As we prepare to celebrate Veterans Day on November 11 and all of those Americans who have served in the United States military to defend our great nation, we also want to remember all of those who have served in the Lord’s army. I proudly served in the United States Marines and am now serving in the Lord’s army and I salute all of those veterans of our military as well as those who are or have served in the Lord’s army, especially the warriors and fighters for the Lord. Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day and was founded in 1919 to remember the end of World War I which ended on November 11, 1918 at 11 am with the signing of the armistice with Germany. It was renamed Veterans Day in 1954 to no longer remember the end of World War 1, but rather all veterans who had served in the U.S. military and were discharged with conditions other than dishonourable. Just as every American has not served and fought in the military, neither has every Christian served and fought in the Lord’s army. Most Christians just sit back and never serve the Lord, let alone fight. A Christian soldier should never become a veteran unlike in the military, but should remain an active fighter until they are called home by God.
Before a Christian can properly serve the Lord and fight for the Lord, he needs to be properly equipped for the fight just like the soldiers and Marines in our military. Just as soldiers and Marines put on flak jackets, helmets, and other protection and carry the necessary weapons for the fight so must a Christian soldier. Before entering the fight as a soldier for the Lord, the Christian must put on the whole armour of God. (Ephesians 6:10-18 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;)
Before a Christian decides to become a soldier in the Lord’s army they need to be right with our Commander in Chief, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is General of the Armies and a Christian soldier just like in any army starts out as a private. As we grow and mature as Christians and teach and lead others we can move up in rank from private and this should be the goal of every Christian soldier. We need to be good privates and serve and obey our Master and Commander in Chief Jesus Christ. Before we enter the fight we need to make sure we have all of our equipment. A good soldier or Marine will always be prepared and make sure they are fully equipped and so should the Christian soldier. God said in verses 11 and 13 to make sure that we put on the whole armour of God so that we can withstand the enemy and to be able to stand. A soldier never wants to have to fight the enemy on the ground, but to be able to stand. God said in order to stand we must have the whole armour of God and not just part of it. As a Christian soldier we must stand and never give any ground to Satan, not even a micrometer. It is especially important for the Christian soldier to be fully armoured as Christian soldiers are in a spiritual warfare. Our enemy is mostly invisible. Our armour must be whole. If it is incomplete and we neglect to put on some of the armour we will be open to attack from Satan. This armour must be put on every day without exception regardless of how we may feel even if we do not feel like being in war that day. Satan is always at war with us whether we want to fight or not. God tells us in verses 11-12 that our enemy is none other than Satan and his angels and devils and that it is a spiritual fight. We are fighting the spiritual realm which is invisible and is not made of flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and against spiritual wickedness. Our fight is not against earthly evil people even though they may be controlled by Satan. God will take care of them. We fight against something much more wicked. The principalities and powers are rankings of spiritual beings or angels in Satan’s army. The principalities are most likely the ones assigned by Satan to a nation such as when Daniel spoke of the prince of Persia and Greece. They are probably the highest ranking of Satan’s angels. (Daniel 10:20 Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.) These are powerful beings as the angel Gabriel needed the assistance of the archangel Michael who is the prince of Israel to fight them. The spiritual wickedness in high places most likely refers to the devils assigned to the government leaders who are aligned with Satan. They are the ones who are really running the governments and the show and the earthly rulers are just their puppets whom they control. That is why we cannot fight against them in the conventional way. Christian soldiers are fighting much more than an earthly battle against wicked people, we are fighting against the devils behind them. For this we need God’s help. The rulers of the darkness of this world are those who actually rule the world with Satan at the head. They most likely do the dirty deeds from the orders given to them from those ranking above them. Jesus said Satan was the prince of this world. Satan gained control of the world after the sin of Adam. (John 14:30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.) The Christian soldier must be vigilant and always ready to fight as Satan looks to devour the soldier. (I Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:) The devil has a much harder job when fighting against a Christian soldier than a Christian who is not in the fight. All of the armour worn by a Christian soldier is given to them by God and is used for defensive purposes except one. As verse 10 says we are to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. We cannot fight Satan without the power of Jesus. He is the one who makes us strong. It is none of our own doing. To be strong in the Lord we must confess our sins as we commit them, work on committing less sins each day, read the word of God every day, and pray every day to God in the name of Jesus. Paul mentions some of this armour again in II Corinthians 6:7. (II Corinthians 6:7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,)
God says in verse 14 to stand with our loins girded about with the truth. This is a belt of truth placed around our waist that is wide enough to also cover the private area. This is similar to the belt worn by a Roman soldier. This is the first piece of armour we are to put on. The order shown in these next few verses is the same order that a Roman soldier would have put on his armour. We must have the truth of Jesus Christ before we can defend ourselves against Satan and the spiritual realm. The truth is that without Jesus as ones Saviour they will spend eternity in the lake of fire with Satan, the enemy. Without the truth, we have nothing to stand on and this is why this is the first piece of armour we must put on. (John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.) Just as the Roman soldier’s belt held his sword and other weapons, the belt of truth holds the Christian soldiers sword. Every Christian soldier should always carry a Holy Bible or at least know it. The truth spoken of here is the truth of the cross that Jesus as the God-man died for our sins on that old rugged cross in order that we might be saved and then rose again. We as Christian soldiers also need to be honest and full of the truth. Verse 14 also says to put on the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate of righteousness is the righteousness of Jesus Christ that we receive when we are washed in his blood. (I John 2:29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.) (Revelation 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.) We are to strive to be like Jesus every day so that this righteousness may shine forth. The breastplate protected a Roman soldier from spears and arrows. It will also protect the Christian soldier from the fiery darts from Satan. Isaiah describes Jesus dressed similar to what is here in Ephesians. Isaiah describes Jesus as he comes back to fight for Israel and his people. He will be victorious. Notice Jesus also only has one offensive weapon. (Isaiah 59:17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.)
Verse 15 says we are to be shod with the gospel of peace. The true gospel of Jesus is peace, unlike the false gospels of Satan that bring death and destruction. Only Jesus can bring true peace and a person can only have true peace if they are saved. Satan only brings warfare. Paul describes how beautiful the feet are of those who preach the gospel of peace. All Christians but especially Christian soldiers, and not just preachers should be preaching the gospel of peace. (Romans 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!) Isaiah also spoke of these same beautiful feet of those who preach Jesus. (Isaiah 52:7 ¶ How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!) The more we preach the gospel of peace, the more souls we can win for Jesus and weaken Satan’s kingdom. Notice Ephesians 6:15 says we must be prepared. A Christian soldier needs to not only know the gospel, but be prepared by reading scripture and praying that God will make him bold to preach. We also must keep our feet and health in shape so that we can walk.
Verse 16 gives the next piece of armour of God. The Christian soldier now must take the shield of faith. This is put on before the helmet. The Roman soldier also put on the shield first as the strap would not fit over the helmet. The shield of faith will quench or extinguish the fiery darts hurled by Satan at the Christian soldier. The Christian soldier must have a strong faith that Jesus will do as he says he will do. This allows him to trust Jesus even when he cannot see the end of the battle, but he can know that Jesus is righteous and will triumph. Jesus will also triumph in the Christian soldier’s life as well as he will keep them strong for the fight against Satan. The fiery darts are the temptations that Satan hurls at the Christian soldier. The Christian soldier who is strong in the word of God and obedient to Jesus and who prays to ask Jesus for help will be strong enough to avoid the temptation. God said he would never allow us to be tempted by Satan with more than we can bear and would always allow a means of escape. God will never leave his soldiers cornered. As a Christian soldier grows in their faith they will be tempted with greater things as they will be able to withstand more with the help of God. (I Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.)
Verse 17 gives us the final defensive peace of the armour of God. This is the helmet of salvation which assures us of our salvation. The helmet of salvation reminds us that we can never lose our salvation if we are truly saved. Once saved, always saved. The helmet of salvation also reminds the Christian soldier that because of the power of the cross and what Jesus did at Calvary for us, our enemies no longer have control over us as we have the full power of God at our hands. Most Christians do not realize this or they never take advantage of it. (I Corinthians 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.) This verse says we “are saved” unlike the modern bibles that say we “are being saved”. Jesus completed the work for us on the cross. Our salvation guarantees that we will always be protected. Satan may be able to take our physical body, but he can never take our soul. By the power of God we can help keep evil thoughts out of our minds and fight back at Satan when we do have them. (II Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;) The helmet of salvation should be a reminder that we are dead to our sins. As we grow as Christians sin should have less appeal to us, especially if we remember our salvation and the cost of it by Jesus for us to have it. (Romans 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.) For Christians our vision should be on heaven and the things that will last for eternity and not the things of this world that will burn up. Our heart must be focused on Jesus at all times. (Philippians 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:) I Thessalonians 5:8 tells us to take on the helmet of salvation along with the breastplate of faith and love. (I Thessalonians 5:8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.) As we grow as Christians our love for Jesus and for other Christians as well as for the lost should grow as well. Our faith must also grow. It grows by hearing the word of God. (Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.) God said without faith it is impossible to please him. (Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.) Too many Christians faith is far too weak. As a good Christian soldier we should strive to have a strong faith that one day we may be in God’s Faith Hall of Fame like those in Hebrews chapter 11. The Christian soldier must remain sober and always ready to defend against the next attack from Satan and his soldiers.
The final piece of the whole armour of God is the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. The sword of the Spirit is the only offensive piece of the armour of God and completes the Christian soldier with the whole armour of God. All pieces are necessary to defend against Satan. If you forget even one piece you make yourself vulnerable to attack. The sword of the Spirit is the word of God. This is why it is important for the Christian soldier to know the word of God so that he can use it as an offensive weapon against Satan just as Jesus did. When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness with the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, he quoted scripture at Satan and finally Satan could not take it anymore and left. In order for a Christian soldier to quote scripture to ward off attacks from Satan, they must first know scripture and then memorize it. The more they know the stronger soldier they will become. The sword of the Spirit is so powerful that it can even divide the soul and spirit. (Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.) The sword of the Spirit is quick and twoedged meaning it will cut on both sides just like the word of God. The enemy does not like to hear scripture quoted at them. See how fast they run. The Christian soldier must have the real sword of the Spirit and not one of Satan’s counterfeit or corrupt ones. Satan has worked hard to put out many false swords for the unsuspecting Christian soldier and weakened many of them leaving them without an offensive weapon. The Christian soldier must use a King James Bible and none of the false corrupt counterfeit modern bibles from Satan. The King James Bible is the only true sword of the Spirit and the only true word of God. The Christian soldier must learn to live by this word of God in their lives. The Christian soldier is only given one weapon and the rest as defensive armour because he must learn to trust in Jesus for his protection and not in himself. The word of God is a shield against Satan. (Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.) Do not think you are so great a Christian soldier that you no longer need Jesus to help you. Even the archangel Michael as powerful as he is did not rebuke him, but let God rebuke him. (Jude 9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.) Satan is a powerful being, but he can be defeated if the Christian soldier puts his faith and trust in Jesus.
As a Christian soldier we look forward to the day when the fight is over and we no longer need our armour. Jesus himself will destroy Satan with the twoedged sword in his mouth. Jesus will speak the word and he will be destroyed. All Christians will be a part of the final army of God and will return with Jesus. (Revelation 19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.) (Revelation 19:21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.) As a Christian soldier we must pray every day as verse 18 says, not only for ourselves, but for other Christians (saints) as well. As Paul said in verse 19, I pray that you all will pray for me to stay strong in the spiritual warfare we are in and to never give up the fight. I pray the same for all of you as well. The stronger soldier we become the more spiritual warfare we will see.
Every Christian needs to get in the fight and become a soldier of God in the Lord’s army. Do not sit back and watch as others fight. This is a fight for every Christian. Start by doing something to serve Jesus and win souls for Jesus. Become a soldier for God today. For the unsaved, know that the battle is already lost for you. Jesus said to fear not those who kill the body (man), but rather your soul. (Satan). Never fear dying for God. (Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.) Get saved now so that you may too become a Christian soldier and rejoin the battle for God and be on the winning side and serve in the Lord’s army.
