Together We Fight. Together We Stand

We’ve reached the final message in our Ephesians series, Thrive Together: All in on Faith, Unity, and Growth. In this final passage, Paul has saved the most urgent truth for last... You’re in a battle. And it’s time to suit up.

We’ve spent weeks learning how to thrive in unity, purpose, and identity as God’s people. But Paul ends by lifting the veil and showing us the reality behind it all. There’s a war going on. Not one of flesh and blood, but a spiritual battle against the enemy of our souls. And that means we can’t afford to coast, to isolate, or to fight alone.

Are you ready to fight all in together?

Know Your Enemy

The enemy isn’t who you think it is.

The enemy is not your family or your boss. It's not the people who annoy you. Not the politicians or cultural movements you disagree with. Our enemy is Satan. He's very real, and we almost never see him coming. He thrives in the shadows, disguising himself and beating us down until we're frustrated, weary, and hopeless.

If we're fighting spiritual forces and not fighting flesh and blood, that means the real danger isn’t always obvious. Like my car with the busted tire in the back when I was too busy staring at the front end, sometimes we focus on what we think the problem is, while the real threat goes unnoticed. The enemy wins when we blame the wrong things and ignore the real battle.

Satan’s goal is to make us spiritually ineffective. If he can’t take your soul, he’ll try to steal your influence, distract your focus, and isolate you from the people who can help you fight. So the first step in this battle? Wake up. Get honest about the real battle around you. And learn to recognize your real enemy.

Suit Up

Once you see the real enemy, you have to get ready. Paul describes the armor of God as gear you actually need to wear every single day. He describes it in terms of Roman soldiers, who were efficient, disciplined, part of the most feared military machine in all of history. That’s the image Paul gives for the Christian life. Every piece of armor has a purpose. And together, we become a might army feared by the spiritual forces of the world.

• Belt of Truth – Holding everything together. Centering your life around God’s Word.

• Breastplate of Righteousness – Guarding your heart. Letting God’s holiness shape your choices.

• Shoes of the Gospel of Peace – Standing firm. Being ready to move with courage and bring hope.

• Shield of Faith – Blocking attacks. Linking together with other believers to creat an impenetrable wall.

• Helmet of Salvation – Knowing who you are. Living with identity and confidence.

• Sword of the Spirit (the Word) – Engaging the world. Fighting lies with truth and not being afraid to fight in close quarters.

  
  

Roman soldiers were strongest when they fought as one. Their shields formed walls. Their formation was intimidating. And the same is true of us. If you’re not suiting up daily, you’re vulnerable. If you’re trying to fight alone, you’re exposed.

So arm yourself. But don’t stop there. Lock arms with your church family. Commit to being in the fight for each other.

Pray Like a Warrior

Paul wraps it all up with the only offensive strategy he describes. Prayer. Prayer is how we go on the offensive. It’s how we press forward. And when it’s paired with our only offensive weapon, the Word...when the weapon and the strategy work together, it’s how we win.

Paul says:

• Pray at all times.

• Pray in the Spirit.

• Be alert.

• Pray for all the saints.

• Pray for your leaders.

  
  

That’s how we fight. It’s communication, surrender, and spiritual power rolled into one, an open line to God empowered by the Holy Spirit. And it’s not meant to be done alone. When we pray for each other, we become the army God designed us to be. Almost every teaching in the bible about prayer describes it as something you do for someone else, not for yourself. One of Satan's strategies is to turn our focus inward. Because when we're only praying for ourselves, we only have ONE person praying for us, and not one we can trust to be unbiased. But when we're focused on praying for each other, we have an ENTIRE CHURCH interceding on our behalf.

You weren’t meant to fight by yourself. And you weren’t meant to pray only for yourself.

So become someone others can trust to pray for them. Be the kind of friend who suits up and stands in the gap when someone else is under attack. This is how we're supposed to fight. This is how we thrive.

Your Invitation: All In. No Turning Back.

We’ve come to the end of Ephesians, but the real journey begins now. Are you ready to commit? To your faith? To your church? To fighting together?

This isn’t a solo mission. And if you feel isolated or left out, you don’t have to stay that way. You were made to belong. And if you've chosen to fight alone, whether out of fear, hurt, or pride, it’s time to let go. You can’t win this war on your own.

We need each other. We fight for each other. We stand with each other.

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So what’s your next step?

Let’s be a church that’s unstoppable through the power of God. Not because we’re perfect, but because we fight and stand together.