Putting On the Armor
(Ephesians 6:10-18) - "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Here the Apostle Paul warns us of the spiritual wars that we cannot see and the powers of darkness in the world that are always taking place. To make sure we are aware and well trained in the spiritual warfare that God has equipped us with through His Word, His Spirit, and His Son Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. So that when we are under attack by the enemy, we know what to do, how to do it, and who to go to for help. Also, so that we know how to help others who are under attack. We should never try to fight alone, we don’t have to and were not created to.
For there is strength in numbers.
In Matthew 18:19-20 it is written: “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
So many people are being controlled by the spiritual forces of evil and don’t even know it. Even those of us who are in God can be used as a stumbling block to others if we are not careful. Some are those placed in authoritative positions - people we look to for protection or direction. Some are leaders, some are friends, and some are even family.
The truth is, it’s hard to tell anymore with all of life’s distractions we barely pay attention or have time to find out what’s going on around us and before we know it we’re in a mess.
That’s why it is so important that we MAKE the time to do what is necessary to find out how to protect ourselves even if it means turning away from those we love.
In 2 Corinthians 6:14 Paul warns us about being involved with those who are not like-minded: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”
Proverbs 13:20 says, “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.”
It’s not that they are wicked, they most likely don’t even know how dangerous they can be. But those not led by the Spirit are ruled by the flesh and therefore are still slaves to sin. So be a light to those in darkness but keep a safe distance from them so that you do not stumble and stay in the company of those who have more experience and are more mature in there faith for you can benefit from their advice and direction and in turn gain knowledge and wisdom. You see, Satan seeks to destroy God’s kingdom and will use anyone who will allow him to carry out his plan. They are mere puppets being used by him and his dark army to try to turn us away from God and back to sin. He can even turn us into our own worst enemies if we let him.
Although we are assured victory in Christ Jesus when we choose to believe, we must engage in the battle until He returns because the enemy is constantly attacking all who are on the Lord’s side. No worldly weapon made by man will do. This is why God has provided us with His Holy Spirit within us giving us His supernatural knowledge, wisdom, power, and ability to defend ourselves and each other.
We have everything we need to live a victorious life.
Even when it feels like everything is falling apart all we need to do is repent of our sins and trust in the Lord Almighty for His words are true and He loves us. God is able to restore and rebuild our lives if we let Him. No one is so far away from Him that he or she cannot be restored. Repentance is all that is required. No matter how far we have strayed or how long it has been since we have worshiped God, He is able to restore our relationship to Him, and He wants to.
1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”
The only power satan has in our lives is what we give him. He plays mind games and causes fear, confusion, worry, doubt, frustration, and anger. It's his only way he can get to us is through our thoughts and emotions. So if you are feeling any kind of negative feelings as you are reading this blog it is an attack from the enemy and I just bind up all those bad thoughts and feelings right now and I rebuke them in the name of Jesus Christ. Satan you have no business here nor are you welcome in our minds. Our Father, the creator of heaven and earth is behind us protecting us, ready to rescue us from every trap that the enemy may have set up for you. But satan has been defeated once and for all therefore he holds no real power.
Matthew 6:25-34 says, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
God has provided for us a way out of the darkness.
Deuteronomy 31:8 tells us, "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
John 3:16 speaks of His indescribable love for us "For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Proverbs 1:1-7 explains the purpose for which proverbs was written which is true for all of God's Words that meant to instruct us on how to live and love and they also help us to understand the love He has for us.
" These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel.
Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise. Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair. These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young.
Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles.
Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline."
You see, He has provided for us anything and everything we may need to live an abundant life. And He has provided us with our greatest weapon of all…HIS WORD!
Hebrews 4:12 - “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
We need to keep on our armor at all times. And we can do this by staying rooted in the Word which will instruct us and build our strength and endurance and allow us to be prepared for whatever the enemy may throw at us at any time. And we need to pray in the Spirit as much as possible.
The more we listen and obey, the stronger His Spirit becomes in us.
We become more aware of the devil’s evil plans and how to defeat him when we allow God's Holy Spirit lead us. We know what signs to look for that will let us know an attack is coming, or how to tell that someone else needs our help. We gain more knowledge wisdom and understanding on how to prevent certain things from happening, and we learn how to trust God with our whole hearts.
For He has gone before us and paved the way.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."
God is love and He loves You!
(Proverbs 2)
My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding—indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds success in store for the upright, He is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for He guards the course of the just and protects the way of His faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you. Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, who have left the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways. Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman, from the wayward woman with her seductive words, who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God. Surely her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. None who go to her return or attain the paths of life. Thus you will walk in the ways of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous. For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it; but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be torn from it.
#god #hopecenterforwomen #Jesus #scripture #bible #thearmorofgod #toni #victory