Spiritual Protection based on Ephesians 6.10-20.

 If we can accept that there are evil forces in the world, we need to protect ourselves from them as much as we possibly can. When Christians talk of Spiritual Protection, they are normally thing of the guide Paul give to us in Ephesians 6.10-20. The people of God are in a spiritual battle against evil which seeks to separate us from God. However, God equips us to fight these temptations through His Holy Spirit.

While people are obsessed with the supernatural the real evil come from the action of human beings who engage in evil acts of violence, lies and fake stories. We all must be on our guard and ask God to protect us from the many evils in our world.

Paul in Ephesians 6.10-20 explains how God protects us. For Paul the whole universe was a battleground he uses description like, power authorities, world rulers, for different classes of these evil spirits. The Christian has not only to contend with the attacks of people, but they also had to contend with the attacks of spiritual forces which were fighting against God. He describes the armour we need in that battle.

Six pieces of armour:

•   The belt of truth: Truth is our foundation garment. It improves the quality of our minds and in our heart, it forms and develops our character.

•   The breastplate of righteousness. Probably Paul is thinking of the way we behave here too. Righteousness is one of the great qualities of the new nature which God gave us in Christ. Honest virtuousness: justice, prudence, temperance, courage, faith, hope, and love; opposite sinful or wicked.

•   The shoes of the Gospel of peace we will be ready for war if we have peace on our feet. Paul’s mind is going back to early verses and all that he has said about the unity of the body in Christ.

•   The shield of faith. Burning arrows caused panic among soldiers by setting their shields on fire the devil will try to burn down our defences, but the shield of faith will not burn.

•   The helmet of salvation. Salvation come through Christ who gives us forgiveness for the sins of the past and strength to conquer sin in the days to come. The word of God is at once our weapon of defence against sin and to attack the sins of the world. We cannot work for it or take it up like the shield of faith. All we can do is receive it from God and use it for his work.

•   The sword of the Spirit. Once again this is something we can only receive from God. We can only speak the words of God himself if he gives them to us. There is the sword; the sword is the word of God.

If we can be strengthened and win the battle in our inner being, then we will be able to stand firm against false ideas. We will be able to preserve our unity, control our speech, live lives of purity in a corrupt world, and sacrifice ourselves in love for each other as Jesus did for us. The devil attacks us with schemes that are cunning plans designed to deceive us, and to make us fall into sin and disunity. The armour of God is not just the armour God gives, but also the armour God wears. It is his own personal armour, which he shares with us. Nothing less than this will do, against the power of the devil. Paul is trying to prepare us to be like Olympians. We need stamina for the battle. More than anything else, soldier needs not just to be physically fit, but mentally fit as well.

Finally, Paul comes to the greatest weapon of all and that is prayer. There are three things that he says about prayer. It must be constant, it must be intense, limp prayer never got a person anywhere. It must be unselfish. Often our prayers are too much on ourselves and not enough for others. Paul asks the Ephesians to pray that he will receive this gift. We to must pray that we will receive these gifts to protect us from being led into sin. When we pray God gives through his Spirit the six pieces of armour, but how do we use these gifts to protect ourselves. Truth is an important foundation garment. We should be honest in all our dealings with people. The commandments say do not lie or steel. Lies hurt people and are against God’s laws. The breastplate of righteousness relates to our behaviour and attitude to others. Honesty, virtuousness, seeking justice, prudence, temperance, courage, faith, hope, and love equip us too opposite the sinful or wicked. The shoes of the Gospel of peace are important in a world where there is so much violence. We all need to work together to build a peaceful and caring world. The shield of faith. Our faith gives us the strength to ask God to guide and the teachings of Jesus instruct us on how we can serve God in the war against evil. The helmet of salvation. Salvation come through Christ who gives us forgiveness for the sins of the past and strength to conquer sin in the days to come. The sword of the Spirit. The Spirit gives us the gifts we need to challenge evil the sword is the word of God which when spoken has the power to defeat evil. The Spirit is God’s unseen force working in our lives and protecting us from evil. We all need to be vigilant in the battle against evil and pray God will give us the spiritual gifts we need to serve him in the world.

When people watch programmes about or encounter ghosts, remember there is a stronger force working for good in our world that is God through his holy spirit. When we believe in God, he gives us the strength to stand up to evil. So, cloak yourself with God’s armour whenever you encounter evil. We all need to pray that good will conquer the evil that is causing so much pain and suffering in our world.