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Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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. 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. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—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, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. (Eph 6:10–20)
The apostle is sure that the sufferings which are inflicted by apostate servants of God are actually controlled by the devil, who is too high and mighty for us to resist. Paul, therefore, tells us to put on the armor of God against them, because it is only by his power that all the devil’s machinations will be overcome and destroyed. The people whom Paul calls the rulers of this darkness, evil spirits who dwell in heavenly places, in the firmament of the world, are only puppets of the devil. It is those who are in charge of ignorance and unbelief who are the masters of evil and rulers of darkness. The rulers of darkness are understood to lead people astray because they are the masters of unbelief.
Because we are at war against the most vicious enemies who are skilled in all manner of wickedness, we must be on our guard with all caution and care, so that however they tempt us, we may be armed and ready for them. We must be vigilant in prayer and expect God to give us the victory because God will help those whom he sees acting like that. In warfare of this kind, a sober mind and a pure conscience are absolutely essential because it is not being waged against carnal evils but against spiritual ones. Against earthly enemies, the body is strengthened by liquor and the mind is inflamed by strong drink which give them the courage to resist. But resistance against spiritual evils must be spiritual, and our weapons must be sobriety and abstinence so that filled with the Holy Spirit we might defeat unclean and aberrant spirits. We gird our loins with truth if we are prepared to resist error. Everyone who wants to be effective protects himself in this way so that by removing hindrances he can function more effectively.
If we live a good life the Holy Spirit dwells with us and we can receive what we ask for. To pray in the Spirit always means to offer prayer to God with a clean conscience and a pure faith. The person who prays in the flesh prays with a corrupt mind and will sin again, not accidentally or incidentally, but deliberately. However, he can avoid sin as long as he lives if he perseveres in prayer so that his mind is always firmly fixed and focused on the law of God and he meditates day and night on the things which God loves. People who are like this are able to pray for the saints.
The apostle is sure that the sufferings which are inflicted by apostate servants of God are actually controlled by the devil, who is too high and mighty for us to resist. Paul, therefore, tells us to put on the armor of God against them, because it is only by his power that all the devil’s machinations will be overcome and destroyed. The people whom Paul calls the rulers of this darkness, evil spirits who dwell in heavenly places, in the firmament of the world, are only puppets of the devil. It is those who are in charge of ignorance and unbelief who are the masters of evil and rulers of darkness. The rulers of darkness are understood to lead people astray because they are the masters of unbelief.
Because we are at war against the most vicious enemies who are skilled in all manner of wickedness, we must be on our guard with all caution and care, so that however they tempt us, we may be armed and ready for them. We must be vigilant in prayer and expect God to give us the victory because God will help those whom he sees acting like that. In warfare of this kind, a sober mind and a pure conscience are absolutely essential because it is not being waged against carnal evils but against spiritual ones. Against earthly enemies, the body is strengthened by liquor and the mind is inflamed by strong drink which give them the courage to resist. But resistance against spiritual evils must be spiritual, and our weapons must be sobriety and abstinence so that filled with the Holy Spirit we might defeat unclean and aberrant spirits. We gird our loins with truth if we are prepared to resist error. Everyone who wants to be effective protects himself in this way so that by removing hindrances he can function more effectively.
If we live a good life the Holy Spirit dwells with us and we can receive what we ask for. To pray in the Spirit always means to offer prayer to God with a clean conscience and a pure faith. The person who prays in the flesh prays with a corrupt mind and will sin again, not accidentally or incidentally, but deliberately. However, he can avoid sin as long as he lives if he perseveres in prayer so that his mind is always firmly fixed and focused on the law of God and he meditates day and night on the things which God loves. People who are like this are able to pray for the saints.
Ambrosiaster, Epistle to the Ephesians 6
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