Tag: whole armor

28.e. “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless”

Ephesians 6:11  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 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 firm.

 Romans 13:14    But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

 Romans 13:12    The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

 1 Thessalonians 5:8    But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.

 1 Corinthians 10:13   No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

 Jude 1:24    Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,

 2 Corinthians 2:11   so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

 1 Peter 5:8    Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

“The tactics of intimidation and insinuation alternate in Satan’s plan of campaign. He plays both the bully and the beguiler. Force and fraud form his chief offensive against the camp of the saints.” (Simpson) Equipped with God’s armor we are more than conquerors. (Guzik) How aware are we of spiritual battles, attacks from Satan, lies from Satan, deception from Satan, and temptations from Satan?  If we are not aware how will we arm ourselves against the battle for our soul?  Too often we lack discernment.  Too often we lack Godly wisdom and understanding.  Too often we are blind and deaf to the battle for our soul.  Too often we even try to battle in our own strength and power.  We don’t stand a chance. How many times have we asked our children, What were you thinking??????  99 times out of 100 we hear, I don’t know.  

God tells us of His power and might and strength.  There is none like Him, He is the creator.  He is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. In Him is all truth. He knows all about Satan’s lies, deceptions, and influences.  God warns us about Satan. God empowers us, if we avail ourselves to it, for the battle(s) we will face.  He says “Arm yourselves”, “Put on the whole armor”, “I will be your rock, refuge, strength, power, might, and shield against the fiery attacks of Satan”, “I will never leave you or forsake you”, “I will not let you be tempted beyond what you can overcome”, “I am with you always”.  And yet, we don’t acknowledge Him or avail ourselves to Him or rely on, trust in, or cling to Him.  We go about our days without giving thought to spiritual battles.  Is it possible that Satan doesn’t even need to bother attacking us because there is little to no spiritual activity in our lives?  Can we not see the times we are living in?  Can we not see and understand the influence Satan is having on people across our nation?  Oh, that God would open our eyes to see and our ears to hear all that is false, cunning, and deceiving in our country.  Oh, that God would awaken our soul to the battle before us and cause us to bow before Him as willing servants for this battle.

25.s. “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds”

 

2 Corinthians 10:4  For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

 Ephesians 6:13-18     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 firm.  Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,  and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.  In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;  and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,  praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

 1 Samuel 17:45-50    Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

 Isaiah 2:11-12     The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.  For the LORD of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low;

We walk according to the flesh in the sense that we all do. We are flesh and blood human beings, and we struggle with the same things the Corinthian Christians struggled with. However, Paul wants to make it clear that he does not war according to the flesh.  Our weapons were not material or fleshly but spiritual, suited for spiritual war. Think about that and how it applies to how we should live, in order that in all we say, think, and do we honor and glorify Jesus Christ.  Love rather than hate, Faith rather than self-reliance and self-assurance, Confidence rather than doubt, Power of the Holy Spirit rather than might of flesh, Joy rather than despair, Peace rather than conflict, Hope rather than fear and anxiousness, Kindness rather than hard-hearted and callous, Generous rather than selfish and self-centered, rejoicing rather than mourning, Holiness rather than polluted by worldly desires, Surrender to the will of God rather than the influence of self-reliance, etc…. The fleshly, worldly, and human way is to overpower, dominate, manipulate, and out-maneuver. The spiritual, Jesus honoring and glorifying way is to humble yourself, die to yourself, and let God show His resurrection power through you.

This reliance on fleshly/worldly methods and the habit of thinking this way is a false stronghold. It stubbornly sets down deep roots in the heart and mind, and it colors all of our actions and thinking. It is hard to let go of the thinking that values the things and ways of this world, but God’s power really can break down these strongholds. (Guzik)

77. They do not know me, declares the LORD.

Joshua 23:6   “Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them. But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now.

Proverbs 4:26-27     Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.  Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.

Deuteronomy 5:32    You shall be careful therefore to do as the LORD your God has commanded you. You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

1 Corinthians 16:13     Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

Ephesians 6:10-19     Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  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 firm.

Jeremiah 9:3     They bend their tongue like a bow; falsehood and not truth has grown strong in the land; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know me, declares the LORD.

Be strong, stand firm, ponder your path, do not swerve left or right, put on the whole armor of God, do not turn aside, hold fast, and be watchful – these are all words of warning and encouragement. We would not have words encouraging us to be strong, stand firm, hold fast, and our on the whole armor of God if there was not going to be something to fight against.  We are to stand firm against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.  They are very real and you do not have to look very hard to find their cunning and deceptive work in the lives of people.

We are not to allow ourselves to be drawn in, influenced, and enticed by our culture and the dark forces that lead it.  We are to be watchful and stand firm in faith to God.  Just because our culture tolerates (in the name of being progressive) pornography is called adult entertainment, abortion is called women’s right to choose, LBGTQ is alternative lifestyles,  does not make it right or progressive or in line with serving God.  Be watchful.  If God’s word is not ever present in our daily lives how are we to see these dark forces at work in our world.  If God’s word is not daily present in our lives how are we to know right from wrong when our culture has adopted and called right that which is wrong.  If God’s word is not daily present how are we to know false from the truth? I saw this quote yesterday and thought it appropriate for today.  “And gradually though, no one remembers exactly how it happened, the unthinkable becomes tolerable, and then acceptable, and then legal, and then applaudable.” 

We will not be able to stand before God and plead we did not know.  The very fact that we choose to neglect and become complacent with His word condemns us because we chose to ignore.  Do not spend another day blindly following a world heading straight to hell.  Pick up His word and intentionally choose to spend time in it with all your heart, mind, and soul with the purpose of humbly serving, honoring, trusting, following, and obeying God.