WBC Daily Devotions March 21-25, 2011

A Study of Ephesians

Daily Devotionals for March 21-25

NOTE: This week we pick up our studies in the New Testament book of Ephesians, continuing our weekday preparation for the upcoming Sunday's sermon by Pastor Rob. As you read and meditate on the verses we'll study this week, invite God to speak through this text, praying as Paul did for the Ephesians, that "the eyes of your heart may be enlightened" (Ephesians 1:18).

MONDAY, MARCH 21

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For 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.13Therefore 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. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

"Finally," Paul writes as he begins Ephesians 6:10, letting us know that we've reached another turning point in his letter to the Ephesians-this time heading into his closing thoughts. You'll recall that as we've moved through the book of the Ephesians over the past months, we have noted several main sections to this letter. Paul begins in chapter one with powerful theology as he teaches about God's purposes in relation to humans-purposes that were established even before creation, when God chose us to be adopted as His children, to be included in Christ, and sealed for eternity with the mark of His Spirit.

Subsequent chapters describe what it means to be "made alive in Christ" and to experience God's great love and "the incomparable riches of his grace," and how we, as His redeemed people, are being been built together with other believers in God's new society, the Church.

Bible scholar, pastor, and respected author John Stott continues our summary of Ephesians, adding, "These sure facts of what God has done through Christ and by the Spirit form the basis on which Paul went on to issue his eloquent appeal [that his] readers must live a life that is 'worthy' of their calling and 'fitting' to their status as God's new and reconciled society. They must demonstrate their unity in the Christian fellowship, while at the same time rejoicing in the diversity of their gifts and so of their ministries.

Stott continues, referencing the teachings of chapters 4, 5, and 6, "They must put away all the uncleanness of their pre-conversion behavior and live a life of 'true righteousness and holiness.' And they must learn to submit to one another in every kind of domestic relationship and so promote harmony in their homes. Unity, diversity, purity, and harmony-these the apostle has stressed as major characteristics of the new life and the new society in Christ. It has seemed a beautiful ideal, an obviously desirable goal, and not so difficult to attain.

"But now Paul brings us down to earth, and to realities harsher than dreams," Stott says of our text this week. "He reminds us of the opposition. Beneath surface appearances, an unseen spiritual battle is raging." (From The Message of Ephesians by John R. W. Stott.)

Father,
Open my eyes to the "unseen battle" today. Help me to see Satan and his forces for what they are. Help me to see Your hand-and praise You-as You work in my life and my circumstances. I'm no match for what the enemy has planned for me today, so I ask You to go ahead of me, show me how to wear Your armor effectively, and teach me through Your Word that You have given me all I need to stand for You.
Amen

TUESDAY, MARCH 22

This week we are focusing on Ephesians 6:10-18, reading today from the New Living Translation.

10A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

13Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. 15For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

Among the deadliest forms of attack against US troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere in recent years have been the surprise enemy strikes using IEDs--Improvised Explosive Devices--under and along roadways where convoys of our soldiers will pass. Fabricated from commonly available materials and hidden behind signs and guardrails, under debris, and elsewhere--even inside animal carcasses--IEDs have resulted in many injuries and fatalities among the troops.

It quickly became apparent that better protection needed to be built into the vehicles that would carry our soldiers. In the words of some, there was insufficient armor on the undercarriage and sides of many of the vehicles to prevent the damage from these attacks. So even as our troops waited for more heavily armored vehicles to be manufactured, or for kits that would enable the retrofitting of existing vehicles, enterprising soldiers were quick to find ways to use locally available materials to do all they could to battle-harden their convoys.

We too are facing an enemy that doesn't play by any generally accepted rules of engagement. When we least expect it, we can be suddenly assaulted in an area of personal weakness or vulnerability. But thank God we will never need to report that we have been provided with insufficient armor--or try to fabricate our own. There are no holes, no unprotected undercarriage, no areas of weakness our enemy can exploit--unless we neglect to "put on the whole armor of God."

Paul's parting words to the church at Ephesus-and to his readers at Wheaton Bible Church in 2011-focus on the viciousness of our foe, the cleverness of his attacks, and the "forces of evil" that he is determined to marshall against us. But while this text doesn't pull any punches as it describes what we're up against, it exudes the confidence Paul had in the One who has provided, in Christ, all the equipment we need for victory.

Father,
Thank You that Your power is mighty. Thank You that the equipment You've issued is complete. We praise You that in Your power victory is assured. Use the truth of Your Word to prepare me for the surprise attacks I'll face today and in the days ahead.
Amen.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23

Don't, Paul says, underestimate this enemy. Don't downplay the threat. Don't, he warns us, neglect to prepare a defense against this enemy and his forces. And even more dangerous, don't convince yourselves that Satan is a figment of the imagination or anything less than a very real, malicious adversary, who is intent on our failure. Don't remain oblivious of the unseen battle raging around us.

Far too often we fail to recognize that there is a enemy whose goal is to make us stumble and fall.

"Be self-controlled and alert," we read in 1 Peter 5:8, "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

Yes, this enemy of our souls is clever and determined. He will try to use whatever he can to derail our lives-trying to frustrate us, discourage us, and confuse us, to cause us to give in to temptation or whatever he thinks will hinder us.

His plan? To keep us from being the people God chose us, redeemed us, and created us to be. To destroy what God is building up-the Body of Christ, which Ephesians 4:13 tells us-is being built up "until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."

Father,
Open my eyes to the ways Satan and his army will try to derail me today from all that You have for me. Protect me from falling victim to his scheming plots today. Defeat the enemy who would like to keep me in spiritual infancy. I want to know more of You and to grow into maturity-speaking and acting and relating to others in ways that serve Your purposes and bring honor to Your name.
Amen

THURSDAY, MARCH 24

This week we are focusing on Ephesians 6:10-18, reading today from the New Living Translation.

18Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

As we read these verses, it is important to grasp that while we face a fearsome enemy--one we are warned not to underestimate or ignore--we are not instructed to fear Satan and his armies.

It is important that we understand that Satan is not God-like in his power-and his power is no match for the power of our God. Dr. Warren Wiersbe adds this insight about Satan, "Since he [Satan] is a created being, and not eternal (as God is), he is limited in his knowledge and activity. Unlike God, Satan is not all-knowing, all-powerful, or everywhere-present."

[Although Satan is not omni-present, we may wonder how he is able to accomplish so much in so many different parts of the world. Wiersbe goes on to talk about Satan's helpers-the "organized forces" that enable him to carry out his work on a world-wide scale. Many Bible scholars believe these helpers, the "evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world . . . mighty powers in this dark world, and . . . evil spirits in the heavenly places" of verse 12, are angels who followed Satan in rebellion against God and fell from Heaven with him.]

Contrary to any thoughts of cowering in fear, or allowing fear of Satan and his forces to defeat or cripple us, Ephesians 6 sets a confident tone for our response to this foe. As you read through today's verses, note the specific actions and attitudes are to characterize us as God's people-statements like, "Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power" (Verse 10), "stand your ground" (v. 14), and others.

Be on guard, be informed-but not overwhelmed by a spirit of fear. In the words of Joshua 1:9, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with your wherever you go."

Father,
Thank You for the confidence You give me in these verses that in Your mighty power I can stand firm against Satan and all the ways he tries to trip me up. Help me to recognize his tricky schemes and to rely on You for the strength and all the resources I need to rest in the victory You've already won. Help me to live like a winner today!
Amen

FRIDAY, MARCH 25

If you've never read or studied Ephesians 6 before, this whole idea of armor may seem a bit unusual. But if, like many of us, you've been around the church for a while, it's likely you've heard more than a few lessons or sermons admonishing you to "put on the full armor of God." If you grew up in Sunday School, you may even have memorized these verses-and you've probably seen at least one illustration of an ancient armor-laden soldier, wearing his carefully labeled "Helmet of Salvation" and carrying his "Sword of Truth."

The problem, if this is "old hat" to us, is that we might miss the impact of what God wants to say to us through this text. So whatever history we have with the "armor of God" verses, let's try today to look at Ephesians 6:10-18 with fresh eyes.

Let's imagine that Paul wants to describe to the Christ-followers at Ephesus all God has provided to protect us from Satan's attacks. He's spent a significant amount of time chained up next to a Roman soldier, and he looks over at this big powerful guy-and the Holy Spirit gives him just the word-picture he's been searching for.

Noting all of the protective gear the soldier wears-all his vital parts well-covered and protected from arrows, rocks and other weapons and flying missiles-Paul says to his readers, "You've got all that and more! Head to toe, God has provided for us."

He goes on to describe each piece-items we'll look at in depth on Sunday and into next week--and he draws the connection between that Roman soldier's armor and the "spiritual armor" that is ours in Christ.

Take a moment to read these verses again and think about the head-to-toe completeness of what God has provided. All we need to stand. Not to wobble, not to collapse, not to run for cover and give up, but to stand firm. To stand in the day when evil seems to be winning. To stand.

Father,
Thank You for all that is mine in Christ. Thank You for the thoroughness of the protection you've provided for me. Help me to seek Your guidance and wisdom, and to rely on Your Spirit today. I want to follow You faithfully and bring honor to You as I stand-in Your name and in Your mighty power.
Amen