Lecture 3
The What? When? Why? Who? Where? and How? of Withstanding.
The Apostle Paul went to great lengths to prepare us for the battle at hand. He emphasized the need for us to take up and put on the whole armor of God and then to stand. He made clear for us what, when, why, who, where, and how before he gave details of what each piece was that we needed to take up. Though this letter was written to the Ephesians, a Gentile church in the city of Ephesus. The warnings given to them is much needed for us today. Let’s look at that warning found in Ephesians 6:10-13.
Though I will be looking at this particular verse from the New King James Version, the highlighted link will allow you to compare several versions/translations.
Ephesians 6:10-13
The Apostle Paul was an amazing teacher. He made sure to cover any question that we, as students, might have had.
- How?
Take up and Put on
- What?
The Whole Armor of God
- Why?
- So that we can be strong in the Lord
- So that we can be strong in the power of His might.
- So that we can stand against, withstand, resist, remain undamaged and unaffected by, and bear up against
- Who?
the wiles, tricks, lures, enticements, schemes of the devil
- Where?
- against principalities
- against powers
- against the rulers of the darkness of this age
- against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places
- When?
in the evil day
Using your bible translation, answer the following questions about putting on the Whole Armor of God:
- How many times did the Apostle Paul say that we were to stand/withstand, and what does the amount of times it was said symbolize?
- The Apostle Paul emphasized that we needed to take up and put on how many pieces of the garment, why was this necessary?
- The Apostle Paul said that our fight is not against whom?
- How do you know if you are on the wrong battlefield?
The Apostle Paul was not the only one to provide training for us in reference to how to STAND against the enemy.
Look at what James, the brother of Jesus Christ shared.
James 4:7-10 New International Version
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
The Apostle Peter also had much to say about withstanding against our adversary.
Proceed to the Module 1 Videos where you will see the video Withstanding In A Storm, which is something that I shared in June of 2022 as God was preparing me for this class.
Also there is a second video which shows that God can speak to us using His creations that are all around us. He is always calling out to His children looking for ways to reach us and equip us. (Laughter is good for the bones.)
Please proceed to Module 1 Lecture 4
Also, please feel free to share your comments on this module .