“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”
—Ephesians 6:10–11      

Reflection

To fight fear in our life effectively, we must keep three truths in mind.

First, the devil is our enemy, and fear is his biggest weapon.

Fear is one of the primary weapons the enemy uses against us. In order to fight against him, we must stay constantly alert so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, “for we are not ignorant of his schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:11).

How can we be successful in our warfare against him? We must put on the whole armor of God. Paul tells us to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. We are to take up the shield of faith, with which we will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

Second, God wants to strengthen us.

To be strengthened means that we are hardened for the fight. God wants to teach us how to steel ourselves for the warfare that rages all around us. We need to harden ourselves toward Satan’s lies, making sure the door of our heart is firmly locked against him.

We need to pray that God will strengthen us with His divine power. As we learn to lean on God, clinging to Him in faith and trust, He will take us from strength to strength and from glory to glory. We can pray with the psalmist, “Strengthen me according to Your word” (Psalm 119:28).

We cannot be passive in this warfare. Through His grace, we close the door of our heart to fear and ask Father God to strengthen us.

Third, we bow down only to God.

The only One we should fear is God Himself. Fear in this context means that we worship, adore, and respect Him with reverence. Yeshua said that the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. God wants our worship, desires it, and He alone deserves it.

Faith always bows down to God through worship, but fear bows down to the enemy. Faith affirms that God is with us and loves us. Fear denies Him.

This is why the psalmist declares, “Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God.” (Psalm 95:6-7)

Beloved, stand against fear. Be alert to the enemy’s schemes. Let God strengthen you according to His Word. And when fear demands that you bow before it, bow before the Lord instead.

Worship Him in the beauty of holiness, and stand firm.

Application

• Close the door of your heart to fear by taking up the shield of faith and continually strengthening yourself in God’s Word.
• When fear tries to dominate your attention, bow before God in worship and affirm that He is with you and loves you.

Prayer

Father, strengthen me according to Your Word and make me alert to the schemes of the enemy. Help me not to be passive, but to stand firm in faith and close the door of my heart to fear. Teach me to lean on You, cling to You in faith and trust, and receive Your strength for the warfare around me. I choose to bow before You alone, worshiping You in spirit and truth. Father, strengthen me and help me overcome every fear that tries to take hold of my heart. In the name of Yeshua, amen.