Ephesians 6:16-17 (NKJV) above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God;
Spiritual warfare is real, and the devil does not play fair in his dealings. Therefore, we must know how to stand against the wiles of the evil one. Since our struggle is not against flesh and blood, we must put on the full amour of God—belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, sandals of readiness, shield of faith, helmet of salvation and sword of the Spirit.
The Roman soldiers’ shields were something that covered the entire body. They were made of animal skin and were normally soaked with water to quench the fiery darts upon impact. Similarly, we need to soak ourselves in the Word so that nothing will penetrate and hurt us when darts are thrown by the devil. We must be firm in the following convictions: God is absolutely good; there is no evil in Him; we have peace with God; He is not our enemy, and we have a common enemy—the devil.
Romans 8:33-35 (NKJV) Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
The helmet is an important piece of the armour because it protects the mind, which is the last frontier in spiritual battle. When we truly believe that God, who is the Judge, has justified us, and we have the imputed righteousness of Christ, we will be convinced during trials, tribulation, nakedness and famine that they are not from God, and we will be able to believe God for deliverance and provision because Jesus is interceding for us beside the Father in heaven.
Finally, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, acts as both a defensive and offensive weapon in the life of a believer. We can stand on what’s been taught in the Word based on our conviction, and also advance and attack just like Jesus when He was tempted by the devil. Jesus quoted Scriptures by saying, “It is written” (Matthew 4:4,7,10), so we shall also stand and advance by saying “It is written”.
We need to remember that we are not trying to win the battle because the battle has already been won! Our victory comes from being seated with Christ in the heavenly places. We simply need to enforce the victory of Christ.
Sermon Series: Believers’ Authority
胜利属于我
以弗所书 6:16-17此外，又拿着信德当作盾牌，可以灭尽那恶者一切的火箭； 并戴上救恩的头盔，拿着圣灵的宝剑，就是神的道；
属灵争战是真实的，魔鬼在其中从来不使用公平的手段。因此，我们必须知道如何对抗恶者的诡计。我们既然不是与属血气的争战，我们就必须穿戴神所赐的全副军装——真理的腰带、公义的护心镜、预备好的福音鞋、信心的盾牌、救恩的头盔和圣灵的宝剑。
罗马士兵的盾牌可以遮盖整个身体。它们是由动物的皮制成，通常浸泡在水中以便能灭尽被射到的火箭。同样地，我们需要用神的话语来浸润自己，这样当魔鬼发射火箭时，就没有什么能够穿透和伤害我们了。我们必须坚定以下的信仰：上帝是绝对善良的；在祂里面没有邪恶；我们与上帝和好；祂不是我们的敌人，而我们有一个共同的敌人——魔鬼。
罗马书 8:33-35谁能控告 神所拣选的人呢？有 神称他们为义了。 谁能定他们的罪呢？有基督耶稣已经死了，而且从死里复活，现今在 神的右边，也替我们祈求。 谁能使我们与基督的爱隔绝呢？难道是患难吗？是困苦吗？是逼迫吗？是饥饿吗？是赤身露体吗？是危险吗？是刀剑吗？
头盔是军装中的重要部分，因为它保护思想，而思想是属灵争战的最后防线。当我们真正地相信那审判我们的神已经称我们为义了，而且相信我们有基督的义，那么在试炼、患难、赤身露体和饥饿时，我们将确信这些不是来自神，而且我们能够相信神的拯救和供应，因为耶稣现今在天父的旁边替我们祈求。
最后，圣灵的宝剑, 就是神的道，在信徒的生活中既是防御也是进攻的武器。凭着我们的确信，我们可以在圣经的教导上站稳，也可以像耶稣在受到魔鬼的试探时那样前进和进攻。耶稣引用经文说：“经上记着说”（马太福音 4:4,7,10），所以我们也可以引用“经上记着说”来站稳和前进。
我们需要记住，我们并不是在试图赢得这场争战，因为这争战已经取得了胜利！我们得胜乃是因我们与基督一同在天上同座。我们只需要实行基督的胜利。
讲章系列：信徒的权柄
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