Don’t Focus



"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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. 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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And 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 Lord’s people" (Ephesians 6:10-18)

When we read this familiar passage, we many times get caught up on the specific pieces of armor: a breastplate, a shield, a helmet. But the Apostle Paul merely used those as a metaphor for warfare. What’s important it what is attached to those pieces of armor. Here’s what we’re going to dive into for the remainder of this book, ten steps to practically winning spiritual warfare as a 21st century Christian from Ephesians 6:10-18, ten things you can begin doing today:

1. See the spiritual behind the natural,
2. Fight from a position of victory,
3. Saturate yourself with truth,
4. Live right,
5. Walk in the Spirit,
6. Actively choose to believe God,
7. Surrender daily,
8. Wield the Word of God,
9. Pray continually,
10. Fight together.

ON THE COUCH WITH GOD

1. Are you experiencing Ephesians 6:10 and the strength of God’s mighty power? If not, might it be because you’re not putting on the full armor of God as prescribed in Ephesians 6:13? How do you think you put on the armor of God?

2. Look at the ten steps given for successful spiritual warfare? Which one seems the simplest or easiest? Which one seems the hardest or the most mysterious to you?

NEXT STEP

Read through Ephesians 6:10-18 a few times out loud, but when you get to the armor, don’t mention the pieces of armor, but what’s attached to it. For instance, “Stand firm then, with truth buckled around your waist.” Train yourself to focus on what’s attached to the pieces of armor, not the pieces themselves.


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