It has been
said that the FIRST casualty of war is TRUTH.
That is why we believe the entire subject of spiritual authority has
been left out of most churches today.
Therefore, Christians are becoming ‘casualties of war’ and the enemy of
our souls (satan) is winning in many areas of our lives. We need to understand and implement the
‘whole armor’ of God, both the offensive and defensive weapons at our disposal,
to remain on victory ground. The
finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross has given us this authority.
Ephesians
6:11 (NKJV) Put on
the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the
devil.
The wiles of
the devil are vast, and he has been studying our every move. However, our focus
should not be on his wiles, but on our victorious savior, Jesus!
In previous
blogs, we have outlined some of the finished work of Christ and how we overcome
the enemy in our lives. February 23,
2017: “Delivered from Darkness;” March 8, 2017: “Bought with a Price… Redeemed;”
March 28, 2017: “How We Overcome By The Blood Of The Lamb;” and April 7, 2017:
“Spiritual Armor – a drawing.”
There are
many scripture references in the Spiritual Armor drawing that you can read and
study. The answer to the question: WHY
is there a difference between our offensive and defensive weapons is in the
totality of the finished work of Christ on the cross. Jesus disarmed the enemy offensively and
defensively, so that we can enforce (offensively or aggressively) our victory
through Christ, and so that we will always be ready to resist the enemy’s
attacks (which is our defensive posture).
We do not actually “put on armor” like the knights of old, but with our
mouths, we speak the truth of the scriptures.
“It is written,” were the three most powerful words spoken by Jesus to
the devil in the wilderness. (Matthew 4:4-11)
WHEN do we
need to “put on the whole armor of God”? Should we do this every day? The devil is not taking any vacations from
trying to cause havoc in our lives. HOW
we are to “arm ourselves” against the enemy, yet “walk in love” will be
discussed in another blog. For now, and
each day, we want to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.
(Ephesians 6:10). When we recognize that
our enemies are not “flesh and blood” but “principalities, powers, rulers of
darkness and spiritual demons of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians
6:12), we can STAND against the wiles (schemes) of the devil. Multiple times
the words: “STAND, WITHSTAND, STAND, AND STAND therefore”, all precede the
actual listing of our spiritual armor. A
song verse, “standing on the promises of Christ our Lord” comes to mind. That’s right!
The battle is won in our minds!
What are you putting on in your minds daily?
“Resist the
devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7b) The way to resist the devil is
by SAYING and BELIEVING the truth of the scriptures. He will flee – run away from you and all that
pertains to you!
1 Peter
5:8-9 (AMPC) Be well
balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for
that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce
hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. Withstand him; be firm in
faith [against his onset—rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined],
knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood
(the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.
~ Joanne and
Sarah
No comments:
Post a Comment