The power of righteousness and holiness in spiritual battles
Every piece of God’s armor was specifically designed to fit a particular area in our spiritual warfare. This is why we are told to put on the whole armor so that we can be complete and stand strong on every side of the battle. Ephesians 6:13. Concerning righteousness, it is a defense to us against the arrows of the evil one. The Bible says, “And having on the breastplate of righteousness” {Ephesians 6:14c}. The breastplate there represents protection and defense. These scriptures below reveal how this is true, and remember that uprightness in those verses is another word for righteousness. It is talking about Job, the servant of the Highest God. God fortified him because of his righteousness.
“a perfect and an upright man, and one that feareth God and eschewed evil?” Job 1:8.
“Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side?” Job 1:10
According to these scriptures, real Christians have divine protection and defense against the forces of darkness. The devil and his cohorts do not relent in their efforts to take many to Hell, especially in these end times. Undoubtedly, we are fighting every day against the unseen forces. A great battle is going on even right now in the spiritual realm. This is why the Bible says,’ ’For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” {Ephesians 6:12}.
To have a total victory, we must also put on the breastplate of righteousness and holiness. Though holiness is not mentioned in that verse, they are interrelated and so cannot be discussed in isolation {Luke 1:75, Eph. 4:24 & Romans 6:19}. Righteousness is having a right standing with God through Christ’s atoning death. We inherited our righteousness by faith, not by our own works. Holiness means setting ourselves aside for God’s use. It also means avoidance of filthiness of the spirit and body. 2 Corinthians 7:1. Holiness should be our daily practice because of its importance in our spiritual battles and heavenly journey.
As we have received righteousness by grace, we also ought to walk in the newness of life. Romans 6:1–4 This is where holiness comes in. We cannot say we are Christians and continue to commit sins because of the abundance of God’s grace. No, that would not exemplify us as true Christians. If we say we are true children of God, then we ought to live a holy life because God is holy. Holiness is the nature of God, and he has commanded us to be holy. Anything contrary to this is not his. 1 Peter 1:16.
For this reason, if we want His presence to continue to abide with us and to access his unlimited power in order to gain daily victories over our enemies, we must live a holy life because he has promised to be in us and with us. This is assurance of our daily victory. But how can this happen when we live a sinful life? If we do not have a pure heart and cleansed hands, how can we be defended or saved? Can a lawyer defend his guilty client? It may happen anyway by hook or crook, but God is ever righteous and just in all his judgment.
Holiness is power. It is what gives us the boldness as true children of God to withstand the devil, knowing very well that God is with us. He protects his own with the wall of fire, and whoever touches them touches the apple of his eye (Zechariah 2:5–8). When we doubt our salvation and authority in Christ because of sin, how can we command the devil? We have to be sure of our salvation and sonship in Christ through the witnesses of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. In other words, our consciences must be cleared before God and man. A professed Christian who sins cannot resist the devil with boldness because of his uncleared conscience.
What happened to the seven sons of Sceva was a question of sonship and authority. They did not truly believe in the Lord Jesus, yet they wanted to utilize his name against the devil as they saw Paul doing. But the demons did not know them, so they questioned their authority and beat them up. You see! Our faith and holy living should be able to convince the devil that we are true children of the Most High so that when we take authority against them, they will obey because of the fire of the Holy Spirit upon us.
The devil knows that true children of God are powerful through the fire of God upon them. They are unconquerable in battles. When they speak, they speak out fire, and every word they declare is established in the heavenly realm because God is not far from them. So, what he normally does is to cause them to commit sins in order to keep God away from them. When this happens, the fire will be reduced or quenched, and such Christians become powerless.
We are extremely blessed and protected when we are obediently in Christ, but when we live a sinful life, we become like a house with a broken fence to the forces of darkness. The Israelites were God’s people. On their way to the promised land, they were unconquerable because God’s presence was with them. But whenever there was sin among them, they were defeated by their enemies. When Balaam discovered this after he was called to curse Israel and it failed, he told Balak, who hired him, to introduce fornication and idol worship in the camp of the Israelites at Shittim (Numbers 22–25). This is how he got the people into sin, and God’s anger was great against them, resulting in their defeats and death. Jesus spoke against the doctrine of Balaam and the Jezebel woman who called herself a prophetess in Revelation 2:20.
Today, this is still one of the major tactics of the devil against the children of God. There are so many people whom the devil has been using to spread immoral doctrines and ungodly lifestyles. They use all the available means of communication and appear in public places just to spread their evil doctrines. Surprisingly, their evil doctrine is mostly accepted as good in many parts of the world. Moral values could no longer be recognized as good in our society but as archaic and impractical. It has gotten to the extent that immoral shows and practices are everywhere, especially on social media. It is like we are in the free world where everybody does what he or she likes.
Unfortunately, many believers have embraced this doctrine of Balaam that makes them live an immoral life. They are following the world system and have forgotten that they are the main target of the devil. As said, the devil is still using this doctrine of Balaam through his human agents to bring down many Christians from their heavenly places.
In conclusion, we have to be vigilant and continue to wear our garments of holiness and righteousness until Christ comes. Holiness is power, and as the Bible says, who is he that will harm you if you are followers of that which is good? Do you not know that the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears open unto their prayers? Remember that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16, 1 Peter2: 13). Therefore, you are more than a conqueror. Go in this your might, and your daily victory over your enemy is sure!