armor of God

Did you ever read about putting on the armor of God and wonder “What does that mean, in real life?” Paul’s illustration of a soldier putting on armor in Ephesians 6:10-18 gives us a symbolic picture of a real-life activity. He states that we have a spiritual enemy who is not “flesh and blood”. Our enemy is unseen, and that makes it difficult to sort out what the causes of our problems are and how to solve them.

Notice that the very first item to put on is the Belt of Truth (verse 14). Jesus says that the Spirit of Truth will counsel us (Jn 14:16-17). If we feel ourselves under the enemy’s oppression, it is the truth of the matter that needs to come first. Satan will have us looking everywhere but where the truth is; in the Spirit of Truth. Our enemy will tell us our problems are due to personal sin, or the residue of someone else’s sin against us. He does not want us to be clothed in the powerful armor God gave us because that means eventual defeat for him.

The first struggle we have is against our own reasoning; do we want the counsel God sends to us, or do we want our own thoughts? In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians he points out that we are fighting “strongholds . . .demolish(ing) arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God . . . “ Satan is refuting the truth so that we won’t buckle it around our waist to hold our sword in place. He hates the sword. Since this battle takes place in the mind Paul admonishes us to take our thoughts captive and make it submit to Christ (2 Cor 10:3-5). When our mind submits to the Holy Spirit then we can begin our winning battle.

It may seem odd to think about righteousness when in a mind-battle with our enemy. His job is to smear our reputation to us, and to make God seem like a liar. But the truth is, we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Cor 5:21). We stand with our sins under His blood, who bought us for Himself, even Christ Jesus. Satan tries to defeat us by his accusations. We are smart to not let them into our heart. That’s what the breast plate of righteousness is for.

During a battle do we think of peace? Hardly. However, the turmoil comes from our enemy and it is the peace of God that we want. Satan will offer concessions, such as removing his harassment if we will vent in anger (a poor release for the stress he brings). However, God is offering the lasting victory of peace. It is a gospel of peace (Eph 6:15; Rm 10:15) which is the reconciliation of Man with God. Why did Paul use the imagery of shoes? Because it is a destiny we walk in, now being sons and daughters of God through the reconciliation Christ brought with His shed blood. We are in the family of God, our destiny. This post-reconciliation Life brings works with it (Eph 2:10). Our jealous enemy does not want us to walk with God in His family and do the works we were predestined to do. Yet, by faith we daily put on the shoes of the gospel of peace and walk out the Life Christ Jesus died to give us. It is a preparation that continues to form us into sons and daughters of God.

To wear the armor of God takes faith. When we are being lied to by our enemy, we may succumb to thoughts of unworthiness, and that we are disqualified by our very humanness that Christ has redeemed. It takes greater faith to believe God intended that we walk with Him and as Him than it takes for anything else. Yet this faith puts an end to the “fiery darts” of our enemy. True faith believes God meant good towards us, and that He saw worth in us. Only the foolish think that God sacrificed His Son for nothing.

To secure the victories we have won we must do more than wear the armor already mentioned. We must walk in our salvation, keeping our thoughts under the protection of the Helmet of Salvation. If we regress to listening to the tumultuous thoughts of satan we will return to striving in our flesh, as Paul described,” fighting as a man beating the air.” (1 Cor 9:26). Paul did not want to be disqualified by returning to the flesh. We do not want to lose our battle by succumbing to the lies of satan. To come this far and enter back in to the futility of our own thoughts and actions will bring a greater defeat because we will lose courage for future victories.

To secure our victory we must use the Sword of the Spirit. This sword is so powerful that it “penetrates even to the dividing (of) soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Heb 4:12). Satan wants to keep us from the full counsel of God that resides in the Holy Spirit, coupled with the Word of God. Our enemy judges us unjustly; God brings the truth of the matter to our minds by the Sword which uses the Spirit and Word of God to defeat the lies of our enemy. When we recognize that it is our enemy’s lies that accuse us, we are free to say that there is One who is set to judge the living and the dead, and that we trust His judgment. We are the “living” and God will discern our hearts for us . . . we don’t need satan’s input!

Satan schemes against us because we are powerful in God. He tries to deter us from the work of prayer (Eph 6:18) because our prayers, coupled with Truth and the counsel of God, defeat his works. Having the armor on, we stand in confidence of Christ’s work and God’s plan for us, and by praying in the Spirit partner with God for the accomplishment of the works of His kingdom here on earth. Children of God, saints of the Living Christ, we should be bold in our works and not fear, for God has made every provision for our victory. Amen

Forcing God's Hand

“There was a man who had 2 sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.” (Lk 15:11-12)

At times we feel we won’t be happy unless God gives us our due. No matter what God’s timing for us is, or His intentions for our lives, we are not satisfied looking forward. We want it now.

Will we force God’s hand? Will we measure His goodness against our lack, or against our anticipation for better things, and make God our debtor? When He pays our perceived debt we will have what we want, but how will we know His love if we forced His blessing?

God has greater things for us that we imagine. He has destined us to do works, and has put marvelous gifts in us for the good of all Mankind. Is it better to ask for His goods now, that we may use them in our narrow view of life? Or will we let His love into our hearts to heal our disappointments and pains?

In God’s healing we find that the wait is sweet. The victory over bitterness is the door to our destiny’s works. All else is a small compensation prize compared to walking with Jesus in the will of the Father. God’s highest calling isn’t in what He can give to us, but in our being His sons and daughters. Amen

sovereignty

God keeps some things sovereignly to Himself so they won’t be changed. Because His personality stays intact we can come to know Him, for no one can know someone who changes. God doesn’t change (Jms 1:17), and to know Him we find His nature by His Spirit, the Holy Spirit. God remains Himself so that all may know Him just as He is. When God told His people that His name was “I am” (Ex 3:14), He was telling them that He was, and always is, the same.

Those born again by God’s Spirit continually grow in His image by submitting to God’s thoughts. But those who live contrary to God’s thoughts are open to pride and deception: pride, because they thought their thoughts were better than God’s thoughts, and deception because they do not develop the discernment of their thought-life. Being their own lord, these become the ones who deny Jesus Christ His sovereignty (Jude :4).

God does not change His nature to become like men so as to please them. God also does not change His timing so that we won’t become impatient. It is the spirit of the anti-Christ who seeks to change the set times and the laws that govern God’s kingdom (Dan 7:25). Jesus said that it was the false Christs and false prophets that would say He has come (Mk 13:21-23), for it is the wrong spirit that predicts things out of God’s timing. It is the wrong spirit which takes things that are sovereignly God’s and treats them as if they can be changed by a man.

Today it has become a fine line that separates those who walk by faith and those who command God to do what they have faith for. Yet we have the counsel of the Holy Spirit inside, sharing the Father’s will with us. Therefore we have confidence if we see His nature growing in us, for we have learned His ways by submitting our thoughts to His (1 Jn 4:17 & 5:14-15). But those who think and speak to please men are of the world still and have not submitted their thoughts to God’s thoughts. We know, therefore, those who speak from the Spirit of Truth from those who speak from the spirit of falsehood by whom receives them; the world, or the saints (1 Jn 4:4-6).

Let us give Jesus His lordship in our thought-life, words, and deeds, for He is Sovereign, appointed by God to have all authority under Him (Col 1:16-18). Amen.

God thinks this life is important

God thinks life is important. Our lives have always been important to our Lord, as well the world we live in is important to Him.

Jesus told us about the things that God deems of value in this life. For one thing, it is that we have enough food, clothing, and shelter. Also He wants us to care for those who are sick, and to visit those in prison (Mt 25:34-36). Jesus expected His people to have more than enough so that they could give some away.

“And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.” (Mt 5:40)
If we see the heart of God in the Bible we will notice that He has always been involved in the affairs of men. Yet some think that God only cares about the unseen things in life. If something seems important to them, they do not think God would see it that way. Often our brothers and sisters in the Lord tell us not to worry. Things would be different if we shared the burden of importance, taking things to prayer, and comforting one another. We should rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep, for their victories and sorrows have significance.

Many look at this life as a life not to take thought about. In order to do this, we would have to think nothing is significant. When Jesus was telling men not to take thought about their lives He was admonishing them not to worry (Lk 12:22-26). He did not tell them that what they ate and wore was not important. If food and raiment were inconsequential, God would not judge men for their reluctance to give these things to the needy.

“Don’t worry. Have faith” has been offered in place of prayer and action by many Christians. I would like to suggest that this philosophy comes from false religion, and not from Christianity. Jesus’ brother James offers us a measuring rod for our faith; “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (Jm 1:27). Here again we see that the Lord has His people care for the matters of this life, and yet not letting themselves get wrapped up in the lusts of this life.

God does think life on this earth is important, and His scriptures bear this out. Today, let us put away any false religious philosophies that cause us to think otherwise, and let us embrace the lives we were given here to live. Only then will we bring God’s kingdom here to earth, for only then will we pray in true faith and minister to each other out of sincerity. Amen

Trust

This morning I was fretting about something. I knew I shouldn’t worry and felt God’s caution to not take action in the situation. “But it’s too important to not do anything,” I answered. “It’s too important to do anything yourself,” He replied. “Don’t rely on what you can say or do. Rely on Me.”

When God asks us not to worry, He is not diminishing the important matter at hand. He is asking us to place it in His hand, for it is important to Him.

Trust in God is a beautiful thing!

law vs love

Sometimes it is hard to understand Jesus’ instructions to the Jews. He spoke about obedience to the law, when He knew the law would be done away with. We as Christians do not keep the law, and yet some think we should observe Jewish traditions and holidays. Religious activity, well . . . it makes us feel religious.

Some ministers are now teaching that Christians should keep the law. They are not seeing the purpose for which Jesus came to the earth. The reason Jesus did not tell the Jews to forsake the law was that it was His Father’s purpose that Jesus fulfill the law (Mt 5:17). The law couldn’t be abolished “until everything is accomplished” (Mt 5:18).

When Jesus encouraged the Jewish people of His time to keep the law He actually strengthened the religious system that would send Him to the cross. That’s how dedicated Jesus was to doing His Father’s will. If the law had been done away with before Jesus’ crucifixion, He would not have been a sacrifice, but just an unfortunate persecuted person who died on the cross.

Jesus met the requirements for accomplishing the fulfillment of the law when He was sacrificed on the cross for our sins. That is why He cried “It is finished.” (Jn 19:30) Through Jesus, the sacrifice was complete. Christ, then, became the ending of the law (Rm 10:4).

Those who keep the law today are not doing God’s will, for it is not traditions and sacrifices He desires. It is love that meets God’s requirements (Rm 13:8-10). Love sacrifices itself for the good of others, and is crucifying in its requirements. Today if you are tempted to feel religious, choose love instead. Jesus became the end of the law so that we would follow after love. Amen

Answered prayer

“Save me because of your unfailing Love . . . The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayers.” (Ps 6:4 & 9)

What causes the Lord to hear our prayers? David believed the Lord heard his prayers and answered them, not because of legal reasons, but because of the goodness of God’s heart. In the beginning of Psalm 6 we read that David is aware of his need for discipline and rebuke, yet he still appeals for mercy.

By watching the answers to his prayers, David grew in his knowledge of God. When he was repentant, his heart grew close to God and He saw the love and mercy there. Because he knew the contents of God’s heart he also understood that God valued the contents of his own, and that it was on the basis of David’s heart that the Lord answered his prayers.

When we know our prayers are listened to, our relationship with God takes on new meaning. Our love deepens. We begin to understand that we are not accepted purely on the merits of our behavior alone. For all men are weak and fail. But God has mercy on the repentant who believe in His love.

Having faith in God’s love is having the kind of faith that knows He will listen, and answer our prayers. With faith in God’s love we will pray beyond our own personal needs for cleansing. We will pray for victory because we believe that our loving God wants us to succeed. We will pray for far more, because our relationship with God will deepen, and our knowledge of His will will grow greater.

God’s love is unfailing. God is for us. Today, pray as if you believe His love for you is not legalistic, nor based on the merits of your behavior. Pray as one believing that He loves to love, for that is the truth about God’s nature. Amen

God is greater

This morning I was facing some pretty large giants. During prayer the Lord said to me “Those powers which trouble you, I made, and have dominion over (Col 1:16 & 2:15). Do not let your enemy worry you, but have faith in Me.”

Having faith in God as our Creator seems basic, but when we consider He is the Creator of our enemies, it puts their threat in a new perspective. Not only is God greater than our enemies, but they must bow to Him. We just have to remind them.

Building

Sometimes we believe we can hope in anything, and that God will redeem every situation. But that isn’t true. If a man builds on sand and a storm comes, the house will fall (Mt 7:24-27). God cannot make the house stand. What a man builds with, and where he builds are important.

A man must build with good materials. The tests of life will try his works as if by fire (1 Cor 3:10-15). If he has built with combustible material, all he builds will perish in the fire. There is no hope and no redemption for his works. He must start over.

There are many who seek favor with men and are commended and promoted by the same. We do not have this example in Jesus’ life. He built His ministry on seeing and doing what His Father showed Him. Jesus was no respecter of persons because His Father was no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). All who seek favor with men are building with combustible material, for in the day of their testing they will do what pleases men and not what pleases God.

Satan deceives men into thinking compromise with the world is worth it. “Riches will show the unsaved person that God’s blessing is on your life” is a common lure into greed. “Tell them I accept them just as they are” is a common enticement into keeping relationships smooth and favorable. Yet, Jesus was loved by the Father and was not rich. His relationships with His disciples were solid, but the world hated Him.

What does Jesus have as a result of the work He built? He built with eternal materials and has an on-going ministry that will never end. All who have laid down their lives and followed Him also have works that bear fruit in coming generations. Their books have been read and their songs have been sung from generation to generation. The lessons they taught begat teachers who continue to pass the truths down for future times.

To have hope in the future we must build with good materials and upon the solid foundation of obedience to God’s Word. It is not faith to have hope in that which is poorly constructed. It is true faith to build with God. Let us go forward into those works appointed to us from the foundation of the world and build as if they will last forever. Amen.

The Word of the Lord Tries Us

How many of us are waiting on the Lord to bring a word of prophecy to pass? If the length of the wait were to determine the validity of the word, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph would have all given up believing in God’s words. But they didn’t give up. There is something that happens in the waiting. In fact, waiting actually qualifies us for the benefits God has in store for us.

Of Joseph it is written, “He (God) sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: until the time that His word came: the word of the Lord tried him.” (Ps 105:17-19). The word “tried” comes from the root word which means to try metal, as by fire. How does the word of the Lord try us?

When we are children we do not think about things being denied to us, or held back for another time. If our mother bakes cookies and we should walk into the kitchen, we would probably take one, and that would be that. However, perhaps a little later in our life, our mother may say “You cannot have a cookie until after dinner.” She gave us a “word” which will try us when we walk into the kitchen. If she had not spoken the word, there would be no trial. However, obedience to the word teaches patience and temperance, good judgment, and many other things.

In the same way a word of prophecy tries us. By our very nature, we do not like to wait. There may be many reasons why we think the word of the Lord should come to pass right away. In fact, waiting does not always build trust in God and His word; it can erode them. If we stay in our carnal nature, we will not perceive that the Lord is up to something more encompassing than bringing His word to pass; He is building His nature in us.

When we are in the dark about something, such as when and how a prophecy is to come to pass, there is great temptation to interpret it according to our own understanding. Isaiah prophesied concerning this temptation; “Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.” (Is 50:10-11).

What Isaiah prophesied is that it is better to have no light of understanding and rely on the Lord than to walk according to our own understanding and end up in sorrow. Those that hold God in reverence and respect Him (the fear of the Lord) will not tamper with His prophecy, but will patiently wait for Him to bring it to pass. They will let His word “try” them, and will come out like strong metal. When it is time for the Lord to bring His word to pass, they will be ready. Amen.