What’s Your Christian Battle Plan?

15th Sunday after Pentecost, 9/2/18
Ephesians 6:10-20


What’s Your Christian Battle Plan?
I. Know your enemy.
II. Put on God’s full armor.
III. Fight fearlessly.


I’m sure every one of you is aware by now that Senator John McCain passed away on Aug. 25 and his body was laid to rest yesterday. I’m almost as certain that you heard his final comments to the people he loved so much—the citizens of the United States of America. If not, this is what he wrote:

We weaken our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with tribal rivalries that have sown resentment and hatred and violence in all the corners of the globe. We weaken it when we hide behind walls, rather than tear them down, when we doubt the power of our ideals, rather than trust them to be the great force for change they have always been. We are three-hundred-and-twenty-five million opinionated, vociferous individuals. We argue and compete and sometimes even vilify each other in our raucous public debates. But we have always had so much more in common with each other than in disagreement. If only we remember that and give each other the benefit of the presumption that we all love our country, we will get through these challenging times. We will come through them stronger than before. We always do.

I’m sure his words hit home with many Americans. I don’t have any statistics, but it seems to me that most Americans don’t like what we’ve become. We don’t like the fact that political battle lines have been drawn and political rhetoric has been launched incessantly at the other side. We recoil from the characterization that we’re at odds with one another; even worse—that we’re at war.

I get it. No one likes to think that they are living in a constant battle. But whether you like it or not, that is absolutely true regarding your spiritual life. Paul makes that abundantly clear in these closing words of Ephesians 6. As a Christian, you’re in a battle! So now what? Well, if you accept that as true, then what’s your battle plan? What’s your Christian battle plan? Let’s keep that question before us and then take to heart what Paul advises us in these words before us this morning.

Part I.

Living near one of the world’s finest US Air Force bases as we do, many of us are aware of how fast and how drastically warfare has changed just in our lifetimes. Just since I’ve lived near WPAFB we’ve gone from stealth bombers to un-manned aircraft. What’s next? Some of you probably know, but it’s classified information. One thing hasn’t changed, however, in thousands of years. You have to know your enemy. You have to know whom you’re fighting.

That’s the first step in the Christian’s battle plan. Listen to Paul’s enemy debriefing once again. “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.” According to a Barna Research study, nearly 60% of American Christians either are certain that Satan doesn’t exist or strongly doubt it. How about you? Are you certain that Satan exists? I hope so, because you can’t engage a battle with something you don’t think exists.

Paul leaves no doubt. He refers to the fact that Satan is an active, powerful force behind the scenes. Regarding devilish descriptions, the Apostle Peter pulls no punches. He calls Satan a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

So dispel the myth that Satan is a figment of pre-enlightened imagination. Get past creative images of a guy in a red suit with a pitchfork. Satan is the enemy and he seeks to kill you eternally.

What’s your Christian battle plan? First, know your enemy.

“I know. I know.” I know that eating or drinking certain things aren’t the best for me, but I do it anyway. I know I should stop driving myself to exhaustion and get more rest, but I don’t. I know I should follow my doctor’s advice, but I don’t. And, yes, Paul, I know that Satan is the enemy, but all too often what he’s suggesting for me sounds so good. Be patient and loving? Forget it! Take the opportunity to run another person’s reputation into the ground. Right on! Stop considering others and think more about myself? Sounds great! Can I get started right away? Too busy for the Lord? Don’t worry. God can wait another week and he won’t let you know how disappointed he is. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against Satan himself. But remember, he wants you to think he’s your friend. And all too often, I believe him. And when I do, I’ve just given up the fight and my Christian battle plan is in the shredder. So now what? Look to your Victor, Jesus Christ. He recognized and called Satan what he was—his eternal enemy. And he took our enemy on at a battlefield called Calvary and literally crushed him. And now, at your baptism, he gave you the power of his resurrection to battle with Satan every day, and, with his power, to score victories every day. So, what’s your Christian battle plan? Know your enemy.

Part II.

Speaking of being ready for warfare, do you know what it costs to outfit a US soldier these days? I did some checking, but could only find some estimates—somewhere between $30,000 and $60,000 per soldier. Those of you in the military might have a more exact figure. As high as the cost is, none of us would consider it too high. We want our military members outfitted to the hilt. We want them to have the best equipment possible in order to serve our country.

Paul spends several verses of our text speaking about the proper military equipment. The equipment he describes is minimal by today’s standards, but when he originally wrote these words, the equipment was some of the best available. Listen to it again, “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation.” The armor Paul describes protected the soldiers from head to toe. And Paul connects each piece of armor to a spiritual blessing that the Lord provides. God’s truth protects our vital mid-section. His righteousness protects our hearts. Our feet are properly outfitted with his gospel of peace. The shield in front of us is our faith in our faithful God’s promises. And his salvation protects our vulnerable heads. With that spiritual armor in place, we’re ready to face every attack Satan can launch against us.

But notice that twice Paul encourages us to put on the “full” armor of God. Just a piece or two will be woefully inadequate. Putting on almost all of God’s armor will leave us vulnerable in one or two areas. And Satan won’t miss that opportunity to attack at our weakest point.

So, what’s your Christian battle plan? Put on God’s full armor.

Part III.

I once had a football coach who preached the value of good defense to us. He stated repeatedly, “If the other team doesn’t score, we win.” We understood his encouragement, but we didn’t fully buy into his logic. If the opponent doesn’t score, we might tie, but we won’t win. We knew we had to score if we were going to win.

Likewise, we need to score to win our Christian battle. We need to fight—attack— fearlessly. Paul would agree. Listen to what he says, “Take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.” Paul urges us to take it to Satan with two weapons. First and foremost is the word of God. The writer to the Hebrews refers to God’s word as a double-edged sword. It cuts both ways: the law of God condemns us for our sins and the gospel of God announces our forgiveness in Christ. That’s the message that saves the sinner and that’s the sword that cuts down Satan as he attacks us.

Secondly, Paul urges us to pray. Recall how often our Lord Jesus did that very thing. The more he faced the assaults of Satan, the more he prayed to his heavenly Father. Prayer is our direct line for divine guidance and help. Prayer is a privilege for us who know Jesus as our Lord and Savior. It’s an indispensable weapon for us to use as we carry out our Christian battle plan.

What’s your Christian battle plan? Fight fearlessly, with the sword of the Spirit and prayer.

I don’t think any one of us would try to argue with Paul. We know we should fight Satan fearlessly with God’s word and prayer. I know I should fight Satan fearlessly with God’s word and prayer. But so often I’m only using one or the other. That’s like fighting with one hand tied behind my back. How about you? I’m sure you pray about things, all sorts of things. But then do you go out and use God’s word to attack Satan and lead a person to repentance and faith in Jesus? Or, do you quote a Bible truth to try to help someone, but fail to pray about it before and after?

As hard as I try, I’m just not the spiritual warrior my God wants me to be. I’m guessing none of us are. But Jesus was and is! Watch him battle Satan with the sword of God’s word and defeat him every time! Watch him as he retreats for prayer to his heavenly Father and the Father answers him in exactly the right way and at the right time. With Jesus on our side, we win every time. And so with Paul we proclaim, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).

Know your enemy. Put on God’s full armor. Fight fearlessly. When that’s your Christian battle plan, you win! May God give you victory over Satan every day of your life! Amen.