November 26, 2017 · Ephesians 6:10–12

Protecting the Church

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.

“One thing I do know: that the way we live our lives can protect us. If we live lives that are in line with the way we're instructed in the Scriptures, there'll be some protection there. But even more importantly, the main protection we have is the righteousness of Christ. … That when all the attacks come about how you're not righteous, we realize, I am not condemned. I am in Christ Jesus, by his grace. I am freed, and that will not defeat me. … Oh, you're not good enough. You did this that time. God doesn't love you because of that. No. I stand strong, protected in the righteousness of Christ. Have your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. My peace shoes. Isn't it interesting? We talk about warfare — spiritual warfare and these type of things — and often what I think happens is we start to turn this into the idea of a violence. Well, if that's happening, let's get our armies together; let's go attack. … And that's how we will resist the attacks. And then we have the shield of faith. Ready to counter the arrows of the evil one. … No, no — trust. Maybe you're trying to go into something, and you feel like God called you into something, and then the arrows start hitting. It's easy to pull out. But do you have faith in what God wants of you? Are you ready to push through the fight, the onslaught, to stand firm through faith? I want to talk about the helmet of salvation.”