“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” Ephesians 6:10-11.

The servant stumbles out of his lodging and sees an alarming sight. A large, well equipped and hostile army with troops, horses and chariots everywhere. Speaking to the prophet Elisha, he stammers out the news, along with his harried question, ‘Oh sir, what will we do now?’

Elisha responded, ‘Don’t be afraid, for there are more on our side than theirs’. A response that fails to register in the face of his servant. Elisha, pulling him close, prays for him, ‘Oh Lord, open his eyes and let him see’. The prophet prayer is answered immediately. The servant steps to the ramparts again, but this time the veil between the seen and the unseen lifts. He now sees not one army, but two. The Lord opened the eyes of the young man and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.

In Ephesians 6:10-20, Paul prayed for an enhanced vision for believers so that they will be able to see the full reality of the great controversy and to draw hope from what it reveals to them.

Paul concluded Ephesians with a call to battle, urging believers to take their stand in the war against evil. He begins with an overarching exhortation to ‘be strong in the Lord’ which he repeats as a call to put on the whole armor of God to stand firm in battle. Paul invites believers, now fully armed and ready to enter the fray, to do what soldiers on the ancient battlefield might do – and that is, pray.

Paul identify Christ as the source of believers’ strength with the phrase, ‘in the Lord and in the power of his might‘. Paul does affirm that all evil and supernatural powers are subjugated to Christ. However, in any battle, it is never a good strategy to underestimate the forces on the opposing side. Paul warns that we do not just confront human enemies but spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places led by a wily general, the devil. However, while we must be on the alert against our powerful foes, we need not be daunted by them. God is present with us in the battle and has supplied us with the finest of weaponry, his own armor, the armor of God