2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
I am led to begin today’s message with a recap of some very important truths from EPH 6: 10-18. “Finally, build up your strength in union with the Lord and by means of His mighty power. Put on all the armor that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the devil’s evil tricks. For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age. So put on God’s armor now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy’s attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground. So stand ready, with truth as a belt tight around your waist, with righteousness as your breastplate, and as your shoes the readiness to announce the Good News of peace. At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the evil one. And accept salvation as a helmet, and the word of God as the sword which the Spirit give you. Do all this in prayer, asking for God’s help. Pray on every occasion as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always for all God’s people.”
Yes, I know we’ve covered this ground before. But remember, every time the Lord takes us back to a Scripture, He wants to teach us something new. For me, there have been some hugely comforting truths. Until I began this series of messages, I really didn’t understand how God has empowered us to win our battles with Satan, and particularly how He has fitted us, if we obey Him and endure in faith, to come out victorious at Christ’s side in the end to share God’s glory and the rule of His Kingdom as joint-heirs. This is no fairy story; it’s for real! It was also helpful to know that the people who are detractors, rejecters of God’s word, who hate what we stand for, are being ruled by those unseen evil spiritual forces spoken of in EPH 6: 12. That explains their behavior and the challenge that we have to witness to the truth with them in case there is any chance we can invoke the Holy Spirit to loosen and even break Satan’s stronghold over them. We simply have to answer Christ’s call to witness to non-believers given in MT 28: 19-20 [the Great Commission], because we don’t know whether or not they are potential believers. Only God does.
Just as a Roman soldier donned his armor and protective clothing prior to a battle, so must we. Paul in 2 TIM 1: 13-14 explains to his young protégé, Timothy, why wearing the belt of truth matters so much. “Hold firmly to the true words that I taught you, as the example for you to follow, and remain in the faith and love that are ours in union with Christ Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Who lives in us, guard the treasure entrusted to you.” That treasure, Dear Ones, is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are told throughout the Scriptures not to alter, delete, or add one word to it. I think the reason for that is it would be an arrogant statement that a person could write God’s word better than God Himself. Our wisdom is so dependent on God’s and so inferior to His. That’s why PR 3: 5-6 tells us not to rely on human understanding, but, instead, rely on the word of God. How could we ever keep in line with God if the breastplate of righteousness wasn’t part of the armor we wear? God is always-righteous, and He sets that example, making His will for us to make that the goal we work toward crystal clear to us. Without faith as our shield, we are vulnerable to Satan’s arrows and likely to give him an opening to take over our lives. Our salvation is a helmet to protect us, a gift of God’s magnificent grace. The word of God and it’s Gospel message are the shoes that will give us discernment to recognize the enemy’s attacks and the ability to advance in battle while staying the course laid out for us by the Father. No soldier in God’s army would know what to do or be able to get help when in trouble, if there were no line of communication with the Commander. That line of communication also helps us to know the needs of other soldiers of Christ around us also fighting this battle. It is prayer, both powerful and precious to us. It is a life-line for us.
Remember those three Greek words found in EPH 1: 19-20? Here’s the citation in English first, “…And how very great is His power at work in us who believe. This power working in us is the same as the mighty strength He used when He raised Christ from death and seated Him at His right side in the heavenly world.” Now, the words-“dunamis,” meaning power; “kratos,” meaning strength; “ischus,” meaning might. Power, strength, and might are ours, given us by our loving Abba to see to it we are fully equipped to fight Satan and his followers to victory in the name of Jesus Christ. The bottom line is that if we understand the Source of our power, we won’t have any reason to fear Satan and his evil angels. There will be times when they might win a battle or two, but they will never win the war. In the end, when we hang on to our faith tenaciously never forgetting to trust the Deity Who so dearly loves us, we will all be together enjoying eternal joy and fellowship with Him and with each other. Our spirits will never undergo the eternal torment of second death. We will know that God brings justice over all, and that those who reject him to follow Satan will meet with a very horrible fate. Don’t lose heart. Keep fighting the good fight. It’s really worth it!
PRAYER: O Lord, You have made enormous efforts to prepare us for the lives we must lead as believers on earth in preparation to join You in heaven eternally. We are tent-dwellers, temporary residents, here and must understand that. Our permanent home is with You in heaven for eternity. You instructed Christ in JN 14: 1-4 to explain what can be ahead for us if we endure in faith. “’Do not be worried or upset,’ Jesus told them. ‘Believe in God and believe also in Me. There are many mansions in My Father’s house, and I am going to prepare a place for you. I would not tell you this if it were not so. And after I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to Myself, so that you will be where I am. You know the way that leads to the place where I am going.’” Those of us who obey Your teaching by daily study of Your word, putting it into our hearts and actions, giving Christ leadership in our lives, and remaining connected to You in prayer can take profound comfort in the truth of this wonderful message. Dearest Abba, You have made it clear that Satan and his evil followers won’t be able to deter us from this path, unless we choose to allow it. You know that living on earth is like walking across a field of land mines set for us by the evil one. However, you know that we are fully equipped with the full armor You have given us to deal with that successfully. For this and so much more, we must humbly offer You our utmost thanks. That field of land mines becomes manageable for us, because You sent Your only Son to the cross for our salvation and gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us through it. Without You and the Son, we are useless and ineffectual. With them, You empower us to cross safely to eternal life and even be influential in bringing others to where the Holy Spirit can do the same for them. Having faith in You is privilege and precious treasure for which we express our enduring pledge to be everything that You created us to be. In Christ’s holy name, we pray. Amen.
Tomorrow, we will look at a very special prayer that was said on our behalf by the apostle Paul. We are surely given a privilege when we are told along with Timothy, “guard the treasure entrusted.” 1 COR 2: 14 explains why only those with the Holy Spirit and faith can appreciate just what a valuable treasure we have been given. We must hold to God’s truth with all the might He has given us, for it will see us through anything that challenges our faith and tries to change the outcome of whether or not we must endure second death or enjoy eternal life. I witness to God’s love in making salvation and sanctification possible. Furthermore, I witness to my belief that our God is the only true, supreme, and sovereign God, a God Whose love for us cannot be measured. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn