Christian Spiritual Warfare

Posts Tagged ‘Spiritual warfare’

I think it was Snoopy, in the Peanuts comic strip, who said, “We have seen the enemy, and they is us.” (If it wasn’t Snoopy, I apologize – but whoever did say it, got it right.) Often, we spend a great deal of time and energy looking for an enemy “out there” somewhere: our family, friends or workmates; our boss or pastor or the government; the weather, global warming or the financial crisis. And when all else fails we can always blame the devil and his demons.

Now I am not for a moment suggesting that people never do anything to harm us; or that political systems, the environment and economics don’t, on occasion, cause us problems. And most certainly the devil and his cohorts are always seeking for an opportunity to attack us.

What I am saying is that all too often we give these things far more credit than they are due. Sure, they may play some role in the problems we face, but often the root of the problem lies not in front of our eyes, but immediately behind them. It all starts with our thinking.

I was reminded again this week of a saying I first heard very early in my Christian life:

Sow a thought – reap a feeling;

Sow a feeling – reap an attitude;

Sow an attitude – reap an action;

Sow an action – reap a habit.

Let’s look at it a little more closely. Many people believe that emotions are simply things that come upon us, that we have no control over them and can do nothing to either cause or prevent them. This is absolutely not true.

Feelings are the result of thoughts. They are brought on by the things we tell ourselves about our circumstances or what is happening in our lives at the moment. Take an example: You are walking down the street and your friend, Mary, walks by without even acknowledging you. If you think to yourself, “What a snob! Just who does she think she is to just ignore me like that!” then you will start feeling angry. If you think, “Mary mustn’t like me any more,” then you will begin to feel sad or abandoned. If you think, “Mary must have some kind of serious worry that she didn’t notice me,” feelings of compassion will begin to come over you. If you think, “TeHe, Mary’s off in her own little world again. I’m going to give her heaps when I see her next!” then you will stir up feelings of affection toward your friend.

Did any of those feelings “just happen”? No, they were all directly prompted by your thoughts. A feeling is the consequence of a thought. We can change the feelings by changing the thoughts. What we cannot do is separate the thought and its consequence, the feeling.

Feelings, in turn, produce attitudes. Attitudes are the spectacles through which we view life. If we regularly allow ourselves to indulge thoughts of being rejected, producing feelings of rejection, these will eventually build into an attitude of rejection. Instead of just seeing rejection in one person or situation, we will begin to see rejection everywhere, and from everybody.

Once attitudes are entrenched in our lives, we begin to act out from those attitudes. If we see ourselves as being rejected, we begin to act like a rejected person. We put up walls. We take things personally. We respond as if we had been rejected, even if the person speaking was not directing his words to us in any way. The really sad thing is, when we act like this we actually bring rejection upon ourselves. It’s as if we had stuck a big sign on our backs saying “Reject Me!” The same applies to every attitude we act out.

Finally, those actions become a habit. Psychologists tell us that it only takes three weeks to establish a habit – and most people have been acting out their attitudes much longer than that! These things become our normal way of doing things, and the further we go the harder the pattern becomes to break.

Then, somewhere down the track, we realize that we have a problem going on in our lives. To stick with our illustration of rejection, we realize that we are being rejected right, left and center. That’s when we start throwing out the blame. It’s the fault of the people around us, who reject us. It’s our parents’ fault, because they rejected us. Maybe there is a demon of rejection operating in our lives? We seek deliverance, and get no results.

The uncomfortable truth is, even if there is a demonic force involved, it is there because we gave it a comfortable place to lodge. We are the problem: not our parents, not our friends, not our boss, not demons. What we have to do is go back to the beginning and change the equation. This whole downward spiral started with our thoughts. By changing our thoughts, we can reverse the spiral.

Now, it will not be easy, nor will it be instant. In the beginning we will have to consciously grab our thoughts and tell ourselves, “No. That isn’t the truth. This is.” To do that, we need the Word of God, so that we can replace the lies we have been telling ourselves with the truth of Scripture; and we need the Spirit of God, Who will help and empower us in our new way of thinking.

Yes, we can be our own greatest enemy. But we can also be our own best friend. It all depends on how we think.

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There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

WP-Bible plugin)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
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9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

WP-Bible plugin)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
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9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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“and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”

(Ephesians 6:15Ephesians 6:15
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15 and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace;

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Often when people read this verse, they think it is talking about the preaching of the Gospel. Preaching and witnessing are important, and are most certainly a part of our spiritual warfare. However, these are offensive measures – tactics which we use to take territory from the enemy. The armor, however, is defensive – it is our protection against the enemy’s attacks. Paul is not talking about our taking the Gospel to others, but rather about the effect that the Gospel has on us personally.

As with the whole of this passage about the armor of God, he is using the picture of the armor worn by a Roman soldier. On his feet the soldier wore heavy leather sandals, which were studded underneath with metal, so that no matter what kind of terrain the soldier had to cover, he would never slip or lose his grip. Paul is saying that is what the Gospel does for us.

How does the Gospel achieve this? It is the Gospel of Peace – and that means, firstly, that it is the Gospel that brought us peace with God. Before we heard the Gospel, we were God’s enemies. We may have been consciously and deliberately opposed to God, perhaps denying His existence or at least living as though He did not exist. Or we might have been “good” people, perhaps even churchgoers, but had never truly surrendered our lives to Christ. Either way, we were God’s enemies. There are only two possibilities in life – either we are in the Kingdom of God or the kingdom of darkness. Those in the kingdom of darkness are God’s enemies, and if they remain in that kingdom they will suffer the same judgment as the prince of that kingdom.

Being at war with God creates all kinds of problems in our lives, and leaves us open to the attack of the enemy on every side. However, when we heard and responded to the Gospel we changed sides – we switched our allegiance from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of God. Now we are no longer His enemies, but His friends and bound to Him in a covenant that guarantees He will fight on our behalf.

Since we are now God’s friends, we also have another benefit – the peace of God. This means that, because of our relationship with Him, we can walk through any situations that life might throw at us in perfect peace, knowing that He will work them all together for our good and His glory. That does not mean that we will never have problems, but that we can rest in the knowledge that God is bigger than all our problems.

Most important of all, we now know the God who is Peace. Jehovah Shalom, the Lord is my peace, was one of the names of God in the Old Testament. When we know Jehovah Shalom, we not only have the peace of God in our hearts in any situation, but we carry His peace with us wherever we go, and are able to release that peace into the situation. That’s why, in the middle of a storm that had the disciples – all of whom were experienced fishermen – absolutely terrified, Jesus was able to stand up and simply say, “Peace. Be still.” and the storm stopped.

The Gospel of peace does indeed allow us to walk through all of life’s troubled roads and never lose our footing.

Called to Battle Spiritual Warfare Seminar
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com

Free e-course: Put on the Armor of God
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com/armorofgod

This blog is © copyright Lynn Fowler.

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

WP-Bible plugin)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

WP-Bible plugin)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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Paul tells us that part of the defensive armor that God has given us is the shield of faith – but what, exactly, is faith, and how can it be a shield for us? Is it, as so many have taught over the years, I kind of button that we push to get what we want out of God, whenever we want it? Is it simply the adherence to a correct set of doctrinal precepts? Is it something we can get only by summoning every ounce of our will power and focusing it on believing?

 

One thing that we really need to understand is that faith is spiritual. No amount of intellectual understanding will produce it, nor will any amount of will power. Those things come from the soul, and the soul cannot produce spiritual results. Likewise, a hyped-up meeting that produces a wonderful emotional high cannot produce faith – emotions are also part of the soul realm. Sometimes those things may clear the way for us to move into faith; but at other times they may actually block the way and prevent us from finding true faith. Just as in an inoculation a “mini dose” of the disease, or something that is somewhat like the disease, can keep us from contracting the real disease, so trying to find faith through the soul realm can inoculate us against finding true faith.

 

Faith has three aspects: truth, relationship and action.

 

The truth aspect of faith is not something we can find by natural means, even by reading the Word of God. It has to come by revelation. Think about it: how often, before you came to the Lord, did you read the Bible and it made no sense to you at all? Then one day the Lord opened your eyes, and it became real and meaningful.

 

Truth has to be a revelation, because our minds are so minute compared to the mind of God. Our minds cannot begin to understand Him, just as the mind of an ant couldn’t begin to understand us. The only way we can know Him is by a revelation from His Spirit to our spirit.

 

That knowing then leads to the second part of the faith equation: relationship. It is not enough to know about God, we need to know Him personally in an intimate relationship. The more we know Him, the more we know that we can trust Him to do the things He has promised. Whilst Paul tells us to take up the shield of faith, Psalms tells us that “His faithfulness will be your shield” (Ps 91:4Ps 91:4
English: World English Bible - WEB
4 He will cover you with his feathers. Under his wings you will take refuge. His faithfulness is your shield and rampart.

WP-Bible pluginb). Our shield is not some kind of artificial belief summoned by the force of our will, but our rest in the faithfulness of Him with whom we are related.

 

This in turn leads to action. We automatically act out of the things we truly believe. We do not have to grit our teeth and say, “I believe thus, therefore I will act so.” It happens naturally. If our actions do not match our beliefs, then we either have serious mental problems or we do not really believe the things we think we believe. Particularly in relation to using faith as our shield, our actions include our words. If on one hand we say that we believe God is able to deal with whatever situations we face, but on the other hand we talk as if those situations are going to destroy us, then maybe we should look again at what we really believe. If our words are not a true expression both of the truth that has been revealed to us, and the relationship that we have with the Lord, then that faith will never be a sufficient shield to protect us against the attack of the enemy.

 

Called to Battle Spiritual Warfare Seminar
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com

Free e-course: Put on the Armor of God
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com/armorofgod

This blog is © copyright Lynn Fowler.

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

WP-Bible plugin)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

WP-Bible plugin)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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 If you have been a Christian for more than five minutes, you have probably experienced times when hearing from God has been difficult. We know it shouldn’t be that way – after all, Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice” – but that doesn’t help very much when our prayers just seem to bounce off the ceiling and God seems a million miles away.

 There’s also the old guilt-producing line that “if God seems far away, He didn’t move, you did.” Of course, that is sometimes true. We have allowed busyness, problems or pleasures to get between us and the face of God, and we need to repent and get back to the intimacy of our relationship with Him. Other times, though, it is simply not true. We desire Him as much as ever, but try as we may we are simply not receiving the answers to our questions.

 Daniel faced this problem, recorded in chapter 10 of his book. When an angel finally arrived with the answer to Daniel’s prayer, he explained that Daniel had been heard as soon as he prayed. However, there was a ruling principality over the area who had a vested interest in keeping Daniel from hearing what God had to say. That spiritual prince had wrestled with the angelic messenger, delaying him in bringing the answer to Daniel.

 We may find this hard to understand. How can demonic forces hinder the message that God wants to give to His people? Sometimes we need to suspend our desire to understand: not that God wants us to be mindless Christians, but some things are simply beyond our human understanding. God’s Word clearly tells us that this is what happened, therefore we need to be able to simply accept it.

 Unfortunately, many Christians live in blissful ignorance of the spiritual forces that surround us, and the constant battle that is being waged over this world. Just as those forces did not want Daniel to receive his answer from God, they also want to prevent us from receiving ours.

 However, there are two things that are very different for us than they were for Daniel. The first is that, if we have been born again, we have the Holy Spirit, who is God, living within us. He has restored our human spirit as the part of our being through which He can communicate with us. As we learn to develop our spirit, we have a means of hearing directly from Him – something with which external forces cannot directly interfere.

 There are times, though, when answers have to be dispatched not from the Spirit within us, but from the Throne Room. That’s where our second difference kicks in. Daniel had no authority over the battles in the spirit realm, but we have been given authority over all the power of the enemy. (Luke 10:19Luke 10:19
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19 Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will in any way hurt you.

WP-Bible plugin) Jesus said that what we bind on earth will be bound in heaven. In other words, we have the power to enter the battle and fight on the side of God’s angels.

We need to be pro-active. Simply putting our petitions out there and waiting for the answers to come is not enough, particularly when our prayers relate to issues which will bring damage to the kingdom of darkness. We need to be actively standing against any force which would hinder the answers coming to us; we need to be binding (forbidding) the enemy from hindering or delaying those answers; we need to be declaring an open heaven; and we need to be actively expecting to hear.

 

Called to Battle Spiritual Warfare Seminar
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com

Free e-course: Put on the Armor of God
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com/armorofgod

This blog is © copyright Lynn Fowler.

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

WP-Bible plugin)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

WP-Bible plugin)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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“The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Romans 13:12-14Romans 13:12-14
English: World English Bible - WEB
12 The night is far gone, and the day is near. Let’s therefore throw off the works of darkness, and let’s put on the armor of light. ¹³ Let us walk properly, as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and lustful acts, and not in strife and jealousy. ¹⁴ But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, for its lusts.

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These verses present the Armor of God in a totally different aspect from that which we normally see presented. In the midst of the battle, Paul tells us to “clothe [our]selves with the Lord Jesus Christ.” Just how does this relate to the Armor of God as presented in Ephesians 6?

In Ephesians, we are told first to be girded with the belt of truth. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” (John 14:6John 14:6
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6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.

WP-Bible plugin) When we are “clothed” in Jesus, His truth surrounds us and protects us, providing a sure foundation for our Christian life.

Next, we need to have the breastplate of righteousness in place. 1 Corinthians 1:301 Corinthians 1:30
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30 But of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption:

WP-Bible plugin tells us that Christ has been made our righteousness. We have been declared righteous because He is righteous; and we have been given His Spirit, Who has come to live in our hearts and transform our lives into His righteousness.

The shoes of the Gospel of Peace come next, and here too we find Jesus, for Ephesians 2:14Ephesians 2:14
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14 For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition,

WP-Bible plugin declares that “He Himself is our peace.” Through Christ, we who once were God’s enemies have been brought into His own family. Not only that, but He has given us His peace, so that we need not be troubled or dismayed by whatever circumstances life may throw at us. (John 14:27John 14:27
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27 Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, give I to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.

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As we put on the helmet of salvation, we know that the very Name, Jesus, means “YHWH saves.” It is Christ Himself Who protects our minds from the accusations and temptations of the evil one.

In taking up the shield of faith, we need not be discouraged that our own faith is small and weak, and may not be up to the task at hand. We can choose instead to say with Paul, “I live by the faith of the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20Galatians 2:20
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20 I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me. That life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.

WP-Bible plugin KJV). We know, too, that God’s faithfulness is our shield (Ps 91:4Ps 91:4
English: World English Bible - WEB
4 He will cover you with his feathers. Under his wings you will take refuge. His faithfulness is your shield and rampart.

WP-Bible plugin), and where better is God’s faithfulness expressed than in Jesus?

The sword of the Spirit, Ephesians tells us, is the Word of God. Both the written Word and the prophetic Word are “living and active, sharper than a two-edged sword” (Heb 4:12Heb 4:12
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12 For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

WP-Bible plugin), but both derive their power from the Living Word Who became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14John 1:14
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14 The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

WP-Bible plugin), the Lord Jesus Christ.

When we are “clothed in Christ”, living by the power of His Spirit within, He becomes our armor. We do not have to struggle and strive to put it on, but just to stand in what He has already given us. “Stand firm, then …”

 

Called to Battle Spiritual Warfare Seminar
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com

Free e-course: Put on the Armor of God
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com/armorofgod

This blog is © copyright Lynn Fowler.

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

WP-Bible plugin)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

WP-Bible plugin)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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 In Ephesians 6:14Ephesians 6:14
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14 Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

WP-Bible plugin, Paul admonishes us to stand “with the breastplate of righteousness in place.” (NIV) We know of course that this whole passage uses the metaphor of the armor of a Roman soldier to describe the things which God has given us as a protection against the attack of the enemy. The breastplate protected one of the most vital areas of the soldier’s body, guarding his heart against oncoming spears.

Likewise, the breastplate of righteousness protects our hearts, but we need to understand just whose righteousness we are talking about. Our own righteousness won’t help at all. The Bible tells us that our own righteousness is like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6Isaiah 64:6
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6 For we are all become as one who is unclean, and all our righteousness are as a polluted garment: and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

WP-Bible plugin). Could you imagine binding a bundle of dirty rags in front of your chest and hoping that it would protect you from spears and arrows? Neither can our own righteousness protect us from the attacks of the devil. His spears of accusation very quickly and easily penetrate our righteous facade, hitting the mark on all the false motives and motivations that lie beneath.

No, to protect us from such attacks we need something far sturdier than filthy rags. Fortunately, God has provided that protection for us in the righteousness of Christ.

Just so nobody has any doubts or confusion, God has declared that, apart from Christ, there has never been a single person who, in him or herself, was totally righteous. Paul’s declaration that “There is no one righteous, not even one … there is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10,12Romans 3:10,12
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10 As it is written, “There is no one righteous. No, not one. ¹² They have all turned aside. They have together become unprofitable. There is no one who does good, No, not, so much as one.”

WP-Bible plugin) is an echo of Psalms 14:1-3Psalms 14:1-3
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14 For the Chief Musician. By David. ¹ The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt. They have done abominable works. There is none who does good. ² Yahweh looked down from heaven on the children of men, To see if there were any who did understand, Who did seek after God. ³ They have all gone aside. They have together become corrupt. There is none who does good, no, not one.

WP-Bible plugin and 53:1-3 and Ecclesiastes 7:20Ecclesiastes 7:20
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20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth, who does good and doesn’t sin.

WP-Bible plugin. When God repeats something several times, we know that it is important. Very simply, “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23Romans 3:23
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23 for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;

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There was, however, One Who was totally righteous, and that was the Lord Jesus Christ – God the Son manifested in the flesh. He not only lived a perfect, sinless life, but He allowed Himself to be put to death on a Cross, bearing all the sin and unrighteousness of mankind. Because He has borne our sin, He is able to credit us with His righteousness when we come to Him and accept His grace.

2 Corinthians 5:212 Corinthians 5:21
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21 For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

WP-Bible plugin tells us of this wonderful exchange: “For He has made Him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” Theologians speak of this as Christ’s righteousness being imputed to us – that is, God declares us righteous because we are in Christ and He is righteous.

Now we have something sturdy to defend our hearts. When the devil starts throwing his spears of accusation – “You call yourself a Christian? Remember what you did when …” – we can tell him that we are not standing in our own righteousness, but that of Christ.

It doesn’t stop there, however. (“Wait, there’s more …”) God is not content to simply declare us righteous, but leave us locked in sin. When we come to Him, He places His own Spirit in our hearts. As we allow the Holy Spirit to live His life within us, we find ourselves beginning to be transformed. God has not only imputed Christ’s righteousness to us, He is also imparting it to us. That, of course, requires an active participation on our part, for God will never override our will.

If we are born again, Christ’s imputed righteousness is already ours. The breastplate is already in place. As we walk with Him, becoming more and more transformed into His likeness, it becomes more and more our own.

 

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

WP-Bible plugin)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

WP-Bible plugin)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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When I was a very young minister (more years ago than I care to think about) I was pastoring a tiny pioneer church in Wollongong, on the south coast of New South Wales. In the congregation was a young couple whom I had joined in marriage just a few months before, and who were very new Christians.

One day the young husband approached me, looking very concerned. “Pastor Lynn,” he said, squirming awkwardly. “Someone told me the other day that we should put the “blood line” around our property. How do we do that? Do we need to kill a chicken or something?… ” Trying hard to suppress a chuckle at his innocence, I explained to him about the blood of Jesus.

People who have not been brought up in Christianity find it bizarre when we talk about the blood. Some have even accused the Christian faith of being a “butcher shop” religion. Sadly, even within the Church some find the blood too hard a concept to handle. I was recently visiting a church for their Sunday night service. The pastor talked about the sinless life of Jesus, and said that we are saved by that life. “Jesus looks at Fred,” he said, “and says, ‘Father, I like him’, so Father God says, “O.K., he can come in.” This was a most dreadful perversion of the Gospel, and I left vowing never to go to that church again.

The truth is, we are not saved by Jesus’ life. Jesus’ life demonstrates to us how man can and should live, if he is filled with and dependent upon the Holy Spirit. But if Jesus had just lived on earth for a time, and then been caught back to heaven without passing through death, His life would have been to us much as the Law was to the people of Israel in the Old Testament: a pointer to an unattainable standard which offered us nothing that would enable us to reach that standard.

Something else was needed first, and that something was death, the shedding of blood. God had set the death penalty for sin, and His justice demanded that penalty be paid. We are not saved by Jesus’ perfect life, but by the fact that He went to the Cross, shed His blood, and paid that death penalty on our behalf. Because of His shed blood, our sins are forgiven. Because our sins are forgiven we are reconnected with the life of God, and He sends the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts. When we have the Holy Spirit living within – and only then – we are able to live as Jesus lived, by allowing the Spirit to live His life through us.

So, what about my young friend and the blood line? In the Old Testament, at the Passover, the people were told to kill a lamb. Some of the lamb’s blood was to be daubed on the door posts and lintels of their home, and they were to eat the lamb inside the house. When the angel of death came through the land to kill all the firstborn – the final plague that God brought against the Egyptians to convince them to let the Israelites go – he would see the blood and pass over that house.

This sacrifice was symbolic of the far greater sacrifice that was to come, that of Christ on the Cross. Just as the blood of the Passover lamb provided protection for the people of Israel, so the blood of Jesus provides protection for anyone who will receive Him. It protects us from the attack of the devil, when he comes and accuses us, because we can now tell him that the sins he is trying to dredge up have been forgiven because of the blood of Jesus.

It also protects us from the kind of demonic attacks that would try to harm us or damage our property, because the blood of Jesus has brought us into covenant relationship with God. That covenant relationship means that God has committed Himself to defending us.

When we “place the blood line” around a property, we are simply declaring that this territory is under God’s protection, because the blood of Jesus has been shed for us. The blood of Jesus is the only antidote to sin, and is the source of our authority over the enemy.

Called to Battle Spiritual Warfare Seminar
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com

Free e-course: Put on the Armor of God
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com/armorofgod

This blog is © copyright Lynn Fowler.

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

WP-Bible plugin)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

WP-Bible plugin)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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A little while ago I was invited to become part of an international ministry network. I visited their web site, and found information about the organization and its leaders, but nothing to indicate what they actually believed. When I enquired about this, I was told “We just preach the whole Gospel.”

Unfortunately, as I pointed out to them, the interpretation of what constitutes “the whole Gospel” varies widely. In a perfect Church, to say “we preach the whole Gospel” would be enough, but in a sadly divided, often backslidden and definitely far from perfect Church, I want a somewhat clearer definition of beliefs before I sign on the dotted line.

When Paul wrote about the armor of God in Ephesians 6, the first item he mentioned was the belt of truth. This was for a very good reason. For a Roman soldier, the belt was not just the thing that held his toga up! His weapons hung on his belt, and it even had straps going over the shoulders so that his breastplate also hung on it. For us also, everything hangs on truth, both our weapons and our breastplate of righteousness.

Very simply, what we do, and how we live, depends on what we believe. If we believe that Jesus was just a good man, then we will never look to Him for salvation, because we know that no man, no matter how good, is able to save us. If we believe that satan does not exist, we will not be prepared to resist his attacks; on the other hand, if we believe that he is so big and powerful that we don’t stand a chance against him, then we will give up the fight before we even start.

Some time ago there was a popular song that said, “You and me baby ain’t nothing but mammals, so let’s do it like they do on the Discovery Channel.” That song, and the sentiments it expressed, was a logical result of a belief in evolution.

What we believe matters, and defining what we believe matters. If we don’t define what we believe, we can never define what we don’t believe. If we don’t define that Jesus is God in the flesh, then we have no defence against those who say he was just a good man, or a prophet. If we don’t define that the Bible is the Word of God, we have no defence against those who say it only contains the word of God, which means by definition that some parts are not (and generally results in people discarding the bits they don’t like.)

We do not have the liberty – or the responsibility – to determine for ourselves what is truth. God has already presented it to us in His Word. What we need to do is to become so familiar with the Word that it becomes an integral part of our lives, so central to our thought processes that everything we do flows out of it.

Truth will then become the belt of our armor, holding up our weapons and supporting the righteousness that is ours in Christ.

Called to Battle Spiritual Warfare Seminar
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com

Free e-course: Put on the Armor of God
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com/armorofgod

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

WP-Bible plugin)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

WP-Bible plugin)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Eph. 6:12Eph. 6:12
English: World English Bible - WEB
12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

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Often in our Christian walk we find people are opposed to us. They may ridicule us or ostracize us. They may thwart our plans and make our lives difficult. If we live in one of the countries where Christians are in a minority, they may do far worse, denying us employment or education, even throwing us into prison and killing us.

As we face that opposition, however mild or severe it may be, we need to understand that our primary problem is not the people, but the forces that lie behind them. Certainly, the people have a free will and have chosen to align themselves with those forces. But having made that choice, they are now captives. (What, you’ve never made a wrong choice in your life?)

What lies behind them is nothing less than the army of satan – an army which has its generals and commanders, and ranks right down to the lowest private (demon). This army is highly organized, mercilessly disciplined, and bent on just one thing: world domination. In the effort to achieve that end, its forces will manipulate and maneuver the people who are available to it to attack the people of God in every possible way.

The closer we get to the return of Jesus, the more active the forces of satan are in the world. I see it as I read the news from the persecuted church: more Christians are suffering torture, imprisonment and death for their faith today than have at any other time in church history.

If we try only to deal with the human side of the equation, we are only putting Band-aids on a cancer. The truth is, Jesus Christ defeated satan at the Cross. Satan continues to get away with his attack on God’s people only because we are silly enough to waste our time battling with people, instead of standing in the victory that Jesus has already won for us, taking up the Sword of the Spirit, and tearing down the demonic strongholds that are our real opponents.

Called to Battle Spiritual Warfare Seminar
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com

Free e-course: Put on the Armor of God
Find it at http://armorofgod.lynnbfowler.com

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

WP-Bible plugin)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

WP-Bible plugin)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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 ”Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Ephesians 6:11Ephesians 6:11
English: World English Bible - WEB
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

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Down through the ages, many people have used talismans to protect them from the forces of evil. Even the cross has at times been used as a talisman, with the wearer believing that just by putting it on she is protected from whatever may come against her.

Unfortunately, many people use these verses about the armour in the same way. They pray them glibly each morning, “putting on” the armour, and rest happy and comfortable in the thought that they are protected.

That is not what Paul was talking about. In telling us to “put on” the armour, he is not suggesting that we simply say a “lucky charm” prayer, but rather that we adopt a lifestyle that will truly enable us to stand against every attack of the enemy.

To put on the belt of truth is to have our lives girded, in every area, with both the eternal truth of the Word of God and the truthfulness of a child of God, created in the image of the God who is Truth.

To put on the breastplate of righteousness is to know that our heart is protected both because God has declared us to be righteous in Christ, and because His righteousness is being worked out in our lives.

To be shod with the Gospel of peace means to be able to walk safely in any area, secure in the knowledge that the Gospel has brought us both peace with God and the peace of God, and that we are upheld by the God who is Peace.

To take up the shield of faith is to meet every attack with faith in God’s faithfulness; a faith which has been soaked long in the water of the Word.

To take the helmet of salvation is to have our mind, our eyes, our ears and our mouth shielded by the totality of God’s salvation for every aspect of our lives, allowing nothing to enter that has not been filtered through that salvation.

To take the sword of the Spirit is to allow the Word of God to permeate our lives, so that we can use it to answer the devil’s temptations, just as Jesus did in the wilderness.

None of that is a quick, “lucky charm” prayer. It is a lifestyle, and it takes work.

Lord, teach us to live in Your armour, always fully clad and equipped to meet the worst that the enemy can throw at us.

Called to Battle Spiritual Warfare Seminar
Find it at http://christianspiritualwarfaregtk.com

Free e-course: Put on the Armor of God
Find it at http://armorofgod.lynnbfowler.com

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:51 Timothy 2:5
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

WP-Bible plugin)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9Colossians 2:9
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

WP-Bible plugin)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11Philippians 2:9-11
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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