Are You A Active Warrior For God's Kingdom?
By Abraham Israel
In our generation God has given a lot of translations to make us understand the nuances of the word of God and rejoice in the Lord. I love certain verses in certain translations that brings great light to a particular verse. J.B. Phillips version is one such translation that gives light on certain New Testament passages greatly. Here is the J.B. Phillips translation regarding the section of verses which we usually call as the spiritual warfare verses,
"In conclusion be strong—not in yourselves but in the Lord, in the power of his boundless resource. Put on God’s complete armour so that you can successfully resist all the devil’s methods of attack. For our fight is not against any physical enemy: it is against organisations and powers that are spiritual. We are up against the unseen power that controls this dark world, and spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil. Therefore you must wear the whole armour of God that you may be able to resist evil in its day of power, and that even when you have fought to a standstill you may still stand your ground. Take your stand then with truth as your belt, righteousness your breastplate, the Gospel of peace firmly on your feet, salvation as your helmet and in your hand the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Above all be sure you take faith as your shield, for it can quench every burning missile the enemy hurls at you. Pray at all times with every kind of spiritual prayer, keeping alert and persistent as you pray for all Christ’s men and women.” (Eph. 6:10-18, J.B. Phillips New Testament).
The unseen power and spiritual agents that controls this dark world from the very headquarters of evil that is in the first heaven of atmospheric air (Eph 2:2), are operating as organisations and powers structures that are spiritual in nature. When people in our family and surroundings boil against us and get angry, understand that it is a evil and don't be reactive. We are not fighting against people, but the spirit's that work wrong attitudes behind them. Love people after they have acted bad, but hate and reject the attitudes displayed through them. This is a mature mindset and true spirituality. Certain times when we least expect it, the evil power pops up unexpectedly in its day of power through our soulish self and also through others who are close to us to cause division and strife among the family unit and also in the bigger family of the Church. At other times these attacks will not be powerful enough to be able to touch our lives because of the hedge of God's angelic protection over our lives (Psa 103:20; 104:4). But God allows these evil times and expects us who are His children to successfully resist all the devil’s methods of attack by putting on God’s complete armour.
The Armour of God is something that we must consciously put on over our spiritual lives and it will not automatically come over us. Just like a good soldier who practices to put on the armour time after time and keeps himself protected from the enemy, we ought to wear the spiritual armour of God day after day, moment after moment to protect ourselves from the attack of Satan and his demonic cohorts.
Truth and integrity of your heart before God and man holds our spiritual weapons upright like a belt around our waist and a lie will make all the weapons to slip down from our waist. The righteousness that does not work but believes on Jesus who keeps us always just as if we have never sinned even when we manytimes act as equal to ungodly sinners through our old nature is needed to keep our spiritual life alive and well with the life of Godbeating within us (Rom 4:5). This righteousness always acts as a breatplate to protect our spiritual heart healthy. Our very own righteousness which are like filthy rags are of no use when it comes to real spiritual battle to fight against our enemy Satan (Isa 64:6). Truly we need to maintain the righteousness of faith which comes freely to us as we keep believing the finished work of the Lord on the Cross of Calvary.
The Gospel of Peace is the power of God's transforming message and the testimony of Jesus which we have. We are embodiment of the message of Jesus which we carry around and wear like a shoe. When we testify to other wordly people of what the Lord has done for us, every oppurtunity to meet people becomes a appointment to touch their lives for Jesus and not get unclean by the wordly values they carry on in their lives. When we speak about the peace of Jesus which He has given us, either the worldly people will start to hear the message or hate it to leave the place and also want us to stop speaking it. Either way we keep ourselves busy in the Lord's work and also keep ourselves clean from the impurities of the world.
The assurance of salvation acts as the spiritual helmet to keep our head from fatal injury of the evil one. When we are accused of sin by Satan, the very confession that we are saved by the blood of Jesus makes Satan's accusation useless and ineffective (Rev 12:11).
The sword of the word of God must be quickened by the Holy Spirit and used against Satanic doubt constantly. We should store the word of God in our heart and give the oppurtunity for the Holy Spirit to quicken the word of God in us. SPEAK THE QUICKENED WORD OF GOD AND THE DEVIL WILL FLEE (Matt 4:10-11; James 4:7). The quickened word is a offensive weapon and very powerful to cause injury in to the evil heart of Satan. USE IT!
Whenever your heart is filled with fear and all doubts of Satan, just stand in faith believing the power of God and His soveriegn control over your life. In those times of distress, just remember one thing, your God in whom you believe is the one who controls the whole universe and sustains it. Faith is the shield that can keep all the evil missles of Satan to be thwarted from reaching us, when doubt and fear has the ability and negative potential to cause severe damage to our spiritual lives.
If we keep praying at all times in tongues and with understanding, using all types of praise, thankgiving and joyful prayer toward the Lord, all these armour of God will start to work in us. Prayer is the means through which we put the whole armour of God in to position over our spiritual body. We do not have power to oppose Satan in our flesh, but our weapons are mighty in God (2 Cor 10:4). Once we pray, we will be actively destroying all the plans of Satan and his minions.
Don't give up praying even when you feel like you can't handle the evil statergies of the devil anymore, stay patiently expecting the power of God to act on behalf of you and your circumstances. Before you realise, YOU WILL BE PROVEN THAT YOU ARE MORE THAN A CONQUEROR AGAIN AND AGAIN BY THE POWER OF GOD THAT WORKS IN YOU AND THROUGH YOU FOR THE GLORY OF GOD (Rom 8:37). Pray for all Christ’s men and women who are working to fullfill the purpose of establishing the kingdom of God in all the earth along with you. When you do it, you will be blessed greatly by God. God is interested and active to fullfill only His purpose at all cost (Jer 1:12). When you are aligned in His purpose through praying for all saints of God, you are bound to succeed in all things because heaven will be behind you as you work towards His purpose and fullfillment of it.
Much Blessings........
"In conclusion be strong—not in yourselves but in the Lord, in the power of his boundless resource. Put on God’s complete armour so that you can successfully resist all the devil’s methods of attack. For our fight is not against any physical enemy: it is against organisations and powers that are spiritual. We are up against the unseen power that controls this dark world, and spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil. Therefore you must wear the whole armour of God that you may be able to resist evil in its day of power, and that even when you have fought to a standstill you may still stand your ground. Take your stand then with truth as your belt, righteousness your breastplate, the Gospel of peace firmly on your feet, salvation as your helmet and in your hand the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Above all be sure you take faith as your shield, for it can quench every burning missile the enemy hurls at you. Pray at all times with every kind of spiritual prayer, keeping alert and persistent as you pray for all Christ’s men and women.” (Eph. 6:10-18, J.B. Phillips New Testament).
The unseen power and spiritual agents that controls this dark world from the very headquarters of evil that is in the first heaven of atmospheric air (Eph 2:2), are operating as organisations and powers structures that are spiritual in nature. When people in our family and surroundings boil against us and get angry, understand that it is a evil and don't be reactive. We are not fighting against people, but the spirit's that work wrong attitudes behind them. Love people after they have acted bad, but hate and reject the attitudes displayed through them. This is a mature mindset and true spirituality. Certain times when we least expect it, the evil power pops up unexpectedly in its day of power through our soulish self and also through others who are close to us to cause division and strife among the family unit and also in the bigger family of the Church. At other times these attacks will not be powerful enough to be able to touch our lives because of the hedge of God's angelic protection over our lives (Psa 103:20; 104:4). But God allows these evil times and expects us who are His children to successfully resist all the devil’s methods of attack by putting on God’s complete armour.
The Armour of God is something that we must consciously put on over our spiritual lives and it will not automatically come over us. Just like a good soldier who practices to put on the armour time after time and keeps himself protected from the enemy, we ought to wear the spiritual armour of God day after day, moment after moment to protect ourselves from the attack of Satan and his demonic cohorts.
Truth and integrity of your heart before God and man holds our spiritual weapons upright like a belt around our waist and a lie will make all the weapons to slip down from our waist. The righteousness that does not work but believes on Jesus who keeps us always just as if we have never sinned even when we manytimes act as equal to ungodly sinners through our old nature is needed to keep our spiritual life alive and well with the life of Godbeating within us (Rom 4:5). This righteousness always acts as a breatplate to protect our spiritual heart healthy. Our very own righteousness which are like filthy rags are of no use when it comes to real spiritual battle to fight against our enemy Satan (Isa 64:6). Truly we need to maintain the righteousness of faith which comes freely to us as we keep believing the finished work of the Lord on the Cross of Calvary.
The Gospel of Peace is the power of God's transforming message and the testimony of Jesus which we have. We are embodiment of the message of Jesus which we carry around and wear like a shoe. When we testify to other wordly people of what the Lord has done for us, every oppurtunity to meet people becomes a appointment to touch their lives for Jesus and not get unclean by the wordly values they carry on in their lives. When we speak about the peace of Jesus which He has given us, either the worldly people will start to hear the message or hate it to leave the place and also want us to stop speaking it. Either way we keep ourselves busy in the Lord's work and also keep ourselves clean from the impurities of the world.
The assurance of salvation acts as the spiritual helmet to keep our head from fatal injury of the evil one. When we are accused of sin by Satan, the very confession that we are saved by the blood of Jesus makes Satan's accusation useless and ineffective (Rev 12:11).
The sword of the word of God must be quickened by the Holy Spirit and used against Satanic doubt constantly. We should store the word of God in our heart and give the oppurtunity for the Holy Spirit to quicken the word of God in us. SPEAK THE QUICKENED WORD OF GOD AND THE DEVIL WILL FLEE (Matt 4:10-11; James 4:7). The quickened word is a offensive weapon and very powerful to cause injury in to the evil heart of Satan. USE IT!
Whenever your heart is filled with fear and all doubts of Satan, just stand in faith believing the power of God and His soveriegn control over your life. In those times of distress, just remember one thing, your God in whom you believe is the one who controls the whole universe and sustains it. Faith is the shield that can keep all the evil missles of Satan to be thwarted from reaching us, when doubt and fear has the ability and negative potential to cause severe damage to our spiritual lives.
If we keep praying at all times in tongues and with understanding, using all types of praise, thankgiving and joyful prayer toward the Lord, all these armour of God will start to work in us. Prayer is the means through which we put the whole armour of God in to position over our spiritual body. We do not have power to oppose Satan in our flesh, but our weapons are mighty in God (2 Cor 10:4). Once we pray, we will be actively destroying all the plans of Satan and his minions.
Don't give up praying even when you feel like you can't handle the evil statergies of the devil anymore, stay patiently expecting the power of God to act on behalf of you and your circumstances. Before you realise, YOU WILL BE PROVEN THAT YOU ARE MORE THAN A CONQUEROR AGAIN AND AGAIN BY THE POWER OF GOD THAT WORKS IN YOU AND THROUGH YOU FOR THE GLORY OF GOD (Rom 8:37). Pray for all Christ’s men and women who are working to fullfill the purpose of establishing the kingdom of God in all the earth along with you. When you do it, you will be blessed greatly by God. God is interested and active to fullfill only His purpose at all cost (Jer 1:12). When you are aligned in His purpose through praying for all saints of God, you are bound to succeed in all things because heaven will be behind you as you work towards His purpose and fullfillment of it.
Much Blessings........
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment