Ephesians 6:11

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

(v11, NIV)

Apparently, the devil has schemes. These schemes are against you and you'd better watch out. He is scheming to cause you to stumble in sin and be separated from God.

"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.

(Ephesians 4:26-27, NIV)

Earlier in Ephesians 4 Paul warns us to not give the devil a foothold. I get the idea of wall climbing. Apparently, we are the wall and the devil is climbing us. When we sin and are tempted and fall further away from God, this provides the devil with footholds in our lives so that he can more easily climb us. In climbing us, the devil masters us. From this I am reminded of how we can easily fall deeper and deeper into our sin. Giving a small amount of leeway to sin eventually grows and grows without us knowing. Little "white lies" slowly become more frequent and it becomes easier to do.

We must be aware and prepared for these schemes of the devil. Fortunately, God provides us with a means to stand against the schemes of the devil. First of all, in the last verse, Paul instructs us to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. It is from God that we draw strength and it is only in his strength that we are truly strong. God provides us with armor to wear. God isn't just going to send us into battle without properly equipping us. He provides the armor, so we must put it on. Not only that, but we must learn how to wear or use each piece of this set of equipment God provides.

As servants to the most high and in submission to him, we are to carry out his instructions. We are soldiers carrying out his command to go out into battle for him. Therefore, it would only make sense to properly equip ourselves. God provides the equipment, we must put it on. Who ever heard of an army going into battle without being properly dressed? When you go out to do something, you dress or prepare yourself for the task at hand. A firefighter doesn't go fight fires in swimming trunks and a professional football player doesn't play a game in pajamas. A firefighter dresses up with the proper clothing, equipping himself with the required tools to fight fires. A football player equips himself with protective gear and proper attire for the game. In the same way, as soldiers in the Lord's army, we should put on the full armor of God. We are tasked to serve the Lord and we should equip ourselves accordingly.