Believe it or not we are at war. Not the type of
war that necessitates military troops using weapons, but spiritual war. We use God’s mighty weapons,
not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to
destroy false arguments. 2
Corinthians 10:4 (NLT). For example: Do you know anyone that has successfully
shot, stabbed or beat down: depression, anger, adultery or a lie? No, I don’t mean the person(s) “behind” that
drama, I mean the drama itself – the lie, not the liar; the adultery, not your
cheating spouse; the anger, not the person(s) that “made you” angry. Yeah, right, I didn’t think so. Even though those examples I gave are “nouns”,
they are things, but they are not tangible, you cannot touch them because they
are spirits that can overtake people (if allowed entry). That’s what people mean when they refer to: The spirit of lying, the spirit of
depression, the spirit of adultery, etc.
Thus a spiritual war and like it or not you were drafted. You
can stare at your screen like a deer in headlights, bury your head in the sand
or you can learn how to fight this fight strategically. We have already been given the Manual to successfully
defeat our enemy (self and the devil) and if you follow those Instructions (the
Word of God) consistently you will win.
That doesn’t mean you won’t have any battle scars, in fact, let me be
completely upfront, you may even lose some of the battles. It happens, we get off course, don’t follow
the Instructions and we suffer the consequences. When it happens brush ourselves off and make
sure you stay on the right path. Losing
a battle, or two or even three or 16 is not the same as losing the war, because
we cannot lose with God on our side.
The spiritual battle is predominantly internal and starts
in our minds:
I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is
right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is
at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still
within me. Oh, what a
miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin
and death? Thank God! The answer is in
Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey
God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. Romans
7:21-25 (NLT)
I know many of you will be relieved to hear that you are
not crazy and/or not the only one that feels this way. But I want to be clear, Apostle Paul, author
of Romans, is not giving us an excuse to mess up, be weak and give in. On the contrary, he is being VERY TRANSPARENT
(so obviously he wasn’t one of those “religious” preachers hiding behind a
pulpit pretending that he is perfect, without weakness or sin). He put his business out there to help us in
the fight! But at the same time he is NOT
giving permission to give into those feelings that try to dominate and overtake
us. He is confirming that there is a
real struggle AND giving a solution which is and always will be that Jesus Christ our Lord is the answer (v.
25)
The Provision: Ephesians
6:10-18 (New King James Version)
10A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we[c] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
10A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we[c] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
a.
To Be: to exist or live; to take place; happen; occur;
to occupy a place or position; to continue or remain as before – be it, STRONG
in the Lord and his might power. You are
not weak!!!!!
b.
The only way we will win this fight is to be
fully prepared with the tools God provided
c.
There is a spirit behind that boss/co-worker who
hates you; the person that lied on you, etc. you can’t see it because you are
focused on the person
d.
Hatred of Jesus, prayer out of schools, assault
on the family structure, people of color; genocide of nations (Jews, Somalia,
etc.); poverty, lack, hunger in the United States; etc. the 2008 economic
collapse because of the greed of CEOs AND no one went to jail!!! For real???
13 Therefore,
put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in
the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand
your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s
righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from
the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In
addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows
of the devil. 17 Put on
salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word
of God.
a.
Every piece of armor serves a purpose without it
you will not be able to successfully fight
b.
Don’t be scrrrrrrd; don’t let him run you off,
we fight with the TRUTH (no need to lie); we are made “right with God” through
Jesus Christ and he protects us with the body armor (breastplate) of righteousness
c.
He protects our feet with the shoes of peace. We don’t have to fear when we go into
unfamiliar territory; we can be the bigger person by standing as the peacemakers,
killing the drama with silence, not going tit for tat, standing confidently
still in God’s peace sharing the Good News with our lives and when the opportunity
presents itself, with our words.
d.
The sharp hot arrows of distractions will be
blocked with our faith. Faith in God
that He will deliver us. For example, Cheryl had a court date, positioned
herself to receive “war tips”, made a decision to believe God for a positive
outcome. She arrived full of confidence
and determination (which requires faith) fully aware that she had no control
over the matter but understanding God did.
She was met with hostility but it was blocked with her shield of faith. Every fiber of her being was on guard, fully
alert and at attention and she won because the enemy (who worked through the
people who were against her) was made to BOW DOWN and agree with God’s demands. She never had to show her tail, didn’t have
to cuss anybody out or hit anybody upside the head. She stood strong in the power of God’s might
with her shoes of peace on and baby, those jokers, “was super fly”, custom-made
to fit so well she can wear them all day and not have to change into flip
flops. “IJS”.
e.
The helmet guards our minds from the
accusations, tricks, lies, doubt, stares, etc. from the enemy so when they come
they don’t penetrate and take root. The
sword of the spirit (bible, word of God, instructional manual) is what we use
as a weapon against all of the tricks and distractions of the enemy. You (hear it) see it coming and block it with
Sword “I am not condemned (2 Corinthians 5:21), You can’t touch this (Isaiah
54:17), I shall not die but live (Psalm 118:17); Yes I can (Philippians 4:13); There
is a reason for everything (Romans 8:28); I can’t but God can (Luke 1:37); I’m
not the same person I used to be (2 Corinthians 5:17), etc.
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. Do I really need to explain this?
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. Do I really need to explain this?
One more disclaimer.
It is absolutely imperative that you understand that in order to be a
winner, you have to be enlisted on the right team. This guarantee is for “members only”. Joining a church, going three times a week, getting
baptized, working on the “ursher” board, “progrum” committee, deacon “boad”, “muthas”
“boad”, trustees, “cwhy” “memba”, etc. your
matching shoes, hat and suit is all cute, but it doesn’t mean a hill of beans
if you have not believed in your heart and confessed with your outh that Jesus
Christ is Lord. In other words, God
wants an intimate relationship with you (I’m talking to you, reading this blog
right now, you). He knows your name, he
knew you would read this blog, he knows what you did yesterday, last year and
what you will do when you finish reading this blog. He knows about the secret(s) that you have
never shared with anyone. He knows how
bad you have been hurting, how desperate you are to be free, that God, he loves
you, He wants the best for you and he has a customized strategic plan prepared
for you. He’s waiting for you, you’re not
waiting for Him. Behold,
I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door,
I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. Revelations
3:20 (NKJV). Jesus is not talking
about physical food, he is talking about spiritual food
In His Humble Excellence,
Tan
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