Standing Firm – Spiritual Preparedness

There is a gravity that falls upon the soul when the apostle commands us, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Eph. 6:11). It is no light matter that draws Paul’s language into a militant frame. These verses do not entertain the comfortable or indulge spiritual neutrality. They summon the Christian to a battlefield already raging unseen, where the clash of eternal forces demands a readiness not drawn from human strength, but from divine provision.

Put on—a decisive, active call to arm ourselves in what God alone provides. The Greek verb endysasthe does not suggest casual clothing, but a deliberate outfitting, a resolute preparation. Just as a Roman soldier methodically fastened each piece of his armor before stepping onto the field, so must the Christian. In this fight, passivity is peril, and hesitation is defeat.

The call to put on the armor reminds us that sanctification is not passive. Though the armor is of God, the responsibility to don it falls squarely on us. Gurnall insightfully wrote, “The armor is God’s, but the putting on is thine.” Indeed, the strength is not ours, but the act of clothing ourselves must be. We must pick up the sword; we must fasten the belt; we must lift the shield.

Yet even as we heed the call to action, Paul carefully guards our hearts from misunderstanding: our wrestling is not against flesh and blood. How easy it is to forget this! To believe that the adversaries are politicians, co-workers, neighbors, or wayward family members. But the Spirit directs our eyes beyond the veil—to the real battle beneath: rulers, authorities, cosmic powers over this present darkness, spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

This distinction shifts our whole posture. We do not hate our enemies; we pity them. We do not return evil for evil; we resist the true adversary by clinging to truth, faith, and righteousness. We do not fight by might or manipulation, but by spiritual arms forged by God Himself. Our strength lies in our dependence, not our ingenuity.

The schemes of the devil are not fought by clever debate or sharpened wit. No, they are resisted by the unyielding application of God’s armor, Christ Himself our salvation, our righteousness, our truth. When Paul tells us to stand, it is not a call to passivity but to holy defiance. To stand is to remain unmoved when the storm howls, to hold one’s ground even as the shadows press in, to plant our feet firmly on the finished work of Christ, unshaken.

The armor we are commanded to wear is comprehensive—panoplia, the full armor, not a piecemeal collection. Not truth without righteousness, not salvation without faith, not the Word without prayer. Every piece is vital. Every piece is Christ.

Consider: the enemy is cunning. He does not often approach with obvious banners of evil. Rather, he schemes—methodías—subtle, deceptive tactics tailored to exploit our weaknesses. He whispers half-truths, inflames vain imaginations, distracts with worldly allurements, and distorts God’s Word. His aim is to unsettle the Christian from his ground, to sway, to seduce, and to cause collapse from within.

Thus, the Spirit through Paul repeats the command again and again—stand… stand… withstand. The repetition is not redundancy; it is urgency. Victory does not require us to seize new ground; it requires us to hold what has already been won by Christ. We are called to stand because the victory is His, not ours to win, but ours to guard.

This standing will cost us. It will be wearying. Wrestling is not a clean or distant contest—it is close, exhausting, requiring every muscle strained against the enemy. And yet, even here, God supplies the strength.

Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might (Eph. 6:10).
Not strong in your knowledge.
Not strong in your zeal.
Not strong in your discipline.
But strong in Him.

There is a simple, stunning truth at the heart of spiritual warfare: our safety lies not in our ability to fight better, but to stand firmer, in Christ, armored by His provision, sustained by His Spirit.

And so the call comes to us anew:
Put on the whole armor of God.
Stand.
Withstand.
Having done all, stand firm.