“Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:10, 13.
In Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus, he encouraged the new believers to be vigilant in their faith and equated it to the equipment that Roman soldiers wore. This indicated that we are in a battle, whether we believe it or not and in order to be effective we must be properly equipped. Our battle is not against earthly resistance, but against Satan and his organized hierchy of demons. Just as angels have assignments, so do Satan’s cohorts. The fact that the word says to be strong, indicates we cannot be inactive in the fight against the opposing force. The enemy’s battlefield is our minds. He seeks to change your mind about what God has promised he would do. He wants you to believe that the word of God concerning your situation won’t work for you. That’s why the Apostle Paul used the word “stand”. One of the definitions of this word is “to remain unchanged.” In order to remain unchanged, we need to be able to withstand the attacks of the devil.
The Greek word for withstand is “anthistemi”. The prefix “anti” means “against”; and histemi means to “cause to stand”. This word does not mean just standing still. It is vigorously opposing, bravely resisting, standing face to face with the adversary. That doesn’t sound like some weak kneed believer to me. The Greek form of this word looks a lot like our term “antihistamine”. A histamine is an organic compound released from human tissue during an allergic reaction which causes illness. Consequently, an antihistamine blocks the process and progress of this foreign substance.
The power we need to thwart the fiery darts of the wicked is available through the Holy Spirit. That’s his job assignment; comforter, strengthener, stand by, one called alongside to help. In order to access the help that is available, there must be consistent fellowship with the Helper. We say we love God, we constantly call on Jesus, (we should be praying to the Father in His name); and often times the Holy Spirit gets left out. The ability, efficiency, and might all Christians need to do battle with Satan did not appear until the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came. Spending time praying in the Holy spirit makes tremendous power available to you because the Holy Spirit himself is doing the praying for you. When you don’t have the right words, He knows how to translate it to the Father to produce results. He can help you block what the evil one throws your way.
© Fredrick F. Nicholson all rights reserved
