The POWER of Biblical Knowledge... Know the battle plan!

The word knowledge in the Bible denotes an understanding, a recognition, or an acknowledgment. To “know” something is to perceive it or to be aware of it. Many times in Scripture, knowledge carries the idea of a deeper appreciation of something or a relationship with someone. 

The Bible is clear that the knowledge of God is the most valuable knowledge a human being can possess. But it is also clear that simply being aware of God’s existence is not sufficient; the knowledge of God must encompass the deep appreciation for and relationship with Him.

Knowledge of God is also a Christian’s front line of spiritual self-defense against the powers and schemes of Satan.  Growing in Knowledge and understanding of God enables followers of Christ to stand firm against the enemy.  There are three key ingredients that Christians must understand to avail themselves of the power of knowledge of God for spiritual self-defense.

Understanding God’s full provision of and access to His Knowledge is critical.  The Apostle Paul wrote in the first three chapters of Ephesians the necessary doctrinal foundation that God has provided for us in Christ.  Strong Christians are doctrinally grounded in the truth of Scripture. Unless you know the Word well, as Jesus did when He defeated Satan, you will not stand firm and strong when challenged by those who attack truth and offer plausible and fine sounding arguments (Colossians 2:4;8).

A Christian also must understand how Satan works and the nature of his schemes.  Paul said in 2 Corinthians 2:11... “so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.” If you’re ignorant of his schemes, the devil will be able to take advantage of you, and you may not even be aware of it. 

His schemes invariably use cunning and deception. He often works through secular culture, to carry us downstream with the prevailing ideas of the day. In our day, many Christians are deceived by the ideas of postmodernism, which asserts that there are no absolute truths in the spiritual or moral realms (except for the absolute that there are no absolutes!). Satan launches repeated attacks on the credibility of Scripture, whether through evolution or by attacking the person of Christ. Satan lures us into sin by portraying it as pleasurable and by hiding its consequences. He uses discouragement, pride, selfishness, the love of money, lust, and many other traps to lure us away from the Lord. To stand firm against the enemy, we must understand his schemes, what they look like and how we can be drawn into his web of deceit.

We need to understand where to stand firm, when to stand firm and where to be tolerant of differences.  If Satan doesn’t get us through his scheme of going along with our tolerant culture, he pushes us off the other end by making us intolerant of anyone who does not agree with us on every point of doctrine. 

Anyone who claims to have “biblical discernment,” but then spends all their time criticizing godly men over minor differences in doctrine or practice are working for the “wrong” team!  

Standing firm against the schemes of the devil means that we stand firm on the core doctrines of the Christian faith. We cannot budge on the Trinity, the person and work of Christ, biblical salvation, or the inspiration and authority of Scripture. But the Scripture also tells us to show tolerance for one another in love (Ephesians 4:2). That verse implies that we will not always agree with one another on every point of doctrine or on every method of how to go about the Lord’s work. To stand firm, grow in understanding of where to do battle and where to be tolerant of differences.

Standing firm against the enemy is the result of putting on God’s full armor. We stand firm against the enemy by growing in biblical understanding... and love and patience with one another. 

Finally, we stand firm against the enemy with active practice.  In other words, put into practice what you believe.  Walk your Talk. Test your armor by gaining some victories in real life situations. Resist temptation. Avoid Satan’s traps. Get out of your comfort zone and do something where you have to trust God to get you through. As Hebrews 5:14 states, “But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” Or, as James 1:22 puts it, “Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers, who delude themselves.”

How about you? Are you standing firm in your faith... in your walk with God? To stand firm against the enemy, you must be strong in the Lord and put on His full armor.

Standing GROUND against the Enemy!

Stand your ground... Hold your position... No retreat!  Stand firm and fast against the enemy!  Military jargon is a fitting way to describe what Christians must do in the face of God’s enemy... Satan and his schemes to ruin you.   No question about it, it takes courage to hold your ground and your allegiance to Jesus, even when others may be fleeing from the battle, wilting in defeat, because the enemy seems so strong.

It is the Christian way to rely on God’s strength and use His armor [power] to fend off the arrows of Satan. However, we must take the initiative to put on the armor and stand firm in the battle because we love our Lord. It’s not a matter of “letting go and letting God,” where you are passive and God does all the work for us. Nor is it a matter of gritting your teeth and doing it yourself, with occasional assistance from God. Rather, it is a blending of His power and our striving amplified in our total commitment and perseverance. As Paul puts it  “For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”  (Colossians 1:29)

Many have suggested that Paul got the idea of putting on the full armor of God from the Roman soldier that was chained to him as he dictated his letter to the Ephesians. That may be, but it also may be that he was meditating on Isaiah 11:5 which says of the Lord, “Righteousness will be the belt about His loins, and faithfulness the belt about His waist.” Or, Isaiah 59:17... “He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head.”  Where even Paul got the idea to use “armor” in this way, his point is well made.

Armor is a graphic picture for illustrating what Paul said in Romans 13:14... “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.” In other words, Christ Himself is our armor. He is the belt of truth (John 14:6). He is our breastplate of righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). He is the gospel of peace that we stand on (Ephesians 2:13-14, 17). He is the shield of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). He is our helmet of salvation (Titus 3:6). He is our sword, the word of God (John 1:1). He, in all his superlative attributes becomes our full armor, capable of protecting us from every onslaught of the devil.

Putting on God’s armor means that in every trial and temptation by faith you appropriate Christ’s strength in place of your weakness. 

By faith you cry out to Him for deliverance and strength to persevere. By faith you rely on His promises, even as Jesus often defeated Satan by quoting Scripture (Luke 4:1-13).

Being Strong in the Lord

To be truly strong in the Lord, every one who call themselves a Christian must truly "be in" the Lord.

Paul’s command to be strong in the Lord rests on the first two chapters of Ephesians, where he makes it clear what it means to be in the Lord. To sum up his treatment, he wrote in Ephesians 2:8-9... “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” 

To be in the Lord means that He has saved you from God’s judgment by His grace through faith in Christ. Salvation is not based on anything that you have done or deserved.  One of Paul’s frequent expressions in Ephesians is the phrase, “in Christ,” or “in Him.”  You cannot begin to understand what it means to be strong in the Lord unless you truly are in the Lord through faith in Jesus Christ and submission to His plan of salvation... immersion “into Christ.”

For any Christian to understand what it means to be strong in the Lord, you must know and acknowledge your own weaknesses.  This is a continual, lifelong process that begins with understanding we need Christ in our lives. We cannot trust completely “in Christ” to save us until we come to some awareness that we are helplessly, hopelessly lost and unable to save ourselves by our own good works. 

Christians must know in a practical way their weakness, so that we grow to appreciate the only true refuge is found in the Lord’s strength. Jesus clarified this point by using the analogy of the branches abiding in the vine, and said in John 15:5... “for apart from Me you can do nothing.” Peter needed to learn this lesson. He boasted that although everyone else would desert Christ, he would remain true. But the Lord allowed Peter to go through his terrible denials so that he might not trust in himself, but in Christ alone. The apostle Paul had an amazing experience of being caught up into heaven itself. Because of this, to keep Paul from exalting himself, the Lord sent a messenger of Satan to torment him. The lesson that Paul learned was... “for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).

Our pride blinds us to our true condition. It makes us think that we have some measure of strength in ourselves. Pride makes us think that the longer we are Christians, the stronger we become. But we never become stronger in and of ourselves. In reality, the strong Christian is one who has come to see more and more of his own weakness and propensity towards sin. That awareness drives us to depend all the more on the Lord’s strength. To be strong in the Lord, you must know your own weakness.

Finally, to be strong in the Lord, you must know the Lord’s strength.  Satan is a powerful foe, but he is only a created being, whereas God is the eternal, almighty Creator of the universe. If the Lord so willed, He could annihilate Satan in an instant. He has already defeated him at the cross and resurrection of Jesus (Colossians 2:15).  In His perfect timing and plan, He will throw Satan into the Lake of Fire, where he will be tormented forever and ever (Revelation 20:10).

From start to finish, the Bible proclaims the mighty power of God. He spoke the heavens and earth into existence out of nothing. He delivered His people from Pharaoh’s clutches through the miraculous plagues and the parting of the Red Sea. He sustained them in one of the world’s harshest environments through the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night, where He provided daily manna and water from the rock. When fierce enemies threatened to annihilate His chosen people, time and again the Lord provided deliverance. In one of the most dramatic instances, Sennacherib’s army had Jerusalem surrounded. It looked like Israel was doomed. But in response to Hezekiah’s prayer, the Lord sent His angel who killed 185,000 enemy troops in one night (2 Kings 19:35).

Throughout Scripture, the Lord reminds His people of the obvious, that nothing is too difficult for Him.  Paul has already spoken of God’s great power towards his followers, as seen in His raising Jesus from the dead and enthroning Him at His right hand (Ephesians 1:19-20). 

Paul has prayed that Christians in his time and today would know the power of the Holy Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ might dwell in our hearts through faith (Ephesians 3:17). Proverbs 18:10 declares, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it and is safe.” To be strong in the Lord, you must know His strength in a practical way.  You must trust that you can take refuge in Him and see His great deliverance in all aspects of your life.

So to be strong in the Lord, you must be in the Lord through faith in Jesus Christ. You must know your own weakness and you must know His mighty strength. 

What comes next?  The Apostle Paul adds something critically important... You must put on God’s full armor so that you may stand firm against the enemy.  

More on The Armor of God... next time.