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GOD'S PLAYBOOK. Most Bible-believing Christians are well aware of God's instruction on spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6 where He leads Paul to write, "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil" (6:11). The Greek words translated "stand against" were used as a military expression meaning "to stand in front of in an effort to hold your ground." The word "able" has the idea of "power, strength, or ability" but can have the nuance of "that which overcomes resistance." When we put on "God's armor," we are able to hold our spiritual ground and overcome the resistance to our doing His will that Satan hurls against us with his fiery darts of temptation. The context of Ephesians 6 clearly has a defensive emphasis. In fact, if you read the passage, you will notice that five of the six weapons are defensive weapons—sandals, belt, breastplate (protecting the chest and back), helmet, and a shield. However, Ephesians 6:13 says, "Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day." The Greek word translated "withstand" means "to oppose or resist.” It is translated "resist" in James 4:7 "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." The real idea is that we need to push back against Satan's temptations which hints at being on offense. While playing strong defense is vital to victory, rarely is any football game won by the defensive squad alone. We all understand that a strong offense is vital to gain the win. Do you want to regularly chalk up spiritual wins? If you do, then, yes, you'll need to play a strong defensive game by standing your ground against sin, but you'll also need to play a strong offensive game by taking in hand the one offensive weapon that God gives us "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (6:17). In football, they memorize every play. As Christians, we, too, must memorize God's Playbook!
