Be Strong in the Lord
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places…. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
Ephesians 6:10–12, 14–15
One of the biggest lies people believe about God is the lie that God is angry with them. The devil knows that if he can cause you to believe that God is mad at you, he can keep you trapped in fear, defeat, and bondage. I want to expose this lie from the devil and show you from God’s Word that God is not mad at you. He is mad about you! God loves you passionately, and He wants you to be fully assured and confident of His love for you.
To begin living a victorious life, it’s important you believe with all your heart that God is for you and not against you (see Rom. 8:31). When you use the weapons of right believing to prevail against the wiles of the devil, the Bible calls this being strong in the Lord. The armor of God in Ephesians 6:10–20 shows us that right believing in all that Jesus has done will always lead us to victory.
The apostle Paul begins with the belt of truth. When the devil comes against you with his lies about you, gird your waist with the belt of truth. The devil cannot deceive you if you are established in what God’s Word says about you. He can only make inroads into your mind when you don’t know or are unsure about what God’s Word says. That’s why I encourage people to study God’s Word for themselves and to listen to messages that are full of God’s grace and truth. Fill your mind and heart with truth and you’ll surely defeat the enemy.
Secondly, we already know that the devil will try to attack you with all kinds of accusations and condemning thoughts to make you feel guilty and lousy about yourself. That’s why when you are established in the gift of righteousness, his attacks against you will not prevail. All of the devil’s fiery darts of accusations are ineffective against the breastplate of righteousness that guards your heart from all fear, guilt, and condemnation.
Now, the enemy will also come in to try to steal the joy you have because of the gospel of peace, which is depicted as shoes here. But when he comes, know and believe that the God of peace will surely crush Satan underneath your feet.
Beloved, it's time to stand strong against the lies of the enemy! Rest assured that when you believe right, there is no area of your life in which the devil can prevail against you.