One of the Principles of War is to "Know Your Enemy."

 

 

The Armor of God:  Know Your Enemy

(Ephesians 6:10-18)

Finally, 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 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 salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints (Ephesians 6:10-18).

Scripture tells us to clothe ourselves with the armor of God for defensive protection against Satan, who wants to destroy our testimonies and our lives. There are six pieces of armor to put on. Five of the pieces are defensive; one is offensive. We must wear all six pieces for protection. We must not leave any part of our life unguarded. The only place that is not protected is the back. This is because God expects "no deserters" in His army. We must face the enemy and not turn our back to him as we are in a battle.

As we look into the purpose for each piece of armor, we will realize we are "putting on the Lord Jesus Christ."  In Romans 13:11-14, Paul tells the Christians that the hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber...the night is nearly over and the day is almost here, so let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. ...Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

One of the principles of war is to know your enemy

Who is the enemy? The Bible passage tells us… 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.  Satan is the god of this world, and the prince of the air

One of the principles of war is to know your enemy.  All those who have been purchased by the blood of Christ and living in Christ, are in at spiritual battle with the spiritual forces of evil.  We know Christ Jesus has already won the battle for us and disarmed Satan while on the cross. He also provided everything we need to claim the victory over Satan when he tries to bully us by tempting, discouraging, or accusing us, lying and deceiving us, or defeating us in any other way.  He has many tactics to use against any one of us and he will use them.  Most often, he will work through others who are still under his influence and are not yet under the blood of Christ.  This is why our battle is not against flesh and blood (the people Satan uses as tools); it is against the unseen evil spiritual forces that influence these attacks.

Satan is the most  bitter enemy of God and His people. Here are some of the names he is called in Scripture: “the deceiver” (Revelation 12:9), “a murderer” (John 8:44), “the tempter” (Matthew 4:3), “the destroyer” (Revelation 9:11), “the liar, and Father of lies” (John 8:44), “accuser of the brethren” Revelation 12:10, and “the evil one” 1 John 5:19.

He is depicted as “a roaring lion, searching the world for those he can devour,” yet he attempts to portray himself as “an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). He is also known as “the Author of Confusion.”

Satan’s strategies:  He beguiles, seduces, opposes, resists, deceives, hinders, buffets, tempts, and persecutes believers.

Satan tries to counterfeit everything of God’s.  He will even have a counterfeit savior, called the Anti-Christ sometime up ahead. He is at work today through false prophets, and false teachers who misquote Scripture, teach corruption, and mix enough truth into falsehood to make it seem trustworthy and believable. He is busy deceiving people into believing he doesn’t really exist and there is no hell.  He loves it when he can influence people to blaspheme our holy God, and he will do all he can to drag as many as possible into hell with him. He is the instigator of all evil and all the unsaved are, unknowingly, his puppets. The only way to freedom from his grip is through Christ Jesus and His shed blood while on the cross.

Satan is the great destroyer.  Often he divides first, by causing dissensions and splits then he will find it easier to conquer. He wants to destroy our life through adversity and he will try to block the moves God wants to make in your life. He does that by discouragement, by dissipating your time and energy, and by frontal assault on your weak areas to lead you into sin. Satan wants to disrupt your walk with God, ruin your testimony, and destroy your life.

We must take the enemy seriously as he is determined to destroy us.  We must always be prepared for battle, stay alert, and always be in communication with our Commander-in-Chief.

God wants us to be praying in all kinds of prayers on all occasions. If we are not wearing all parts of our armor we will be injured in the unprotected places. We must be daily wearing the whole armor of God (which is putting on Christ). We are not to battle in our flesh, but in Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. We cannot battle in our own strength, but we can do all things in Christ Jesus, and in Him, we are more than conquerors.

Note: some of this was taken from David Jeremiah’s study guide, Spiritual Warfare.

 

Next, will be the first piece of armor we must put on: The Belt (Girdle) of Truth

~Annie~

Spiritual Warfare

Spiritual Warfare

A.W. Tozer wrote at the closing of his ministry that “in the early days when Christianity exercised a dominant influence over American thinking, men conceived the world to be a battleground.  Our fathers believed in sin, the devil, and hell as constituting one force, and they believed in God, righteousness, and heaven as the other.”  Man “could not be neutral…and if he chose to come out on God’s side, he could expect open war with God’s enemies.
 

”How different today!  Tozer went on to say that in modern times “men think of the world not as a battleground, but a playground. We are not here to fight but to frolic. We are not in a foreign land, we are home…and the best we can do is to rid ourselves of our inhibitions and our frustrations and live this life here to the full.”  Tozer was right. We have lost the sense that we are at war and that is why we are so often defeated.  It’s not that Christians don’t want to win.  Most don’t even know they are at war.
 

The Armor of God

Our Commander-in-Chief has already won the war, and He is waiting for us to get in on the victory.  But you can’t win unless you are armed. That’s why Paul told the Ephesians, “Take up the whole armor of God.” (Ephesians 6: 10-18). It is our personal and primary duty to put on the armor of God, which will protect us from what the enemy wants to do to us.

10) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 11) Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12) 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.

Christ Jesus won the victory at the cross when He disarmed Satan and provided for us the power to resist sin and temptation through the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. We are to store up God’s Word in our hearts (an armory: a place to store weapons) so that we might not sin against Him (Psalm 119:11). Every Scripture verse or passage taken in context for a specific attack is a sword to wield against the enemy. However, we do not wield the sword in our own power, but through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

We must know the doctrine of God. He is a Triune God consisting of three Persons in the Godhead and that each of the three Persons is fully God with the exact same attributes, nature, and power, yet they are individually and collectively one God. In all things they work together and always agree together on all things. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit make up the Godhead.  We read in 1 John 5: 7-8 that there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. (The Word is Jesus). And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one. (The Holy Spirit, the water of the Word, and the blood of Christ)

 In Colossians 2:9,10 we read, For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. We see that Christ is God, and He is the head over every power and authority. This means Christ Jesus is the only way to defeat the spiritual forces of darkness and Satan. He has already done this on the cross through His shed blood. Jesus set us an example in everything by living out His life here in dependence upon His Father and quoting prayer and Scripture when attacked by the enemy. We must follow after Him doing the same. We were purchased by the blood of Christ and therefore belong to Him. Remind Satan of that and he will flee (1 Peter 1:18-19). James 4:7-8 says, Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you.

Our heart is “the armory” in which we are to store our spiritual weapons (Ps.119:11).  Our Scriptural swords are Scripture verses or passages, and the sword of the Holy Spirit is the entire Word of God. The Holy Spirit is the one who will take from what we have stored in our heart and bring to our remembrance at time of need. Then, in His power, will enable us to defeat the enemy through the Word of God and the blood of Christ Jesus by which we were purchased. (see 1 Peter 1:18-19)

For you know it is not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your  forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect (1 Peter 1:18-19).

…with Your blood You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation (Revelation 5:9b).

10. Then I heard a loud voice from heaven say, “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom or our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.

11. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. (see Revelation 12:10-11)

In Revelation 19: 11-16 we read... I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice He judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written on Him that no one knows but He Himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God.  The armies of heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.  Out of His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come (Rev.4:8b).

"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" (Rev. 5:12)

 

The next post will cover one of the principles of war, "know Your Enemy."

 ~Annie~

How Did Paul Pray for the Body of Christ?

How Should the Body of Christ Pray?

 

 

  

Paul gave us examples of how he prayed for the body of Christ and what he wanted the church to pray for him. We, as Christians should be praying for each other in the body of Christ.  Who should we be praying for first?

 

We should be praying for our selves first that we are submitted to God's will and His purpose, and that we have examined ourselves and have a clear conscience, before entering into the throne room.

 

Next, we should pray for our pastor and his family, the elders, the teachers, and everyone who is serving in some capacity in the church. Then we should pray for the infants, children, teens and young adults, the parents, the single people, and the elderly in the church.  We should pray for the missionaries the church supports, and for God's direction and will for the church in every area. 

 

What are some of the things Paul prayed for his church and Christians everywhere?

 

Paul prayed for the churches that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, and that the eyes of your understanding would be enlightened to know the hope of His calling...(Ephesians 1: 15-18).

 

Paul prayed that the church would be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith, and that they would be grounded in love, to know the love of God...and to be filled with the fullness of God. (from Ephesians 3: 16-19).

 

Paul prayed that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offence until the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God (Philippians 1: 9-11).

 

Paul prayed:  We give thanks to God for your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and for your love for all the saints. For this reason we do not cease to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might according to His glorious power for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. For He has delivered us from the power of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1: 9-14).

 

Paul prayed  May the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints (1 Thessalonians 3: 11-13).

 

Paul prayed that our God would count you worthy of His calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of the Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1: 11-12).

 

Paul prayed that our Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, and our God and Father ... would comfort your heart and establish you in every good word and work (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).

 

Paul asked for prayer from the body of Christ to be praying that the message of the Lord may be spread rapidly and be honored just as it was with you.  And pray that we might be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith.  But the Lord is faithful and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. ... May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance (2 Thessalonians 3:1-5).

 

Paul urges that all requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone --- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.  This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2: 1-4).

 

Paul prayed  that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ (Philemon v.6).

 

Paul asked for prayer.  Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. I particularly urge you to pray that I may be restored to you soon (Hebrews 13:19).

 

Paul prayed  May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen (Hebrews 13:20-21).

 

 

After we have prayed for the church, we should pray for the neighborhood, and even our city, that the Holy Spirit would convict souls and grant them the grace of repentance and the faith to believe. We should pray God would open up opportunities for each of us to tell someone (others) about Jesus Christ and His saving work on the cross. Pray that God would prepare hearts before us to be receptive to the message and that the Holy Spirit would anoint our words so they would penetrate the hearts of those God has already prepared for the gospel message. Pray also for our family, friends, and co-workers to come to a saving faith in Christ Jesus.

 

We should be praying for Christians world wide who have prayed to receive Christ Jesus as Savior but are still very much in the world.  Pray the Holy Spirit would do a work in their hearts to recognize the state they are walking in... and to repent and turn to God in humbleness to have their heart desires changed to desire after God and be hungry for His Word and His Spirit so they may grow in Christ.

 

We should pray that God would put a hunger to know the Word of God in the hearts of those who profess Christ Jesus and that the Holy Spirit would illuminate their understanding.

 

We live in an age where "discernment" of God's Word is critically important because there are so many false teachings out there from many who call themselves Christian churches.  Even Christians themselves may unintentionally pass along error because they did not do as the Berean's, (Acts 17:11) and check out everything they were taught, or heard, to see if it lines up with the Word of God, or contradicts it.

 

 Discernment comes from knowing the doctrines, the principals, and commandments of God's Word. If we are not regularly in study of the Bible, we will not be prepared for the enemy's attacks and could be led astray, or as Paul says, shipwrecked.  Before attending, or especially joining, a church, check out their statement of beliefs. 

 

We are to pray for our government and all those in authority and to be obedient to them unless it goes against God's will and our Christ Jesus. (see Romans 13:1)

 

We should be praying for the body of Christ world wide who are undergoing severe persecution, even to imprisonment, loss of families, and death for the sake of Christ Jesus.

 

We should be praying for His kingdom rule in our hearts and His will to be done in our lives.

 

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen (Hebrews 13:20-21).

 

~Annie~



The Spirit of God and the Word of God Always Work Together

The Spirit of God and the Word of God Always Work Together



For there are three that bear witness  in heaven:  the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.  And there are three that bear witness on earth:  the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one  (1 John 5: 7-8).

The first sign Jesus did was at the marriage in Cana in John chapter four. Before John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way for the Messiah, there was a 400 year period without prophets, and Israel was pretty much spiritually dead. Very early in Jesus’ ministry He and His disciples attended a wedding in Cana at His mother’s invitation.  Part way through the festivities Mary told Jesus that the wine had run out and there was no more wine. Then she said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

Now there were six water pots of stone which were used by the Jews for purification.  Jesus said to them, “Fill the water pots with water.”

My thoughts: The water pots could represent us, and the stone our hearts, before being born again. Then when we are “filled” with the Water of the Word, we come to faith in Christ Jesus. So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17).

And Jesus said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” 

As the water was poured out it became wine.

 

The Word of God is a cleansing agent (water) Eph.5:25-26).

The six water pots were used by the Jews for purification (cleansing). Six is the number of man.

When Jesus turned the Water into Wine He made the Word of God come alive through His Spirit. 

The Holy Spirit is called the “Fountain of Living Water” (John 7:38). 

The Word of God is also called “water” in the sense that it is used by the Holy Spirit to cleanse us.

just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her (the church), that He might sanctify and cleanse her (the church) with the washing of water by the Word … (Ephesians 5: 25-26).

Through the Word we learn how to put off sin and put on Christ, how to store up God’s word in our hearts so we are prepared for any attack from the spiritual forces of the enemy. The Word of God reveals to us who God is, and prepares us for every situation in life.

Drawing (or pouring) out some and taking it to the master of the feast could represent us pouring out the Word of God in prayer to our Father in heaven (the Master of the feast of His Word).  In doing so, the Water of the Word fills us with the joy (wine) of His Holy Spirit as the Spirit takes the Water of the Word and makes it come alive to us.

(Water represents the Word and Wine represents the joy of the Spirit)

Jesus  answered, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God (John 3:5).

having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever (1 Peter 1:23).

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17).

just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her (the church), that He might sanctify and cleanse her (the church) with the washing of water by the Word … (Ephesians 5: 25-26).

For there are three that bear witness  in heaven:  the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.  And there are three that bear witness on earth:  the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one ( 1 John 5: 7-8).

Jesus said true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4: 23-24).

Jesus is the Word of God made flesh and He is the Truth. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth.  The Holy Spirit takes of what is Christ Jesus' (His Word) and makes it known to us. (See John 16:12-15).  Therefore, when we worship God in Spirit and Truth, we are doing it through His Word and His Spirit.  We can take this further by saying when we allow the Word to do its "cleansing" work in us, and  we walk in the truth of His Word by the Holy Spirit, we are worshipping God with our lives. 

~Annie~