In the original Greek the word place reads topos (top'-os). From this word topos we derive our English words topography and topographic. It has to do with place, locality or territory.
This verse admonishes us to be so consistent, so dependable, and so trustworthy in our walk of faith that we surrender no topos - no ground - to the enemy . The stratagem of our adversary is to exploit our weaknesses or catch us off guard. When he can find an opening in our armor, he can weaken our effectiveness. In Ephesians 4:27, the Apostle Paul exhorts us to avoid giving the devil an opportunity.
Never give the adversary any topography (topos). As believers we have the possibility of making forward progress without ever having to lose any ground.
By putting on the whole armor of God, it is possible to have the entire Christian personality and character completely covered. We can stand our ground in the battle between light and darkness, good and evil (2 Sam. 23:12).
We can stand and, having done all, continue to stand (Eph. 6:13). Best of all, we can move ahead even though every inch of our progress is contested (Ex. 14:15). And we can be assured that God is with us to help us and to fight our battles (2 Chron. 32:8). For the believer, there is no turning back, no lost ground, nothing but continual forward progress in the good fight of faith.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
