satan turns his attention on us most acutely. An old Puritan once said, 'He that standeth near to his Captain is a sure target for the archers'. Indeed, in terms of Paul's teaching in the earlier part of the epistle, it is when we enter experimentally into our position in Christ - that is, into the heavenly places - when we take our full salvation and enter into the thrill and enjoyment and glory of it, that we most of all draw the attention of the enemy, for 'the heavenly places' are the sphere in which he operates. He is 'the prince of the power of the air', after all, that is his realm. Nor should we forget that one of the major themes leading up to and into this statement about the Christian warfare is the Apostle's teaching in 5:18 about being filled with the Spirit. To be so filled does not mean that all our problems are solved, but rather the signal for problems and attacks to begin in earnest. The truth of the matter is that a true consecration to Christ brings us to a new dimension of experience in which we find ourselves in the thick of the battle. Dr Emil Brunner, in a remarkable chapter in his Christian Dogmatics, entitled 'Angels, Spirits and the Devil', writes:
'To believe that wherever the true Gospel is proclaimed with power, men will open their hearts without further difficulty is a mistaken optimism. Rather, a living proclamation of the Gospel often sifts the hearts of men, and the more powerful the message, the more violent is the hostility of the powers of darkness. Hence it is precisely those Christians who have the deepest Christian experience, who have the greatest personal experience of the reality of the power of Darkness.'
What is God saying to us in all this? 'Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's' (2 Chronicles 20:15).