Warrior of The Word - Ephesians 6:20

 

Ephesians 6:20

For which I am an 

ambassador in chains:

that therein I may 

speak boldly,

as I ought to speak.

    "Lord, help us to speak boldly, to proclaim Your Name and Your gospel fearlessly. Not pridefully, nor even tauntingly, for both of those would be evil and not only would we lose our hearers and damn their souls to hell, we would be right there with them. 

    "You give us words to speak when we need to speak them. Unless You open our mouths to share Your gospel, let our words be few. Amen."

    Speaking the gospel message of salvation requires faithfulness and obedience on our part:

     Faithfulness in prayer, whether we are alone or amongst friends. [Matthew 6:6; Acts 4:29-31].

     Faithfulness in joyful service to our God. [Ephesians 6:7]

    Obedience to God's Word, knowing that our obedience brings fruitfulness in our works for God. [Proverbs 21:3] 

    In 1 Samuel 15:22, disobedience cut down King Saul's spiritual tree, causing him to be unfruitful for God. He disobeyed God's Word regarding the captivity of oxen and cattle during a battle. With this understanding we can see the opposite side of this example: obedience brings fruitfulness. 

    Speaking the gospel message of salvation requires stamina: enduring strength and perseverance. We are able to speak boldly this message of love and grace through Christ because we are not alone: we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses [Hebrews 12:1]. Some of these have gone before us, walking this same fearless path, who now watch from the other side of eternity, and some walk among us even now. 

    We are not afraid to speak boldly because we are not alone. We are never alone; therefore, we are never afraid. As Scripture reminds us, "God is with us. We will not be afraid." [Hebrews 13:5, 6] So, we speak boldly this gospel message of hope and peace. 

    We speak to you because we can't help ourselves. We want you to know Jesus Christ for yourselves: we want you to know there's a better way to live this life we have been given. We are compelled by God's Holy Spirit to urge you to give your hearts and lives to His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ.

    WHO WAS:

Genesis 3:15

Foretold to break the power of sin 

Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:6/Luke 2:1-7

Born in a manger in Bethlehem

 Matthew 4:17            

Preaching the gospel of repentance

Isaiah 53; Philippians 2:7, 8; John 19:1-37

Tortured and killed

John 19:38-42; John 20; Matthew 28:1-15                    

Buried and Risen

Acts 1:3; Luke 24:36; John 20:19, 20; 27-29; 1 Corinthians 15:1-7; Luke 24:13-49

Alive after death for forty days 

    WHO IS:

Revelation 1:18

Alive forevermore  

Acts 1:6-11

Ascended to heaven

Mark 14:62; Psalm 110:1; Luke 22:69; Hebrews 1:3 & 12:2; Ephesians 1:18-23

Seated at God's right hand  

John 14:2, 3; Matthew 25:34

Preparing a place for us 

    WHO IS TO COME:

Matthew 25:31 

Sign of The Son of Man seen

Revelation 1:7; Mark 13:26

Coming in glory

Daniel 7:13, 14

Everlasting Kingdom

Revelation 22:12

Coming quickly

    Have I not spoken boldly the gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ, the Only One Who can save souls by such a foundation as faith in His Name? I do not speak The Name of Christ to scare you into salvation, but to love you into salvation in His Name. Because God is Love and desires you and I to love Him in return. God sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross in our place, to give us new life in Him, for He is The Resurrection and The Life Eternal, Whom God has sent to save all who will believe. 

    Do you believe?

      

                                             

Warrior of The Word - Ephesians 6:19

 

Ephesians 6:19

And pray for me, that words may be given to me,

that I may open my mouth boldly,

to make known the mystery of the gospel.

    That words may be given to me. Which words? Words of hope. Words of grace. Words of mercy. Words of love. Words of wisdom. Words of Truth. Words of Peace.  Words of Life. Words that will be heard, and, hopefully, received. Words which The Spirit of God places within the hearts of the speakers: To make known the mystery of the gospel.

    WORDS OF HOPE

     Philippians 1:20, 21

According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

    Titus 2:13

We await the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

    WORDS OF GRACE

    Titus 2:11, 12

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to everyone, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age. 

    Romans 5:15

But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many!

    WORDS OF MERCY

    Luke 1:50

His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation.

    Matthew 5:7

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

    WORDS OF LOVE

    1 John 4:16

And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 

    John 3:16, 17

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.

    WORDS OF WISDOM

    Proverbs 11:30

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

    Proverbs 2:1-22

The Benefits of Wisdom

    WORDS OF TRUTH

    Psalm 85:11

Truth shall spring out of the earth; and Righteousness shall look down from heaven.

    John 3:14, 15

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so The Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.

    John 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life. No one comes to The Father except through Me."

    WORDS OF PEACE

    Colossians 3:15

And let The Peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

    John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.

    WORDS OF LIFE

    1 John 5:11, 12

And this is that testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  Whoever has The Son has life; whoever does not have The Son of God does not have life.

    John 11:25

Jesus said to her, "I Am The Resurrection, and The Life: he that believes in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."

    

    WORDS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

    2 Corinthians 2:17

For we are not like so many others, who peddle The Word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as men sent from God. 

    Colossians 1:25-27

I became its servant by the commission God gave me to fully proclaim to you The Word of God, the mystery that was hidden for ages and generations but is now revealed to His saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 

    Matthew 10:20

For it will not be you speaking, but The Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

    2 Samuel 23:2

The Spirit of The LORD spoke through me; His Word was on my tongue. 

    Revelation 22:17

And The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whosoever desires, let him take The Water of Life freely.

    

    

     

     

Warrior of The Word - Ephesians 6:18

 

Ephesians 6:18

Praying always with all prayer and

supplication in The Spirit,

and watching thereunto with all 

perseverance and supplications for all saints.

PRAYING ALWAYS

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Pray without ceasing.

ALL PRAYER & SUPPLICATION

Philippians 4:6

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication (request, petition) with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

IN THE SPIRIT

Romans 8:26

In the same way, The Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.

WATCHING THEREUNTO

1 Peter 5:8

Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

ALL PERSEVERANCE

Romans 12:12

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer.

SUPPLICATIONS FOR ALL SAINTS

2 Thessalonians 1:11

To this end, we always pray for you, that our God will count you worthy of His calling, and that He will powerfully fulfill your every good desire and work of faith.

Ephesians 1:16-21

I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, That The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of glory, may give unto you The Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the knowledge of Him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is The Hope of His Calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. 

    This last passage in Ephesians 1:16-21 is an ideal prayer to pray over all of God's lost sheep. Praying the Scriptures over our families and churches and everyone else is easier than you think. When praying for one person at a time, just use their name. When praying for multiple, I just use the group names: family unto the millennial generations, friends, acquaintances, strangers and enemies. For example, beginning in verse 16 the prayer could read, "I have not stopped praying for ______, remembering him or her in my prayers. That The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of glory, may give _______ The Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the knowledge of Him." 

    So what have I prayed for this person (or people) here? I'm praying for their salvation, that they would be rooted and grounded in The Word of God so steadfastly, that they would be immovable when push comes to shove in their relationship with Christ. 

    I am praying that this person (or people(, would understand what they are learning about God and Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirit. That they would know The Hope of His Calling (salvation and faith in The Name Jesus Christ) and the riches of His glory, His inheritance: 2 Timothy 1:9 "He has saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but by His own purpose and by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time began."

    I am praying that this person (or people) would know the great power of God in sending His Son to die on the cross bearing the weight of every sin across His shoulders, in effect becoming sin and then, taking the punishment for the sins upon Him. Though He Himself had never sinned, He chose to take our punishing torturous death that we might have forgiveness and newness of Life Eternal in Him. 

    ~If the one reading this study is not saved, born again through faith in Christ Jesus, these prayers are being prayed over you. ~

    This is my weapon, wielded in the Love of God, which I have raised against all ungodliness, unrighteousness, unholiness, unloving, unmerciful, ungrateful, evil spirits who attack God's people and the people God is calling back to Him. Prayer like this takes hold of the throne of mercy and intercedes on these people's behalf for their salvation, them to be Spirit-filled, and joining we who believe on The Name of The Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation, in the service of our God in His kingdom. 

    Let us pray together even now for every lost sheep to come home; for every saint to be resolved and resolute in taking a stand for Christ; for the love of God to be evident in our daily lives, that our witness of The Testimony might be believed by those whom we interact with. 

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. 

    

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!” 

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! 

    

    

    

     

     

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. 

Warrior of The Word - Ephesians 6:14a - Gird Our Loins with Truth

 

Ephesians 6:14

Stand therefore, having your loins

girt about with truth, and 

having on the breastplate of righteousness.

    Stand ready, be prepared. Having our loins. Loins. What are the loins? And how do we gird them? Physically, the areas of the body from the waist to the hips externally, and the areas of reproduction internally. Spiritually, the mind is referred to as loins.

    When we gird our loins in this way, we are protecting our abilities and possibilities. A strong waist to hip stance makes it possible for us to stand without aids, makes it possible for us to bend but not break, makes it possible for us to walk upright. When we gird our loins internally, we are protecting our ability to procreate, to have children. 

    Yet, here again, we are addressing the spiritual armor which God has prepared for us to apply to our spiritual loins: our seat of spiritual integrity - our minds: how we think, how our minds are to work. 1 Peter 1:13 addresses this as such, "Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober-minded (vigilant), and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Our thoughts need to be brought into readiness for action, as well as our waist-to-hips. 

     Truth is gird about our loins. The Truth of God's Word is wrapped around our physical loins and our spiritual loins. We don't just memorize Scripture, we live It. While some may tattoo Scriptures on their loin areas to remind themselves, this is not what that means. It is the way we live The Scriptures, The Word of God, that strengthens us and makes us ready to fight in spiritual warfare. 

    Not many Christians are able to successfully win in a spiritual battle. Battles take time, energy, perseverance, and a continual pushing back against an age-old enemy who wants our souls, and the souls of our descendants. It's why we need to secure our loins with The Word of Truth. Our minds and our hearts and our procreational activities need to be wrapped in Truth, belted in Truth. 

    And though we have failed God in our pasts, it is our present and future that is important now. With repentant hearts we came to God and He forgives the sins we had committed against Him back in the days when we not only refused to listen to Him, but did not even know Him like we thought we knew Him. 

    Now, we are filled daily with His Bread, The Truth of The Word of God. We speak this Truth into our minds and our hearts and over our bodies. We speak Truth into our children, over our children who are grown and have families of their own, over their generations and beyond. We pray The Truth over each of you and your families and friends.     

    We tighten the cinches of divine unity in The Spirit, leaving no room for divisions, or false doctrines to enter our circles of ministry, nor be found in ourselves. We are constantly on the alert to reject philosophical theories, which may sound nice but are, in fact, in total rejection to God's Word. We, the Warriors of The Word, tuck in our shirts and blouses, making us more efficient workers, removing that which would hinder us and slow us down. 

    The days and times are nearly finished before our Lord and Savior returns to bring us to the home He has prepared for us. Tighten your cinches, your belts. 

    

    

Warrior of The Word - Ephesians 6:13

 
 

Ephesians 6:13

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. 

    Our whole armor is laid, piece by piece, on top of each other waiting for us to pick up our stack of armor, and carry it to our dressing place. When the young shepherd was given armor to put it on, it didn't fit. That's because that wasn't his stack of armor. We each have our own which God has prepared for us. And while each piece is significant in and of itself, one size does not fit all. 

    However, what we are focusing on today is why we must take up our armor, why this armor must be worn. First, we must be able to withstand in the evil day. And when that battle is finished, we must be able to stand. Two different agendas, two differing battles in the same fight.

    Withstanding means being able to repel the onslaught of evil which comes against us. Without the Authority of God's Word alive in us, we are not able to withstand any temptation which is aimed towards us. Once we not only lived in sin, but enjoyed it. Perhaps we recognized that it was wrong on an immoral or illegal level. But when we got saved, when we let Jesus into hearts and His Holy Spirit into our lives, we began what seemed an insurmountable task on our part: becoming God's holy people. 

    We learned through intense study and unwavering faith how to become a holy people, how to love with the love of God, how to live a righteous sin-repelling life. We are yet an imperfect in the sight of the Law, but we are complete in Christ. Therefore, we are made perfect in Him. But the devil will still try to drag us down, attacking us wherever he can. 

    We withstand the enemy by being filled with Gods' Holy Word and with God's Holy Spirit. The Spirit gives us breath to speak The Word in rebuke to the tempter's voice. It helps to remember that he is a mere worm and a dead one at that, for we have stomped on his head. The Word of God is Strength for the weak, Savior for the lost, Mighty to the pulling down of strongholds. And sin is a stronghold on the flesh. 

    The days of evil are days of adversity, days of distress, days of trouble. These are days of testing, days of trials, days of discipline. These days of evil are days of learning to submit, to live obediently, to overcome through perseverance of faith in God. 

    [[Ecclesiastes 7:14; Proverbs 24:10; Psalm 27:5; Job 2:10; Proverbs 3:11, 12; James 1:2-4]]

    And when we have overcome temptation in the days of evil, the days of disobeying God's Word (just this once won't matter will it), the days of not thinking before speaking (it just slipped out), the days of putting God second, or even last (not seeking Him out first thing in our waking up) (nor seeking Him for guidance on every matter), we will need to stand. We need to be ready, be filled with The Word and with The Spirit, to defeat the evil days in which we live and are challenged by. 

    We may not actually hear the cunning, sssneaky voice of that wily ssserpent in our ears, but he wins the duels when someone cuts us off in traffic or conversation and we respond negatively. He wins when foul language rolls off our tongues. He wins the duels when we reach for a weapon that is not ours to use. Stop picking up armor that isn't yours; it doesn't fit. 

    We stand when we have won the duels. We stand when we have rebuked the enemy with The Word of God. We stand when we have overcome temptation. We stand when we set fire to the little foxes who have invaded our gardens and fields. We stand when we lay aside the heavy armor that does not fit and remain strengthened in The Wisdom of The Word as it applies to us in that day. 

    We stand when we bless those who not only come against us, but appear to be negative towards us. We stand when we continue to glorify God while we are being assaulted and killed for His Name's sake. We stand when we pray for God's blessings to be upon our enemies. We stand when we have the demeanor of a faithful servant of The Most High God. 

    Though not many will stand with us, though some may leave when the battle stretches on and seems to be neverending, we will stand. We will remain upright in the face of overwhelming odds. Why will we stand? Because we love our Father God and His beloved Son. And They stand with us.