Eph 6:10-18 was our scripture this morning. Let’s look once more at it. 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in 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 do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up 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 girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
We learned that we already have on the "belt of truth...the breastplate of righteousness, and the shoes of peace." The word used in this text is "having girded" which means you already have done this.
We want to concentrate on the rest of that wardrobe located in Eph 6:16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 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, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints
We see that in this text, we are instructed to "take up" these things we are going to talk about tonight...the sheild of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit...which is what? God’s Word! So let’s see how we can do that!
THE SHEILD OF FAITH Faith has always been hard to define for some,, but the truth is that faith is realively simple; Faith is what you believe about God and His word...and the more you KNOW about God and His word, the more faith you will have. If you don’t have a good knowledge of scripture, you are going to have a very small shield to defend yourself! If you want your shield of faith to increase (a small shield makes it easier for those "fiery darts" to get to you) then your knowledge of God and His word must increase!!! Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. and part of our hearing to to be in church every time we came so we can hear and read Gods word. You also need to read and talk about God at home.....do you do that? Sometimes christians never even discuss God until they are in church....and then NEVER bring Him up inside the home!
Satan is shooting flaming missles at you...in the form of lies, accusations, temptations and deciect. When those thoughts come into your mind, you need to be able to meet them head-on with God and His word....
Do you remember when Jesus was in the wilderness and Satan kept tempting him? Look at Mat 4:3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘ He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and,‘ In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’”]8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. I want you to notice that Jesus himself fought "the fiery darts of the enemy" with what? That’s right, God’s Holy word!!! So we see that the best way to fight off the enemy is by using Gods word!!!
THE HELMET OF SALVATION If your shield of faith is a little shakey, you should be confident in your salvation. That is what insures your eternal victory. If we are talking about armor here (and we are) we know that the helmet is what secures coverage over your most critical part.....your head! In your mind is where most spiritual battles are won or lost. As you battle and struggle with the world and your flesh everyday, stand firm knowing that even if you lose a battle here and there, your salvation is in place. Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
People in conflict spiritually tend to question their salvation or their idenity in Christ. Know your position! If Satan can get you to doubting that you ARE in Christ, then you will start to live like it.
THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT The word of God. I’m not just talking about reading the word...I’m talking about physically speaking the word! Did you know Satan can’t read your thoughts? He can plant thoughts in your head....he can observe your behaviour and attack wherever he thinks you are weak. He can see if you bought into his lie by your actions.. but that is why we must tell him to flee ....out loud...and use scripture like Jesus did. Satan does not know the future, either. Only God knows what you are thinking and how the future will be. Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. God knows what you are thinking...and in your mind you should have constant communion with God. Pray w/o ceasing. Speak out against Satan! Most of the time his attacks are when you are alone, but you may have to speak out publicly.....Romans 10:9 tells us that we need to confess with what? That’s right, our mouth! So what if someone hears you and thinks you are talking to yourself....these battles are for your soul!!! There is POWER in the spoken word of God!!
Finally, Paul says in vs 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. There is also power in prayer. No one here can deny that...you’ve all seen the power of prayer. Even people who aren’t believers request prayer, don’t they? We sometimes never know exactly what the effects of our prayers are....but we DO know that God hears them...and includes them as part of His strategic plan.
So what is prayer? It is communication that we have with God by which we express our dependence on Him. God knows what you need in your battle and He is more thasn ready to provide.....but until we express our dependance on Him, He will not act. When you pray, don’t tell God HOW to fix your problem...if you knew how, you probably wouldn’t be praying in the first place! We should just say Lord, you are Lord and I am not. You know what I need better than I do; I am asking for your help and I declare my total dependance on You. That opens the way for God to act.
Pray in the Spirit......Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Do we need the Holy Spirit in our lives? I think God totally spells that out for us. I want to urge each and every one of you to seek the baptism of the Holy Ghost. It is such a power that is indescribable! The baptism of the Holy Ghost was for the day of Pentecost and it is the same Spirit that is for today as well. I would that you could all experience what a wonderful prayer language tongues are.....and how Satan cannot understand one word you are saying to God...only God can....and it is a tremendous way to communicate with Him. I am so glad the Spirit gives us that special gift. And I believe that gift can be yours as well.
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