The second half of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians
emphasizes the Christian walk. The Christian life starts
with one step. This is the step of faith, when a person
accepts Jesus Christ as his Saviour. The Christian life
then involves progress and demands strength for a
Christian to grow. We, as Christians, must learn how to
walk or we will never be able to run and fight the
battle that is presented in chapter 6. Chapter 4 tells
us that we should walk in a way that will not grieve the
Holy Spirit of God. We grieve God’s Holy Spirit when we
allow sin to creep into our lives. To enjoy Christian
living, anger and strife should be done away with.
Problems, disagreements, and hatreds should be pushed
aside by means of forgiveness and Christian love.
In these three chapters for today we are told to
walk in unity, to walk in purity, to walk in love, to
walk in light, to walk carefully, and to walk in
harmony. Paul also tells us in chapter 5:16 that we
should walk in the way of redeeming the time, because
the days are evil. We are not to waste God’s time. We
are to use it wisely and make every minute count for
Him. Time wasted today can never be made up, and the
many things we should have done today for the Master
cannot be done tomorrow.
In chapter 6 Paul tells us how to walk in
victory. Many Christians today have not learned from
God’s Word how to walk in victory over Satan. Christ has
completely overcome Satan and his armies, and victory is
ours by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. When we live
anywhere short of victory through Christ, then we are
cheating ourselves of the blessings God has given to us.
Verses 10 and 12 show us the enemy we fight. In verses
13 and 17 Paul gives us the equipment we must wear, and
then, in verses 18-24, he gives us the energy we must
use. In verse 11 we are told to put on the whole armour
of God, that we may be able to stand against the wiles
of the devil. Paul goes on to explain what our armour
is. In verse 18 he gives us the warrior’s source of
strength. That source is prayer. Prayer is the power
line to heaven. When this line is broken, the Christian
is rendered utterly helpless. The sword we must use to
fight the battle against the devil is the sword of the
Spirit, which is the Word of God; and the power we must
use is continual, daily, moment by moment, prayer and
meditation with God, through the Holy Spirit.