Martin Luther faced quite a struggle when he nailed his “95 Thesis” to the church door in Wittenburg, Germany. The entire Catholic church rose up against him. It was him against all of them.
To have a formidable enemy rise up against you can be very troubling. But if you’re strong and confident, you can face the challenge with enthusiasm, and you can be victorious in the face of everything that is thrown against you. Now that’s essentially what Paul is telling us in Ephesians 6:11-12. He says, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
Notice how many times the word “against” is used in this passage. It is the word “pros”, which is a Greek preposition indicating a motion toward something. Now if the motion refers to a relationship that is hostile or negative, it is translated by the word “against,” and that is certainly the case here. The Christian is told to “stand against the wiles of the devil”.
When Martin Luther penned the words of the great hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is our God,” he had this conflict in mind in the third stanza, when he wrote:
And tho’ this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us;
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim –
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo! his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
So, be of good courage! “Stand against the wiles of the devil!”
Hey – Don’t be afraid to be against the devil. He sure is against you!