As part of a reading plan I’m doing with a friend, I read Ephesians 6 this morning.  Two verses really impacted me and I thought I would share with you what I learned.  The first verse was Ephesians 6:5.

“Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters
according to the flesh, with fear and trembling,
in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ.”
~~Ephesians 6:5~~

God taught me three things from this verse.  

• PERSPECTIVE — “Your masters according to the flesh“. Anyone’s “mastering” of another person is temporal and limited; and from the spiritual perspective, everyone has the same Master (6:9).  
• HUMILITY — “obey with fear and trembling“. (Tromos) is the Greek word used here, and it describes the anxiety of one who distrusts his ability completely to meet all requirements, but religiously does his utmost to fulfill his duty. Apart from the empowering of God (“in the power of HIS might”, 6:1), we are unable to do this.
• MOTIVE — “in sincerity of heart (the inner man, the seat of the spiritual life)”. Sincerity (haptotes) means singleness of mind; without dissimulation; without self-seeking (ouch!); mental honesty infused by God through the Spirit. “Sincerity of heart” describes the condition of mind that realizes that, while you may be working for your employer, you are really serving the Lord.  Giving the best service you can to your King should be your motive and priority.

Paul is addressing not just the “what” (be obedient), but the “how” (obey with fear and trembling), and the “why” (in sincerity of heart) in this verse. Yowza…and ouch!

The second verse that impacted me was Ephesians 6:13.  God shined His light on the word “resist”.  Check it out.

“Therefore, take up the full armor of God, 
so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, 
and having done everything, to stand firm.”  
~~Ephesians 6:13~~ 

The word RESIST popped off the page to me. So many people talk about “gaining the victory over satan” and that notion is disproven in this verse. CHRIST won the victory ultimately, and in our humanness, the best we are capable of is successfully resisting the evil one.  

The Greek word for resist (anthistemi) means to stand against, withstand; to set oneself against something; to exert force in opposition; to counteract; to withstand the force or effect of something.  I looked at the antonyms of resist in the dictionary. They shed more light on the meaning of the word resist — to bow to; to give in to; knuckle under to; to stoop to; to submit to; to surrender to; to yield to.  

APPLYING IT: 

• To “resist” means that we are to hold the ground that Christ sacrificed so greatly to gain for us.
• We “resist” when we refuse to yield when the evil one uses cultural pressure to get us to live opposite of how God has prescribed we live. 
• We “resist” when we refuse to surrender to the urges of our flesh to do things that displease our Master. 
• How do we successful do that?  In the power of HIS might!!  

“No temptation has overtaken you 
except what is common to mankind. 
And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted
beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, 
he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
~~1 Corinthians 10:13~~