Dressed to Stand

We Are At War (Whether We Admit It or Not)

The Christian life is not a playground—it’s a battleground.

Ephesians 6 opens with Paul declaring,

“Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.”

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Not in your talent. Not in your grit. Not in your opinions. In His power. Why? Because you are in a war. And wars require preparation.

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” (Ephesians 6:11)

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Paul’s warning isn’t passive. He’s saying, “This fight is coming. Don’t be caught off guard.” The schemes of the enemy are subtle and strategic, designed to wear you down and knock you out.

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But here’s the good news: You’re not defenseless.

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What You Wear Matters in War

If the enemy can catch you unarmed, he’ll take everything from you.

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That’s why Paul outlines the armor of God—six essential pieces that are both defensive and offensive tools of spiritual warfare:

1. The Belt of Truth
   Truth holds everything together. Without it, everything falls apart. In today’s culture of “live your truth,” truth is under attack. But real truth isn’t subjective—it's found in God’s Word. And it’s the first thing we need to put on.
2. The Breastplate of Righteousness
   The enemy loves to attack your heart with guilt and shame. But when you wear Christ’s righteousness, you remember that you're not fighting for approval—you’re fighting from it. There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.
3. The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace
   These shoes don’t just help you stand—they help you walk. The gospel gives you peace in chaos, clarity in confusion, and boldness in hostile territory. It makes you mobile, ready, and rooted.
4. The Shield of Faith
   When the enemy fires arrows of fear, doubt, depression, and temptation, faith blocks the blow. Faith doesn’t wait for clarity—it trusts God even in uncertainty.
5. The Helmet of Salvation
   The greatest battleground is your mind. If the enemy can distort your thoughts, he can distort your future. The helmet reminds you that you’re saved, secure, and sealed by the Spirit.
6. The Sword of the Spirit (The Word of God)
   Your weapon is the Word. Don’t just carry it—wield it. Speak it. Declare it. Fight with it. Don’t play defense all your life. Go on the offensive with God’s truth.

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Shama’s Stand: It Starts with a Bean Field

In 2 Samuel 23:11–12, we meet a little-known warrior named Shama. When the enemy advanced, everyone else ran—but not Shama.

“But Shama took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory.”

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What was he defending? A field of lentils. Beans.

Insignificant? Not to Shama. Because Shama understood what many of us forget:

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If you surrender the beans, they’ll come back for the barn.
Give up the barn, they’ll come for your house.
Lose the house, and they’ll take your worship.

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What starts small becomes catastrophic if left unchallenged. Shama wasn’t defending beans—he was defending boundaries.

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Modern Fields We’re Letting Go

We live in a culture that is aggressively redrawing boundaries—on truth, sexuality, family, identity, and faith.

• Children are taught confusion in the name of compassion.
• Christians are silenced under the guise of tolerance.
• Sin is normalized while truth is vilified.

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And the Church? Too often, we’ve been silent.

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We’ve retreated when we should have stood. We’ve compromised instead of confronting. And like Israel, we’ve watched our fields fall to the enemy.

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But God is raising up a generation of Shamas—people who will say, “Not on my watch.”

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You Can’t Overcome What You Keep Running From

Some battles return year after year—not because they’re unbeatable, but because we refuse to face them. You can’t defeat what you won’t confront. You can’t keep what you won’t protect.

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This applies to:

• The battle for your mind.
• The battle for your marriage.
• The battle for your children.
• The battle for truth in a post-truth world.

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And here’s the promise:

When you stand up for God, God stands up for you.
Just like He did for Shama. Just like He did for David, Daniel, and the Hebrew boys in the fire.

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So… Are You Dressed to Stand?

Because the enemy isn’t waiting.

You can’t wait until the arrows are flying to put on your armor. You can’t afford to run out in your emotions, your opinions, or your Sunday-only faith. You need to be fully armed.

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Because one day, your Shama moment will come.

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And when it does, you’ll need more than a good memory verse.
You’ll need a backbone. A shield. A sword. A Savior.
You’ll need to be dressed to stand.

Final Thought:

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” (Psalm 20:7)

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Suit up. Stand firm. Don’t give up ground.
Because when you stand, the Lord brings the victory.