6:13\u00a0<\/b>Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.<\/b><\/p>\n

Recent political wars have caused one party to cry for others to join the resistance between alternate parties they feel are oppressive. This language is familiar in our post-modern and narcissistic society. Movies like “The Hunger Games” and “Divergent” paint a dramatic picture of a society that organizes against a powerful and oppressive force. While this imagery is entertaining in movies and motivating in politics, it is very real in the spiritual world. Ephesians 6 clearly describes the power of the Devil and his crafty schemes to rule and oppress the world with evil.<\/p>\n

JOIN THE RESISTANCE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ephesians 6:13 is a call to take a stand and resist. The word used for “withstand”, or “stand firm”, is anthist\u0113mi. <\/i>This challenge is a proverbial call to arms for all of God’s children to recognize the war around them and decide to join the resistance.<\/p>\n

TAKE UP<\/strong><\/p>\n

For this to occur, one must answer and obey the commands of our Lord and Commander, Jesus Christ. This requires a willing and submissive heart that surrenders to His Lordship and yields to His way.\u00a0 Here in 6:12, Paul uses the word “analamban\u014d”, <\/i>which is translated “take up”. This is a military command that would result in an army to snap into position and take up arms once and for all. It is both intentional and ironic that Paul uses military verbiage to describe the needed conduct for a spiritual war. Of this reality “the historian, Gibbon, relates how the relaxation of discipline and the disuse of exercise rendered soldiers less willing and less able to support the fatigue of the service. They complained of the weight of their armor, and obtained permission to lay aside their cuirass and helmets.” In response to this, our regular and routine spiritual discipline is needed to maintain the strength to hold our position in this resistance.<\/p>\n

This discipline is not reliant on emotional swings or pivotal spiritual moments. Many rely on the injection of spiritual adrenaline received from a revival, conference, or summer camp. While those mountaintop moments are beneficial, it is the daily battle and routine discipline that wins the war.<\/p>\n

EVIL DAY<\/strong><\/p>\n

Paul urges us to be prepared for the “evil day”. While some theologians suggest this means a definite point in time or ultimate day of battle in the future, I tend to believe this literally means a day. Any day that the Devil can and will attack with evil schemes is considered an “evil day”. Any reader will then realize that this means every day.<\/p>\n

If your life is like mine, there is a tendency to be more prone to yield to temptation in the evening. Ironically, for the Hebrew culture, a day begins in the evening and goes until the following evening. Therefore, in this context, those highly tempestuous moments are the start of this evil day.<\/p>\n

ANXIETY<\/strong><\/p>\n

It has been my observation that in the evening, or the start of a biblical day, anxiety is at its strongest. Worries of what has been witnessed build and thoughts of what is to come the following morning can be obsessed. An evil scheme of the Devil is to use fear to cripple us.<\/p>\n

ISOLATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

Similar to anxiety, in the evening we are most likely to feel isolated and alone. For the child, this may be the reality of being in their dark room and separated from their parents. For the adult, this may be in a hotel room alone at the end of a long day of business travel. It is in these moments of isolation that the Devil begins to work in the “evil day”. Thoughts of worry, fear, and temptation are heightened in the dark.<\/p>\n

SELF-GRATIFICATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

This darkness is where the Devil seems to be most comfortable and most effective. These feelings of isolation and loneliness can quickly justify acts of self-gratification. Binge eating, pornography, drunkenness, and other typical sinful activity are most often consumed in the darkness at the beginning of a biblical day.<\/p>\n

The reality of war is evident. The call for resistance is clear. The question is, “what do we do”. The need for taking up the full armor of God, as described in the following verses in Ephesians 6, is essential. For the modern day believer, we must begin to view our day more in a biblical sense. Most often we choose to pursue Jesus in the morning. In the evening, we are fatigued and let our guard down. In fact, this it the time we should be most on guard.\u00a0An assessment of how we spend our time in the evening is crucial. This is an ideal time to practice the spiritual disciplines. Family worship, praise music, reading, praying, and more can help us use our time more wisely and stand firm against the evil.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version<\/i><\/a>. (2016). (Eph 6:13). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.<\/p>\n

Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest\u2019s word studies from the Greek New Testament: for the English reader<\/i><\/a> (Eph 6:13). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.<\/p>\n