Ephesians 6:10-14 “Be strong in
the Lord and in his mighty power.Put on the full armor of God, so that you can
take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not
against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the
spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full
armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand
your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm”.
During our final session of our Church
Conference, Pastor Chris Brown offered thought-provoking ideas based upon the
above Bible passage. In his message, Pastor Chris offered us three pictures to
consider. Here they are:
(1) Endure hardship in the battle. Realize that there is
an enemy and we are in a war … Kingdom warfare is spiritual warfare. Lord Jesus
told us in John 16:33“I have told you these things, so
that in me you may
have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Your and my life is not “shot to
hell”, but “shot by hell”.The
easiest person to defeat in battle is the one who do not know that they are in
a fight. Do not get caught up in our kingdoms (church or personal ones), that
we forget that it is Christ’s kingdom here. The sinful flesh, the God-rejecting
world-system and the devil are the enemy. Though tired, frustrated, and beat
up; do not “tap out”, put on the “full armor of God” and stand firm. 1 John 4:4 “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He
who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
(2) Don’t get caught up in the enemy’s schemes. In
John 10:10, the Lord Jesus tells us that “The thief comes only
to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it
to the full.” Do not be distracted; Jesus Christ is the head of the
church. Satanunderstandsspiritualwarfareand uses man’s ownignoranceof his delegated spiritual authorityand the fertile ground of man’sunguardedimaginationstoattackhim. This is why it is important
to renew yourmindwith the Word of God.Satanhas noauthorityover you unless you remain
ignorant of his tactic to use your imagination against you. The devil’s schemes
include (a) lies and hiding the actualtruthabout our God.2
Corinthians 4:3-4 “And
even if our gospelis
veiled,it
is veiled to those who are perishing.The godof this agehas blindedthe minds of
unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the
glory of Christ,who
is the image of God.”, (b)Twists
Scripturesto fit his purposes.(Matthew 4:5-6), (c) Offers counterfeit promises he can't fulfill.(Genesis. 3:4-5), and (d) always seeks an "opportune
time" totemptus. Put on the “full armor of God” and stand
firm.
(3) Obey your commanding
officers. Remember Jesus Christ; His teachings, commands, statutes, and rules …
not ours. Our strength doesn't come from who we are, but whose we are. Habakkuk 3:19 “The SovereignLordis
my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread
on the heights.” Find strength in the Lord and remember that the battle is not ours, but
truly belongs to the One that we represent – Jehovah Nissi (God is our Banner).
And what is our defense?
Ephesians 6:13-18 “Therefore put on the full armor
of God,so
that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and
after you have done everything, to stand.Stand firm
then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,with the
breastplate of righteousness in place,and with
your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In
addition to all this, take up the shield of faith,with which
you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.Take the
helmet of salvationand
the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spiriton all
occasionswith
all kinds of prayers and requests.With this in
mind, be alert.”
I have become increasingly aware of the spiritual battle that we mistake as a worldly one. The mind becomes so fixated on worldly goings on that we lose sight of the root cause and the greater forces at play. Satan may use the weakness of the armor bearer to create a weakness in the knight's armor. In other words, the direct attack is what we expect Satan to use, but Satan has plenty of weapons to choose from in our increasingly secular world.
I believe that many Christians are falling prey to Satan's lies because they are not in the real Word of God. They are listening to preachers and not checking their word with Scripture. We need to be diligently searching Scripture and testing the word we hear with the written Word.
Thanks UG Pewster. You are so right that the "Father of Lies" is a deceiver and must not be taken lightly. Defeated Foe at the cross, he prowls around looking to take as many down with him as he can. Yet, following God's battle plan ensure a solid defense. I here that the Roman armor, described in the "full armor of God, only covers and protects the front of the warrior for face to face battle. The back-side is protected by the Lord behind us. I always feel better when my big brother is behind me. Thanks for the comment.
Child of God, I don't think that the devil can touch a True Christian without God's permission. I think of Job 1: & 2:6 or Luke 22:31. As we identify a "counterfeit" dollar by studying an "authentic", so that we can recognize the "real" bill, we need to study the Word of God and walk in the Spirit daily (just as you said) to know the truth and reject the lies and deceptions, distractions that take our eye off of the battle ... even for a second. Great point sister.
Psalm 100:1-5 " Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. 2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. '
4 comments:
I have become increasingly aware of the spiritual battle that we mistake as a worldly one. The mind becomes so fixated on worldly goings on that we lose sight of the root cause and the greater forces at play. Satan may use the weakness of the armor bearer to create a weakness in the knight's armor. In other words, the direct attack is what we expect Satan to use, but Satan has plenty of weapons to choose from in our increasingly secular world.
Hi Brian,
I love this song. :)
I believe that many Christians are falling prey to Satan's lies because they are not in the real Word of God. They are listening to preachers and not checking their word with Scripture. We need to be diligently searching Scripture and testing the word we hear with the written Word.
Thanks for the warning brother.
<><
Thanks UG Pewster. You are so right that the "Father of Lies" is a deceiver and must not be taken lightly. Defeated Foe at the cross, he prowls around looking to take as many down with him as he can. Yet, following God's battle plan ensure a solid defense. I here that the Roman armor, described in the "full armor of God, only covers and protects the front of the warrior for face to face battle. The back-side is protected by the Lord behind us. I always feel better when my big brother is behind me. Thanks for the comment.
Child of God, I don't think that the devil can touch a True Christian without God's permission. I think of Job 1: & 2:6 or Luke 22:31. As we identify a "counterfeit" dollar by studying an "authentic", so that we can recognize the "real" bill, we need to study the Word of God and walk in the Spirit daily (just as you said) to know the truth and reject the lies and deceptions, distractions that take our eye off of the battle ... even for a second. Great point sister.
Post a Comment