Month: August 2017

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Armor Up! Part IV

Ephesians 6:10- 20
For these verses I am using the American Standard Version translation.
Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having ‘put on the belt of’ truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts 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 supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saint,” 
 
 
“For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” In high school I had a couple friends that were wrestlers, one in particular was very good; he was built for it. He made it all the way to state before someone was finally able to pin him. I watched him a few times and it is a grapplingly sport. You are in the other guy’s face and every body part can be used for you or against you. If both wrestlers are equaling skilled then victory goes to the one that is in the best condition. It’s an exhausting sport. I appreciated watching him especially since he was so good, but it never appealed to me. However I totally understand what Paul is saying, that we are in a life time wrestling match with the enemy of righteousness. We are wrestling with an opponent who doesn’t tire, who is a master of deceit and makes lies sound like truth, and has studied us and knows what moves to make to pin us. He is a “worthy” opponent, skilled in every way except for in righteousness and can withstand any force put against him except for prayer and the Word of God, as Paul says in James 4:6-7

“But God gives the more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” ( a side note, the proud are those who think they know better, that if they were “God” they would do it this way, or this would not be wrong etc.) When playing God you will quickly find yourself on the opposing side, with God resisting you and leaving you to reap what you sow. Not a good spot to be in, I prefer His mercy. 

 
“Submit yourself” to place myself under in an orderly fashion and then resist, stand against knowing that the full power of Heaven is on my side because of my submission to God. “And he will flee,” as soon as the heat is too much via prayer and contending against him with
the Word, he will leave. However victory is short lived – he will be back, guaranteed.
“and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;” An easier understanding of what Paul is trying to convey would be, “a readiness and or a quickness that comes from knowing the Word.” When the Word has become part of you because of study and meditation, temptation finds it hard to get a footing. Also when hard circumstances and or just problems in general come, you are able to navigate through them more readily because you have stored God’s Word. The Holy Spirit can more readily guide you. As David says in Psalms 119:10-12

With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes.

 When you are in the battle it’s no time to put your shoes on, they need to be on. Storing God’s Word within us is as a soldier having his boots on, he’s ready to move. The Word studied makes us quick and allows us to face trials head on, no giving ground because we were not prepared.
“withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.” A method used to quench the fiery arrows of the enemies archers was to soak wood in water and attach it to the front of one’s  shield. When the fiery arrows came they imbedded themselves in the soaked wood and would hence be extinguished. In similar fashion the “wood” attached to our shield is made up of a multitude of promises. When we fear Psalms 23 needs to be right at hand,
Psalms 23:4
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Or when my way is not sure, whether it be related to employment, my health or a love one’s health, or relationship concerns Proverbs 3:5-6 ( my all time favorite).

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

 
 It’s not so much for us to figure out our life as much as it is to trust God with it. And if  trusting doesn’t seem to be working then check yourself with these verses. Psalms 32:8-9 ( an attitude check)
I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye ( some renderings say, “mine eye upon thee” ).
Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they will not come near thee ( God’s promises are voided by our unwillingness to listen or yield).
One of the biggest potholes our society has deals with our appearance. We worship beauty and physical form. It is almost impossible to watch any T.V without having one or both of these presented and often multiple times. Whether we think we have them or not, it is not a good bases to put your confidence in. We need to align our thinking to the verse below. And though it is addressing women, men have increasingly become more focused on their looks. Character has taken a back seat when in reality character should be first, second and third seat. Proverbs 31:30-31

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

In Biblical days parents decided who their children would marry. It was actually a good system. They, unlike the son or daughter, were not guided by hormones and they through their own experiences in marriage understood the value of character. In “courting” the hormones are too high and long term decisions are clearly hard to make. Parents  considered character, provision and  the home values that the son or daughter were raised with.  They were matched on these, looks were considered but in there rightful place. Parents understood that as you learn to love and appreciate the person inside, the outward attraction comes. We have so lost this value, we base almost everything on looks and sex, which will not keep a relationship together and hence the divorce rate has become the plague of our “progressive” society.
 
 For a believer to put their confidence in the outward is to play the fool; you will never find security there. There will always be someone more attractive, more “sexy” more… whatever. However in combination with a Godly person, which definitely has its own beauty, plus your own unique looks you have a winning combination, for there is not another like you. You are unique, one of a kind, and if you go down that road comparison ends. To put all our emphasis of self worth on the outward is to discount 2/3rd’s of who we are. Why would we do that? Insecurity comes from basing our life on a foundation that is not secure. It is just like the foolish man that built his house on the sand. As long as we do that, our life we will never feel secure. In Matthew 7:24-28 is the parable of the wise and foolish builders…

“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock ( the truths of Christ);
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock.
And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:”

 
Insecurity entered into man at the time of the fall, when man rebelled against God. Man fell and God dis-inhabited man ( we talked about this in prior Vida’s). That’s a big deal, when God leaves it’s a vacuum of universal proportion inside man. Even if we are believers, this insecurity has become part of our D.N.A. It takes much time for the Holy Spirit to drown out its voice and reprogram us. The things we say and do because of insecurity we could write a book on.
And what does emphasizing charm and beauty do to us? Well it makes us constantly look in the mirror. If we are looking good then our confidence remains strong. However if we are not, or we don’t compare to the competition, then  we can become very insecure and critical of ourselves. That is no way to live, we are much more than our looks. The best, the most stable, and consistent life is a life founded on a growing in relationship with Christ. Finding our self worth and value in Him because of the value He places on us is where we will find our greatest stability. If we do this we will be able to quench many of satans fiery darts and it will become increasingly easier as we mature in our faith. This is especially important for my sisters, this is a major struggle area for most women as lust is for most men. To strenghten our “shield” therefore would be to specifically study verses that deal with our inherit weaknesses ( the Pocket Promise book is great for this, it list all the promises of scripture in their categories) . As these specific verses are meditated upon they become part of us. They “shore up” the work that the Holy Spirit is wanting to do. Another favorite verse is found in Isaiah 58:11 (make sure to read the whole chapter to put the verse in context)
And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not ( “make fat thy bones,” was an expression referring to strenght, health and vitality). 
“And take the helmet of salvation…”
The mind is the first battle ground where lies, worry, temptation, deceit and the like come too. A strong mind trained in God’s truths equals a quick response and a soon defeat for these demonic messagers.  An unstudied mind, one that doesn’t know the scriptures, struggles and debates whether or not to yield, much like Eve did with the serpent. And the more we debate the greater the risk for defeat. The core purpose of the helmet of salvation is to give us a very specific mindset that has eternity in first place and current circumstances in second. When that is your mindset, then it is almost impossible to lose. We get so trapped in our little world with our own concerns and worries that we forget that there is a much bigger world out there with concerns that are eternal in perspective. Example, a school teacher sees only the needs of his or her classroom. In comparison, the principal sees the needs of the whole campus. We need to be principals to correctly serve and function in God’s Kingdom and to do so one must continually wear the helmet of salvation.
“and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” In our military we have different levels of training. Each branch of the forces has their special names for these specialized groups but in essence these groups are more advanced and better trained than an enlisted G.I. There’s the infantry soldier then there’s the Royal Ranges, and beyond them is Delta Force. For the Navy there is the sailor and then the navy seal that is many degrees more advanced than a sailor. And so is it true when it comes to skill and proficiency in using God’s Word. The less trained we are the harder life will be; we’ll have greater emotional casualties as we navigate in and out of the challenges of life. To ignore a consistent time of study in God’s Word is to try to fight Goliath with your bare hands. When with a sling ( faith) and God’s promises as the rock you can embed that truth into the forefront of any lie and defeat it. We don’t have to yield or be defeated, it’s not in our Father’sB DNA. It is absolutely not necessary and it is not our calling. We are called to be victorious in life through the help and aid of the Holy Spirit as He takes the Word studied and quickens it to our life. The harder life gets simply means the closer we are getting  to a personal victory, or a “break through” if you want to use church terms.
For me personally wearing the armor is critical, it keeps me focused on what is real, and what my Father values. Running a business with its various demands can definitely be tough, often requiring me to work long hours. I must juggle between being with crews and checking job progress, meeting with current clients and seeing new clients, writing estimates for new business, closing current jobs and collecting final payments etc. Then there is the stuff you do that has nothing to do do with your profession. I call it the business of running a business. Yet  in all this I am blessed in that most of the time we have really good clients. Although all this can just simply be over the top, way beyond what I can handle and I tell the Lord that. That He must do it through me, and He does. He takes over, controls my thoughts, inputs what I need to be doing or saying and battles are won and things get done, my courage stays strong and my stress stays regulated for I see His hand helping me. He is my Keeper and the Good Shepherd of my soul. All I can say is Amen, and that I sure look forward to my 30 minute naps at the end of the day ;)
Father God,
Thank you for this series and making our armor something that I can apply to my daily life. Your truth and my relationship to You through Christ is my armor, my full armor. As I continue to seek You let humility be my guide and Your truth my wisdom. Thank you and Amen.
Move Forward in His Grace – Arthur
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Armor Up! Part III

Ephesians

6:10- 20

For these verses I am using the American Standard Version translation.
Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having ‘put on the belt of’ truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts 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 supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saint,” 
 
“Put on the whole armor of God,” on the onset of reading these words it should at the least alert us to the fact that there is something we need to do. Sometimes the message of Christian duty gets muddied. We say Christ has done it all, which is true but then we read verses such as these from Paul in 1 Timothy, ” study to show yourself approved as a workman rightly dividing the Word of God,” and “I buffet my body least after having preached to others I myself should become disqualified.” The word buffet is a serious word, it means to give yourself a black eye as if your eye is out of line. There is definitely effort in both these two verses, plus our verse, ” Put on the armor,” involves effort.  So which is it, is it Christ’s work or mine? In the context of scripture it is quite clear. Salvation alone is the work of God in Christ. He and He alone is the only one able to save us by atoning for our sins via His own blood. No amount of effort of any proportion could ever accomplish what has been won because of the Cross, period. No debate, no discussion, it was the truth then, it is the truth now and it will forever be the truth.
However bending our ways, making time ( prioritizing ) to seek the Lord is our part. Growing our faith through scripture reading and exposing ourselves to the public teaching of God’s Word is how we partner with the Lord in growing our faith, and of course the Holy Spirit is involved every step of the way. Consistency is our best friend;  as the farmers of old use to say, “put your hand to the plow and don’t look back.” This is the “temper” or type of faith we need. As long as we see seeking Christ as optional we will flounder as believers. Furthermore if our faith does not make us different, then we are not following this verse. If we are not doing this then it’s questionable whether we believe what follows after it
 
Put on the whole armor of God, to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
In general the concept of the devil seems to be either overplayed or not discussed at all depending upon the church you attend. Ever since Bill Crosby coined the phase, “the devil made me do it,” the concept of the devil took on an almost humorous notion. That’s unfortunate, for even in the definition of “wiles” one can see he is no laughing matter. The Greek word for wiles is ‘Methodeia.’ We get our English word method, and its definition is “the following or pursuing of an orderly and technical procedure in the handling of a subject.” 
In High School one of my F.F.A projects was to raise chickens (100 of them) for consuming. I had to not only raise them but sell them, kill them, pluck them and then deliver them. We had feathers all over our side yard. It was the worse project I ever had, no wonder why I love plants so much. However in the process I learned how to cut up a whole chicken in pieces, just like in the market, and there is a method to it. The same method I used then is the same method I use now. And the end goal is the same, separate the pieces from the whole. Satan has the same method, to separate us from the Lord and from one another; burden us with guilt, sin, depression, worry, insecurity, fear, lust, false beliefs etc. These are some of tools in his bag and if he doesn’t get us with these, he has more.
A thief follows methodeia as well.  One of the first things any thief wants to do is make himself invisible. Dressing in dark colors, working in darkness, shealthly moving etc., he wants to make you think he doesn’t exist. If Satan can silence his name among the church, then he has become invisible and can have all the freedom he needs. In war if you don’t believe your enemy exist then likely your dead before you even fire your first shot. Hence the reason why so many of us are held captive to lust, pride, materialism, bitterness, fits of anger, bad language, or language that does not honor our Lord, or we lack the joy of living for Christ. We are trapped and we don’t even know it because Satan does not exist. There is no such thing as spiritual warfare, powers or principalities, or demons etc., when in reality they are very, very, real. They HATE GOD and HATE anyone who follows Him.
 I have a neighbor who hates me, he blames me for something I did not do. We are going on eight years of this foolishness. It is a weight to my spirit every time I walk past his house to get the mail and as such God seems to organize our time so that we see each other often. At the grocery store, riding bikes, out with my grand kids etc., I don’t even see my Christian neighbors that much. The sense of being hated is an ugly feeling, fortunately Christ love is much more powerful. I can only imagine how much more intensely the devil hates those who faithfully follow Christ. So it is imperative that we believe that there is a devil who will do anything to destroy us, Jesus believed so. In John 10:10 -12
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
But he that is a hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.”
 
The thief and wolf in the passage is Satan and through ‘methodeia’ he steals our joy, peace, assurance, our freedom and even our faith to where we even doubt that the Bible is God’s Word or even that God exists. Ultimately satan’s goal is to damn our soul. This is not a game, the stakes are real and the consequences eternal. One of the best ways to play all this down is to deny that sin even exists, that we just need to become more enlightened and that eventually everyone will get there. This is one of the most ignorant lies to believe in. Just look at the world, look at history as far back as this lie has been told, man has not improved, changed, or learned to value his fellow man any more or less than he always has. There have always been givers and takers and those inbetween. Except for periods of revival, life on earth has continued with me being first and you being second. Only when a heart has truly been touched by Christ does that order change. Another lie is that Christ did not die for sin, but to set an example of perfect selflessness. Though Christ himself said while on the Cross, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” There is no end to the twisting of the truth and through methodeia he seeks to deceive the weak or injured of heart. Christ clearly said he would give his life as a ransom for the sins of the world, that he would be the final atonement for man. Via His death He would create the way for man to come back to a Holy God. Christ words as quoted by Peter,
1 Peter 3:18
“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:”
For the Christian who does know the scriptures the Christian life is very much a struggle. Victory, saying no to sin and yes to God is probably few and far between. Without the Holy Spirit we are no match for the deceptiveness of the enemy. We are like puppets in the hands of the evil puppet master. To even recognize what sin is, is difficult. Most people acknowledge the Ten Commandments as a benchmark for sin, but sin is more than that. If I was to ask what is the worse sin possible we would all have our own opinion. However the “biggest sin,” the one that goes unrecognized is rejecting what Christ did for us on the Cross. For the unspoken statement that says, ” I don’t need a Savior, I’m good enough,” is the number one sin that damns man and from that rejection follows all the crimes of man. If the tree is bad, the fruit will also be bad. Faith in Christ turns us into good trees. It’s a process for sure, one that I really wished we would take more seriously.
Being good is not good enough. Their are those who do charitable work that are not necessarily believers and at times their selflessness puts us to shame. However be that true, we still must distinguish between good and righteous. Good is the work of man and to the highest and most noble it can be, it does not compare to God’s righteousness. Unfortunately it is the rumble and hay that burns at judgement, which saddens me greatly because I know some of these people. They would give you the shirt off their back if you needed it. Yet work done through Christ and for Christ because of a changed heart by Christ is what will make it through the fire. Anything less  will not. Without walking with Christ this statement is at the very least hurtful, however when one gets a glimpse of God Holiness it is understood.
Peter understood, even if it was for a moment. Jesus after teaching all morning Peter’s boat asked Peter to take out the boat to go fishing. Peter and the others just spent the whole night fishing, when it was the best time, and caught nothing. Fortunately for Peter he obeyed, it could have easily said no but at the Lord’s command they went out and casted  their nets. They caught so much fish that the boat began to sink. Peter could of had several reactions at seeing such a great amount of fish, “great Lord thank you, now I can pay off my house,” or ” I will sell this fish and from the money take two years off” etc., but nothing of self interest was said, instead he said ” get away from me Lord for I am a sinful man.” For in that moment Peter understood that what just happened only God could do and faced with the Divinity of Christ his sin was glaring at him and it  was beyond what he could take. We are not free agents like we would like to believe, but are easily manipulated if we are not being guided by the Holy Spirit.
 
“For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Do yourself a great favor, believe The Holy Spirit’s words. The wrestling we engage in is the unseen battle that exists in the minds and hearts of man. Lust, hatre, gossip, evil speech, covetousness, sexual misconduct, fornication, adultery, pride, even complacency are all weapons the enemy uses to take ground in our souls. He burdens us with guilt and low self esteem, thereby making us weak and unable to fight. These and more are the tools in his bag.
Therefore how do we fight an enemy that is as beguiling and invisible as him? And it is not just how to fight, but how do we win? How do boxers win, kick boxing athletes, or karate contestants, you train till your the best and in the process you get beat up, but if **we continue with the Lord and do not get discouraged it becomes part of our training. As Proverbs says, “one man sharpens another.” Each time we get beat up it exposes where we are weak, so we must train to strengthen those areas. After a while there are no more weakness, God’s Word is in you and we have become battle tough. It takes time, consistency in the Word and prayer and not just when we are in need, but a discipline of study and prayer. As mentioned prior, Paul said he buffeted his body so that after preaching to others he himself would not become disqualified from the race, 1 Corinthians 9:26-27,
I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
But I keep under ( buffet) my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”
 
**To really start becoming disconnected from the world in the sense of not valuing what the world values, takes time. To truly know that if you have Christ you have everything is a sign of maturity. That we do not need the latest car, the nicest clothes, a big house or a important title at work to feel we have value or worth. None of these things do we strive for or value as we value as having Jesus. With Him and with Him alone, I am wealthy. I truly have what material wealth or worldly value cannot provide. We buy into the world’s list of values because we are weak or young in the faith. We believe by having those things we will be happy, peaceful, loved, important etc., yet the world’s goods or title do not bring the continued peacefulness or love we are seeking. They are fleeting and come with their own set of problems. To know that you have everything your soul needs when the Lord Jesus is front and center of our life takes time, our soul needs to be purged of its worldly desires and pride to develop this conviction. However it is a wonderful goal to pray towards and surrender to and it’s a goal we will never fully attain to here in this life but as the peace of Christ and the presence of God grows in one’s life the assurance of walking in the truth brings much joy. And if through faith, hard work, skill and integrity we have wealth, nice possessions and/ or a position at work that leads others, these are then seen as stewardships that I use to honor my Lord. However my identity and standing is firmly placed in Him; nothing exceeds being His son or daughter.  “My righteousness” therefore comes from “having put on the breastplate of righteousness,” which ever strengthens as my faith grows. The more of me that is found in Christ and the less of me that identifies with the world’s lusts and values, the more “battle ready” I become. My armor “fits,” and I become part of an advancing threat in my Father’s army against the darkness that seeks to rule over the heart of man.  (Amen).
Father God,
Thank you for this study. Materialism and a comfortable life has never made a good soldier, only those who seek to pamper themselves. Let us, the church, repent violently of this indulgent life and possess this life as not possessing it, ” as sojouners, or strangers.” We are truly just passing through; easy to say, hard to do – help us Father.
Thank you and Amen.
Move Forward In His Grace – Arthur