The Armor of God

Ephessians 6:10-18 (ESV)

2009-07-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

Ephessians 6:10-18 - Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

8) The Sword of the Spirit

2009-07-21T09:51:00.000-07:00

Most of the Armor of God is defensive in nature and is for the purpose of protection. The Sword of the Spirit, on the other hand is an offensive weapon. It's not so much used to defend against but rather to aggressively pursue the enemy.

The sword is an action weapon. In other words; you don't go into battle with the enemy, having your sword still in it's sheath. The sword is only effective, aggressive, and offensive when it's being used.

A vivid example of the Sword in action is found during Jesus' wilderness experience. The devil is tempting the Savior. The attacks upon Jesus come through the same three avenues the serpent used on Eve, lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.(Gen.3:6 & Lk.4:1-13) These are the avenue of attacks through which the devil seeks to lead us into sin.(1Jn.2:15,16) In Heb.4:15 we're told that Jesus was tempted in every way, or, as some translation state, "in all points" (KJV,ASV,WEB) as we are, yet without sin. In other words He was totally victorious over the world (Jn.16:33).

How Jesus gained His personal victory over the devil's temptations is important for us to both understand and apply. First came the temptation to turn rocks into bread. Here the devil was appealing to the cravings of the physical human body. In Jesus' case it was hunger but there are numerous other cravings that originate in the human body. One prominent ones of our time is in realm of sex. The way Jesus overcame the temptation, generated from the physical passion to eat, was by using the Sword of the Spirit. He said "It is written". He used this same method, wielding the Spirit's sword of God's Word, to overcome temptations that came to Him through the visual avenue (the things we see are first processed through the human mind, effecting our soul or emotions) as well as temptation that reached into His spirit or heart (the pride of life).

From 1 Thes. 5:17 we find were the human person consists of body, soul and spirit. As God's people ,on earth today, we can be assured that we'll be tempted to sin and the temptations will come through these same three avenues. Jesus has been here. He lived as a human person on earth. He was tempted by the devil to sin. He was victorious. The message we need to take to heart from all this is, "we to can be victorious over sin". Our victory will be gained using the same method Jesus' used. He spoke the Word of God.

When the enemy tempted Jesus He turned to the Word and we need to do the same. Notice 2P. 1:3,4 "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire." Let's just stop here and meditate on what is being said here. May the Lord help us to fully embrace the concept of victory over sin for the Believer. We've been given the promises and certainly God is for us.

What needs to happen now is that we rise up in Jesus name and start wielding the Sword of the Spirit as never before. For example when the enemy comes with suggestive thoughts of discouragement we simply take the Sword from its sheath and confess with our mouth God's Holy Word. Yes speak it! That's what Jesus did. In Jesus name we rise and say, "God has begun a good work in me and He will keep on working in me right up until the day I see Him face to face." (based on Ph 1:6, "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.")

IMPORTANT: If we're going to be effective in using the Sword of the Spirit we MUST know God's Word. We must know what God has said. We must know the truth. We must know the promises of God. The devil is a liar.(Jn.8:44) In fact he's the father of lies and he always speaks he native language. It's when we're familiar with the truth that the enemies lies become obvious to us. Let's never forget that there's always a truth to cut down every lie of the enemy.

This how to use the Sword of the Spirit. say the enemy is coming at you with the lie that you will die in starvation and poverty. He's seeking to control your actions through fear. On the other hand the Lord is encouraging you walk and live in faith.

Heb 13:5,6 - Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." 6 So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" When we wield the Sword of the Spirit we are found SAYING, we're found speaking the truth of God's Word. 2Cor. 4:13 - Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, "I believed, and so I spoke," we also believe, and so we also speak," We are to be found speaking only the truths of God's unchanging Word.

What does God's Word say about, who you are in Christ? What does God's Word say about your future? What does God's Word say about His commitment to you? What does the Word of God say about personal victory in your life? We need to know what God's Word says so that we can effectively use the Sword of the Spirit to cut down the enemies lies.

Something from the past that's relavent today

by: George Whitefield (1715 - 1764)

If we once get above our Bibles, and cease making the written Word of God our sole rule both as to faith and practice, we shall soon lie open to all manner of delusion, and be in great danger of making ship wreck of faith and good conscience. Our blessed Lord though He had the Spirit of God without measure, yet always was governed by, and fought the devil with, "It is written"

7) The Helmet of Salvation

2009-06-10T06:48:00.000-07:00

Obviously the Helmet was designed to protect the soldier's head. The mind plays a vital role in our Christian life. Even though it’s over thirty years ago I still recall the first message I heard the pastor preach following my initial salvation experience. It was a message on the importance of being spiritually minded. I can still hear him saying, "the battles of our spiritual lives are fought and won right between our ears." He was meaning: our minds are where the enemy often chooses to make his battle field.

Our minds play a major role in how successfully we live our Christian lives. God has provided a very unique and special helmet to protect our minds against the enemy's attacks. Like the rest of God’s armor it’s something we need to learn how to use. There are certain disciples that we are required to have in place in order for the Helmet of Salvation to be effective for us.

It can be helpful to our spiritual progress if we understand where it is we’re coming from. The pre-salvation human mind is basically occupied by the powers of darkness. By that I mean, the powers of darkness very much influence how we think and what we think about. These forces have had free reign on our thinking.

BORN INTO SPIRITUAL GROWTH

Being genuinely "Born Again" through the power of the Holy Spirit is instantaneous. Immediately upon repentance of sin and receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the right to be called a child of God is given, (Jn. 1:12). However, we are not immediately mature! We've been birthed into the family of God, yes, but we've also been birthed into a continuous spiritual growth process in Christ. "The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn shining ever brighter till the first light of day", (Pr.

4:18). Progressively we're being transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ, (1 Cor. 3:18).

TRANSFORMATION OF THE MIND

One major area to undergo transformation is our mind. Prior to salvation the mind is blinded by the powers of darkness, (2 Cor. 4:4). It's alienated from God and is hostile towards Him, (Col. 1:21 & Rom. 8:4). The natural, or sinful mind only has the capacity to minister death, (Rom. 8:6). On the other hand, the mind controlled by the Spirit experiences life and peace, (Rom. 8:6).

How we think has a great deal to do with how we live. The focus of our "thought life" radically affects our emotional state of being. For example, when the prophet Jeremiah had his "thought life" focused on the negatives of his afflictions and misery, he became depressed and discourage, (Lam. 3:19,20). However, when he chose to bring his thought life into agreement with the Word of God, HOPE was released in his soul, (Lam. 3:21).

The many ways the mind is like a computer hard drive. The pre-salvation human mind has been programed with the ways of this evil world and its files are very much corrupted. The hard drive of the mind needs to be reprogramed. This is done by the Word of God. It's very important for us to understand that a renewed mind is incorporrated into our New Covenant blessings. Heb 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. As we continue in our discipled relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, as we make Bible reading as common to us as meating our regular meals we can expect our mind to be transformed by the power of God's living Word.

THE BATTLE FIELD

King David seemed to be aware of the importance of a God-centered thought life. When people spoke against him he simply refused to think about it, instead, he chose to meditate on the Word of God, (Ps. 119:23). The vast majority of spiritual battles are fought right between our ears, on the battlefield of our mind. God has not given to us the spirit of timidity or fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. We've been given the ability to control our thought life, (2 Tim. 1:7).

2Co 10:4,5 - For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

Like the rest of our spiritual maturity, gaining control of your "thought life" doesn't happen over night. It's a process! At first we may have to start with something very basic, baby steps, but start we must. We've been encouraged by the Lord in Col 3:2 to "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." and we've been promised that if our mind is steadfastly fixed on the Lord then we will experience God's perfect peace , (Isa. 26:3).

In the Scriptures the enemy of our mind and soul is described as a liar and a deceiver. Christ came to destroy Satan's word, (1 Jn. 3:8). And He has triumphed over him by the cross, (Col. 2:15). The enemy no longer has the power to control how we think if we chose to allow God's truth to reign in our thought life.

A NEW THOUGHT LIFE

The Lord has so graciously given us a list to help us with our new thought life. Ph 4:8 - Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Listed below are some things worthy of our new thought life.

Who Am I In Christ?

* I'm a child of God. (John 1:12).

* I'm reconciled to God. (2 Cor. 5:18,19).

* I'm a new creation. (2 Cor. 5:17).

* I'm an heir of God. (Gal. 3:29).

* I'm a co-heir with Jesus. (Rom. 8:17)

* I'm a saint of God. (Eph. 1:1; Col. 1:2)

* I'm God's workmanship. (Eph. 2:10)

* I'm Christ's friend. (John 15:15)

* I'm hidden with Christ in God. (Col. 3:3)

* I'm chosen and appointed by Christ to bear His fruit. (John 15:16)

* I'm dearly loved by God. (Col. 3:12)

* I'm a citizen of God's family. (Eph.2:19)

* I'm a joint heir with Christ. (Rom. 8:17)

* I'm God's temple. (1 Cor.3:16;6:19).

* I'm a living stone. (1 Pet. 2:5)

* I'm a member of Christ's Body. (Eph. 5:30)

* I'm righteous and holy. (Eph. 4:24).

* I'm a citizen of heaven. (Phil. 3:20)

* I'm seated with Christ. (Eph. 2:6).

* I'm an expression of the life of Christ because He is my life.

(Col. 3:4).

* I'm a son of light. (1 Thes. 5:5)

* I'm a partaker of the heavenly calling. (Heb.3:1)

* I'm a partaker of Christ. (Heb. 3:14)

* I'm a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,

a people for God's own possession. (1 Pet. 2:9, 10)

* I'm an alien and stranger to this world in which I temporarily live.

(1 Pet. 2:11)

* I'm more than a conqueror. (Rom. 8:17)

* I'm free from condemnation. (Rom. 8:1)

* I'm the salt of the earth. (Matt.5:13)

* I'm the light of the world. (Matt.5:14)

REASONS TO BE POSITIVE

* I've been freed from my sins by the blood of Jesus Christ. ( Rev. 1:8 )

* I've been justified and completely forgiven. (Rom.5:1)

* I've been made righteous. (2 Cor.5:21)

* I've been made alive in Christ. (Eph.2:5)

* I've received the Spirit of God into my life that I might know

the things freely given to me by God. (1 Cor.2:12 )

* I've been placed into Christ by the power of God. (1 Cor.1:30)

* I've been given eternal life in Christ. ( Rom. 6:23 )

* I've been given the mind of Christ. (1 Cor. 2:16)

* I've been bought with a price; I belong to the Lord. (1 Cor. 6:19,20)

* I've been rescued from the domain of Satan's rule

and transferred to the kingdom of Christ. (Col.1:13)

* I've been established, anointed and sealed in Christ. ( 2 Cor.1:21)

* I've been given the Holy Spirit as a pledge guaranteeing my

inheritance to come. (Eph.1:13,14)

* I've Christ living in me. (Col.1:27 )

* I've been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. ( Eph.1:30 )

* I've been made complete in Christ. ( Col.2:10 )

* I've been given everything I need to live a holy, godly life. ( 2 P.1:3 )

* I've been given God's great and precious promises. ( 2 P. 1:4 )

* I've been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live, but

Christ lives in me. The life I am now living is Christ's life. ( Gal.2:20 )

* I was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. ( Eph.1:4 )

* I was predestined; by God to be adopted as God's son. ( Eph.1:5 )

* I've been raised up and seated with Christ in heaven. ( Eph.2:6 )

* I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit. ( Eph.2:18 )

* I can approach God with boldness, freedom and confidence

because of Jesus Christ. ( Eph.3:12 )

* My life is now hidden with Christ in God. ( Col.3:1-4 )

* I'm firmly rooted in Christ and am now being built in Him. ( Col.2:7 )

* I've been given a spirit of power, love and self-discipline. ( 2 Tim.1:7 )

* I've been buried, raised and made alive with Christ. ( Col. 2:12,13 )

* I've been lavished with grace. ( Eph. 1:8 )

* I've been lavished with eternal encouragement. ( 2 Thes. 2:16 )

* I've been lavished with God's love. (1 Jn. 3:1)

* God will never me or forsake me. (Heb. 13:5)

* NO weapon forged against you will prevail. (Isa. 54 17)

* He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion

until the day of Christ Jesus. (Ph. 1:6)

* If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and

to purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 Jn.1:9)

* Jesus said, "I will come back and take you to be with me". (Jn. 14:3)

* God said, "I will put My laws in their hearts, and I will write

them on their minds". (Heb. 10:16)

* Jesus said, "Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened,

and I will give you rest". (Mt. 11:28)

* The Lord; He is our help and our shield. (Ps. 33:20)

* God will meet all my needs according to His glorious

riches in Christ Jesus. (Ph.4:19)

* Praise the Lord oh my soul, and forget not all His benefits -

who forgives allyour sins and heals all your diseases. (Ps. 103:2, 3)

Nt. - God has graciously given to us the spiritual wherewithall to control our thought life. Our thought life is too serious a battle field to take lightly. We've been given the spiritual weapons which gaurantee our ultimate victory and as Christ's soldiers we need to be to continuously and acrively engaged in bringing the enemy our soul into captivity. Jesus shed His lives blood to set us free from the penalty and power of sin. Let's honor His sacrifice by putting into action the victory He sealed for us.

6) The Shield of Faith

2009-06-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

When itemizing the Armor of God we should keep in mine that all the pieces are vitally important and that numerous parts are interwoven effecting each other. With this in mind I still believe the Shield of Faith to be the most significant piece of God’s Armor. Heb. 11:6 informs us that with faith it’s impossible to please God. If we don’t believe in the effectiveness of God’s Armor it’s rendered totally ineffective.

The soldier's shield is his most important defensive weapon. It is that part of his armor that comes in direct contact with the enemy's attack. It is also important to giving added protection to the other pieces of armor. It’s maneuverable, designed to defend against the enemy from various approaches. It’s designed to absorb impact and to deflect the enemy's blows.

As we look at this Shield of Faith it’s very important that we understand what faith is. Faith is often confused with hope. Hope is vital to our Christianity. It’s “the joyful anticipation of good”. As awesome and wonderful as hope is it isn't faith. Hope anticipates the fulfillment of God’s Word while faith is assured that the promise has arrived even before it's manifest. It’s a deep inner conviction that is solidly rooted in the Word of God. Faith is the God given ability to believe the Word of God. It calls the promises done and waits patently without a shadow of doubt for the promise to materialize.

Faith comes from hearing the Word of God, Jesus is it’s Author and it’s Perfecter. It is not something that is psyched up. You won’t find it in the froth of emotionalism. It’s always and only found with it’s roots solidly embracing God’s eternal word. It has the ability to see right through circumstances and situations that are contrary to God’s promises for you. It has the divine power to lay a hold of God’s promises and boldly declare “that is mine! In Jesus name that belongs to me, and because I’m God’s child I believe it and receive it".

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Rom 4:19-21 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. 20 No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

Effectively Using The Shield of Faith:

It is evident, from our text, that Satan has flaming arrows (or fiery darts) that he hurls at us. The faith shield takes these burning projectiles and extinguishes them, rendering them ineffective. What are the flaming arrows the enemy hurls at us? Words and thoughts that contradict God’s Word and His promises to us. Ps. 109.2&3 gives us an excellent example of how evil can attack us.

Ps. 109:2,3 - For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. 3 They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause.

God uses the natural, physical world to teach us about the spiritual. The Old Testament records many physical battles. They’ve been recorded for us to learn spiritual lessons from. Under New Covenant our battle is not against people but against the spiritual powers of darkness. (Eph.6:12) The devil will often work through people. They are often oblivious to the fact the enemy is using their words in spiritual warfare. An obvious example of this occurred in the life of Jesus. He knew what the Father wanted Him to accomplish. He knew that there was a need for him to endure the suffering of death by crucifixion. While in conversation with His disciples about this Peter shot back with words to contradict God’s perfect will for Jesus. Notice Jesus’ response to this spiritual attack.

Mat 16:22,23 - And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you." 23 But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."

Jesus knew exactly where the source of Peter’s words originated and properly addressed the source. This is where we are able to apply God’s Word in 2Cor.10:3-5 - For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

The Importance Knowing God’s Word:

Faith comes from hearing the word of God, not personal opinion, or the lofty ideas of humanism. (Rom.10:17) If we don’t know the promises of God the enemy will have ahay day with us.

When the enemy comes and hurls the fiery dart us, suggesting that we are unimportant to God we raise the shield of faith which has Ps 37:23 written on it, “The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” (NLT) That’s just small example. Notice 2 Peter 1:3 & 4. This is an important portion of Scripture for us to know. “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” This is a great portion of God’s Word to commit to memory. God has given us promises in His Word and through those promises we are able to partake in the divine nature (Christlikeness) and we are able to escape the corruption of worldliness. It’s all there for us. Jesus has done the work. He has given His Word and the Holy Spirit to enable us to come through to glorious spiritual victories in life.

If we’re ignorant of God’s Word the enemy will take advantage of us. We have no Shield of Faith to thwart of the enemies fiery darts. 1Jn 2:14 - I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

5) Shoes of Peace

2009-05-30T10:11:00.000-07:00

Secure footing is vital to a soldier in combat and plays a major role in our spiritual warfare with the powers of darkness. The devil is constantly attacking our walk with God, challenging every step of obedience we take.

It’s very important for us to understand that God leads His people through peace. Isa. 55:12 - For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace. How does this work in real life? Life is filled with decisions. Throughout any given day Christians are often challenged to make quality spiritual decisions. The seriousness of these decisions vary as does the intensity we experience during the decision making process. In light of God’s Word “peace” is the God given indicator that we’re on the right track in our decisions. If we’re experiencing uneasy, unrest, and a general lack of inner peace about the direction any given decision will take us then this is a signal that we need to put the brakes on.

We should never make a move until we have the peace of God ruling in our heart and mind,especially in the major issues of life. Ph. 4:6,7 - do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. We should be encouraged to seek the Lord until we get the peace of God. We should be doing this regarding even the things that may seem minor and insignificant to us. Continual prayer is a great habit to develop. Invite the Lord into your decision making process throughout the day.

Jesus Purchased Peace For Us:

Col 3:15 - And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. God’s peace is there for us, we just need to learn how to LET it rule in our heart. I have found that it really helps to understand that Jesus Christ purchased peace for us when He shed His life’s blood on the cross.(Isa.53:5) Peace has been blood bought and therefore rightly belongs to the redeemed of the Lord.

The world is filled with anxiety and fears. For the child of God Jesus gives us His peace. Jn. 14:27 - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. As we see from Ph.4:7 the peace that Jesus has given to us passes all understanding. It’s possible for us to experience Jesus’ peace during what

seems impossible situations.

Maintaining Peace:

The enemy does whatever he can to steal Jesus’ blood bought peace from us. There is, however, away that we can learn to maintain God’s peace in our life. It will require purposed discipline on our behalf. It has to do with the focus of our thought life. Isa 26:3 - You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. When our thoughts are being captivated by the Lord His peace floods our heart and mind.

The enemy does what he can to distract us from having our thoughts fully fixed upon the Lord, upon His Word, upon His promises to us. Peter received instruction from the Lord to “come”. On the bases of that instruction and fully focused on the Lord he stepped out of his fishing boat into the storm tossed waters. As long as he remained focused he walked on the water just like Jesus. Along the way he became distracted by the wind and the waves and began sink. (Mt.14:27-31) This is how it often works in our life as well. We can start out confident that we’ve done right, we’ve made the right decision based on the Word of God and then the enemy brings things into the picture purposing to grab our attention. He does this in hopes that we will be overcome with fear. Let's never forget that the enemy wants us confused, frustrated and fearful. He wants us walking in disobedience to God’s Word. He’ll do whatever he can to distract us from God’s steadfast love and faithfulness.

The devil will do whatever he can to put up a smoke screen between us and the promises of God. This is were we need to exercise personal disciples in our thinking. It’s not always the easiest thing to do. I know this from my own personal experiences. Getting a handle on how we think is often a progressive thing, but we need to start, even just one little thought at a time.

The Scripture the Lord used to help me get started in this vital process of disciplined thinking is 2Cor. 10:4,5 - For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, It was life changing for me the day God revealed to me that He had purposed success for me in my thought life. I did not need to be subject to thoughts that were contrary to God’s Word. The Lord has given us powerful spiritual weapons to help us think as we should. As we think right we will be focused on the Lord and His peace will prevail in our heart and mind.

Ph. 4:8 - Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

4) The Breastplate of Righteousness

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The Breastplate of the Roman soldier was designed to protect the vital organs of which the heart is the most significant. We are wanting to learn how it is that righteousness protects us in spiritual combat.

Outside of Christianity and the Church the word “Righteousness” is no longer commonly used. It's meaning, however, is very important for us to understand, especially in light of spiritual warfare. It's meaning is: "the character or quality of being right or just"; it was formerly spelled "rightwiseness," which clearly expresses the meaning. It is also used to express the right actions of obedience to God.

Pure In Heart:

In Mt.5:8 Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." The whole purpose of Christ's sacrificial death on the cross was to make full payment for human sin and to make a way for people to be purified and cleansed in their hearts, that is their spirit being. Clearly it is only the pure in heart that will one day see God and enjoy the blessings of God's eternal life. The human heart is cleansed from sin through the active living faith which causes sinners to fully turn away from all known sin and to receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

When the Apostle Peter was discussing with fellow Jews the conversion of Gentiles to faith in Christ he brings out the significance of the cleansed or purified heart. Act 15:9 - and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. When sin is confessed to the Lord He cleanses the heart of that sin and its effects. 1Jn 1:9 - But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

The Effect of Righteousness:

Living with a righteous heart has a profound spiritual impact on us. Isa 32:17 - And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. For the child of God living the right way and doing the right things has its foundation in the Word of God. Making quality decisions based on God's word brings an inner peace and confidence. This in turn produces strength. Isa.30:15 - ... In quietness and confidence is your strength... Is it any wonder that the enemy of our soul does everything he can to cause us to act in ways that we know are wrong. If he can get us to violate our conscience then he has managed to put us in a position of weakness.

Pr.28:1 - ... but the godly (righteous) are as bold as lions. Satan is powerless against the righteous. They have quiet settled peace and confidence based on right relationship with God. On the other had, if we let the devil bring us into unrighteousness our confidence is shaken and we are like sitting ducks more vulnerable than ever to the enemies' next blow.

The spiritual Armor of God is not something mystical. It's very practical and something every child of God is capable of putting on. We need to exercise vigilance when it come to obeying what we know to be the truth of God's Word. Pro 4:23 - Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Righteous living is for all God's people. It's not something we need College, University, or Seminary training in. It's very basic! We just do what we know is right to do at all times. Jas 4:17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Our Conscience:

It's very interesting to note the importance the Apostle Paul put on keeping a clear conscience. Here's what he said to Timothy and what the Holy Spirit is says to us. 1Tim. 1:5 - The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. The conscience is that part of us that indicates what we understand something to be right or wrong. To violate our conscience is serious. Personally, I don't profess to understand all the intricate works of the human heart and soul. What I do know is that if we violate our conscience and do something we understand to be even questionable then we're into sin and once there the enemy is free to raise havoc with us. 1Tim. 1:19 - holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith. We don't play around with sin. We do give due diligence to make our calling and election sure. We always do what we understand is right in any given situation. As we do this our confidence remains strong. We know without a shadow of a doubt that God is backing us up all the way and that He will never allow us to be tempted beyond our ability to cope and that he will always make a way of escape for us.(1Cor.10:13)

Maintaining A Pure Heart:

Jesus set us an example of a Spirit filled life. Christ came to destroy the works of the devil. Jesus came to destroy the power of sin and He did exactly that. A true Christian is no longer "just human". We have the Holy Spirit resident within us. He's there to empower us to live in good conscience before God and people. We can live obedient lives. We can glorify God. But what happen when we blow it, and from time to time we all do. God has not left us vulnerable to our adversary. We can be fully restored and strengthen for the battle. 1Jn 3:21,22 - Dear friends, if we don't feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. 22 And we will receive from Him whatever we ask because we obey Him and do the things that please Him.

3) The Belt of Truth

2009-05-09T04:57:00.000-07:00

The Apostle Paul is using the physical armor of the Roman soldier to illustrate the spiritual Armor of God. Each itemized piece plays an important roll in protecting a specific area of our spiritual.

The important thing to learn from this study is how to apply the spiritual Armor of God . What actually is it and how do I put it on? There's nothing mysterious or mystic about it. It’s all very practical and all very usable for all God’s people.

It’s important to keep in mind that the Armor of God is only really effective when all the itemized pieces are in place and working together. For example; if the Roman soldier went out on the battle fully clothed except for his helmet he would be a very vulnerable target for the enemy. This is truth for any of itemized pieces. To re-emphasize Eph 6:11 - Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

The “Belt of Truth” is the first piece of God’s Armor mentioned in the itemized list. For the typical Roman soldier (back in the days when the book of Ephesians was written) the BELT that went around the waist or midsection and had a similar effect as the waist belt used by weight lifters today. Its main purpose is to give support to the mid section and lower back area. Without support, this area of the body is very susceptible to injury. This is also one of the first areas to tire when carrying heavy loads.

In Jn. 18:38 Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?”. The answer to that question is given to us in Jn. 17:17 - Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. The original Greek word translated “true” or “truth” denotes "true" in the sense of real, genuine, actual, or "true to fact”. The Bible makes it very clear that God is absolute truth.

Isa. 45:19 - I the LORD speak the truth; I declare what is right.

1Jn.1:5 - God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

Jms.1:17 - …the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Everything about God and His kingdom is absolute truth. With the LORD “what you see is what you get” (wysiwyg). The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth. (Jn.14:17; Jn.15:26; Jn.16:13) On the other hand the devil is a liar and is credited with authoring lying and in him there is no truth at all. (Jn. 8:44) Liars and lying will have no part in the eternal kingdom of God. (Rev. 21:8)

In the arena of spiritual warfare it’s important that we know the truth of God’s Word. The devil is a liar and deceiver. Adam and Eve fell prey to his wickedness. Think for a moment of all the tragedy, suffering and death that has come upon the human race as a result of the influence of Satan’s lies. It’s a powerful tool to destroy people’s lives.

Jesus said we would know the truth and the truth would set us free (Jn 8:32). That is what truth does for us! It enables us to live in freedom. As we live the truth we live in the blessings of God’s freedom. When we live in the light of God’s Word we are kept from stumbling in darkness.

Enemy Tactics

What is the enemy’s purpose? Jn. 10:10 - The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. Nothing has changed here. He still approaches us today the same way he approached Adam and Eve.

1) He generally begins his work of deceit causing us to question God’s Word; "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" (Gen.3:1) He’ll use what ever tactic he can in his purposes to cause us to question the truth of God’s Word.

2) Once the devil has baited us the next step is to directly challenge truth by introducing a lie in hopes that we will bite at the baited hook. Gen 3:4 - But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die.”

3) He then introduces the concept of “mistrust”. He purpose to have us believe that God doesn't really love us nor does he have our best interest at heart. Once we believe that lie we’re pretty much done. Now all that’s left is for the devil to do is to reel us in.

The truth of God’s Word says that we will always reap what we sow, but he enemy comes along and says, “One drink won’t hurt you.” How many of today’s alcoholics listened to this lie? Or maybe the enemy whispers to us these words “It’s OK no one will see you and hay no ones going to get hurt by this”. How many young teens have messed up listening to this?

Eph 4:14,15 - so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,

The best way to identify the lies and deceit of the enemy is to know the truth of God’s Word. There’s no short here. We've simply got to get into God’s Word. We need to implement the necessary personal disciples required to gain a workable knowledge of God’s Word.

Heb 5:12-14 - For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

I’d like to encourage you to “make time” for Bible reading and Bible study on a daily basis. The enemy will see to it that you just can’t seem to “find the time”. You’re going to have to purpose to “make time” and then ruthlessly protect it. That’s been my experience over the past 34 years anyway! It’s not going to “just happen”. You’re going to have to work at it, remembering that God wants you coming for dinner with Him. He wants to feed you. He wants to bless and strengthen you. He wants you’re spiritual success. He’s on your side. He’s for you and you will be victorious as you apply God’s Word to your life.

1Jn 2:14 I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

Put On The Full Armor

2009-03-18T13:08:00.000-07:00

Before itemizing the armor of God we should be reminded that we need to be fully covered. “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil".(Eph.6:11) The God’s armor is only fully effective when we’re fully clothed.

The Palmist David was not only the king of Israel he was a warrior. He was personally engaged in battle with the enemy. Clearly he had a military mind and right from a child he was a fearless “man of war“. When it came time to confront the giant Goliath, we’re told he ran into battle. The military history and successes of David are well documented in Old Testament Scripture.

David’s battles were physical ours are spiritual. Though vastly different there is a vital similarity that must not be missed, and that is the Source of success. David refused to trust in himself. The Palms are filled with His praise and thanksgiving to the LORD. David was well aware of who it was that caused him to be so victorious. He goes as far as to say that it was the LORD who taught and strengthened him. Ps. 144:1,2 - A psalm of David. Praise the LORD, who is my rock. He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle. 2 He is my loving ally and my fortress, my tower of safety, my rescuer. He is my shield, and I take refuge in Him. He makes the nations submit to me.

We're encouraged with the knowledge that the Lord will teach us how to fight and be victorious against our spiritual adversaries. God is for us. He's on our side. He will fight for us just as He fought for David and all the other heroes of the faith down through the centuries. We can learn to enjoy victory and live in fearless confidence because we know who it is that's commited to our well being.

Spiritual Warfare

2009-03-18T09:32:00.000-07:00

Like many Christians the reality of spiritual warfare never even occurred to me until after I repented of my sin and received Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. There's good reason for this! Prior to a genuine salvation experience the powers of darkness are in full control of people. Eph. 2:1-3 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil―the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God's anger, just like everyone else.

Because we're all born with the Adamic sin nature and because from birth our mind is being influenced by the powers of darkness we know nothing else, it's just normal life to us. As soon as we invite Jesus Christ into our life and choose Him as Lord then we become aware of an opposing force, a power that seeks to direct us into disobedience. The battle is on and it can be extremely fierce and vicious. Jesus said in Jn. 10:10 that the thief (the devil) has come to steal, kill and destroy. Only as we become committed to Christ are we made aware of this.

To engage in battle with an unknown opponent can be scary and extremely dangerous. As God's people we find ourselves engaged in a spiritual battle not of our choosing. It just goes with being a child of God in a spiritually hostile environment. Clearly Satan hates God and all who choose to serve Him, however we've been given sufficient information about our opponent and our position in Christ that there is absolutely no need for us to fear. That doesn't mean to say we can get away without knowing how to do battle against the powers of darkness.

What Jesus has done for us, as it pertains to salvation and our victory over the powers of darkness, is absolutely amazing. In this Blog Spot I'm wanting us to see the wonders of the victory that can be experiencing in Christ. I also want to show how we can apply the truths of God's Word in such away as to bring about personal victories over all the power of darkness on a consistent basis. God has given armor but what exactly is it and how do I put it on. That's what we'll be looking into.

Eph 6:12 - For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Before getting involved with the various components in the "Armor of God" I feel it important for us tom understand that we are not fighting people. People are not our problem. The enemy often fights with us through people but they are not the origin of attacks merely the vehicle used. At times it's very easy to loose sight of this truth. We should make a habit of revisiting this truth when we're in the heat of the battle.

A great example of how the powers of darkness work evil through people is found in Mk.8:31-33. Jesus had just finished explained to the disciples that He would suffer, die and then be raised to life again. Peter took offence to this and actually rebuked Jesus. How the Lord responds to this reveals the true source of Peter's rebuke. "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man." (Mk.8:33) Jesus spoke directly to the real source. He was not at all distracted by the person Satan worked through to launch his attack.

"Lord help us to remember this at all times. Bring this truth to mind when I'm in the heat of the battle and keep me from being distracted from the real enemy."

1) Being Strong - Eph. 6:10

2009-03-12T17:23:00.000-07:00

Eph.6:10 - Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

The Lion is known as "king of the jungle". He enjoys the benefits of being at the top of the food chain. They're definitely majestic yet these animals are not built for show. They have earned their reputation. When looking at them they display serene confidence. Clearly they know their strength. Pr. 28:1 - The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.

Knowing the source of our spiritual strength is vital. The Roman soldiers were very physically fit. It takes a strong body to both carry and use the armor. If the body is weak the armor is of little use. On the spiritual battle field Believers must not only know the Source of their strength they must learn to trust the Source.

It is the Apostle Paul who said, "I can do all things through Him who gives me the strength" (Ph. 4:13). With all Paul experienced in serving Christ he had learned where to put his faith and who to trust in. Through his many battles he had learn not to trust in the natural. He put no confidence in his own human abilities. (Ph.3:3)

Eph 1:19 & 20 is an incredibly powerful and insightful prayer. One we need answered in our life. "I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms." This is too important just breeze over. Take so time to really think through what is being stated here as "truth" and the spiritual implications it has in the life of the Believer. The Holy Spirit is speaking through the Apostle Paul. The message he wants us to receive is that the same power which raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in heaven at the Father's right hand is available to God's people. Paul's understanding of this enabled him to write in Eph. 3:20 - Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, This is the kind of confidence we need to have in God's power at work on our behalf. Sounds to me like Paul was at the top of the spiritual food chain. Sound to me like this child of God was as bold as lion.

Clearly Paul was strong in the Lord. He was spiritually strong through the power God released in him. We can be like that. God is no respecter of persons. What he did for the Apostle Paul He'll do for us as well. Our challenge is not convincing God to do it but rather believing what God has already declared in His Word.

The key factor in application of this truth is trust. This is not something anyone else can do for you nor is it something you can psych up. It's pretty hard to trust someone you don't know. This same is true in the spiritual realm. Our ability to trust the Lord is directly linked to the intimacy of our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. 2P. 3:18 - But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

2) Standing Against The Enemy

2009-03-11T05:02:00.000-07:00

Eph 6:11-13 - Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

There’s two points here that are interwoven yet are important enough to make distinction. The first deals with the courage and determination needed to take a stand against the enemy while the other stresses the need to be fully clad in order to be successful in the stand that‘s been taken.

Pr. 28:1 - … the righteous are bold as a lion. God’s people can be bold and courageous because of what Jesus has accomplished through His death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus came not only to provide the way of salvation from penalty and power of sin He also came to defeat the powers of darkness and the devil their leader.Heb 2:14 - Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil. From Col. 2:15 it becomes vividly clear just how successful Jesus’ was in carrying out His mission to destroy Satan. “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”

We can be bold as a lion as we face our spiritual opponent when we understand that our Commander and Chief the Lord Jesus Christ has already defeated him. We face a defeated foe and we’ve been promised victory when we choose to believe, trust and obey the Word of God.

Make no mistake if we’re really serious about victory in our spiritual life we can fully experience it.

Isa 54:17 - But in that coming day no weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the LORD; their vindication will come from Me. I, the LORD, have spoken! (NLT)

2Cor. 2:14 - But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession,

Rom 8:37 - No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Jms. 4:7 - Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

There’s absolutely no question about God’s good intentions! He not only wants us to experience personal victories, He’s purposed and arranged it. He’s already done His part, what's required now is that we do our part; we believe Him, submitting our self fully to Him and trust Him to do for us what we are unable to do for our self.

Victory is there for us in every battle of life. We must want God’s victory in our circumstances and situations. We must be prepared to take a determined stand against the enemy that Jesus has already defeated. We can do this because God is with us and if God is with us then who can be against us. (Rom.8:31)

In light of Jesus' victory and His personal commitment to our well being we are able to take a stand agaisnt the enemy of our soul with the expectation of victory. With this in mind we must realize that victories come as a result of a battle. There will be a fight, it could take longer than we'd prefere to secure the victory but it will come as we remain in faithful fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ.