Ephesians 6 Devotional

Armor That Belongs to God

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.”Ephesians 6:10 (BSB)

Ephesians 6 continues the household instructions. Children are to obey and honor their parents, and fathers must not provoke their children but raise them in the Lord's instruction (6:1-4). Slaves are to serve as though serving Christ, and masters must give up threats, because both have the same Master in heaven, who shows no favoritism (6:5-9). Every relationship is lived before the same Lord.

Then Paul widens the view to a struggle against spiritual forces of evil (6:12). His first word is not to try harder but to draw strength from the Lord and his mighty power (6:10). The armor is God's, and each piece is something the gospel supplies: truth, righteousness, the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the word of God (6:14-17). Believers stand by putting on what has been given, and by prayer (6:18). Even Paul, in chains, asks others to pray that he will speak boldly (6:19-20). Your strength for today's battles is not your own. It is his, received and held in prayer.

To think about: In what struggle are you relying on your own strength today, and how could you bring it to the Lord in prayer?