Wednesday, March 6, 2024
I Am Christian's Closet
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Weaponized
2 Corinthians 10:4
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
Jeremiah 23:29
"Is not MY WORD like fire," declares the LORD, "and like a hammer that smashes a rock?"
Ephesians 6:10-18
In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless] might.
Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places.
Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious].
So stand firm and hold your ground, HAVING TIGHTENED THE WIDE BAND OF TRUTH (personal integrity, moral courage) AROUND YOUR WAIST and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (an upright heart),
and having strapped on YOUR FEET THE GOSPEL OF PEACE IN PREPARATION [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news].
Above all, lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, which is the WORD OF GOD.
With all PRAYER AND PETITION PRAY [with specific requests] at all times [on every occasion and in every season] IN THE SPIRIT, and with this in view, stay alert with all perseverance and petition [interceding in prayer] for all God’s people.
Our weapon is the WORD OF GOD, not our opinion. We think THE WORD when we contemplate It, when we study It, when we meditate on It. We breathe THE WORD when we speak it aloud, not just in our hearing, but in the presence of others.
We live THE WORD when we believe THE WORD. Our actions and our speech define who we are and where we stand.
THE WORD OF GOD is powerful: Hebrews 4:12 'For THE WORD OF GOD is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.'
Only with THE WORD OF GOD thriving within us will be able to be the people of God we are called to be: Christians, Christ-followers, Word-speakers, Spirit-filled servants of the Most High God. Without Christ we are nothing. But with Christ we are everything because He is our Everything.
Monday, June 21, 2021
Stand My Ground
Ephesians 6:13
Monday, January 23, 2017
Vibrant Faith-Dressed To Overcome
We know that "Faith Comes From Hearing and Hearing By The Word of GOD" (Romans 10:17) and we know that "Faith is the substance of things Hoped for, the Evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1).
When we apply The Word of God to ourselves, we are covering ourselves with The Word of God, Jesus Christ. We are clothed in Him from head to toe.
Ephesians 6:17 tells the believer to "take (up) the Helmet of Salvation"; in other words, put that helmet on our heads.
And several times we read that we have many crowns: Crown of Life, Crown of Righteousness, Crown of Glory, Crown. We are each other's Crown. We are the Crown of Splendor in The LORD's hand. He is our Crown.
Ephesians 6:13 says we wear Him like armor and goes on to describe what our armor is.
Ephesians 6:14 Belt or Sash of Truth & Breastplate of Righteousness
Ephesians 6:15 Shoes of Peace, not as the world knows peace, but The Preparation of The Gospel of Peace
Ephesians 6:16 The Shield of Faith, which quenches all the fiery darts of the wicked. This shield is actually not held in our hands, but in our hearts. As is
Ephesians 6:17 The Sword of The Spirit, which is The Word of God.
Since we know that The Word of God is Jesus Christ, we learn now that both the Shield and the Sword are articles of clothing. How cool is that?
1 Thessalonians 5:8 also tells us that our Breastplate is not just His Righteousness on us, but His Love, as well.
Are you fully clothed in your Faith before you begin your day? or your night? Or are you dressed like the emperor in his new clothes, who goes out in his birthday suit believing himself to be beautifully clothed, when in fact he is wearing nothing at all.