I Got What It Takes To Stand

I GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO STAND!

Ephesians 6:11-13

King James Version – 11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For 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. 13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Amplified Bible – 11Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil. 12For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere. 13Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].

Prayer –

Kind Father in the name of Jesus, we just want to thank you. We thank you for you alone are worthy. We thank you because you deserve the honor and you deserve the glory. And as we enter into this preaching moment we want you to have your way in the name of Jesus. Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. Father we understand that Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by your inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to your will in thought, purpose, and action), So that I, the man of God for this moment, may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work. So God, Spirit of the Living God, breathe fresh on us. Roll up your sleeve now and go to work for us. Go place we cannot go. Touch hearts we cannot touch. Mend hearts we cannot mend. Send now the anointing that makes preaching easy, In the name of Jesus. Father let your anointing sat in this house. Let fall in clarity and power. Send the kind of unction that causes massive deliverance. Rebuke the devil. Don’t beg him and don’t plead with him, but rebuke him today in the name of Jesus, the Christ. Send an answer to a question that somebody’s been asking on the altar. Solve a dilemma today. Send a clear word of direction. Let some sinner be saved. Let some backslider be reclaimed. Touch everywhere. Turn logos into rhema. Throw your weight around. Show off in here. I thank you for what you are going to do. Have your way sweet Jesus. In Jesus name, Amen.

I GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO STAND!

The book of Ephesians is the epistle of fullness, and the word Ephesians itself is a direct derivative of the Greek word which denotes one who has his nativity and residence in the place of permission. This means that I can inherit permission, but then we can also be engrafted into permission. I am a Pensacolian by nativity or by birth. No one can take the rights and privileges of being a Pensacolian from me. I walk like a Pensacolian. I talk like a Pensacolian. I act like a Pensacolian. I think like a Pensacolian. I dress like a Pensacolian. I even have tastes like a Pensacolian ,because that is just what I am, a Pensacolian. But if I was to relocate to another city, for sake of discussion, Atlanta, I would be engrafted or enstated as an Atlantian. I would acquire their rights and privileges, and eventually their habits, perspectives, and even their lifestyle. I would become accustomed to Atlanta’s freeway frenzy. I would adapt to their style of dress. And I would eventually find you myself walking like an Atlantian, talking like an Atlantian, acting like an Atlantian, thinking like an Atlantian, having the tastes of an Atlantian, because I have been interposed, interjected, and included into the society of Atlanta. I was born a Mickles. I look like a Mickles. I walk like a Mickles. I have Mickles’ characterisctics. I have Mickles habits. I have a Mickles perspective. I have Mickles struggles. I have Mickles addictions. I even have Mickles devils. One day soon I am going to stand before Christ, celebrants and congregation and enter into a marriage covenant with a young lady. For sake of discussion she was born a Jones’. And upon the completion of that covenant she will be engrafted into my family and I also will be engrafted into her family. Now understand once I am engrafted into her family, I willing take on Jones’ habits, Jones’ perspective, Jones’ struggles, Jones’ addictions, and even Jones’ devils. She will being doing the same thing. Most of us in this generation seem to have been born blessed. I can testify that there has yet be a day that I have had to wear the same outfit as the day before. There has yet to be a day that I have had to walk barefoot. God has blessed me that I haven’t had what I needed, but there is somebody sitting among you suited sinners turned saints and dressed devils turned divas, disciplined intelligent vivaciously approved sisters that are well dressed but beneath their Stacy Adam’s and their Fifth Avenue, and all their Liz Claiborne and their Ann Taylor and all of their well dressiness they are well wounded. There are some sitting among you that could hardly hit being blessed with a bat if it sat on a tee two feet away from them. They are from the wrong side of the family, the wrong side of the town, the wrong side of the tracks, the wrong upbringing, the wrong church affiliations. But in one turn of events can turn rag-tag toys can become china doll. Battered girls can become beautiful women. Immature boys can become intelligent men. Bruised, battered, and broken can become blessed better than blessed. Your Bible declares in James 1:21, as James speak to Christians of Jewish extraction residing in Gentile communities, in the b part of the verse, that after we get rid of uncleanness and outgrow our wickedness, we are “to receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.” Which literally says to us that God will take what you have done, as far as making an effort in transformation, lay it to the substance of the word and engraft or implant a word into your spirit that has the power to bring you to a place of fullness. Ephesians, the epistle of fullness, happens to be a circular epistle because Paul in Ephesians 1:1 address by the will of God , this particular epistle, to the saints and the faithful in Christ Jesus.” God is a circular all-encompassing God. He brings in people from every walk of life and engrafts them into the blessing. God’s not concerned with your language nor tongue. God’s not concerned with your race, creed or color. God’s not concerned with religious affliation. No he’s concerned with your faithfulness. To the faithful in Christ Jesus. If you cannot commit to the cause, you cannot get with this message. If you cannot commit to the commission, you cannot get with this message. If you can only be saved among certain people, you cannot get with this message. Notice, Paul didn’t say faithful in church; he said faithful in Christos Jehoshua, the anointed savior, Christ Jesus. No, he didn’t say faithful to the ekklesia, the called out ones, because some people heard him calling someone else and answered someone else’s call. Consequently we have people pulling the body of Christ away from its purpose rather than pushing us forward into our destiny. You can be apart of ekklesia and not be engrafted. You can have club certification from the assembly of your choice and not be accepted by the author of your faith. Commitment commands validation. The validation of the faith of the three Hebrews, not boys because they were grown men at the time of this incident, Hananiah, Misheal, and Azariah, who were surnamed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would have never taken placee save the challenge of their commitment in the midst of trial. Their disposition in Daniel 3:16-18 was rather ridiculous pending the current circumstances, execution in the fiery furnace. In fact they said, “we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us from out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” Watch the progression of their statement. We are not careful, roughly translated, it is not even necessary for us to answer on this point, but for your information, my knowledge of my God says that he is able to deliver us. My faith in my God says that he will deliver us, but my commitment to God says but if not he is still able and we will not serve nor worship no one else but him. Someone is finding him or herself in that same place, having to dare to be different from the disciples of your church and determine to make the decision to do whatever it takes to get to the next dimension in God. Someone is finding yourself tired of being a singing hypocrite. Tired of singing Bless be the Tie that Binds and allowing the smallest things to sever Christian Fellowship. Tired of singing Serve the Lord with Gladness and griping and complaining about every assignment you receive. Tired of singing We’re Marching Up to Zion, and fail to march to your local Zion, your local refuge, your local sanctuary for mid-week services. Tired of singing I Love to Tell the Story but never gospel but always gossip. You’re ready for a true commitment to Christ.