WE ARE DEBTORS…


Spiritual Blog - Debtors

Romans 8:12 – “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors — not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.”  NKJV

We often blame Adam for our sin but I want to suggest to you that it is not Adams’ sin but ours that separates us from God.  Adam opened the door for human depravity and the dominion of the devil but no person will go to hell for Adams’ sin.  Only Adam will be judged for what he did and we will be judged for what we do.  This was addressed in Exodus 18:20, “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son.  The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.”  You won’t go to heaven or hell based on what your parents or anyone else have done.  You will be responsible for your life and actions.

In Romans 8:1 we read, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”  When we come to Jesus we are governed by a new law, Spirit not Flesh.  We are governed by the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus and that liberates and trumps the Law of Sin and Death.  The Spirit triumphs over the flesh.  Paul continues reminding them and us that IN CHRIST we do not have to be governed by carnal passions or evil desires but we have access to the Spirit of Life in Jesus and the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  He identifies that this is a faith choice and involves self-discipline and even an element of will-power but we are not to be and do not have to walk according to the flesh.  We have a new dimension open to us and the plea is for us to walk after the Spirit rather than the flesh.

Notice Romans 8:9-11, “But you are not in the flesh, IF indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.  NOW if anyone does not have Christ, he is not His. AND if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. BUT if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead gives life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”  AMAZING!  You are living in a body, a tabernacle of clay but the FLESH is dead because of sin but in your SPIRIT, you are alive because of Christ.  Hallelujah!  The Spirit of Christ is what is sustaining your mortal body and giving you life naturally and spiritually.  You are indwelt by deity and alive by the Spirit.  That makes you a debtor.

You are in debt because of sin.  Jesus paid the purchase price for your redemption, a price you could never pay so you are indebted to Him for your salvation.  The flesh did not give us life even though we were born and breathed the breath of the oxygen of the earthly atmosphere and called that life.  The flesh cannot save our eternal souls. The flesh leads us away from God and life not toward and into it.  We are debtors but not to the flesh and therefore are under no obligation to live according to the lusts of the flesh or the dictates of the flesh.  Our debt is to GOD.  Our debt is to Jesus.  Our debt is to the Spirit and if we commit ourselves to God and determine to Walk after the Spirit of God we find that He enables us to ‘bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.’  He enables us to have the ‘mind of Christ’ in our daily living.  He enables us to live free of sin and walk in righteousness.  No, we are not perfect but we are forgiven and in our state of forgiveness we are able to reject the flesh and embrace the Spirit.

Live FREE, knowing that in Bondage you do not have to remain!  Jesus lives in me and I am set free.  May we all learn to you live by the Spirit not by the Flesh.  You are a DEBTOR and will ever be for you can never pay the debt you owe.  It is by Grace you are saved, not of works.  It cannot be earned, bought, or even deserved it is GIVEN out of God’s Great Love!  God, bless you as you learn to LIVE FREE in Jesus!

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GOD’S REAL RESCUE MISSION…


Spiritual Blog - Redeemed

Colossians 1:13-14 – “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”  NASU

 

The NKJV renders this, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His Love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”  I like both renderings and consider them both incredibly accurate and revealing.  I know believers for whom the picture of their spiritual life is found in the old song, “Hold the Fort.”  They are waiting on Jesus to come on the Grand Rescue Mission and take them out of this troubled world where the devil is on the loose and they are barely hanging on.  Not, all feel that way but some do.

Therefore, I want to address what I believe is God’s Real Rescue Mission and it is described in the text above.  Whether you identify Salvation as being ‘rescued’ or ‘delivered’ it is clearly a divine act of the Holy Spirit to bring us into a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ.  Through Grace and Faith, we are BORN AGAIN and that experience ‘transfers’ or ‘conveys’ us out of the devil’s dominion, authority, or power into God’s kingdom.  It is through the NEW BIRTH that we are transferred, transformed, or translated from one kingdom and rule to another.  Redemption through the forgiveness of sin.

From the time of Adam in the Garden until Jesus Christ man was under the dominion of the devil who had legal standing to dominate the lives of men.  Adam’s sin, the one who had been given dominion over the earth, transferred that authority or dominion to the devil.  Adam and Eve’s disobedience, their choice to disobey God brought about the depravity of the race and UNTIL Jesus and His work on the Cross we were subject to the devil.  But, at the Cross Jesus cried, IT IS FINISHED and that signified that He had broken the power of the devil and in a great sense completed His True Rescue Mission for mankind.  He purchased our salvation with His own blood and truly ‘bought us back’ allowing Him to legally transfer us from one kingdom to another.  HE RESCUED US!

Later in Colossians Paul gives us a clear description of what Jesus did and what happens in our redemption experience.  In Jesus, we are MADE ALIVE together with Him through the forgiveness of our sin.  His work on the Cross took God’s divine eraser and wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us.  He dismissed all the charges.  He expunged the record through His blood.  At the Cross, He took all that away and nailed it to the Cross.  His sacrificial death ‘disarmed’ the devil, his principalities, and powers.  But, it goes beyond that, as Paul uses the imagery of a Roman General being awarded a TRIUMPH!  He would be placed in a special chariot and parade through the city with the spoils of his victory on display and his conquered enemies in chains walking behind him.  They were made a public spectacle as he triumphed over them.  THAT IS WHAT JESUS HAS DONE TO THE DEVIL and we must get that image in our minds.  He fully defeated the devil, broke his claim over man, and rescued us.  If we understand the VICTORY OF CALVARY we will quickly realize the power of the words, “We are more than conquerors through Jesus.”  We will quickly realize that it is now incumbent on us to ENFORCE the Victory of Calvary.  The devil can only intimidate he has no authority over us.  WE HAVE BEEN RESCUED.

In that light, why are we simply “holding the fort?”  Why are we simply trying to ‘endure to the end?’  Why are we not living RESCUED and DELIVERED?  Why are we not enjoying the fullness of His Promises?  Why are we allowing the devil to continue to operate as though he were still in charge?  WHY?  You have to answer that for yourself, but I pray that each of us determines in our heart that since we have been RESCUED and TRANSFERRED we will now live DELIVERED and FREE!

            God, bless you richly is my prayer and desire!

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LIVING SACRIFICES…


Spiritual Blog - Living Sacrifices

Romans 12:1-3 – “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”  NKJV

  

I have often wondered and discussed with believers the idea of “Living Sacrifices” and some of the thoughts I have heard and hear amaze me.  I have heard from some well-meaning believers that this means intentional suffering.  They have the idea that ‘suffering’ is God’s desire and that somehow suffering produces spirituality.  What I hear in those instances is almost the idea of flagellation.  They would never go that far but they almost pray for ‘suffering’ and ‘difficulty.’ 

The Bible speaks of us a bricks or stones in God’s building and calls us “living stones.”  The problem with living stones as contrasted to natural stones is living stones have a mind, will, and emotion and sometimes don’t stay where they are inserted into the building.  Likewise, living sacrifices do not always stay on the altar and thereby do not remain sacrifices or that which is committed and dedicated to God.  If you take a sacrifice in the natural it does not get up and walk away from the altar it dies there and remains there.

Paul’s plea for the believers to give themselves to God as “living sacrifices” and makes it wonderfully clear this is not simply an act of the individual’s will or self-discipline, it is by the mercies of God.  It is by God’s enablement, His grace that we are able to do this.  It is an act of dedication and commitment but it is also a supernatural work.  Paul goes further and calls this a “reasonable service” not an extraordinary act of piousness.  It is simply the expected and should be a normal and natural result of our commitment to Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  The life that we commit is to be holy or set apart.  He is talking less about the natural body than the entire man but includes the natural body and that is a reason for us to take heed to our physical person as well as our spiritual person.

But, he does not stop there, he identifies some results of our becoming ‘Living Sacrifices’ to God that resonates powerfully in my spirit.  If our reasonable service is to be a Living Sacrifice to God and in that condition and position, we can experience and achieve the full objective identified by Paul.  He said, “And…”  That connector immediately shouts, “Here it comes!”  Read it with me, “And do not be conformed to this world…”  That should be a top priority for every child of God that we ‘come out from among them and separate ourselves unto God.’  Not, that we become isolationist and isolate and insulate ourselves from the world so that we have not contact and no impact on them.  It is that we are not influenced and shaped by the world and worldview.  “…but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”  That identifies the importance of the mind in salvation.  Remember the words of Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he [in behavior – one who manipulates].”  As the NKJV renders it, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”   We are charged to ‘bring every thought captive to the Lord’ and to ‘have the mind of Christ.’  The mind is a powerful and wonderful part of our makeup and is deeply involved in our salvation. As our minds are renewed or reprogrammed we find that we experience TRANSFORMATION rather than CONFORMATION.

The apostle then makes a powerful declaration that this process enables us to determine and demonstrate as well as experience the Will of God which is good, acceptable, and perfect.  I won’t deal with the trifecta that is often taught in that portion of that scripture only that as a RENEWED MIND TRANSFORMS us we are able to prove or establish then walk in the will of God.  That, in my view, is powerful and desirable.  Would you not like to be able to prove or establish the Will of God in your life with such clarity and certainty that it is unquestioned?  Would you not like to experience a relationship with God where you are in a continual state of renewal and transformation moving from glory to glory and revelation to revelation in Him?  How do you get there?  First, allow the Holy Spirit and Grace of God to place you on the altar as a Living Sacrifice and STAY THERE.  Then, begin the process of renewing and reprograming our mind through the Word and Prayer.  This will TRANSFORM you and guard against your being CONFORMED to the world and as you enter that state you will discover the Will of God.

God, bless you as you step out in faith and commitment!

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THE SECRET PLACE OF GOD…


Spiritual Blog - Secret Place

Psalm 91:1 – “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”  NKJV

 

The Secret Place of the Most High is clearly a place of safety and it obviously very near to Him for the Psalmist said that if we dwell there we also abide under the shadow of God.  I do believe that in order to be the shadow of someone you have to be near them.  I was teaching from this passage and the question arose, “What is the Secret Place of God?”  The inquiry was genuine because of the obviousness of the Provision and Protection it affords.  The inquiry was a sincere desire to draw so near to God that they could walk in His shadow.

In Psalm 27:5 we read, “For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.”  Here the Psalmist identifies the Secret Place of God as being in His Presence and is a place of protection in His tabernacle.  This provides an image of one being in the Holy of Holies legitimately and the one there was covered with the Shekinah Glory of God and His Presence ministered to and protected them.  In Psalm 31:20 we read, “You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.”  The secret place is the Presence of God and in that place, there is protection from wagging tongues and those that desire to harm.  Then in Psalm 32:7 we find, “You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.”  The Psalmist identifies God as our Hiding Place and in that place, we have preservation from trouble and enter an attitude and experience of Praise and Worship.

If you could live your life always covered with the Shadow of God would you fear the devil?  If you knew you had a place to run and hide if the flood waters of life were overflowing you would you allow anxiety to steal your faith or dreams?  If you knew that you could have permanent residence in the presence of God would you not seek to change your address to that location?  That is the place that the Psalmist identifies as being his abode and place of promise in God.  That produced a faith declaration and a life determination that you and I need to learn and reach for.  He said as a result of dwelling the Secret Place of God and abiding under the Shadow of the Almighty, “I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” That is a place of confidence and commitment.  That is a place of blessing and victory. That is a place of rejoicing and worship. That is the Place that Jesus said He came to provide for us on this earth.

The Psalmist, looking out from under the Shadow of God in his position in God’s Secret Place expressed confidence that God would deliver from the traps of the devil.  He expressed confidence that the pestilence and destruction the devil seeks to send upon us would not penetrate our abode.  He identified a place of living that was so close to God it was literally under the Strong Right Hand of God.  It was a place in Truth and that Truth protected from all enemies regardless of what they were.  No enemy could succeed in bringing destruction and although there may be casualties in life, you will not be one because of your Place of Residence in the Secret Place of God.  He declared that because God is our refuge and dwelling place we are spared from evil and have an angelic guard watching over us and even lifting us in their hands to keep us from bruising our feet on the rocks of the road of life.  We discover that from this position and condition even the ravenous spirits that would devour and destroy are tamed.  Because of our commitment and dwelling in the Secret Place of God we have the promise of deliverance in all things and at all times.  THAT IS INCREDIBLE and a Promise that too few believe, receive, or seek.

Look at the last statement, “With long life, I will satisfy him, and show him My Salvation.”  No wonder the Psalmist could declare in Psalm 118:17, “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.”  God has an assignment for us and has given us Promise and Provision including Long Life or Time to fulfill His Purposes and complete our mission in this life.

Rejoice in your promise, move into your place of provision, and become that which He declared you to be.  God, bless you richly is my prayer!

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YOU ARE DEAD – But Not Dead as In Dead…


Spiritual Blog - Dead But Alive

Romans 6:11 – “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  NKJV

Romans 6 is a fun but difficult Chapter for most believers.  The apostle Paul spent a great deal of time dealing with the matter of Law vs Grace and explaining the purpose of the Law and the beauty of Grace.  He must have had a wonderful sense of humor, although he may have been stoically serious when he wrote and spoke the words of the first two verses of this chapter.  “What shall we say then?  Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  Certainly not!  How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”  Everybody that I know, who has received Jesus as Savior, has struggled with sin even after salvation.  Some to a greater degree than others and some wouldn’t admit it if caught red-handed but everybody I know has experienced struggle.

Paul goes through a lengthy and detailed explanation of the condition of our position in Christ through Grace and the focal point is YOU ARE DEAD.  You have been Crucified.  You are no longer bound by sin but you have been liberated and released from the power of darkness.  We died with Jesus in our Old Man.  The thought of death could be morbid but Paul says, take heart saints.  “If we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him…”  We are Dead but not Dead as in Dead physically but Dead as in dead to Sina and Alive in Freedom from Sin!  Death and Sin no longer have any legal authority over you, if you are IN CHRIST through Grace.  Jesus died once that we might live forever!  Hallelujah!

Paul brings us to v.11 and reminds them of the Life and Death and Resurrection of Jesus and says, “Likewise…”  Just like He did it.  “Likewise, you also…”  This is after, the work of grace in your heart and your part in the process.  This is not to get you into grace but because you are in grace.  “…you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  If you are trying to get saved every day you have not reckoned yourself dead to sin.  You are recognizing and giving validity to sin and acknowledging its power in your life.  Jesus paid the price for our salvation and IF we have repented of our sins, called up His name and received His Grace WE ARE SAVED.  That’s what the Bible declares.  If we are saved we are “New Creations, Dead to Sin, and Alive to God.”  We have been BORN AGAIN and in that state, we are DEAD but ALIVE.  Dead to Sin, but Alive to God. That is a determination that we must make.  We, by our faith declaration and commitment of mind, determine that based on what God’s Word has declared and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives that we are DEAD to Sin…  Dead to Unrighteousness.  Dead to the Old Man.  But, we are ALIVE to God and in God.  You cannot be Dead to Sin and give place to it at the same time.

            Sin either has authority over you or no authority over you.  The devil knows that you have been saved and in God’s eyes you are no longer bound by sin, YOU ARE DEAD.  However, he knows that if you either do not know it or do not fully believe it he can manipulate, influence and deceive you.  He loves it when you struggle every day to believe that you HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN.  He delights in reminding you of every wrong thought, word, or deed and chides you with, “A good Christian would not do that, think that, or be like that.”  Remind him of the Cross. Remind him of the grave. Remind him of the resurrection.  Remind him that he is a defeated foe and no longer has any legal claim on you for you are DEAD TO SIN through Jesus Christ and ALIVE unto God.  You are DEAD but not Dead as in Dead but Dead as in Alive!

Stop allowing the devil to intimidate you and RECKON (determine, judge, esteem) yourself to be DEAD to Sin and ALIVE unto God through Jesus Christ.  That’s what God says about you so why not agree with God for a change instead of agreeing with the devil?

            Blessings abundantly as you enjoy this wonderful day in Jesus!

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JUSTIFIED – PEACE – GRACE – HOPE…


Spiritual Blog - Justified

Romans 5:1-5 – “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”  NKJV 

 

This is an incredibly powerful declaration by the apostle Paul to the Romans, a declaration we all need to hear, learn, adopt, and incorporate into our lives.  He makes a progression that cannot be short-circuited nor bypassed.  He begins at the starting point of Spiritual Life and progresses to the ultimate of experience and overcoming.

The starting point is Justification by Faith.  If we have not received Jesus as our Savior we most assuredly do not have the next portion, Peace with God.  Our Peace comes through the finished work of Jesus and comes through the door of faith.  We enter into Grace through Faith, not works or pedigrees.  It is not hereditary it is faith that opens the door to God’s Grace and Salvation.  It is faith that brings us to a state of Justification.  Without faith, we are told it is impossible to please God and I might add impossible to access God.

Paul speaks of “This Grace” in which we stand and then the result of “Rejoicing in the Hope of the Glory of God.”  Hope is defined as “to trust, wait for, look for, or desire something or someone; or to expect something beneficial in the future.”  In the Old Testament, a number of words are translated Hope.  Jeremiah 14:22 declares, “Our hope is in You.”  In this case, it means TRUST and he identifies God as worthy of being trusted.  The Israelites were also encouraged to WAIT on the Lord.  Psalm 25:21 declares, “Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for You.”  Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!”  Jeremiah 8:15 identifies the reality that LOOKING is akin to HOPING, “We looked for peace, but no good cause came; and for a time of health, and there was trouble!”  In the New Testament Paul speaks of “setting our hope on God.” (1 Timothy 4:10).  Jeremiah proclaimed that God is the Hope of Israel and Paul declares in 1 Timothy 1:1 that “Jesus Christ is our Hope.”

But Paul did not stop with the beauty of Hope in Christ he addresses the real-life issue of difficulty, tribulation, trials, struggles, and trouble and said, “…we also glory in tribulations…”  WHAT?  Do you remember the words of James, “Count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations…”?  Paul explains his assertion by telling us of the benefit that comes to the believer after or during the time of testing in trouble.  It helps us to PERSEVERE.  I think of the words of the disciples when the crowd was leaving Jesus after He delivered a difficult message.  Jesus turned to them and asked, “Will you also go away?”  They said, “Lord, where would we go, you have the word of eternal life.”  There is no other Hope, no other Name, no other source of salvation so we must PERSEVERE.  Giving up is not an option.  Paul tells us that perseverance produces or builds character.  I preached this once and had a man tell me, “Preacher, I could stand a little less character.”  No, we cannot.  We need the development of Christlikeness in our lives and as we endure trials we develop a determination to STAND and as we Persevere we find Character is developed and Character produces HOPE in our hearts.  Hope that can be identified as Trust, Confidence, and Expectation.

The next statement of Paul is incredible and explains something that too many seem to miss.  HOPE does not disappoint.  Human hope may and often does but HOPE in God does not disappoint BECAUSE…   That’s the key!  Hear what he says, “Because the Love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”  HOPE is anchored in the Love of God and as God’s Love is poured out in our hearts our Hope, Confidence, Trust, and Assurance is solidified.  I would suggest that if you are struggling with difficulty and it seems that the flood waters of life are so overwhelming you despair it is time to cry out for MORE LOVE, not LESS TROUBLE. 

            May the Lord richly bless you as you enjoy this day in Jesus!

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HOW ARE WE TO STAND? [Part II]


Spiritual Blog - Armor

Ephesians 6:14-18 – “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints…”  NKJV

 

Picking up where we left off last time in enumerating the pieces of God’s Whole Armor or the Armor of the Believer we covered the Girdle or Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, and the Gospel Shoes.  Now we will consider the next vital pieces of that armor as we prepare to live day by day and engage in Spiritual Warfare.

  • Shield of Faith.

Some have equated the statement of the apostle Paul, “above all…” regarding this piece of armor as it being the most important.  I would suggest that is not the meaning for how can you declare that the Shield of Faith is more important than any of the other pieces?  I believe that his meaning is “On Top of the other armor ensure you have, faith.”  Faith, in a real sense, is what makes the other work.  The Shield is outside the armor next to the body and provides additional defense against enemy fire.  As we take on the Shield of Faith we are not simply preparing to ward off his offensive thrusts but we are protecting our hearts with the assurance of God’s promises and our salvation.  When the devil hurls doubt, the Shield of Faith blocks it from ever getting to the heart or mind.  Satan’s most effective fiery darts are innuendos and suggestions, thoughts, and doubts.  No wonder we are told to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.  This piece of armor helps us prevent even the thought.

  • Helmet of Salvation.

The mind is a fertile ground and a prime target for the devil.  We are to have our minds covered with Salvation. Our minds are placed under the Blood of Jesus and we are transformed by the renewing of our mind!  In 1 Thessalonians 5:8 we read, “And for a helmet, the hope of salvation.”  This helmet is not some physical item that we wear like a hat, it is HOPE in His Salvation that covers our minds and enables us to think the thoughts of God. It is that which anchors us in His salvation and gives assurance and peace to our hearts.  Each day being your day reminding yourself of the assurance of your salvation and allow the Holy Spirit to cover your minds, your thoughts, and your meditations with the Blood of Jesus.

  • The Sword of the Spirit.

This is the first truly offensive weapons and we are told that this is the Word of God.  Remember when Jesus encountered the devil in the Wilderness Temptation He repeatedly said, “It is Written”?  Remember He and the Bible declare that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.  God’s word is our spiritual bread and in the Lord’s Prayer we are to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.”  Natural provision and Spiritual Word from God for each day are our vital life sustenance.  The Word of God pulls down strongholds and defends us as well as destroys the works of the devil.  Learn the word and you sharpen your sword and learn to “rightly handle the word of truth.”

But, I caution you to note that putting on the armor is not the end of the exercise but the beginning.  Once you have been clothed with the Whole Armor you are to PRAY ALWAYS with Prayer and Supplication IN THE SPIRIT.  Then, he says, “…being watchful…”  We are never to let down our guard and always be vigilant and alert.  The Armor protects us, prepares us, equips us, and enables us to not only STAND but WITHSTAND and to PULL DOWN STRONGHOLDS.

Let the reality of each piece of armor sink in, meditate on them and their purpose and the Holy Spirit will help you learn how to Put on the Whole Armor of God daily and become more effective in your fervency of prayer.

God, bless you as you enjoy this day in Jesus!

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HOW ARE WE TO STAND?


spiritual-blog-whole-armor

Ephesians 6:14-18 – “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints…”  NKJV

 

After Paul’s directive and urging for the believers to be prepared and put on the whole armor of God enabling them to withstand the wiles of the devil, he gave them clear instruction and we do well to hear and heed it.  He repeated what he has said twice they are to STAND as they WITHSTAND the assault of hell against them.  Here he gives them a comprehensive understanding as to what they are to do in preparation and as an enablement to STAND and WIN.

He enumerates several pieces of armor the believer is to daily clothe himself with as enablement to STAND and WITHSTAND which indicates both defensive and offensive posturing spiritually.  Let’s briefly consider the Whole Armor identified and consider its function and purpose.

  • Girdle or Belt of Truth.

In the armor of the Roman soldier of that day, the armor was girded close to the body by a belt.  It kept the armor in place and provided a place to hand offensive weapons from.  This was a vital part of the soldier’s armor.  Paul identifies this item as the “Belt of Truth” because TRUTH, the Truth of God, the Truth Who is God is vital if we are to STAND in spiritual conflict.  Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life…”  The Gospel of Jesus is the Truth of God and if we are not wrapped tightly in His truth we will become an easy prey for the forces of hell and their deception.  Remember the armor is designed to enable us to Stand against the Wiles or Schemes of the devil.  TRUTH, God’s Truth liberates and enables us to walk free of deception and delusion.  Without the “Belt of Truth,” our other armor would be subject to deception and could become out of place or misplaced.  Truth is our Anchor.

  • Breastplate of Righteousness.

The heart covering is Righteousness or Right Standing with God.  This covering indicates and urges not only the principle of righteousness but the practice of righteousness.  We know from scripture that our righteousness is filthy rags in comparison to His righteousness.  We remember the directive of Jesus to “Seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness.”  This is a piece of armor designed to cover the heart but to also remind us that we are, by the work and declaration of Christ Jesus, “The righteousness of God in and through Him.”  We take on the Breastplate secured by Truth which assures our hearts that we are IN HIM and He is IN US.

  • Gospel Shoes.

Or as it reads, “having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.”  There is more here than time would permit but suffice it say that feet indicates and implies walk and/or life.  Our lives are to be anchored in the Gospel and Peace of God.  This also indicates a continual state of readiness for the Israelites were commanded to eat Passover with their shoes on, ready to travel.  Isaiah refers to the feet saying, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that brings good tidings, that publishes PEACE; that brings good tidings of good, that publishes salvation; that says to Zion, Your God reigns!”  (Isaiah 52:7) Preparation, readiness, Good News, and the Peace of God that passes all understanding are the anchors of our lives, our work, and our warfare.

Due to the brevity of time and the limitedness of space, I will cover the next pieces of our armor in the next devotional.  So, until then, God bless you and keep you is my prayer and desire.  God with God and He will go with you.

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FINALLY, MY BRETHREN…


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Ephesians 6:10-18 – “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness 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.  

14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints…”  NKJV

             When anyone gives a summation in a discourse or directive it is usually incredibly important for it either gives more detailed instruction or ties the message together enabling the hearers to act upon the directive.  That is the case here, as Paul speaks to the Ephesian believers.  He says, “Finally, my brethren…”  That identifies to whom he speaks.  He is not presenting an evangelist message calling sinners to repentance, he is calling saints to service and warfare.  This is a message to the church and therefore a message to you and me as a part of the Body of Christ and the Church today.  The message is as timeless as our Lord and of value considering the times in which we life.

He then says, “…be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”  The question I ask is, “Is this a dual directive, a double enforcement of the same truth or a directive and then explanation as to how to fulfill that command?”  I believe the latter is the most fitting and it is my view that the apostle Paul is telling them and us to BE STRONG IN THE LORD and the way we are Strong is IN THE POWER OF HIS MIGHT.  As the old song, “I am weak but He is strong” and as Paul declared, “His strength is made perfect in my weakness.”  We are more than conquerors through Him, not in our own intelligence, ability, power, gifts, money, or anything else.  John the Baptist explained it perfectly saying, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”  Paul is instructing the believers in his audience, as a final directive, BE STRONG and then explains that strength is only realized in the Power of Christ’s Might.  It is by the Power, Anointing, Authority, and Manifestation of the Spirit of God.

He then directs them in their Warfare Preparation telling them to “Put on the whole armor of God…”  The wording is important for He did not tell them to pray for God to give them the armor but for them to PUT ON the armor. That means they are to take what God has already given and with intent and determination PUT ON the Armor of God or the Whole Armor of God.  WHY?  Not so they will look the part of a warrior or have the appearance of a Super Spiritual Christian but THAT…  That what?  “That you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”  They would have little doubt that the apostle was describing a coming situation in which they would encounter the devil and his forces and if they were to WITHSTAND they had to be prepared and part of that preparation was consciously taking on God’s Provided Armor.  It was something they had to do for themselves.  It was an act of faith not a formula for recitation.  It was a conscious spiritual decision and action.

He goes on to explain why they needed this armor by telling them WHO they would be fighting in the spiritual warfare they would be engaged.  He says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood…”  But, you and I do so often.  That is not our real enemy but too often we fall into the trap or scheme of the devil and allow personalities and pettiness determine our focus thereby failing to recognize our true enemy.  He continues saying, “…but against principalities, powers, against the rulers of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”  This War that we are armoring up for is a Spiritual War with spiritual forces to be combatted and the only way we can contend with them is with God’s Whole Armor.

I love what he says in v.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.”  The armor gives you a reasonable hope of withstanding the demonic attack from the pit of hell.  The armor gives us hope of enduring the assault of the Last Days Evil that is being launched against the earth.  Then he says, “…and having done all…”  All what?  Putting on the Whole Armor of God and being prepared.  What then Paul?  STAND.  The ultimate decider is that we refuse to retreat.  If you notice the armor, there is no covering for the backside only covering for the frontal assault, not for the retreat.  God does not retreat and we are more than conquerors through Jesus and Jesus has defeated the devil.

I want to deal with the armor but will hold that until next time.  Until then, I pray that you focus your attention on the Lord and His provision for your life.  Blessings as you venture into the unknown of this day in Jesus!

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THE WARNING – THE WORD – THE WAY… Conclusion


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Numbers 32:1-5 – “Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock; and when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, that indeed the region was a place for livestock, 2 the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying, 3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Shebam, Nebo, and Beon, 4 the country which the LORD defeated before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” 5 Therefore they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not take us over the Jordan.”  NKJV

 

The Reubenites are the Kind of People who really do not want to cross the Jordan.  The reason for coming out of Egypt was to cross the Jordan and go into Canaan, the Place of Promise.  There was a very large contingent coming out of Egypt.  They were blood bought, baptized in the Red Sea and now after wandering in the Wilderness for forty years and on the brink of breakthrough they said, “Don’t make us cross the Jordan, we want to stay where we are.”  In a very real sense, they were saying, “What we have become fits very nicely into what we have already possessed and we don’t want any more.”  It is easy to ‘sit in church’ and say: “What we have become fits nicely into what we have already possessed.  We have ‘x’ number of herds and flocks and it fits nicely, so we are satisfied.”

Let me take you back a bit to the Lion King Movie where Mufasa the King said to Simba from the clouds, “You Are More Than What You Have Become.”  It is easy to get in a state of mind where what we see fits into what we are able to accommodate and we do not want to move.  It is saying, “Don’t Make Us Go Over the Jordan.”  BUT, if we grasp the Word of God we realize that we ARE more than what we have become and God is not finished molding us yet.  We need to remember WHO we are and WHOSE we are and realize that we truly ARE more than what we have become.

Let me caution you and state this was not about Reuben stealing Glory from God. It was about Reuben stealing the Glory of Jacob.  It was about Reuben wanting a Glory that was not his to have.  We find that in the local church.  It is not about someone wanting the Pastor’s job or the Elder’s job.  It is about, “What’s in it for me?”  It is about RECOGNITION and COMFORT.  Believers, we are not here for what is in it for us, we are in it for what is in it for HIM.

Reuben wanted to experience something beyond his measure.  You will never be happier than when you abide in the measure God has granted you.  If your measure is to have no authority, no leadership, no responsibility in the House you will be far happier if you abide there than if you press into a measure you have not been called to receive.  Remember the disciples in the boat had ‘heard the word’ and as a result, they got blisters on their hands struggling against the waves and the wind but they had heard God.  It was as they persisted in WHAT they heard that He came to them in the night and brought victory.

If you observe the weather, you will not launch out into the deep. Anybody can run with the weather.  The only way you launch out into the unknown is by knowing that you know that you know that God has directed your steps.  THEN, don’t quit!  Do you understand why you get turbulence where two rivers run together?  That is the place where the vision and intent of River A and River B come together.  If you are not careful in life you will get DI-VISION not VISION. Turbulence can create DI-VISION but out of that confluence where the two become one, there is quiet power.

We need to be willing to Cross over into the Place of Promise taking with us that which we have learned in deliverance from bondage, baptism in our Red Sea, learning in the wilderness, and enter into the Place of Promise and Possess the Land.  God’s gives a Warning, sends His Word, and prepares the Way.  Will we be people who are Obedient and then eat the good of the land?

God, bless you richly as you enjoy this day in Him!

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