"Today,
if you will hear
His voice,
Do not harden your hearts."
Hebrews 4:7
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Dear Saints Who Believe,
Part Two: "I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."
How to be strong to stand against the schemes of the devil:
Put on the whole armor of God!
THE ARMOR OF LIGHT
“The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” Romans 13:12
THE ARMOR OF GOD — Ephesians 6:10-19
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Ephesians 6:10-11
All seven pieces of armor work together as an impenetrable suit of armor to keep you in the power of the Lord’s might and to establish God’s original plan for mankind: The Blessing ... fill the earth and subdue it. See Genesis 1:28.
God's armor is spiritual, not seen or felt by the natural physical world.
1. Stand—having girded your waist with truth.
Taking a stand against what? An abundance of un-truths (lies) that abound all around us. Get the Word of God in your heart every day. “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63
The belt girds your loins with truth ... spiritual strength to stand with authority!
2. Put on—the breastplate of righteousness.
You need to protect who Jesus made you to be: the righteousness of God in Him…the new creation, born of the incorruptible Word of God. Renewing your mind to your identity in Christ will give you victory over the accuser of the brethren.
3. Shod your feet—with the gospel of peace.
Before soldiers go to battle they are issued military boots that protect their feet so that they can walk over all kinds of terrain without stumbling. See 1 John 1:7.
Before you start your day be prepared to walk in love and forgiveness. Walk knowing that your Father loves you and will never leave you. Walk in His peace, sharing the good news with others.
4. Take—the shield of faith—above all!
Why? Faith will extinguish every dart of the enemy! If you doubt God or His Word, you cannot please God or open the channel that His promises (power) flow through. Faith is the victory that has overcome the world. If you doubt this or are passive about it you will not activate God’s armor. Victory will remain only as letters in a book.
5. Take—the helmet of salvation (i.e., deliverance, protection, health, prosperity.) What does this unseen spiritual helmet do? It protects the head, the gates to the heart: mind (thoughts) — eyes (what you see by faith and what you see in the natural) — ears (to protect what you hear from God’s Word and the error coming forth from the world that will produce doubt and unbelief) — mouth (words of faith and authority.) Jesus paid for your salvation by His stripes, but it’s up to you to enforce what is yours by faith in His name.
6. And—the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.
Remember that helmet is covering the head…which includes the mouth or the words that proceed from the mouth. Since death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21), Christians need to guard what they say because some of the darts the enemy uses he got from what they spoke in ignorance.
For the well-trained soldier in God’s army, the sword of the spirit is the Word of God that was believed and planted into the good ground of his heart. When that word is blasting out as: Spirit Word—S-word—Sword, it has the same power (substance) that created the worlds. See Hebrews 11:3.
Things which are presently seen on earth were made of things which are not visible. Everything on earth is subject to change by God’s Word. The Church is to execute divine orders from headquarters: “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Jesus rebuked the wind and calmed the sea and then brought correction to his fear-filled disciples. “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” See Mark 4:40.
Didn’t they remember that He said, “Let us go over to the other side?” Didn’t they realize they were on assignment for the Kingdom and all provision and authority (sword) was given to them to fulfill that assignment?
When Jesus was in the wilderness and was tempted by the devil, what did He do? Even though His body had had no food for forty days, the mighty Sword of His Spirit prevailed against the cunning and ruthless enemy of mankind. See Luke Chapter Four. And furthermore, “… that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” See Hebrews 2:14.
As we learned in our last lesson, Jesus has the keys of Hades and Death! Revelation 1:18 The gates of hell shall NOT prevail against His Church!
Just remember, during war a passive soldier is a defeated soldier!
7. “… praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit…”
“How can I pray always? After all, I do have to go to work.”
Prayer is staying divinely hooked up to God throughout your day. It is sometimes silently talking to God, seeking His direction, even though no words are uttered.
It is also setting aside time to be alone with your Father to share and ask that He meet your needs, your concerns, and so on. From there, seek the Holy Spirit to lead you in intercession and supplication for all the Saints, lifting up the needs of The Church.
Pray much in tongues for in the spirit we speak mysteries to God, we build up or edify our spirit man, and we give the Holy Spirit Himself time to make intercession for us. Sing your power out! See 1 Corinthians 14:2, Jude 20, and Romans 8:26.
THE HELMET — THE SWORD — AND PRAYER
“… and the helmet of the salvation receive,
and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the saying of God,
through all prayer and supplication
praying at all times in the Spirit,
and in regard to this same,
watching in all perseverance
and supplication for all the saints…” Ephesians 6:17-18 Young’s Literal Translation
All this unseen armor: belt, breastplate, boots, shield, helmet, sword, and prayer, work in the spiritual realm to protect the Believer from spiritual attacks.
But the helmet, the sword, and prayer, in particular, can be seen working together as a unit to effect change on the earth.
Your spirit man, the new creation in Christ, desires to release the power and authority of God that has been planted in it. You were made to establish and enforce the will and goodness of God on earth.
“Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.”
“Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” See Mark 11:21-26.
THE PASSIVE CHRISTIAN
During World War II many Americans enlisted to go and fight against an enemy who desired to enslave mankind and take over the world. Imagine if some of those soldiers got on the battlefield and would not engage in combat. Becoming frightened, they forgot all they had been trained to do and refused to use their weapons. What would have been the result? Not only harm or death to them, but they would have endangered the lives of other soldiers in their regiment.
Our nation, our world, is becoming darker as the disobedient become bolder to do evil, a result of changing God’s laws to legalize murder and perversion. This is not a time for any Christian to be passive. Engagement is necessary!
Moses could not lead the children into the Promised Land because they would not engage. Why?
FEAR!
Grasshopper mentality will always dominate the life of a Christian who does not know who they are, where they are from, why they were born or their inheritance, or know the power of their Father.
Definition of Passive: inactive, unassertive, apathetic, compliant, yielding, docile, pliable, spiritless, listless, dormant, resigned, nonresistant
Antonym: active, domineering, forceful, aggressive, assertive, dynamic, energetic, alive, alert
The kingdom of God suffers violence.
The violent take it by force.
See Matthew 11:12.
“The ‘violent’ are men of eager, impetuous zeal, who grasp the kingdom of heaven—i.e., its peace, and pardon, and blessedness—with as much eagerness as men would snatch and carry off as their own the spoil of a conquered city.” Ellicott’s Commentary
OUR WAR: UNSEEN!
OUR WEAPONS: UNSEEN!
OUR MIGHTY CONQUEROR: UNSEEN!
“For though we walk in the flesh,
we do not war according to the flesh.
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal
but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
casting down arguments and every high thing
that exalts itself against the knowledge of God,
bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
and being ready to punish all disobedience
when your obedience is fulfilled.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
OUR ENEMIES: UNSEEN
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers,
against the powers,
against the world forces of this darkness,
against the spiritual forces of wickedness
in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12 NASB
JESUS CHRIST HAS DEFEATED THEM ALL!
“… having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.” Colossians 2:14-15
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore…” Matthew 28:18-19
“… that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.” Philippians 1:27-28
Don’t expect retaliation.
Expect victory!
Expect God’s Word, His power, Kingdom and angels to work on your behalf.
Every adversary has already been defeated by Jesus.
His Spirit (power) resides within us!
Just remember: No Word … No Armor!
Closing Comments
Does the armor need to be put on everyday? Maybe. Are you under attack?
Check everyday to make sure that all pieces are working.
We need to renew the mind by speaking our armor on. Activation is required.
Bookmark or read through this lesson often.
BE STRONG IN THE LORD
AND IN THE POWER OF HIS MIGHT!
I'm praying for you.
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