Three Stages of the
Christian
Life
Dr. Allen M. Barber
September 14, 2010
Ephesians 6:10-18 NKJV
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil…
13 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.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
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, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
Post salvation life begins by SITTING (We are seated with Christ [now] in the heavenlies; then we learn how to WALK in the Spirit denying all flesh and ungodly lusts, but it doesn’t stop there. We must learn how to STAND. Standing means entering the conflict – the war between the spiritual and the carnal. This is wrestling with evil spirits. Understanding the order as Paul lays down in the letter to the Ephesians is very important to our maintaining the victory that Christ won on the cross when he defeated Satan and stripped him of all his powers – every single one. There is no weapon in Satan's arsenal that Jesus has not destroyed. Believers mistakenly think Satan is more powerful than them, and that is true if they give him ground, which he achieves by stealth – he sneaks in through deception or by lawful entry through sin. If the believer does not rest in Christ and learn to live a holy life the attempt to stand is all for nothing for standing depends on our sitting and walking.
All that we see in the world today that opposes God is the enemy trying to expel God from his kingdom, which is confined to this earth. This is why the kingdom of heaven is and must come to earth – to overthrow and kick out Satan and his demonic spirits from wrecking havoc on God’s earth. Two thrones are at war – God and Satan’s. Satan is trying ever so hard to usurp God’s authority on earth. The Church is called to join the Lord in this contest and to make Jesus the head over all things (He already is, but it has not yet been fully manifested). How does the Church to this – by standing, which means holding ground. To hold the ground of God’s spiritual kingdom, we must put on the whole armor of God – every piece every day of our lives. Yesterday’s victory will not suffice for today for Satan will come at us again and again with new strategies. Standing or holding ground will not work if we don’t know who we are in Christ, why the Holy Spirit was given to us and how He works within us. His work is to enthrone Christ in our lives – make Him supreme ruler and Lord of our lives. Before we can hold our ground or stand against Satan and His demonic hordes we must have on God’s armor which is spiritual weapons. We do not use carnal weapons to resist the devil. He can only be defeated by the empowering of the Holy Spirit who stands with us in the battle against Satan.
Saints are you Sitting, Walking, Standing and holding your ground giving the devil no opportunity to deceive you and lead you into sin?