Ephesians 6:13

“Therefore, take up the whole armour of God so that you will be able to withstand in that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”

Paul again exhorts us to take up the whole armour of God. A soldier in battle with only part of his armour clearly remains vulnerable. Whenever we are engaged in spiritual warfare, that is everyday, we must be fully protected against the attacks of the foes describe in verse 12.

We must never underestimate the ferocity of the warfare in which we are involved. The enemy searches for any weakness that can be exploited, and he never gives up.

Paul talks about the “evil day.” While every day is a day of battles, some days are more ferocious than others. Our lesser battles are preparations for the greater battles or the evil day.

Our battles can be internal in terms of temptation and natural, but sinful, desires. There are days when we seem to have mastered these things. There are other days when the voices and images sown into our brains are amplified and become almost unbearably intense. How we respond to the lesser temptations will determine our response to the greater or more intense temptations.

The battle can also be external. Various pressures can come against us, such as persecution and other forms of opposition. We need to be prepared and ready to stand firm in Christ when these events come.

As we take up the whole armour of God, we will be able to withstand (more literally, “stand against”) these pressures. This suggests a positive resistance in which we not only refuse to give in, but we push back in order to stand our ground.

To stand against the enemy means that we do not just avoid giving Into temptation or persecution when they come. It means that we take the initiative, take the battle up to the enemy. For every temptation, we fight and we replace it with a positive virtue. For every opposition, we need to reach out to show love to those who persecute us.

Then, having done everything, we stand, even on the evil day.

To give up before the battle is over is to fall and be defeated. We have to do everything in our power, under the direction of God, to keep on fighting.

In the Second World War, and Australian seaman, Teddy Sheean, earned a Victoria Cross for extreme courage. As his ship was sinking after being hit by Japanese bombers, he strapped himself to an anti aircraft gun to protect his crew mates from strafing. Despite being already wounded by two bullets, he kept firing until the ship sank beneath the waves, taking down at least one enemy bomber.

This is an example of “having done everything”.

We might feel like we are being destroyed by the enemy, but we must do everything to stand against the evil one .

Finally, having done everything, we stand firm .

We stand firm in Christ, in the gospel, in the faith.

The aim of every believer, and the desire of God’s heart, is that we overcome all the opposition - external and internal - and we stand firm. No compromise. No retreat.

And if we fall, there is no condemnation from God. We stand up, fight the next battle, knowing that in God, even their our become stepping stones to greater victory.

Key points in this verse:

• We need the full armour of God

• There are greater and lesser battles, all are part of the constant spiritual warfare

• We must do all that we can to stand firm in Christ