Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Scripture Songs for Download
I spent some of 2010 mixing a couple songs to scripture verses and composing music and overlaying scripture onto them. The artists consist of Tom Petty, Owl City, Sleeping Giant, Paper Tongues, Sufjan Stephens, Justin Rizzo, and others. The music was composed on a Korg R3 and possibly mixed with beats from ACID 5.0.
Click this link to download them. Scripture Songs 2010 Listen to the word and watch your faith increase.
Click this link to download them. Scripture Songs 2010 Listen to the word and watch your faith increase.
Spiritual Warfare in Brief
Spiritual Warfare in Brief
The following is a basic interpretation of the armor of God that can be used to understand and implement spiritual warfare through being a spiritual warrior or ambassador. A basic scriptural exposition verse by verse of Ephesians 6:10-20 will show that the Christian is able to demonstrate the victory that Christ has won on this earth; first by being a new creation in union with the Holy Spirit and having as part of his very being the armaments of the armor of God, secondly by acting in this world to will and do the work of the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 6:10-20
10 Finally my brethren be strong in the Lord and the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 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.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.
14 Stand therefore having you loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, were with you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.
20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds; that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Spiritual warfare can only be considered when the Christian considers the armor that they have put on. A Christian should not consider entering into spiritual warfare without their armor. Yet to be a Christian is to enlist into the army of God.
First, we must understand the position that the believer has in Christ. In all spiritual battles they are the victor. On the cross Christ stated that “It is finished”. Christ tells us in Revelation 1:18, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death”. Essentially he is telling the Christian that he has defeated the last enemy, that is death, and he has the keys of hell and death. He has the power over them. By our position as sons of God, and heirs with Christ, his position is ours. 1 John 4:17 says, “As He is, so are we in this world”. Also note here that John was referring to Christ after the resurrection here. Now take that statement “as He is, so are we in this world” and apply to the situations that we may see as warfare: demonic manifestations, someone with a cold, someone with cancer, someone with schizophrenia, even someone unsaved on their way to hell. As he is so are we. Through Christ we can heal the cold, cure the cancer, make whole the schizophrenic, and save the lost; because Christ has done it so will we.
This is what John G. Lake says of our position in Christ with some indignation, sarcasm:
“If you are born again, you are a son of God. And for you to tear yourself out of your sonship, your relationship and the righteousness of God, and to put yourself over into the reality of death, and tell God you are dirty and unclean, that his blood has not cleansed you, and His life has not been delivered to you, it is a monstrous thing. It is all right to sing as an unregenerate, but it is not the experience of the sons and daughters of God.
Here is our position through Christ Jesus. God has become our righteousness. We have become His very sons and daughters, and you sing weakness, and you talk weakness and you pray weakness, and you sing unbelief, and you pray and talk it, and you go out and live it. You are like that good old woman. She said, I do love the doctrine of falling from grace, and I practice it all the time. Another man said, brother, I believe in the dual nature, I believe that when I would do good, evil is always present with me, and I thank God that evil is always there. (70-71)
Our position is that of Christ. As he is so are we in this world. Christ did spiritual warfare on this earth and won; with demonic manifestation, with the deaf man, with the mute, with the lack of food, with man’s sin. In every case Christ faced the work of the Devil or the Devil himself and won. “As he is so are we in this world”. So if then we are the victors in every battle as Christ is the eternal victor what is spiritual warfare for us? Let’s look at our armor that we wear as Christians and why we wear it.
Paul was able to say in verse 10, “Finally my brethren be strong in the Lord and the power of his might.” He understood very well that the Christians strength is in the Lord. The humble and yielded human spirit is in the perfect position for the power of God to work though. Paul was also making a statement of faith, reminding believers to be strong (have faith in) the Lord and the power of his might. Be strong to stand.
Verse 11 “Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Notice here that this is the enemy’s primary weapon against the believer: wiles. Wiles can also be taken as tricks, charm, deception, or even dishonesty. It is important to know that the enemy primarily uses tricks on the believer. This is mostly to trick them into forgetting or not believing their position as victor in Christ. Now had Paul been writing to non believers his list would have contained much more than wiles: sickness, disease, sin, calamity, and any of the results of sin and evil’s influence on the world. But, glory to God, this list is not for the believer, the believer is told to stand against the wiles of the Devil.
Verse 12 “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”. Paul tells us we are fighting against the darkness of this world; the army of the Devil to put it simply. The Devil who has already lost, who does not even have ultimate control over death and hell, because Jesus has the keys, is the wickedness. There is an enemy. Look around the world; look at the violence, the poverty, human trafficking, and lack of value of human life, broken families, abuse, sickness and disease. This is from the rulers of the darkness of this world. But read 1 John 4:4, “Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world”. And Luke 10:19, “behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you”. Again John G. Lake says after going through Africa and casting devils out of witch doctors, “The real Child of God was to be a master over every power of darkness in the world” (149). The enemy is real in the world. The devil is behind every force in opposition to God, but greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.
The devil uses his wiles in the spiritual wickedness in high places. His hope is to trick the child of God from realizing his potential and position in Christ. For the Christian the spirit is saved and seated in heavenly places with Christ; it cannot be touched by the wiles of the devil. As Ephesians 2:6 says, “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:” But the Christian’s spirit is part of the body and soul, and these areas can be affected by the wiles or tricks of the devil. Peter warns “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” (1 Peter 5:8) Timothy Jorgenson explains there are five areas of the soul: emotion, intellect, memory, imagination, and the will (35). Each of these must be fully committed and grounded in Christ to stand firm. The Devil’s wiles are described in 2 Corinthians 4:4 in this realm of the mind in “whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them”.
The Devil attempts to do this by causing believers to be double minded. James 1:8 says, “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” This can look like a person on a search for the truth or someone embracing all truth, even someone believing the Old and New Testament truth to coexist, which will be explained later. The believer wins when he accepts Christ’s word as the final authority. This means one must settle that the Bible is true; if a text is not inspired from the Word, Jesus Christ, it is not to be believed. David knew this and his belief in God and God’s promises lead him to continual victory. He wrote, “Forever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven”. (Psalm 119:89) There is no new truth, God has presented it, Jesus is the truth, and will lead us into all truth. In fact as Christians we have the spirit of truth living within us.
Of crucial importance is the trick the Devil uses to attempt to have the believer mix the nature of the relationship between God and man the old covenant made with Abraham and that which Jesus made with us. The Word clearly states, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. (2 Corinthians 5:17) We know that everything we were in the past has been made new by Jesus Christ, in essence we are new beings. Before Christ no one existed as we do. When the Christian compares themselves to John the Baptist, the disciples (pre-Pentecost), Moses, David or Elijah, they are being tricked by the wiles of the Devil. Not one of those great men of the old covenant had Christ as their mediator, who was always making intercessions for them, had the Holy Spirit anointing that abides at all times or was the righteousness of God in Christ. Jesus said this in Luke 7:28 saying, “For I say unto you, among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” As 1 John 4:17 says, “as he (Jesus) is so are we in this world”.
Verse 13 says, “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.” This verse says to take the whole armor of God: the truth, the gospel of peace and the Holy Spirit; righteousness, salvation, and faith. These are not armaments that are picked up and put down, but the very meaning of “having done all to stand” implies having everything finished and abiding in you, working out of you (Strong’s G1746, G537, G2476). The Christian stands fully armed because of what Christ has done.
Verse 14: “Stand therefore having you loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.” These are both armaments that the Christian has because of Christ, not things to strive for, but things to be. Jesus promises in John 16:13,”Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.” 1 John 3:24 reminds the believer that the Spirit abides in him. This is also true of the righteousness that Christ has purchased for us by his blood. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” EW Kenyon puts it this way:
That Son went on the Cross by the determinate counsel of God, became sin, took our
place as a Substitute. Then He conquered the Enemy and made Righteousness
available to man. A redemption that did not make man Righteous would be a fallacy.
Until man is Righteous and knows it, Satan reigns over him, sin and disease are his
masters. But the instant he knows that he is the Righteousness of God in Christ and
knows what that Righteousness means, Satan is defeated. (7)
Verse 15 “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” Christ means for us to ever be at peace because of the promise of the gospel, the fulfilled good news. Jesus, in presenting the fact that he would leave the Comforter for the disciples, sequentially states in John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” He knew that they did not need to be afraid because the Holy Spirit would dwell in them. The Christian should be prepared to bring peace where the Devil has brought chaos: in homes, in communities, and even in churches.
Verse 16 “Above all, taking the shield of faith, were with you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked”. The shield of faith is the armament that keeps the believer from being double minded. Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” It is the actual possession of the things which God has promised, which Jesus Christ has completed. Kenneth Hagin says this about faith:
Faith is not hope…. You see, just wanting something from God won't get the job done. If just wanting something from God was all it took to receive from God, we'd all have it made. We would receive instantly. But faith that receives from God isn't hoping or wanting. The only kind of faith that gets the job done is the Bible-kind of faith which believes God and acts on what it believes. You'll not receive from God because you hope. Nowhere in the Bible does God say that when we pray, we shall receive what we hope for. But God's Word does say in Mark 11:24, ". . . What things so ever ye desire, when ye pray, BELIEVE that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." (35)
This type of faith is in the possession of every Christian. Ephesians 2:8 says that we are saved through faith. If you have had the faith to believe in Christ you have the faith to believe the promises, position, and provisions he has endowed you with. The shield of faith is the first barrier to all the fiery darts of the wicked. But it is more even than that. James 2:26 also says that faith without works is dead. The wicked one’s fiery darts will come at us and we need to act in faith to quench those fiery darts. We’ve seen this happen all too often. First someone gets a cold. Then people begin to say that they are getting sick. Next they are buying cough drops making doctor appointments; their friends are staying away so they don’t get sick. Could it be that that cold is a fiery dart from the wicked one? The comments, cough drops, and appointments are fuel for the fiery dart. The word cold could be replaced with any of the enemy’s tactics: depression, idleness, disease, or anger. Faith will encounter the fiery dart and say, believing it true and real, that they do not have a cold because they are healed by the stripes Jesus bore. Faith is acting upon God’s word (42).
Verse 17 “And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God”. The helmet of salvation is the badge the Christian wears that places them in their position of authority. Romans 10:9 states the manner in which the believer arrives there, “That if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shall be saved.” Ephesians 1 also tells the believer where Christ has positioned them: “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his own will: In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise…(7,11,13) Through Christ the Christian wears the helmet of salvation making them both a son of God and an heir with Christ. Early it was stated that Christ has the keys to both hell and death. Philippians further tells us of Christ’s authority that we may execute:
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (6) Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: (7) But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: (8) And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (9) Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: (10) That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; (11) And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:5-11
The believer has the mind of Christ. Christ knows that His name is above every name. We know that at the name of Christ every knee should bow. Wearing the helmet of salvation is not simply a sign of escape from eternal damnation (though it is); it is a badge of honor symbolizing our place of authority in the kingdom of God.
The sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, is the weapon that is both spiritual and material. It is spiritual in that the believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit and every action that is for the Kingdom of God, done under his authority is initiated and acted out by the Holy Spirit in the spiritual realm. As Genesis 1:2 states that the Spirit of God hovered over the world during creation, Hebrews 11:3 states, “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” It is material as in each believer must act for the Spirit to act. John G. Lake says that “if the Holy Ghost has come down from heaven into your soul, common sense teaches us that He has made you the master thereby of every power in the world “(145). The word of God spoken by believers is acted on by the Holy Spirit resulting in victory. 1 John 2:14 says, “I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.” Again this sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, is an armament that is not taken off but is part of the Christians being. Every Christian would do well to be prepared in remaining the victor over the enemy by memorizing the following verses: Ephesians 4:27, Ephesians 6:11, James 4:7 1 Corinthians 10:13, Matthew 17:20 and Luke 10:19. Despite what things currently look like, God’s word is always the reality. The Christian needs to speak the word.
Verse 18, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, and watching there unto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” Paul places the action of prayer after the armaments of the Christian as an action that someone fully equipped should now do, expecting victory. Read 1 John 5:14-15 understanding this is the way your prayer is enacted, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us: (15) And if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” Paul tells the believer that they should always be in prayer. This is truly the case if the Christian is united with the Holy Spirit, ever in communion with the Son, ever in communion with the Father. The sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, is the ammunition of prayers. Brandt and Bicket remind us that, “faith’s greatest stimulant is the Word of God made alive by the Holy Spirit” (214).
Paul’s second action with prayer is persistence or perseverance. Just as Jesus says in Matthew 7:7-8, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: (8) For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened.” Paul understood that even though circumstances may not show the victory, that Christ was the victor, and as Jesus instructed (as the Greek implies continual action in ask, seek, and knock; Strong’s G154, G2212, G2925) that persistence in prayer would demonstrate the answer.
Verse 19 shows Paul asking for specific prayer to undoubtedly become an effective warrior, “And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.” Notice in the gospels that almost every instance of Christ healing, casting out devils, or restoring a soul is done with a verbal or physical action. Here is a brief listing only in the book of Matthew (there are over 200 references throughout the New Testament) of verses where Jesus Christ used words or actions to destroy the works of the enemy and to bring the kingdom of God on Earth as it is in Heaven: Matthew 4:7, Matthew 8:13, Matthew 9:2, Matthew 9:28, Matthew 12:25, Matthew 14:16, Matthew 14:31, Matthew 15:28, Matthew 16:8, Matthew 17:7. Paul understood that there was action associated with his beholding the victory, in this case for him to open his mouth and speak boldly.
Verse 20 states, “For which I am an ambassador in bonds; that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” Paul further emphasizes that he must speak boldly, as he should. It is not a question to him as to whether or not to share the gospel; he says he ought to. He also uses a title for himself that embodies the spiritual warrior armed and bringing the rule and reign of another Kingdom: an ambassador. An ambassador is a representative of another kingdom who typically has an embassy (their kingdom within the foreign kingdom) and has all their means supplied from their home country. Paul understood that he was in the kingdom of God at all times, even though he was dwelling on the Earth. He understood that all things pertaining to the kingdom had been supplied to him through Christ. He also understood that it was his obligation to speak boldly the good news of the kingdom of God to those he met.
Curry R. Blake describes spiritual warfare and being a spiritual warrior as it “is a lifestyle of daily readiness; a lifestyle of daily preparation and training; a lifestyle of discipline that becomes second nature to you. It includes spiritual disciplines such as fasting and prayer. Everything you do is spiritual warfare. Nothing is innocent or neutral. You are constantly under surveillance by both friendly and hostile forces. You are either preparing to fight, training to fight, fighting, or analyzing the last fight. If you are not doing one of those four things, you are not a spiritual warrior.” (7)
This all being taken into account: who you are in Christ, your union with the Spirit, the position you have in the Kingdom, the armaments which are part of your new creation being, and what you must do to boldly proclaim the gospel, destroy the works of the enemy, and bring the kingdom of God to appear; it is vitally important to have in mind the will of God. “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which sees the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40) Jesus expected victory in every circumstance, and had victory. Lastly, when we pray we should remember that as Jesus Christ prayed He was praying with full confidence that what He said was happening. Pray this with that assurance.
Matthew 6:9-13 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. (10) Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. (11) Give us this day our daily bread. (12) And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. (13) And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Bibliography
John G Lake His Life His Sermons His Boldness of Faith
Timothy Jorgenson Spirit Life Training
Kenneth E Hagin Bible Faith Study Course
Curry R. Blake Spiritual Warrior Apostolic Training
E W Kenyon Two Kinds of Righteousness
Robert L. Brandt and Zenas J. Bicket The Spirit Helps Us Pray
KJV Bible
The following is a basic interpretation of the armor of God that can be used to understand and implement spiritual warfare through being a spiritual warrior or ambassador. A basic scriptural exposition verse by verse of Ephesians 6:10-20 will show that the Christian is able to demonstrate the victory that Christ has won on this earth; first by being a new creation in union with the Holy Spirit and having as part of his very being the armaments of the armor of God, secondly by acting in this world to will and do the work of the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 6:10-20
10 Finally my brethren be strong in the Lord and the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 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.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.
14 Stand therefore having you loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, were with you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.
20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds; that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Spiritual warfare can only be considered when the Christian considers the armor that they have put on. A Christian should not consider entering into spiritual warfare without their armor. Yet to be a Christian is to enlist into the army of God.
First, we must understand the position that the believer has in Christ. In all spiritual battles they are the victor. On the cross Christ stated that “It is finished”. Christ tells us in Revelation 1:18, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death”. Essentially he is telling the Christian that he has defeated the last enemy, that is death, and he has the keys of hell and death. He has the power over them. By our position as sons of God, and heirs with Christ, his position is ours. 1 John 4:17 says, “As He is, so are we in this world”. Also note here that John was referring to Christ after the resurrection here. Now take that statement “as He is, so are we in this world” and apply to the situations that we may see as warfare: demonic manifestations, someone with a cold, someone with cancer, someone with schizophrenia, even someone unsaved on their way to hell. As he is so are we. Through Christ we can heal the cold, cure the cancer, make whole the schizophrenic, and save the lost; because Christ has done it so will we.
This is what John G. Lake says of our position in Christ with some indignation, sarcasm:
“If you are born again, you are a son of God. And for you to tear yourself out of your sonship, your relationship and the righteousness of God, and to put yourself over into the reality of death, and tell God you are dirty and unclean, that his blood has not cleansed you, and His life has not been delivered to you, it is a monstrous thing. It is all right to sing as an unregenerate, but it is not the experience of the sons and daughters of God.
Here is our position through Christ Jesus. God has become our righteousness. We have become His very sons and daughters, and you sing weakness, and you talk weakness and you pray weakness, and you sing unbelief, and you pray and talk it, and you go out and live it. You are like that good old woman. She said, I do love the doctrine of falling from grace, and I practice it all the time. Another man said, brother, I believe in the dual nature, I believe that when I would do good, evil is always present with me, and I thank God that evil is always there. (70-71)
Our position is that of Christ. As he is so are we in this world. Christ did spiritual warfare on this earth and won; with demonic manifestation, with the deaf man, with the mute, with the lack of food, with man’s sin. In every case Christ faced the work of the Devil or the Devil himself and won. “As he is so are we in this world”. So if then we are the victors in every battle as Christ is the eternal victor what is spiritual warfare for us? Let’s look at our armor that we wear as Christians and why we wear it.
Paul was able to say in verse 10, “Finally my brethren be strong in the Lord and the power of his might.” He understood very well that the Christians strength is in the Lord. The humble and yielded human spirit is in the perfect position for the power of God to work though. Paul was also making a statement of faith, reminding believers to be strong (have faith in) the Lord and the power of his might. Be strong to stand.
Verse 11 “Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Notice here that this is the enemy’s primary weapon against the believer: wiles. Wiles can also be taken as tricks, charm, deception, or even dishonesty. It is important to know that the enemy primarily uses tricks on the believer. This is mostly to trick them into forgetting or not believing their position as victor in Christ. Now had Paul been writing to non believers his list would have contained much more than wiles: sickness, disease, sin, calamity, and any of the results of sin and evil’s influence on the world. But, glory to God, this list is not for the believer, the believer is told to stand against the wiles of the Devil.
Verse 12 “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”. Paul tells us we are fighting against the darkness of this world; the army of the Devil to put it simply. The Devil who has already lost, who does not even have ultimate control over death and hell, because Jesus has the keys, is the wickedness. There is an enemy. Look around the world; look at the violence, the poverty, human trafficking, and lack of value of human life, broken families, abuse, sickness and disease. This is from the rulers of the darkness of this world. But read 1 John 4:4, “Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world”. And Luke 10:19, “behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you”. Again John G. Lake says after going through Africa and casting devils out of witch doctors, “The real Child of God was to be a master over every power of darkness in the world” (149). The enemy is real in the world. The devil is behind every force in opposition to God, but greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.
The devil uses his wiles in the spiritual wickedness in high places. His hope is to trick the child of God from realizing his potential and position in Christ. For the Christian the spirit is saved and seated in heavenly places with Christ; it cannot be touched by the wiles of the devil. As Ephesians 2:6 says, “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:” But the Christian’s spirit is part of the body and soul, and these areas can be affected by the wiles or tricks of the devil. Peter warns “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” (1 Peter 5:8) Timothy Jorgenson explains there are five areas of the soul: emotion, intellect, memory, imagination, and the will (35). Each of these must be fully committed and grounded in Christ to stand firm. The Devil’s wiles are described in 2 Corinthians 4:4 in this realm of the mind in “whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them”.
The Devil attempts to do this by causing believers to be double minded. James 1:8 says, “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” This can look like a person on a search for the truth or someone embracing all truth, even someone believing the Old and New Testament truth to coexist, which will be explained later. The believer wins when he accepts Christ’s word as the final authority. This means one must settle that the Bible is true; if a text is not inspired from the Word, Jesus Christ, it is not to be believed. David knew this and his belief in God and God’s promises lead him to continual victory. He wrote, “Forever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven”. (Psalm 119:89) There is no new truth, God has presented it, Jesus is the truth, and will lead us into all truth. In fact as Christians we have the spirit of truth living within us.
Of crucial importance is the trick the Devil uses to attempt to have the believer mix the nature of the relationship between God and man the old covenant made with Abraham and that which Jesus made with us. The Word clearly states, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. (2 Corinthians 5:17) We know that everything we were in the past has been made new by Jesus Christ, in essence we are new beings. Before Christ no one existed as we do. When the Christian compares themselves to John the Baptist, the disciples (pre-Pentecost), Moses, David or Elijah, they are being tricked by the wiles of the Devil. Not one of those great men of the old covenant had Christ as their mediator, who was always making intercessions for them, had the Holy Spirit anointing that abides at all times or was the righteousness of God in Christ. Jesus said this in Luke 7:28 saying, “For I say unto you, among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” As 1 John 4:17 says, “as he (Jesus) is so are we in this world”.
Verse 13 says, “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.” This verse says to take the whole armor of God: the truth, the gospel of peace and the Holy Spirit; righteousness, salvation, and faith. These are not armaments that are picked up and put down, but the very meaning of “having done all to stand” implies having everything finished and abiding in you, working out of you (Strong’s G1746, G537, G2476). The Christian stands fully armed because of what Christ has done.
Verse 14: “Stand therefore having you loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.” These are both armaments that the Christian has because of Christ, not things to strive for, but things to be. Jesus promises in John 16:13,”Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.” 1 John 3:24 reminds the believer that the Spirit abides in him. This is also true of the righteousness that Christ has purchased for us by his blood. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” EW Kenyon puts it this way:
That Son went on the Cross by the determinate counsel of God, became sin, took our
place as a Substitute. Then He conquered the Enemy and made Righteousness
available to man. A redemption that did not make man Righteous would be a fallacy.
Until man is Righteous and knows it, Satan reigns over him, sin and disease are his
masters. But the instant he knows that he is the Righteousness of God in Christ and
knows what that Righteousness means, Satan is defeated. (7)
Verse 15 “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” Christ means for us to ever be at peace because of the promise of the gospel, the fulfilled good news. Jesus, in presenting the fact that he would leave the Comforter for the disciples, sequentially states in John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” He knew that they did not need to be afraid because the Holy Spirit would dwell in them. The Christian should be prepared to bring peace where the Devil has brought chaos: in homes, in communities, and even in churches.
Verse 16 “Above all, taking the shield of faith, were with you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked”. The shield of faith is the armament that keeps the believer from being double minded. Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” It is the actual possession of the things which God has promised, which Jesus Christ has completed. Kenneth Hagin says this about faith:
Faith is not hope…. You see, just wanting something from God won't get the job done. If just wanting something from God was all it took to receive from God, we'd all have it made. We would receive instantly. But faith that receives from God isn't hoping or wanting. The only kind of faith that gets the job done is the Bible-kind of faith which believes God and acts on what it believes. You'll not receive from God because you hope. Nowhere in the Bible does God say that when we pray, we shall receive what we hope for. But God's Word does say in Mark 11:24, ". . . What things so ever ye desire, when ye pray, BELIEVE that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." (35)
This type of faith is in the possession of every Christian. Ephesians 2:8 says that we are saved through faith. If you have had the faith to believe in Christ you have the faith to believe the promises, position, and provisions he has endowed you with. The shield of faith is the first barrier to all the fiery darts of the wicked. But it is more even than that. James 2:26 also says that faith without works is dead. The wicked one’s fiery darts will come at us and we need to act in faith to quench those fiery darts. We’ve seen this happen all too often. First someone gets a cold. Then people begin to say that they are getting sick. Next they are buying cough drops making doctor appointments; their friends are staying away so they don’t get sick. Could it be that that cold is a fiery dart from the wicked one? The comments, cough drops, and appointments are fuel for the fiery dart. The word cold could be replaced with any of the enemy’s tactics: depression, idleness, disease, or anger. Faith will encounter the fiery dart and say, believing it true and real, that they do not have a cold because they are healed by the stripes Jesus bore. Faith is acting upon God’s word (42).
Verse 17 “And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God”. The helmet of salvation is the badge the Christian wears that places them in their position of authority. Romans 10:9 states the manner in which the believer arrives there, “That if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shall be saved.” Ephesians 1 also tells the believer where Christ has positioned them: “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his own will: In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise…(7,11,13) Through Christ the Christian wears the helmet of salvation making them both a son of God and an heir with Christ. Early it was stated that Christ has the keys to both hell and death. Philippians further tells us of Christ’s authority that we may execute:
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (6) Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: (7) But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: (8) And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (9) Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: (10) That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; (11) And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:5-11
The believer has the mind of Christ. Christ knows that His name is above every name. We know that at the name of Christ every knee should bow. Wearing the helmet of salvation is not simply a sign of escape from eternal damnation (though it is); it is a badge of honor symbolizing our place of authority in the kingdom of God.
The sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, is the weapon that is both spiritual and material. It is spiritual in that the believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit and every action that is for the Kingdom of God, done under his authority is initiated and acted out by the Holy Spirit in the spiritual realm. As Genesis 1:2 states that the Spirit of God hovered over the world during creation, Hebrews 11:3 states, “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” It is material as in each believer must act for the Spirit to act. John G. Lake says that “if the Holy Ghost has come down from heaven into your soul, common sense teaches us that He has made you the master thereby of every power in the world “(145). The word of God spoken by believers is acted on by the Holy Spirit resulting in victory. 1 John 2:14 says, “I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.” Again this sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, is an armament that is not taken off but is part of the Christians being. Every Christian would do well to be prepared in remaining the victor over the enemy by memorizing the following verses: Ephesians 4:27, Ephesians 6:11, James 4:7 1 Corinthians 10:13, Matthew 17:20 and Luke 10:19. Despite what things currently look like, God’s word is always the reality. The Christian needs to speak the word.
Verse 18, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, and watching there unto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” Paul places the action of prayer after the armaments of the Christian as an action that someone fully equipped should now do, expecting victory. Read 1 John 5:14-15 understanding this is the way your prayer is enacted, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us: (15) And if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” Paul tells the believer that they should always be in prayer. This is truly the case if the Christian is united with the Holy Spirit, ever in communion with the Son, ever in communion with the Father. The sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, is the ammunition of prayers. Brandt and Bicket remind us that, “faith’s greatest stimulant is the Word of God made alive by the Holy Spirit” (214).
Paul’s second action with prayer is persistence or perseverance. Just as Jesus says in Matthew 7:7-8, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: (8) For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened.” Paul understood that even though circumstances may not show the victory, that Christ was the victor, and as Jesus instructed (as the Greek implies continual action in ask, seek, and knock; Strong’s G154, G2212, G2925) that persistence in prayer would demonstrate the answer.
Verse 19 shows Paul asking for specific prayer to undoubtedly become an effective warrior, “And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.” Notice in the gospels that almost every instance of Christ healing, casting out devils, or restoring a soul is done with a verbal or physical action. Here is a brief listing only in the book of Matthew (there are over 200 references throughout the New Testament) of verses where Jesus Christ used words or actions to destroy the works of the enemy and to bring the kingdom of God on Earth as it is in Heaven: Matthew 4:7, Matthew 8:13, Matthew 9:2, Matthew 9:28, Matthew 12:25, Matthew 14:16, Matthew 14:31, Matthew 15:28, Matthew 16:8, Matthew 17:7. Paul understood that there was action associated with his beholding the victory, in this case for him to open his mouth and speak boldly.
Verse 20 states, “For which I am an ambassador in bonds; that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” Paul further emphasizes that he must speak boldly, as he should. It is not a question to him as to whether or not to share the gospel; he says he ought to. He also uses a title for himself that embodies the spiritual warrior armed and bringing the rule and reign of another Kingdom: an ambassador. An ambassador is a representative of another kingdom who typically has an embassy (their kingdom within the foreign kingdom) and has all their means supplied from their home country. Paul understood that he was in the kingdom of God at all times, even though he was dwelling on the Earth. He understood that all things pertaining to the kingdom had been supplied to him through Christ. He also understood that it was his obligation to speak boldly the good news of the kingdom of God to those he met.
Curry R. Blake describes spiritual warfare and being a spiritual warrior as it “is a lifestyle of daily readiness; a lifestyle of daily preparation and training; a lifestyle of discipline that becomes second nature to you. It includes spiritual disciplines such as fasting and prayer. Everything you do is spiritual warfare. Nothing is innocent or neutral. You are constantly under surveillance by both friendly and hostile forces. You are either preparing to fight, training to fight, fighting, or analyzing the last fight. If you are not doing one of those four things, you are not a spiritual warrior.” (7)
This all being taken into account: who you are in Christ, your union with the Spirit, the position you have in the Kingdom, the armaments which are part of your new creation being, and what you must do to boldly proclaim the gospel, destroy the works of the enemy, and bring the kingdom of God to appear; it is vitally important to have in mind the will of God. “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which sees the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40) Jesus expected victory in every circumstance, and had victory. Lastly, when we pray we should remember that as Jesus Christ prayed He was praying with full confidence that what He said was happening. Pray this with that assurance.
Matthew 6:9-13 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. (10) Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. (11) Give us this day our daily bread. (12) And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. (13) And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Bibliography
John G Lake His Life His Sermons His Boldness of Faith
Timothy Jorgenson Spirit Life Training
Kenneth E Hagin Bible Faith Study Course
Curry R. Blake Spiritual Warrior Apostolic Training
E W Kenyon Two Kinds of Righteousness
Robert L. Brandt and Zenas J. Bicket The Spirit Helps Us Pray
KJV Bible
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