Organizing the Inside – Day 142 How To Be Ready For Battle

January 23, 2012 at 11:00 am · Filed under Faith, Inspiration, Organizing, Wisdom, Women's Ministry and tagged: Christianity, Holy Spirit, Word of God

10A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.13Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.
~Ephesians 6:10-13

This post is part II of II, if you missed yesterday’s post, I invite you to go back and read it first Day 141

Stand your ground.
As a Christian in spiritual warfare you are not on the defense. Your weapons are offensive weapons. Your have nothing to defend. When you are fully suited for battle, keep these three things in mind.
1. God Himself will be your rear guard. Consider this; your armor is basically for frontal assaults on the enemy. You should have no concerns of a strike from behind.
2. Paul admonished Christians to have on the “whole armor.” You must be fully ready to wage war and this cannot be done unless you are fully prepared.
3. Read the last book. If you ever have any doubts about how this battle is going to end, read the back of the book. God’s army wins!!!

Let’s look at the full armor.
…having your loins girt about with truth, Ephesians 6:14b
This part of the armor is extremely important and God chose to make it the first one mentioned. The loins is where your reproductive organs are. Too many Christian struggle with sexual immorality and are living a false life before God due to their immoral behavior. God is showing us that we need to establish truth in this area of our lives first. The way you establish truth is simple…God’s word is truth. Do what the Word of God says. Don’t fornicate and don’t commit sexual immorality of any kind.

and having on the breastplate of righteousness; Ephesians 6:14c
The breastplate protects the heart. Wherever God is on the matter, that’s where you should be also. Righteousness is not something we could have apart from God. Frankly our righteous deeds are like filthy rags, but we are made the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ. A yielded heart that chooses to follow His word and live a life of obedience can be “right with God.” Righteousness only comes by God living in the heart of a man.

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Ephesians 6:15
God wants us to share the gospel wherever we go. Your feet carry you from place to place, and as Christians we must be ready to share the gospel of peace. In the grocery store, at the hospital, on the subway train, at all times. As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 10:15b

Always be ready to share the Word, but not in a forceful or arrogant way, God wants us to share the gospel in a spirit of love and gentleness. But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 1 Peter 3:15

In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Ephesians 6:16
The shield of faith is one of the counter measures that are already in place when you go into battle. It is your faith that prevents the fiery darts from penetrating and harming you. Now we know, consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. Romans 10:17 Faith is built up through hearing the Word of God. It’s pretty simple the more you hear the Word the more your faith is increased. True faith only requires as much as a mustard seed. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, evidence of things not seen Hebrews 11:1 When the darts of the enemy fall to the ground you know that it is because your faith is at work, doing exactly what God strategically planned for it to do. If the darts are getting through then, most likely you need to hear more Word.

Take the helmet of salvation Ephesians 6:17a
The helmet protects the head, this is where your thought life is. The enemy would have you to believe you are not saved. If you would dare to doubt your salvation then perhaps, you would also think that living life as a Christian is impossible. The battle of your heart starts in your mind. Therefore as a child of God you must know without a doubt that you are saved by the blood of the Lamb. If you are saved then you must walk in the fullness of that salvation, knowing what Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me,” John 10:28

and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17b
The sword when used skillfully can launch an assault on the enemy at any stage in the battle. It is critical to know the Word of God, if you plan on using it. The Holy Spirit will help by bringing it to your remembrance in the heat of battle, but something has to at least be in there, if He is to have something to help you remember. (John 14:26) Christians are equipped to cut down, cut off, and destroy any plans of the enemy with the Word of God. For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Hebrews 4:12 The Word of God also cuts all the way down to where blood is manufactured, the marrow.  It searches, knows and reaches your deepest thoughts and desires – the truth about your life. The Word reaches the very essence of a man. The life of every creature is in its blood. Leviticus 17:14  As a skillful warrior uses the Word of God they know of its power to cut both ways. When you use the Word of God your own heart is greatly affected by that power. For optimal benefit, one would want to apply the Word to their own life first.

Finally do all this while in a constant state of prayer.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18
To be ready for battle remaining in a constant state of prayer is needed. This is praying as you go about your day. Practice communicating with God in every situation. When you walk into a room, talk to God about what your interactions will be with those in the room. Consider communicating with God, about everything. He is interested in all details of our lives. So as you go about your day, make talking to God a habit, “God I know you saw that,” or “God tell me what I should say,” in every situation keep alert and pray for all Christians, because we are all comrades in God’s army.

Please read these scriptures again and study them. Ask God to show you everything He would have you to know about this topic. His truth is so relevant for successful living.

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