Useful Bible Studies > Ephesians Commentary > chapter 6
It is important for Christians to have right attitudes and to do right things. Otherwise, they will be too weak when the devil opposes them.
However, nobody should think that right attitudes and actions can protect him, without a right relationship with God. When the devil opposes us, we need to depend completely upon God. Only God can save (rescue) us from the devil’s attacks (Psalm 62:1-8).
Our trust in God is called faith. We receive faith from God when we believe his word and, in particular, his promises (Romans 10:17; Ephesians 2:8). God wants us to depend on him constantly (Hebrews 10:35-39). Without faith, it is impossible to please him (Hebrews 11:6). However, when we do believe God, God acts powerfully to answer our prayers (Mark 11:22-24). We pray with faith, and God is pleased to rescue us from every evil attack (Psalm 91:14-16).
Paul’s words give us some idea about how terrible it felt to be in an ancient battle. The enemies are not just shooting arrows; they are also throwing burning objects at us. Our soldier is grateful to have a strong shield, a board of perhaps metal or wood. He holds it up firmly to protect himself from every sudden danger.
As Christians, we are so grateful that we can believe and trust God in every situation. He knows about our troubles and he cares for us (Psalm 91). His promises cannot fail (Hebrews 6:18-19). We do not need to be afraid in life, or even when we die (Philippians 1:20-24; Hebrews 11:13-16). We know that God will not disappoint us.
Next part: The 'helmet' of salvation and the 'sword' of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17)
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© 2019, Keith Simons.