Stand - Put On the Whole Armor of God, Part One

Firm Foundation with Bryan Hudson

Ephesians 6:10 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 [strategies] of the devil. 12 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. 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— 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,

Strategy: A plan of action or policy designed to achieve a major or overall objective.

Tactic: The actual means used to gain an objective,

The devil overall aim is to hinder and disrupt God’s plan in the lives of believers and prevent unbelievers from coming to faith in Christ.

His tactics involve the use of dark spiritual forces, people, circumstances, and our own carnal minds. The most effective strategies are specifically designed and tailored to disrupt you.

Some well know strategies and tactics of warfare:

1. When the enemy is too strong to attack directly, then attack something he holds dear. Somewhere there is a gap in the armour, a weakness that can be attacked instead.

2. Delay entering the field of battle the others have become exhausted fighting amongst themselves.

3. Never directly attack an opponent whose advantage is derived from its position. Instead lure him away from his position thus separating him from his source of strength.

4. Prepare a trap then lure your enemy into the trap by using bait. In war, the bait is the illusion of an opportunity for gain.

5. When faced with an enemy too powerful to engage directly you must first weaken him by undermining his foundation and attacking his source of power.

6. Disrupt the enemy's formations, interfere with their methods of operations, change the rules in which they are used to following, go contrary to their standard training.

We also see this tactic manifest as “hidden agendas” were people keep something purposely hidden from people, usually authority figures, in order to accomplish a usually illegitimate, illegal, immoral or self-serving purpose.

7. Hide behind the mask of a fool, a drunk, or a madman to create confusion about your intentions and motivations. Lure your opponent into underestimating your ability until, overconfident, he drops his guard. Then you may attack.

8. Defeat the enemy from within by infiltrating the enemy's camp under the guise of cooperation, surrender, or peace treaties.