Warrior of The Word - Ephesians 6:17

 

Ephesians 6:17

And take the helmet of salvation, 

and the sword of The Spirit, 

which is The Word of God. 

OUR HELMET

    I love hats. Anyone who knows me knows that about me. And while I do own a couple of straw sunhats, I love the floppy cloth ones, too. I like to decorate hats with lots of flowers and ribbons. I'll wear them anywhere, as long as I know the wind won't blow said hat off of my head. But this helmet of salvation is different. This helmet only leaves my head if I take it off. I'm not taking it off. Ever. 

    The helmet of salvation is knowledge of The Word of God. It is knowing Who God Is and Who God's Son is and Who God's Spirit is. We contemplate The Word of God with our thoughts and meditate on (pray over and think about) The Word of God with both our minds and our hearts at the same time. 

    Paul, in writing to the church in Thessalonia, a city in Macedonia, speaks of this helmet as being our hope of salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:8), wherein we have the head and heart knowledge of our salvation, yet we have not received what we now hope for. But we do believe that we have it, for it has been promised us. 

    Doubt is a fiery dart that can pierce a person's armor. If is a fiery dart that can pierce a person's armor. We need to be fully equipped and armed in order to repel the fiery darts which are thrown with deft speed in our direction. 1 Peter 1:3-5 reiterates the blessing of this hope:

3. Blessed be The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a Living Hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

4. and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,

5. who through faith are shielded by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

    

OUR SWORD

    1 Thessalonians 3:17

And we continually thank God because, when you received The Word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, The Word of God, which is also now at work in you who believe. 

    John 1:1

In the beginning was The Word, and The Word was with God, and The Word was God. 

    John 6:63

The Spirit gives Life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and they are Life. 

    Hebrews 4:12

For The Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 

    The Word of God proceeds from the mouth of God - Isaiah 55:11. The Spirit of God is the breath of God, the wind of God, the fire of God. He goes where God sends Him and He accomplishes God's purpose wherever He goes. - Jeremiah 1:12; Psalm 147:15; Acts 2:2, 3; Psalm 33:6; Job 33:4

    The Word of God is food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, life to the dying. 

- Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4; John 7:39; Matthew 5:6; John 6:48

    The Word of God is in our hands when we take up our Bibles to open them, read the words within them and study this Word out with the help, the aid, of God's Holy Spirit. It is impossible to really know The Word without having The Spirit to lead and reveal Him to us. 

    The Word of God is written on our hearts when we believe in The Name of The Only Begotten Son of God for our salvation. Jeremiah 31:33 & Hebrews 8:10

    The Word of God is heard in our ears when we hear the words being read or spoken to us. - Romans 10:17; Hebrews 4:2

    Those who have not The Holy Spirit of God filling their spiritual lives will find it impossible to hold onto, much less interpret correctly, The Word of God for themselves. They are an unholy and unrighteous people and The Word of God will be heavy in their hands, but not their hearts. Without the helmet attached firmly by their faith in Christ Jesus for their salvation, neither The Sword nor The Spirit will be given them until they claim Him for their own Savior. 

    And  we pray that all whom we pray for will believe that Jesus Christ Is Lord. And we pray for them to have and live Spirit-filled lives, that we may all rejoice together in our salvation when we all get to heaven to live eternally with Jesus and God and The Spirit. 

    

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Eleven

 

 

Psalm 40:4

Blessed is the man that makes 

The LORD his trust,

and respects not the proud,

 nor such as turn aside to lies.

    Have you made The LORD your trust? Are you trusting His Word above the words of the liars, the prideful, the dubious and the doubters? Those on the left tempt us with whispers, while those on the right call out to us loudly, yet neither will cause us to give them our complete and wholehearted trust. I'm not talking about politics here, I'm talking with you about the salvation of your souls. 

    There is but one path, one road, one Way to save our souls and that is through the blood of Christ Jesus on Calvary. We need to repent of our sins and transgressions to Almighty God and receive His forgiveness and the indwelling presence of His only Begotten Son Jesus Christ, and His Holy Spirit. 

    We need His Christ to save us and wash sin from our hearts and His presence. We need His Holy Spirit to teach us to be holy, and empower us to be His witnesses. When we trust in The Lord with all of our hearts, we are leaving no room for doubt and fear to enter in. - Proverbs 3:5, 6

    Fear can disguise itself in many ways. The "what ifs" are a branch of fear. What if ____doesn't work out? What if they say no? What if I'm stuck here? What if ____doesn't like/love me? What if is not trusting in The Lord. 

    The "why is this happening to me" questions are fear and mistrust. As Job reminds us, bad things happen as well as good, but nevertheless we worship God because He is God and knows what is best for us. (paraphrased) - Job 1:20, 21 & 2:10

    When we pray, we are placing our trust for prayers answered into God's hands. And though we seek many times for immediate answers, God does not always work it out that way. He is The Potter, after all, and He knows what's best for the clay in His hands. 

    We cannot, must not, listen to the clamoring voices calling out to us from the left and from the right. We must continue on the path which our God has laid out for us. Waiting for His Voice, His Spirit, to direct us on our journey. - Deuteronomy 5:32; Proverbs 4:27; Joshua 1:7 

    We are seekers on the road of life. We seek His Face. We seek His kingdom. We seek His favor. We seek doors which can be opened when we knock. Let us knock even now on doors which can be opened: let us join together in prayer for God's perfect will to be done. 'Til all the world hears the gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ. Let us seek the salvation of the lost and dying, the hopeless and the fearful, the despondent and the melancholy, the broken and the downtrodden: the many who are dying daily without receiving Christ as their Savior. That we may all rejoice in His heavenly kingdom someday, let us trust in Him completely to answer this prayer. 

    

Names of Christ - AGAPAO - The Beloved One

 

AGAPAO

(pronounced ä-gä-pä'-ō) (ah-gah-PAH-oh)

THE BELOVED ONE

Ephesians 1:5, 6

He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will,  to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in The Beloved One.

Matthew 3:17 and 17:5; Mark 1:11; Colossians 1:13

And a voice from heaven said, “This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased!” 

Names of Christ - The Lord of The Harvest

 

KURIOS THERISMOS
(pronounced koo'-ree-os ther-is-mos')
THE LORD OF THE HARVEST
Luke 10:2
And He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask The Lord of The Harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest."

John 4:35, 36
"Do you not say, ‘There are still four months until the harvest’? I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ripe for harvest.
Already the reaper draws his wages and gathers a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may rejoice together."

1 Corinthians 3:6-8
I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.
So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. He who plants and he who waters are one in purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 

     Do not worry or fret if the gospel we share with those we meet is not received right away. That's seed-planting. Nor boast of your success in leading someone to Christ, for another had already spoken The Word of Life into their ears. 
    We work in conjunction with God's Holy Spirit, Who plows the soil (prepares the hearts) to receive what the ears have heard. Prayers continually given up on another's behalf (interceding) have watered the hearts of those being prayed for. 
     Many people have gone out into the world, sharing the gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ everywhere they go. Some have planted the seeds of hope. Too many to number have watered the seeds of hope with their prayers, interceding and crying out to God to save the lost souls. But only a few will reap the result of this planting and this watering, if there are not enough reapers. 
     We are accountable to God for the work we have done in the fields He has designated us to work in. And our fields are likely to change without notice, so we need to be prepared. We need to be Holy Spirit filled and Holy Spirit led fieldhands. We are spiritual migrant workers. We go where the need is great. And, lately, the need is great everywhere. 
     Let us prepare not only our hearts to serve our God, but strengthen our hands and our feet, as well. Come, let us be faithful servants for the glory of our God. 

The Color of Worship -Beryl

 The Color of Worship - BERYL 

 

We hear and see reasons why we, as a united earth, should "Go Green". Save the planet for future generations. Save the whales, the dolphins, the owls. Save, save, save; ignore, ignore, ignore.

What about save the people? The reason Christ was born was to save the people. He didn't die on the cross and rise from the grave to save the polar bears. He died for me and for you and for him and for her.

You want to "Go Green"? Okay. Let's "Go Light Green". In science, the color light green is associated with new growth, spring, new life. Flowers blossoming, trees budding and the first little blades of grass rising through the wet black dirt.

Zechariah 8:12 For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.

3 John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospers.

2 Chronicles 31:21 And in every service work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.

Let's "Go Light Green"! This isn't about $$. This isn't about "Earth Day". This prosperity is prosperity of our soul: My Soul Prospers before the LORD. God wants us to be blessed with "every good and perfect gift from above." Money is not perfect. 1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some have coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many arrows. You want true prosperity as outlined in the Word of God? Seek God. Seek His face, His will, His way. Read His Word, Believe His Word, Obey His Word.

Growth requires the four seasons: spring (seed time), summer (sunshine, rainy days), autumn (harvest time) and winter (dormancy, rest). In order for the seed to grow, it needs to take root. The seed requires sunlight and rain. Once the seed has budded and blossomed, new seeds are released. And then they are harvested. And the root of the seed rests until the next season arrives and begins the cycle again.

Psalm 1:3 "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he does shall prosper." 

You and I are the seeds. Our roots reach deep into the Word of God, where we are grounded. Our hearts and minds and souls push forward through the darkness of this world into the Light of God's Love and Mercy. We stretch forth our hands and wave our arms in the breeze of His Holy Spirit. We receive and embrace the reign (rain) of Authority over us. Our thirst for the presence of God is satisfied when we open our hearts to Him. And when we share the Love of Christ, then more seeds are released to dig into the Word and take root. And so, the garden grows. We grow. We prosper.

While light green is not mentioned as such in Scripture, beryl is. Beryl is a mineral 'with gemstone varieties'. Aquamarine, Morganite, Heliodor and Emerald are all forms of Beryl. It is the darker green shades of Beryl that we associate with emeralds, but it is the lighter green, the pale, translucent greens that we associate with Beryl. A lighter shade of green.

It is the 8th gemstone layer in the wall around the new Jerusalem. While Beryl takes on many shades and colors, the color intimated here is sea-green: Revelation 21:19,20 "The foundations of the city walls were adorned with every kind of precious stone: The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth Beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst."

Beryl is on the Breastplate of Judgment worn by the high priest (Exodus 28:20), signifying one of the twelve tribes of Israel. This beryl, though, is thought to be yellow jasper in color, which can also be construed as being a lighter shade of green, depending on the hue of such a stone.

Ezekiel 1:16 states that 'the appearance of the wheel was like unto Beryl'.

When the bride describes her bridegroom, in Song of Solomon 5:14, she says, "His hands are as gold rings set with the Beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires."

I love the many colors mentioned in The Holy Bible. It is hard to choose a favorite, but I like that this pale green, this Beryl, tells me that 'my soul prospers'.  My spirit is transformed and my soul is uplifted. 

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Ten

 

Jeremiah 17:7-8

"Blessed is the man who trusts in The LORD, 

And whose hope is The LORD.

He is like a tree planted by the waters that sends out

its roots toward the stream. 

It does not fear when the heat comes, 

and its leaves are always green. It does not 

worry in a year of drought, 

nor does it cease to produce fruit."

Isaiah 61:3

    To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of The LORD, that He might be glorified.

    As trees of righteousness in the planting of The Lord, we are steadfast. And as Jeremiah reminds us, we are also fearless. Though the temperatures may rise, our abundant life is continually being renewed. Droughts come and droughts go, yet the planting of The LORD continues to produce fruit. Souls still get saved, bodies still get baptized. 

    The day is coming, and even now is close at hand, when there will be a famine of the hearing of The Word. Why? Because there has been an extended drought of the preaching of The Word, the Whole Word of God, the full gospel message has not been preached everywhere. 

    Prosperity and gain is in the pulpit. Self-righteousness and pride is in the pulpit. Evil sins which should not be in the church, much less the pulpit, have gained entrance through wolves in sheep's clothing. They appear to be Christ-like on the surface, but the hiss of their souls is evident in their dissolvence of The Word of God. 

    Because of their unbelief they preach and talk about only the good things of God, and even then, only part of the Truth is preached. The promises of God are many, both to the obedient soul and to the disobedient. Except the promises on the believer are also referred to as curses. 

    John 3:18 

Whoever believes in Him is not condemned (promise for the good), but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in The Name of God’s Only Begotten Son (promise for the evil). 

    Where the blood of Christ is not preached, the full gospel is not preached. Where the cross no longer stands, the pulpit is also empty. Only a shadow puppet is there. The mouth moves, but there is no Word of God on the throne of their hearts. And the songbook has been edited, as well. 

    For where the blood is not applied and where the cross has been removed, there is no need now to sing of either in the dead churches. It is impossible to sing of  Victory in Jesus, where there is no victory. At The Cross and The Old Rugged Cross do not draw people to a place of repentance and forgiveness because these things are no longer taught and sermonized in the dead churches. 

    Where there is no belief, there is no trust, no hope, no real everlasting joy. And if there are prayer groups, to whom are they praying? and why? God hears the prayers of the righteous (Proverbs 15:29) and answers the prayers of the righteous (1 John 3:22), not the unrighteous. And when He hears the prayer of the sinner who has believed, that person is a saint from the moment of belief, and that prayer is from the heart, the lips of a righteous person. 

    Let us pray that we remain in The Lord that He might remain in us; that we might be called the planting of The LORD, trees of righteousness. Let us pray that in these days of heat and drought we remain in Him, in The Living Word, in order that we, too, may live fruitful lives wherever God has planted us. 

    

    

Warrior of The Word - Ephesians 6:16

 

Ephesians 6:16

Above all, taking the shield of faith,

wherewith you shall be able to quench

 all the fiery darts of the wicked.

    Above all, meaning remember this first and foremost, prioritize your armor with this piece of equipment. Never leave the armory without it. 

    Faith in God is priority number one. And since we have faith in God, since we trust in Him for everything, we can also believe (have faith) in His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, Who died on the cross for our sins, saving us from the punishments of death, hell, the grave and eternal damnation in the lake of fire. We who have believed on The Name of The Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation have a better reward waiting for us in heaven. 

    This Faith is paramount to our success in the spiritual realm of warfare. It is believing that God not only hears our prayers, but is right here beside us. As He tells us in His Word, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." 

~Moses speaking to the Israelites: Deuteronomy 31:6

~The Lord speaking to Joshua: Joshua 1:5

~God's promise of deliverance and salvation spoken through Isaiah to the Israelites: Isaiah 41:10

~Paul writing to the Hebrews, the Jewish nation who were exiled to Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia (cf. 2 Peter 3:15 and 1 Peter 1:1-2) 

    Because The Word of God is Alive, Living, we know that It is also thriving and spreading throughout the world even now, accomplishing It's goal of being brought to every nation, culture, and, specifically language: 'Til The Whole World Hears. 

    We take up our shield of faith with our hands in prayer and feet on the ground, and we spread the gospel message in every land. First within our own homes, then our neighborhoods, then our communities, then our towns, our cities, our counties, our states, our countries, our nations. 

    We take our shield of faith into our churches, our schools, our governments, our workplaces. Onward with the goal of upward, we mobilize our forces with the confidence that the perfect will of God will be accomplished by God through us. 

    We do not take up weapons of warfare in the physical sense, which would maim and kill the body, condemning the lost souls to hell. For we are learning to use our spiritual weapons, weapons not made by hands, but by The Word of God. Weapons that overcome the enemies of the souls we are praying for.  "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31. That's faith. 

    Our shield of faith is The Lord Jesus Christ ~ Psalm 28:7 "The LORD is My Strength and My Shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart rejoices, and I give thanks to Him with my song." Proverbs 30:5 "Every Word of God is flawless; He is a Shield to those who take refuge in Him." Psalm 18:2 "The LORD is My Rock, My Fortress, and My Deliverer. My God is My Rock, in Whom I take refuge, My Shield, and The Horn of My Salvation, My Stronghold." 

    How can we fail when we take The Lord Jesus Christ with us into every spiritual battle?! We can't. We can't fail. When He is with us, we know that we have already defeated the enemy in battle, and we rejoice in the victory that is ours. 

    Come, join me in taking up our shields of faith. Let us enter the fields of spiritual warfare in which our God has placed us, that we may reap a harvest of souls for His glory, His honor, His praise!

Warrior of The Word - Ephesians 6:15

 Ephesians 6:15

And your feet shod with the preparation

 of the gospel of peace; 

    This item of armor is more than what covers our feet: it laces all the way up the calf, just like the ancient Roman soldiers wore. Everywhere he looked he could clearly see how a Roman soldier was dressed. So this is how The Spirit led him to define our Christian armor. 

    Paul was surrounded by Roman soldiers at all times, though he could move somewhat freely, as his feet were chained, but his hands were perhaps, left somewhat unfettered, leaving him able to write all these lovely letters to the churches in the cities in which he had preached the gospel of peace, the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

    (Had he not been in chains, Paul still would not have run away. He had appealed to Caesar for his release, and to Caesar he must go: voluntarily. Yet, because he had been arrested for speaking The Name of Jesus Christ, and refusing to stop speaking salvation through Christ's Name, his arrest was inevitable.)

    Now we have here the preparation of the gospel of peace. Before we can even step out into spiritual warfare in the upper realms, we must needs have our feet and legs wrapped in impenetrable footwear. For it is our feet and legs which stabilize our balance and make it possible for us to move from one place to another. An unbalanced spiritual warrior will fail and fall. 

    Therefore we must place the preparation on our feet and lace our sandals all the way up to our knees, even covering the knee caps. We've seen enough action movies to know that if the knee gets shot out, the one being shot goes down and scrambles to remain upright and in motion. How do we do that? 

    We must be ready at all times to move swiftly when the need arises. And we must also be ready to take a stand for the gospel and not back down. Proper footwear is to be ready to give an answer for what we believe. It is to have the knowledge of The Word of Wisdom which makes it possible for us not only stand our ground, but withstand the oncoming assaults in spiritual warfare. We cannot run away from the battle we have either instigated, or joined in with. 

BE READY TO GIVE AN ANSWER

    1 Peter 3:15

But sanctify The Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of The Hope that is in you with meekness and fear.

WALK WORTHY

    Colossians 1:10

That you might walk worthy of The Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the Knowledge of God.

STAND FIRM

    1 Corinthians 16:13

Be on the alert. Stand firm in the faith. Be men of courage. Be strong.

WITHSTAND 

    Psalm 31:24

Be strong and courageous, all you who Hope in The LORD. 

WALK IN THE SPIRIT

    Galatians 5:25

If we live in The Spirit, let us also walk in The Spirit.

RUN TO THE BATTLE

    2 Samuel 22:30

For by You I can run against a troop; By my God I can leap over a wall.

RUN FOR THE REWARD

    1 Corinthians 9:24, 25

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to take the prize. Everyone who competes in the games trains with strict discipline. They do it for a crown that is perishable, but we do it for a crown that is imperishable. 

    Preparation implies a need for readiness. The first step to readiness is our own salvation. Are you saved? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is Lord? And if you do believe, are you listening to The Holy Spirit, Who is trying to teach you the holy way of righteous living which God has prepared for you to live? 

    And if you have these first two items in your quiver, are you also serving The Lord with Joy in your hearts? We should not be proud to be serving God, we should be rejoicing that God chose us to serve Him. We should be thankful and watchful at all times, ready to repel the darts of pridefulness, status, envy, jealousy which attempt to shoot through our armor. These things can knock us down in spiritual warfare. 

    Are you filled with the Knowledge of God's Holy Word on a daily basis? Even if you don't have the whole Bible at your fingertips, you can still hear from God every day, if you can only learn to distinguish His Voice from the devil's voice. The devil wants to destroy us. God wants to save us. The devil speaks lies. God speaks Truth. The devil hates us for many reasons, namely because he is jealous of how much God loves us. God loves because He love. 

    Get ready to stand. run forward, walk uprightly and speak The Word of Life! 

    

    

    

     

     

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Nine

 

Psalm 37:7

Rest in The LORD, and wait patiently for Him:

Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,

because of the man who brings 

wicked schemes to pass.

    Did you know that the word 'fret' does not mean 'anxious' or 'worry'? I didn't until I studied it out. Verse 8 accentuates the definition of fret, making it plain to us that fretting is frowned upon by God. 

    To fret is to lack constraint in our emotional desire to get even, to get angry, to take vengeance against the person or persons who has or have wronged us. To fret is to be indignant, hateful, mean-spirited, waspish, evil-minded, jealous, envious. It is the opposite of Christlike behavior. 

    Rest in The Lord. Let Him give us rest from the battles of this life. Allow Him to take the lead. Wait on His direction. Sometimes the directive from God is immediate. When we allow His Holy Spirit to fill us with God's Peace, the need for retaliation dissipates and disappears. We forgive the insult and the intent. 

    And though the enemy of our soul may constantly bring old things to mind, taunting us with our seemingly apparent failures or old thefts committed against us, we need to stand firm on God's Word and remember that we have forgiven the old assaults and intents; now we are forgivers, not haters. We are a new creation in Christ and as such, we pray that the same Christ Who dwells us would dwell in the hearts of those who have sinned against us. 

    We rest in His promises, which are many. We take rest in His Word, which is consistent and unchanging. What God promised in the beginning to those who would believe and obey, He promises now to us who believe and obey His Word.  This is but one promise. 

    There are hundreds, but I'm not going to list them here. However, if you need another example, Deuteronomy 28 is a good place to start. The first half is all the promises that will overtake us when we obey God's Word. The second half is all the promises that will happen if we disobey God's Word. 

    Rest. Wait. Fret Not. Take everything that's been done against you, write it down if you must, then bring it to The Lord in prayer. And leave it there. 

Warrior of The Word - Ephesians 6:14b - Breastplate of Righteousness

 

Ephesians 6:14

Stand therefore, 

having your loins girt about with truth, 

and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

    The breastplate is the part of the armor that covers our chest area; both the left side and the right side. Our upper back is also covered. The righteousness of Christ covers us completely, especially our heart. 

    Isaiah 59:1-15 tells us how sin separates us from God, and how no one was found to intercede on our behalf, so God sent Himself to intercede for us. Isaiah 59:16-18 tells us how God will do this. 

    Verse 16: His own arm brought salvation and His own righteousness sustained Him (Isaiah 51:5)

Verse 17: He put on righteousness like a breastplate (2 Corinthians 6:7) and the helmet of salvation on His head (Psalm 140:7). He put on garments of vengeance (Revelation 19:13) and wrapped Himself in a cloak of zeal (Titus 2:14).

    Verse 18: He will repay each one according to their deeds (Revelation 22:12): 

        *Fury to His enemies: Deuteronomy 32:41-43 & Revelation 20:7-15

        *Retribution to His foes: Romans 12:19 & Revelation 19:19-21

        *Recompense to the islands/coastlands: Isaiah 42:4 

    Isaiah 59:19-21 tells us that:

    Verse 19: The Redeemer will be driven by The Breath of The Lord (The Holy Spirit will be with Him). Ezekiel 36:27 & John 14:16, 17

    Verse 20: The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression. Romans 11:26 & Ezekiel 18:30

    Verse 21: The Redeemer will give us His Spirit and His Words will not depart from our mouths, nor from the mouths of our seed (those who believe The Word we have shared with/spoken to them). Deuteronomy 32:14

    Every piece of our armor is Jesus Christ. We are covered from head to toe in The Word of God. Who is there to fear now? No one. Where Jesus goes, we go. Yes, we follow His lead, but we also walk beside Him and under His flag we ride. 

    That Breastplate is neither made of iron or leather, but every stitch is The Word. By faith in The Name of The Lord Jesus Christ, the Breastplate is applied to us. To put on the armor is to believe that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD. 

    He is our Breastplate. He not only lives in our hearts by faith, but covers our hearts with His righteousness, His justification. It is the 'judicial approval of God' on His people. For we have been judged according to His Word and we have been found not guilty because the blood of God's Lamb has been applied to our sins and washed them away. Woo-hoo! Praise The LORD! We are free! 

    No longer does guilt and shame thrive in our hearts, tearing us down and binding us up in them; for Christ has come into our hearts, tearing down the strongholds that kept us bound and afraid. Delivering us from evil and giving us Himself. God's most Perfect and Good Gift which He promised to give anyone who believes in His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. 

    This Gift is our Breastplate. The Lord Is My Righteousness and He covers me with Himself because I believe that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD. 

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Eight

Psalm 55:22

Cast your burden upon The Lord,

and He shall sustain you:

He shall never suffer the righteous

to be moved.

    When we cast our burdens on our Lord, He provides not only the answer, but the strength to keep on going despite the burden we have just relieved ourselves of. The phrase "Let go, and let God" completely applies here. Let go of what is weighing us down and let God handle it. 

     There is one word of praise that fits here, as well. Whether we raise our arms above us or hold them out in front of us, that word of praise is 'yadah'. It is first mentioned in Genesis 29:35 when Leah praises God after the birth of her son Judah. 'Yadah' occurs 114 times in The Old Testament. That is 114 times that people through up their arms or put their arms out in front of them to praise God. 

     Why do I bring this up? The act of tossing away or throwing out requires our arms to follow suit. When we worship God, we are throwing out whatever would keep us from worshiping Him and giving Him ALL the glory. We give Him our praise because He is worthy to receive our praise. Doesn't matter what we are going through. God is with us. 

    Not every burden is an attack on ourselves. Not all of our children are still in God's house. They grew up and left. We carry the burden of them being restored and we give it to God. Everyday. We carry the burden of our parents, our siblings, our cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents, inlaws and so on and so forth; we give them all to God. 

     We pray for their salvation. We pray for the indwelling power of The Holy Spirit to fill them. We pray for them to know the joy of The Lord when they choose to serve Him in the fear of The Lord.

     We shall not be moved is a wonderful phrase. And with God's help, we shall, indeed, stand and withstand the onslaught of the enemy's attacks on us. For we are being tested and tried that we may come forth as gold in God's eyes: pure and holy and complete in Him. 

    

Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Seven

 

1 Peter 5:7

Casting all your care upon Him;

for He cares for you.

    Many Scriptures inform us that we cannot carry the burdens, the loads we gather upon ourselves, by ourselves. We need Someone to help us, especially to carry the burden of sin with which we have entangled ourselves. Jesus carried that burden on the cross, for the weight of the sins of the whole world, including you and I, were laid on His shoulders and He became sin, that you and I might have eternal life in Him. 

    Psalm 55:22 

Cast your burden upon The LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.

    Philippians 4:6, 7

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

    Matthew 6:25-27, 30

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

    Matthew 11:28

Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

    Psalm 37:5

Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will bring it to pass.

    When we cast our cares on our Lord and Savior, we are trusting in His timing, His covenant with us. to take care of our burdens, our loads, our struggles, our failures, our needs and our wants. When we bring these things to God in prayer, we need to leave them there, too. Stop taking the impossible situations back into our own hands and leave them in God's hands. 

    We sing quite a few songs about casting our cares on God, too.  "Casting Your Care Upon Him" by Fanny Crosby. "It Is Well With My Soul" - Horatio Spafford. "What A Friend We Have In Jesus" - Joseph Scriven. "Oceans" - Hillsong. "Be Still My Soul" - Kari Jobe. "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" - Helen H. Lemmel. "Blessed Assurance" - Fanny Crosby. 

    The soul is detail-oriented. I like things to be in order, but I'm not totally organized yet. I like what I wear to do more than clothe me: it must be sufficient for the works that I must do. Not necessarily matchy-matchy, but put together well. I'm funny that way. 

    The soul gets weary, too. It knows emotional pain and bears the weight of grief until the times of mourning pass. The weary soul has learned to lean on The Word of God. "Leaning On Jesus (Leaning On The Everlasting Arms)" is a classic hymn by A. J. Showalter and Elisha A. Hoffman that meanders across my thoughts when I need strength. The arms of God never fail me, for His Strength holds me up every day. 

    Come, let us cast our cares on our Lord today.