Do you have on the full "Armor of God?" Part 2

V. 12 "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

The combat that we have to prepare is not against ordinary men, it's not against your brother, sister, mother, father, friend, neighbor, co-worker, etc. It is not against a person made out of flesh and blood nor against our own corrupt nature, but against the devil who has a government that exercises in this world. He is like a serpent because of his subtlety, an old serpent, experienced in the art of tempting. He is a powerful enemy - principalities and powers and rulers. They are numerous and vigorous. The dark parts of the world are the seat of Satan's empire. The devil is a spirit, an wicked spirit; and our danger is greater because our enemies deprive us of our heavenly blessings and obstruct our communion with heaven. What is our duty? To take and put on the whole armor of God, and then to stand our ground, and withstand our enemies!

I. Characteristic of Spiritual Conflict:

     1.  An inward battle Romans 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law in my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

      2. Spiritual weapons 2 Corinthians 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.

      3. Invisible Foes Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

We are called to fight 1 Timothy 1:18 Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well. Not to just fight, but fight with faith. 1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of  the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In order to fight this fight and do well in it you have to be consecrated or dedicated to the service and worship of God. In 2 Timothy 2:4 says No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.

II. Satan's Power:

1. Permitted to afflict the righteous Job 1:12 The Lord said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your power but on the man himself do not lay a finger." Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

2. Claims authority over the world Luke 4:6 And he said to him, "I will give you all authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to."

3. Sinners under the dominion of Satan's power Acts 26:18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.

4. Blinds the minds of all unbelievers 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light to the gospel that displays the glory of Christ who is the image of God.

5. Contends (fights) with the saints Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

III. Evil Spirits:
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1. Matthew 12:45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself , and they enter and they dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So it shall be with this wicked generation. 

2. Mark 5:9 Then he asked him, What is your name? And he answered, saying, my name is Legion, for we are many.

3. Mark 1:26 And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.

4. Mark 7:30 And when she had came to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying in the bed.

5. Mark 16:9 Now He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast out seven demons.

Note: I have many more bible verses in regards to evil spirits and how Jesus set so many free. As I am speaking about the Armor of God, please note that you must have a personal relationship with God and the anointing of God upon you to do His work. You cannot use someone else's experiences, etc. The bible clearly states this in a.    Acts 19:13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed, they would say, in the name of Jesus, who Paul preaches, I commando you to come out.

IV. Spiritual Darkness (Spiritual blindness or dullness)

1. Micah 3:6 Therefore night will come over you, without visions, and darkness, without divination. The sun will set for the prophets, and the day will go dark for them

2. Matthew 6:23 “But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

3. John 1:5 “And the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend.”

4. John 3:19 “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

5.  Romans 13:12 “The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.”

6. Ephesians 5:8 “For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”

7. 1 Thessalonians 5:4 “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.”

V. 12 "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

Are you ready for combat? Have you been able to identify your real enemy? Do you understand why we have to have a relationship with God? 

Coming up next Part 3: V. 13-17 the Soldier's Equipment...don't miss it!

Resurrection of Jesus - Your Hope!

Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen Luke 24:5b-6

Today we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus. I can't imagine being there watching my Lord and Savior suffering for me; to wipe away my sin. However, what was going on in the disciples minds. When Jesus said it is finished. They probably felt despair, heartache, and much more, something that all of us have had at one time or another, disappointment of a dream. Jesus died like a sinner yet He was innocent. He was humiliated. He was also put in a tomb. When someone is buried or mentioned (that was the burial in those days) it was final. For three days nothing went on, our Lord Jesus was gone. The disciples must of felt hopelessness....

But then on early Sunday morning....

Death could not keep Him! The grave could not contain Him! He rose from death as Scriptures foretold. In doing so He broke the chains, He gave us the access to come boldly to His throne. Full access to Him and we could talk to Him and He did away with the sacrifices from the Old Testament because He was the ultimate sacrifice.

There is hope for you still today! He died and rose again just for you!
Today receive the best gift you will ever receive.

HE HAS RISEN! PRISE THE LIVING GOd!

Happy Easter!!

Do you have on the Full Armor of God? Ephesians 6:10-11

The Armor of God
Ephesian 6:11-19

v. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. v.12 For our struggle is not flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. v.13 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. v.14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, v.15 And with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace. v.16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, which with you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. v.17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. v.18 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. v.19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the Gospel, 

The book of Ephesians concludes with a precise comparison, perhaps he was looking at a Roman soldier, with his armor, patrolling the ground's of Paul's prison. Paul viewed the Christian life like a fight, warfare, and he wanted his readers to prepare themselves for combat with a dangerous opponent. As we read the verses above we can note two details. (1) Only the Sword of the Spirit is the defensive weapon, all the rest were used for defense. (2) There is no mention of a piece of armor on their back. Paul made no provision for running away from a spiritual battle.  It is a general persuasion (exhortation) of our firmness of mind and stability in our Christian walk and to encourage in our Christian battle (warfare). Is our life a battle? Yes, we struggle every day misfortune, life or death, events that cause harm - this is part of life. Is serving God a battle? Yes, because we struggle everyday with the opposition of the powers of darkness (remember this is not a physical fight but a spiritual one), and with many enemies that try to keep us from God. There are enemies we have to fight, but God is our banner and our Captain is Jesus Christ. However, there are some rules you must abide by:

v. 10 (I didn't include in the above verses) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.

1. This is an exhortation in battle (warfare) in the work of the Lord
1. 2 Timothy 2:1 Paul exhorts Timothy to be strong: You, then my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2. David tells his son Solomon: (1 Kings 2:2-3(a): ...so be strong, act like a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires...
3. There are so many examples in the Word of God telling us to be strong. 
4. You must have a relationship with God! Those who have to fight many battles need of great courage.
2. You have to have spiritual power: You have to be in the Lord. We do not have enough physical strength to fight this enemy. Our perfect strength is in our weakness but all of our sufficiency comes is in God. We must resist temptation in reliance/trusting upon God's omnipotent of His might.
1. Why do you need spiritual power? This spiritual power gives men courage to rebuke sin. Micah 3:8 But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression , to Israel his sin.
2. Why do we need spiritual power: Zechariah 4:6 So He said to me, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit," says the Lord almighty.
3. Why do we need spiritual power? Jesus is the supreme example of Spiritual Power. Luke 4:14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through the entire countryside. 
4. Why do we need spiritual power? Because it is accompanied by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
   
5. Why do we need spiritual power? Because it enables men to speak with authority see Acts 4:33
6. Why do we need spiritual power? Because it fills our lives with healing influences. See the following references: Acts 19:11-12; 1 Corinthians 2:4; Ephesians 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 1:5 and 2 Timothy 1:7
3. The other reason why we need spiritual power is because God is our Strength. If we look in Exodus 15:2 it says that the Lord is my strength and my defense...in 2 Samuel 22:33 it says God is my strength and power...Psalm 28:8 again The Lord is my strength, and He is the saving refuge of His anointed. Psalm 46:1 says God is our refuge and strength , very present help in trouble. Last but not least Psalm 73:26 says My flesh and my heart fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

v. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so you can take your stand against the devil's schemes (tricks).

We must be well armed. We must make use of the proper defenses and weapons that will fight or resist the temptations and tricks to deceive of Satan. Let no part be exposed.

1. Spiritual Armor Provided: 
1. In Romans 13:12 says The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds or work of darkness and put on the armor of light.
2. In 2 Corinthians 6:7 tells us that the Spiritual Armor provides the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left. 
3. And 1 Thessalonians 5:8 says but let who are of the day be sober, putting on their breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.
2. Duty of resisting (resist the devil)
1. In Ephesians 4:26-27 tells us Be angry, and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. This is one that I believe a lot of use need to practice because we get angry and sometimes don't talk to each other for days. So this verse is telling us that if we don't let that anger go before going to bed you are giving place to the devil. 
2. James 4:7 says Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he must flee from you. You know this is a verse that a lot of people like to quote but they only quote the second part "resist the devil and he must flee from you." However, the first part is a very essential part. We at one point of our lives had an issue with submitting, I know I did. I used to say I wasn't going to submit to no one but when Jesus comes in and transforms you and you have a real encounter with God, you submit.
3. And lastly under the topic of Duty of Resisting 1 Peter 5:8-9 says be sober, be diligent; because your adversary, the devil, walks about a roaring lion, seeking who he can devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. In other words, you are not the only one going through some issues. Sometimes we say no one understand what I'm going through, but there are others ahead of you that have already gone through it. So don't worry as long as you stand in faith you will not be touched by the roaring lion.
3. Satanic tricks or schemes:
1. 2 Corinthians 2:11 In order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not aware of his schemes.
2. 2 Thessalonians 2:5 says The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie. People this is the main reason you need to educate yourself and ask God for wisdom and understanding of His Word so that we are not confused or swayed very easily. Stand firm on the Rock that is Jesus Christ.
3. And Revelation 12:9 and 20:7 says as follows: The great dragon was hurled down  - that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth and his angels with him. Revelation 20:7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison.

It is called the armor of God because he prepares and gives it to us. This armor is prepared for us but we must daily put it on; we must pray for grace, we must use the grace given to us and draw it out into action when there is the occasion. We have to be completely armed so that we may be able to stand against the schemes/tricks of the devil. That we may be able to overcome, in spite of all the devils assaults, the deceptions he puts on us, all the traps he lays for us. The Apostle is trying to warn us of the dangers and that we must put on the whole armor of God considering the enemies we have to deal with, the devil and all the powers of darkness.

***Second part coming in a few days***