The Armor of God: Helmet of Salvation

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Ephesians 6:10-18 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to 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 at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints…”
As I was preparing for this topic of the Helmet of Salvation I began pondering the set of armor as a whole. If I were going out to battle I would want the strongest metal available. Do you know what the strongest metal is? We know that gold while very valuable, is a weak and soft metal. Not one of you would want to take that into battle. Adamantium, perhaps? This is the fictional metal that appears in the X-Men universe. This metal is practically indestructible. It’s most common appearance is in Wolverine, where this metal was infused into his body and bonded to his skeletal system. It became one with him. And really when you think of it, isn’t that what happens upon salvation for us? The Holy Spirit comes upon us, becomes one with us, and is an indestructible force within us. I found that there isn’t one metal that is ideal; in order to create a metal strong enough to withstand impact, tension, or forces that may try to bend it or squish it you have to combine metals. Much like the whole armor of God. It’s not one attribute that keeps us protected and ready to fight, it’s the whole of them. However, there is one you must have in order to obtain the rest. The Helmet of Salvation.
But, what is salvation? What does is do for us as followers of Jesus? And why is it likened to a helmet?
Salvation, comes from the Greek word sōtér (so-tare), which is derived from sózó. Sózó means to deliver out of danger and into safety. Sōtér, the word used here in our text means the Savior, Jesus Christ Himself, who saves us from our sin, and delivers us into His safety. 
God, from the very beginning, has been striving to save us. Even before sin entered into the world He was coming up with solutions to save us. Man was the first one needing saving, and woman was the solution. Genesis 2:18 “And the Lord God said, “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him.” You see, man needed to be saved from loneliness. As we move through the book of Genesis alone you can see the many moments of salvation and redemption: the blood sacrifice needed for Adam and Eve’s sin (Genesis 3:21), God seeking out Cain and his attitude before he even killed his brother (Genesis 4:6-7), God gave another son to Adam and Eve after Abel was killed (Genesis 4: 25-26), the world wide flood (Genesis 6-9), God’s promise to Abram (Genesis 12), Lot’s physical salvation (Genesis 14)….on and on and on in Scripture God is faithfully saving us. And every bit of Scripture points to His ultimate Salvation plan.
Even the priestly garments pointed to the coming of the Messiah. Look at Exodus 28:36-38. The turban was fitted with a plate of gold that read “Holiness to the Lord.” It was set on the front, that the high priest may bare the iniquity of the children of Israel. And it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord. Ok, let’s unpack this a bit. The turban, which the High Priest wore, was a picture of the sin of the people that he took onto himself. God said in Exodus that the turban, which represented the Holiness the High Priest carried to the Lord on behalf of the people, would be continually on his head, so that the people of Israel and their offerings would be accepted before the Lord. Our High Priest is Jesus (Hebrews 5:9-10), He took on our sins (1 Peter 2:24, Romans 4:25, 1 John 2:2), and He bares the mark continually of our sins (John 20:27). So, if Jesus is the High Priest, and He is, He bore our sins, and we have accepted this as truth, then Jesus is the holiness that sits on our head so that we may be accepted by God the Father. The helmet of salvation. What the High Priest wore physically, Jesus now is. Done through the cross, resurrection and ascension. 
This is what salvation is, then: Jesus Christ, a free gift of grace from God (Romans 6:23). Even Merriam-Webster Dictionary agrees, salvation is “deliverance from the power and effects of sin.” [This is what they have to say about Jesus, “the Jewish religious teacher whose life, death and resurrection as reported by the Evangelists are the basis of the Christian message of salvation.”] Look at John 1:12-13, salvation is the act of believing. John 3:16-18, salvation, or believing, is rescuing us from condemnation. Jesus Himself is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). He is salvation, not condemnation as many would say He is. Romans 10:9-10, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart of a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth confesses, resulting in salvation.” You can claim God all you want, but until you believe His Son is the Way, the Truth, and the Light then you won’t be saved, for even the demons believe and shudder (James 2:19).
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Look again at John 1:12-13. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” When we have faith, believe, and confess, then we are given the right to be called children of God.
But if it’s a right, then it is simply a right, right? Wrong. 
Examine for yourself what a right is. It is not automatic. There are qualifications that come with the right-either you are born into the right, or you have somehow earned the right. Citizenship for example. You are born into the citizenship, or you prove through processes and tests that you have earned the citizenship. John 3 is the account of Nicodemus coming to Jesus in the night. In verse 3, Jesus says this, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” One more verse, Philippians 3:20, “For our citizenship is in Heaven…” So you see, upon salvation we are born as a citizen into Heaven, therefore earning the right to be called Child of God. Daughter of The Most High.
[As a citizen of Heaven then, we are ambassadors unto this world. Therefore, it is our responsibility to represent Christ appropriately. To quote Pastor Mike, “Do you see people or a problem?”]
I have been so moved by this extraordinary, indescribable love that He has shown, not only to me, but the entire world. He has loved the world so much that He has given us the choice. But on top of that choice, He gives us every opportunity to chose correctly. When Jesus was entering Jerusalem on the back of the donkey, and the crowds were praising Him, the Pharisees tried to tell Him to make them be quiet. But how did He respond? “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!” (Luke 19:40). Can you imagine that? If no one on Earth was praising Him, the very nature He created would be shouting His praise. Romans 1:20, in fact supports this. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” Nature itself holds, represents, and points to the power of God, so that no one is without excuse when they meet Jesus face to face. What love! I am astonished and marveled at this love. I pray that I could one day love an inkling of this kind of love. 
What a beautiful picture of God’s pursuit of us, love toward us, redemption and salvation offered to us.  
If God pursues and loves us so, then why are we not all taken to Heaven? Why do people go to Hell? 
In short, God is just, and He must judge justly. If you appear before Him with the promised Holy Spirit, and Jesus’ blood running through your veins you are saved. If you present before Him with anything less, you are condemned. However, that being said, God did not intend for us to be sentenced to an eternity of damnation. He created us to commune with Him. 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.” It’s important for us to know that God didn’t create this world to condemn it, but to save it, to love it, to love us. God doesn’t force this decision on us. He waits so patiently for us to turn to Him. 
Although God does not force us to make a decision to love Him, we will eventually face Him with the choice we have made on Earth. Just as I said before, if we choose to love Him and follow after Him this side of eternity we choose Heaven. If we don’t make that choice, we have then abdicated. We have given up our right to be co-heirs with Christ. We have given up our right to live in God’s presence forever, and we are to live eternity in the complete absence of God. When we choose God, what happens after that? 
John 14:15-17, 26-27. From the very lips of the One who went to the cross for you, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you…But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be trouble, nor let it be fearful.”
What else does Holy Spirit do for us upon faith, belief and confessions? John 16:13, He will speak to you and through you, He will guide you in the truth. 2 Corinthians 3:6b, Spirit brings life; verse 17 brings freedom; verse 18 He transforms. Keep your finger here, we’ll revisit this passage in a moment. We are also sealed with Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13).
Unfortunately, with salvation we are not given perfection or untroubled lives. How often do we hear this said, but then grumble against our circumstances? John 16:33, we have trouble but we also have hope in Christ who has already overcome this world. 2 Corinthians 1:3-6, 9 answers that question we often ask in the midst of troubles: why? We are afflicted for the salvation of others, and we are afflicted so that we may trust in God rather than trusting in ourselves. 
What are some other benefits of salvation? Of course eternal life as we’ve already mentioned (John 6:35-40). We walk in light, not darkness (John 8:12). If you’ve ever struggled with depression than this is a great reassurance. Here’s one for everyone: we are set free from the bondage of sin and death (John 8:31-34). This reminds me greatly of some of Jesus’ most spoken words, “Your faith has made you well.” The last benefit, so to speak, that I’d like to talk about, but certainly not the last mentioned in the Bible, is the idea of God’s glory being unveiled within us. Turn (or click) to Exodus 34:29-35. Here is the account of Moses, who after spending time with God, had a glowing face. This frightened the people, so he made it a habit to put on a veil after spending time with God. Now turn to 2 Corinthians 3:6b-18. Here we see several things, but what I would like to point out is that through the work of the Spirit and His righteousness the veil covering our heart is removed, we are given freedom and life, and we are being transformed. This is the mark that we wear when it’s said that someone should be able to simply look at you and know you’re different.
How are these marks portrayed in our lives though, how does it look? Look at Galatians 5:16-26, paying attention to verses 22 and 23.
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Can we agree then, that salvation is the biggest decision you will EVER make in your life? Here’s how I imagine it: upon salvation God fits you with your helmet, signaling to all those who see, you are His child. Not only are we fitted with tailor made armor, we are also a new creation; the old you is gone, replaced with new you. Ezekiel 11:19, 36:26 both talk about God taking out our heart of stone and replacing it with a heart of flesh. If we are also a new creation, then I would think that before salvation we are fully made of stone. Upon salvation we are a new creation, made of flesh, which is why we are immediately fitted with God’s armor. Am I inferring too much, maybe…but if the armor fits, wear it…
If you think about the heavenly realm being this kind of “parallel universe.” I imagine that there are things of this realm which are present, but we can’t see in our physical world. As believers walking around in this realm we are marked by our armor in the spiritual world. And the helmet is the key piece to being clothed in all the other pieces. Because without salvation, we can not have a breastplate of righteousness, or the shield of faith, or any other piece of God’s armor. Now I would venture to say that there are varying degrees of what our helmets and armor look like: some are shiny and well taken care of but weak (someone who plays the plastic Jesus game), some are beaten and worn but strong (those who are walking the walk and talking the talk), some are rusting and essentially useless (those who have walked away, or are apathetic in their faith).
How our armor looks is a picture of what we are doing with our salvation and call to holiness. [2 Timothy 1:9 “[He] has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity…”]
So, then, this begs the question: what does your armor look like? 
Remember what the beginning of this passage in Ephesians says? Our armor is for the purpose of this heavenly realm. To stand against the schemes of the devil (Ephesians 6:11), and that our fight is against the dark and evil powers and rulers and authorities of this heavenly realm (Ephesians 6:12). So if this picture I’ve painted of a “parallel universe” is accurate, then our enemy can see the state of our armor. 

Armor of God: Belt of Truth, Breastplate of Righteousness

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“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, and the breastplate of righteousness in place…”

Ephesians 6:14 NIV

What is truth? This is a question plagued by our society, and probably the whole world. Do we not see it around every corner? People searching in all the wrong places for truth. But did you know, it was also a question plagued by the world over 2000 years ago too? Look at John 18:37-38. Jesus is with Pilate, and Jesus says to him, “I am a king, as you say. This is why I was born. I was brought into this world to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.” To which Pilate responds, “What is truth?” If this isn’t a reflection of Pilate’s heart, then I’m not sure what would be. Can you imagine being in his position? Standing face to face with THE TRUTH, convinced that Jesus is innocent, yet torn with what society wanted him to do. How would you have responded? Have you ever been in such a place of turmoil with what was true vs what you “had” to do? I think it’s safe to say that the way a person responds to objective truth, the Word of God being that objective truth, shows their heart’s condition; it’s a reflection of their righteousness.
When faced with the truth, how do you respond? Are you defensive or humble? Does your reaction depend on how the truth is shown to you? Should it really matter how truth is shown, if it is in fact the truth?
Truth is the basis of our faith, it is our foundation. At some point in time, your heart was faced with the truth about who Jesus is, the Savior, Messiah. And in your frailty, humility, and deep heart ache for His presence you submitted to the truth, you submitted your life and heart to Christ. Thus beginning your journey in truth. Jesus is the the way, the truth, and the light (John 14:6). Your heart responded to the truth that Jesus is the truth.
Do you remember that moment you responded to Him? What was it like to finally know real, unadulterated, living truth? 
There is beautiful freedom that comes with knowing Jesus (John 8:32). We have Joy by knowing the Truth (John 17:13). We are sanctified by the truth; God’s word is truth (John 17:17). We are to worship in Spirit and truth (John 4:24). The Gospel of John is filled with Jesus’ words, and it seems to me that every other word out of His mouth is about truth: what truth is, where we find it, what to do with it.
The more I dug in to this idea of truth. The Word of God being truth, and Jesus being truth, the more amazed I was at the connectivity of everything. I used to have a faith that was so segmented. Like a child building with blocks , one piece on top of the other, but still separate pieces. And now, as I dig into His Word in a way that I never have before, it’s like I’m now building with brick and mortar. Everything is connected, it’s not disjointed and segmented anymore. 
If the Word of God is our objective, solid, always relevant, yet never contradictory truth, then are you living your life according to it’s truth? According to God’s truth? 
You’ve been exposed to the truth. If you’ve made the choice to believe God’s words, accept Jesus as your Savior and asked Him to be a part of your life then you are continuously exposed to the truth through Holy Spirit’s work. What are you going to to do with the truth? Are you going to be responsive and obedient, or are you going to brush it off? My friend told me once that her mother-in-law, who is a born again Christian, refused to further her knowledge of God and faith because she didn’t want to be accountable for what He revealed to her. Are you scared of the truth?
What you choose to do with the truth is going to determine your righteousness. Now, I’m battling with this statement because it’s not completely true, but to an extent it is. Your righteousness is not your own, it has been placed in you by Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection (Philippians 3:9). God Himself is righteousness (Psalm 11:7, Psalm 24:5, Psalm 37:6). Isaiah 56:1 “Thus says the Lord, “Preserve justice and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come and My righteousness to be revealed.”” Who does it sound like He might be talking about? Couldn’t be Jesus could it? God sent His righteousness down to Earth in the form of a man, not removing any bit of His holiness, leaving it all. In order that His Word would be fulfilled; in order that you may attain everlasting relationship with Him; in order that His name would be known.
Our righteousness is not our own, it is not our weight to bare. The righteousness is Jesus’ alone; so, you may rest in knowing that you are not responsible for perfection. You are not responsible to please God, for He is already pleased with you. Otherwise, why would you exist? 
Although our righteousness is not our own, we are still responsible for what we do with the truth revealed to us.
Figuratively, this breastplate of righteousness protects our heart, and emotions, and their desires as they bear our decisions. But we can’t rely on on our heart, emotions and desires unless we are also permeated with the truth. And if you’re living in truth then you’re going to remember not to make decisions based on feelings, and emotions. Here in Ephesians 6:14 we see the breastplate of righteousness; 1 Thessalonians 5:8 refers to the Breastplate of Faith. This indicates that the righteousness we have is a result of obeying the faith that God births in our hearts. If you take a look at James 2:14-26, you’ll see that the work of faith and righteousness go hand in hand. For our works of faith are proof of our righteousness, or rather, proof of the righteousness of God that dwells within us.
So what does a life look like when truth is permeating a heart, and righteousness is abounding? Romans 10:4-10 “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes that the man who practices righteousness which is based on the law shall live by that righteousness. But the righteousness based on faith…” will result in true righteousness and salvation. A life filled with truth knows that we are set free in Christ of all sin and bondage. It’s filled with unspeakable joy because of what God did for us. That life is covered with peace despite any circumstance.
Take a look at Psalm 132:9 “Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness and let Your godly ones sing for joy.” Now take a look at 1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” Those verses sum everything up for me: we lived in darkness because we did not know the truth, we were exposed to the truth, accepted the truth and now live in the truth. In response to the truth we now live in we are clothing ourselves with righteousness. It’s not that I’m doing the right things because God told me to. It’s that, God loved me so much, He let my heart know and understand the truth and now I want to live right for His sake. 
Psalm 23:3 “He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” God isn’t demanding us to love Him and obey His commands. Rather He is leading us down a peaceful path, filled with His love. His heart behind commands and laws and rules is not to control. His heart is this, “I love you, therefore you need to know….” 

Armor of God Study: Part 4

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Ephesians 6:13
Therefore take up the whole armor of God so that you will be able to resist in the evil day and having done everything to stand firm.
We must take up every part of the armor: we must read the word, pray, apply truth, walk in righteousness, remember the hope of our salvation, and walk in peace. If we don’t do all the things then we won’t be able to stand firm in the Lord. Sure, will be able to stand, but you’ll be tossed around like you’re in a storm.
Andrea‘s version: because our enemy is a spiritual one, not a physical one, we must pick up the complete armor of God with intent to use it. Looking forward to the purpose of the armor, with which we are being empowered by God to stand against the schemes of the devil during the bad days, and we have done everything to produce a decisive finality on which to make ourselves stand. 
What are practical ways we can “take up” our armor every day? What keeps you from doing this? More personally, what do you identify in your life as an area that you can improve on “taking up your armor”? What specifically is keeping you from doing that?
It is imperative that we pick up, with intent to use, the entirety of God’s armor. If we are picking up the Bible in order to check it off of our list as “done”, we’re not intending to use it properly. If we’re praying because it’s what we’re supposed to do, then we are not really intending to use it as the weapon it is. Our faith is not about us. Our relationship with God is not about serving our own needs. We must do some heart digging to know if we are working out our faith with fear and trembling or if we’re working out our faith with an equation. A+B=C; Prayer+Bible Time=Blessings and Righteous living. I lived this way for many years, I learned much, my heart was moved. But it was based upon feelings and emotions rather than truth. We can’t live our faith from one emotionally captivating moment to the next. Because during the times in between emotional moments we’ll be left wondering if God is there, if He loves us, or maybe we’ll over criticize ourselves and tailspin into the lie of perfection. 
Can you identify with this equation of faith living? Are you there now? Do you have portions of your life where you might be living this way, if not entirely? Pray that the Lord would change your heart; that He would fill you with the fullness of His knowledge (see Colossians 1:9-12).
1 Corinthians 13 “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or clanging symbol. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move a mountain, But do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” Often we look at this chapter as how we are to treat others, but how about we apply it to how we treat God? Is your relationship with God about You loving Him, or has the enemy come in and twisted His truth in awful ways? I’ve carried the lie of perfection, I’ve been entrenched by the lie of equation faith, I’ve lived from spiritual high to spiritual high with depression in between. 
I love this idea that we must pick up the armor of God. When we reach down to take something up, to raise it up to the appropriate level we must exert effort, strength, time, resources. Pretend your moving…it may not be too much of a stretch for some of you to pretend. You have a ton of boxes laying around, waiting to be loaded into the truck. Each box holds something of yours. Something important, necessary, special. Without all the boxes your move wouldn’t be complete.
Now you come to the part of your move where you have to start loading your boxes onto the vehicle. With every box you bend to pick up there is an intent, effort and resources used, and a consequence. Your intent is to load the boxes onto the truck, thus one more box closer to be moved. You exert physical force. You’re using up time. And as women, generally speaking, a lot of emotion goes with moving. Lastly, the consequence: you now have that one box loaded. Being one box closer to your goal or your intent. As your moving day progresses you’ll hit trials: erupting emotions, physical injuries or pains, exhaustion, hunger and thirst. But when you keep the end in mind it tends to encourage you to push through all of these trials. My prayer is that this analogy will help you remember to put on the full armor of God. With intent to use it.
What is our end goal as a follower of Jesus? We can look forward to the hope of our salvation rather than focusing on the specifics. How does this work in your life? Is this something you’re struggling with? How can you make one small change today to change your focus?
In one of the earlier studies we briefly discussed that the purpose of our life is to worship God. I have a friend who commonly says, “Who can I love on today?“ This is her conviction and version of worshipping God with her life. So what if we too, woke up in the morning and instead of begrudgingly exited our beds, we asked, “How can I worship God today?“ Can you imagine the impact this would have on our days!?
I’d like you to pause a moment. Reflect on your past day or more, how could this question have changed one of your reactions, thoughts, the way you went about a situation? For me I probably would’ve had a softer reaction towards my daughter had this been floating in the back of my mind. I might’ve been more generous or loving toward someone. So I ask you, how can you worship God today?
Ephesians 6:13 “This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.”
1 Thessalonians 5: 5, 8 “You were all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or darkness… But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breast plate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.”
2 Timothy 4:15 “You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.”
I think this verse in Timothy is so fascinating in light of the context here in Ephesians. “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood…” Yet here, Paul is warning Timothy to guard himself against Alexander the metal worker, who caused much harm. The word used to describe the actions of Alexander here, is “lian.” It means to exceedingly, greatly or vigorously oppose Paul and Timothy’s ministry. He was standing, so sure and so strongly against the grace, hope, love, joy, forgiveness and the completeness that God offers. 
Have you ever done that? Been so sure about something that your stubbornness and pride, your sin, blinded you? Have you ever been so sure in yourself that whatever anyone said you pay no attention to it? 
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We can look at the politics of today; any major social issue, and see this happening. I imagine a court room: two sides, both so sure they’re right, neither party willing to give an inch.
I’ve personally been in this sinful state. I was so opposed to church, Church, and all things God. I was having too much fun in my sin. When it comes to taking your stand in this temporal world, we would do good to remember just that: it’s temporary. It all burns anyway. As my mom told me growing up, “Know those few things you would be willing to die for on a hill. Then hold them in your hand so tight that you don’t let anyone take them away.“ 
I was reminded today as I was editing this that even when we have a personal conviction, we’re on board with God, we’re gung-ho, ready to accomplish it, we can still fail. I did. But it’s because I was doing it in my own strength, I was not putting on the armor in the way that God called. I was not using my spiritual weapons properly. I was trying to be righteous in my own power, and that just doesn’t work. We must remember to stand in the might of the Lord.
The stand we take in the spiritual realm is of utmost importance. Because if you’re standing on the wrong side, it could cost you eternal life. I stood against God. He was gracious enough to humble me here on Earth for His purpose and will to be done. It saddens my heart to think that people passed by the opportunities He gave them to bow their knee here in this temporary world. For we know that every knee will bow at the name of Jesus Christ (see Philippians 2:10 or Romans 14:11 or Isaiah 45:23). We must be careful what we stand your ground on. 
Are you standing your ground on this Earth, or are you standing your ground on God’s truth? Are you trying to stand in your own strength, or are you relying on the Lord might to stand? Examine the ground in your life. Is it full of truth, love, joy, peace, contentment, compassion? Or are you standing in a forest of lies, deceit, anger, impure thoughts, greed?
Colossians 3 and Galatians 5 are very clear about the ground we should and should not be standing on. “Set your hearts on things above, set your mind on things above.” We have to burn the forest of weeds , we have to pluck them out one by one. I don’t know where you’re at in your walk. Truly only God knows. Maybe you need to burn it all the the ground to allow new life, Jesus’ life, to grow up from the ashes. New life is always born after a great forest fire. Maybe it’s gardening season for you, and you need to be actively plucking the sin that keeps growing in your fertile soil.
I experienced recently a season of first growth. Here’s what I mean by that. If you’ve ever planted a garden and waited for sprouts to shoot through the soil you might begin to wonder what’s a weed and what’s going to be good fruit. Salad is especially difficult to know until it’s maturing. This is when a seasoned gardener can come in and help you determine weed from plant. You may be here spiritually. Unsure what’s truly good fruit, and what’s sin disguising itself as light. It’s tough sometimes. 
John 15 is when Jesus Himself uses gardening as an analogy. God is the gardener. Jesus is the vine. We are the branches that bear fruit, or don’t. Our fruit is our life. How much of our life is full of good fruit? Are you in chaos, are you overwhelmed, exhausted, surrounded by drama? How’s your soil? Maybe you need a little manure added in to give your soil a restart. Spiritually, where are you sowing to the flesh, and where are you sowing to the Spirit?
Galatians 6:8 “Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” I’m going to give you an example from my own life. I’ve been convicted of the way that I eat-my body is a temple created to house the Spirit of God, and if my temple is not properly cared for then how could I possibly expect to accomplish all that He has planned for me? Is it nourishing foods, or not? I have not been heeding that conviction lately. James 4:17 says that for those of you “know the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin…” By not living in such a way that God has called of me I have been poisoning my heart slowly, allowing sin to take root. There are consequences for our sin, sometimes we see these consequences immediately, maybe later down the road, maybe not until we reach eternity. Galatians 5:9, and 1 Corinthians 5:6 – “a little yeast leavens the whole lump.” A little bit of poop in the brownie makes the whole batch awful. And earthquake isn’t just felt at the epicenter but has effects worldwide. Don’t fool yourself into thinking…no…don’t let the enemies lies take root in your heart and mind, thinking that a little bit is ok, especially if God has said no. 
1 Peter 5:9 “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of settings.”

Armor of God Study: Part 3

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For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
EPH612
Have you ever come to a place in your life where you suddenly realized that what you have been doing has been playing right into the Devil’s schemes? I have a dear friend who struggles with bulimia for 30 years. She has confided to me that moment of deliverance. One day as she was getting ready to purge, all she saw in that toilet bowl was Satan laughing. It was then she realized that all this time she was right where the enemy wanted her: trapped, alone, desperate, and physically dying a slow, painful death. Praise God Almighty! In that moment her Savior showed up and worked a miracle in her life.
As I was examining a very precious relationship recently, the Lord revealed to me the grip that Satan had on this other person. With the amount of worldly influences this person was involved in, all I could see was Satan laughing maniacally as this one I love was sinking deeper and deeper into a pit. It’s heartbreaking when you see the godly potential in someone’s life and they are refusing it. The tangles mess of lies that someone can be so caught up in is devastating. Not only to themselves, but also to those around us. This is why it is so important to lean on God’s truth.
I have been to that place in my life, where Satan’s lies were drowning out God’s truths. The deceit and darkness can have an iron grip on someone’s heart. The grasp that Satan had on my life was to tight the only escape I saw was death. Satan wanted me dead. The word “pale”, the word we translate into struggle is more accurate translated into wrestle, at least for the way my brain works. To literally pin your opponent to the ground by the back of the neck. This paints a very vivid picture of what Satan is trying to do to us.
It’s interesting to think that Satan had probably seen the godly potential in me before I ever did.  He was working tirelessly, and still is to derail, destroy and distract. We know that Satan isn’t omnipotent, he isn’t all knowing as God is. But I think we forget sometimes that he knows God’s power, he knows he looses in the end; that is why he is working so hard to take as many with him as possible. Satan understands the might of God talked about in verse 10. He is afraid of what someone can do with God when their heart is fully submitted to him. On January 3, 2007 I had no hope, and I certainly had no idea that almost 11 years later I would be teaching a Bible study. God knew. Satan saw God’s potential in me. 
It is so important for us to acknowledge where we have been and where we are. Our battles continue all around us. Sometimes they are big battles, and sometimes they are much smaller ones, but a battle all the same. God is writing our story and no matter what we face, He gets the glory. The fact that we are all sitting here is testament enough of His strength. It’s imperative we share our war stories so that we can learn from them, and so that we can teach others to not make the same mistakes. 
And I know that if you are holding onto that darkness you once lived in, keeping it safe, keeping it hidden, then Satan will continue using it as a foothold to keep you in bondage. We must expose evil to the Light. For the sake of community, healing, relationship, freedom and support spit it out ladies. 
Let’s shed some Light on those dark places. My daughter and I often pray that our hearts and lives would be so full of God’s light, there would be no room for darkness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
As I pondered this morning where I was 11 years ago spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally these words spilled out:
“I posted about this some time ago but find it important to mention again.11 years ago, January 3, 2007 was a dark night for my family and friends. It was a Wednesday night. I was depressed, overwhelmed, I felt so alone. I was so entrenched by lies. The weight of my sin and burdens was so heavy that there was only one solution available. Death.

With my own hands I tried to take the life that God gave me. Everything in me wanted the sweet victory and taste of death. Oh that enemy of our souls would not deceive your heart as he did mine.

So much around this event is a mystery, but there are truths abounding too.

TRUTH: God is with me. He always was, always is and always will be-I WAS NEVER ALONE.

TRUTH: God is my JOY. And joy is a choice. I can choose to wallow in the filth ones of this world and my life, or I can choose to look to the Lord, my God and put a smile on my face. I AM NOT DEFINED BY DEPRESSION. CHRIST HAS SET ME FREE.

TRUTH: Nothing I have done, or ever will do can change God’s love for me.

TRUTH: I am loved with an everlasting love.

TRUTH: I am alive today as proof that God is real, alive and ever present.

Oh, that the God of all would speak HIS OBJECTIVE TRUTH into your heart today.

I should have died that night. What I did to my body should have killed me. But God saw something in me worth saving; I see it now too.

I am tagging those who I remember that night and the following week in hopes to remind you how great our God is and the beautiful things He has done in my life and yours.

Tonight I get to celebrate God’s victory in my life with fellow followers of Christ. Tonight I get to join hundreds at God’s altar and sing His praise. Today I get to proclaim that God is my exceeding JOY.”

Psalm 43-4

The Armor of God: Part 1

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Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.

“Be strong” – endunamoo – Increase in strength, to receive strength, to be strengthened, to increase in union with the Lord
“in the Lord” – kurios – The Lord, exercising absolute ownership rights
“and in the strength” – kratos – dominion, power; a mighty deed (from a root word meaning “to perfect, complete” … in this verse context is the might of HIS strength
“of His might”– ischus – strength, power, might, force, ability…power (over external things) afforded by strength

After looking at the original Greek, I have come up with my own version of this verse: “This strength is the ability for us to increase our union with the Lord, who has complete rights to our lives anyway, through His perfect and complete power over external things.” This brings new life to Philippians 4:13 for me: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”

Since we are going to be looking so much as strength today, it’s important to look at our weaknesses too. Take a look at 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. I think Paul is saying that he rather enjoys his weaknesses because then Christ has all the more opportunity to shine, and isn’t that the goal in life? To let the Lord’s light shine before all men. Matthew 5:14-16 is a great illustration straight from Jesus’ lips about how brightly our lights should shine. Look at the end of verse 16 – so “that they may see…and glorify your Father in Heaven.”

It circles back to that infamous question, “Why are we here?” Answer: to worship God. How then, are you worshipping God? Is your whole life a reflection of Christ? Where are you struggling in your journey of faith? Look to the Lord for your strength!

Weary? Isaiah 40:29-31; Psalm 73:26
Fear? Isaiah 41:10, 13; Deuteronomy 31:6
Rejected? Isaiah 41:9; 2 Timothy 4:16-17
Dry/Empty? Isaiah 41:17-18
Knocked Down? Psalm 18:33
Psalm 18:2, 32, 28:7-8, 29:11, 46:1, 59:9; Proverbs 31:25

I wonder if what Paul was getting at is that in devotion to Christ we offer our lives as a living sacrifice to His will. In that sacrifice we are bound to see we have weaknesses, but God is so much bigger than our weaknesses. And when we’re honest with God, with ourselves and those around us, our weaknesses begin to fad as Christ steps in and covers them. He doesn’t always take them away as if they never existed, but He covers them in a way that He is seen in our lives rather than us. The Lord is seen, not our inadequacies.

It’s much easier for us when we are seeking God during this process of refinement, is it not? Not that it will be easy-because life in a sin stained world is not easy. However, look at what Jesus Himself says in Matthew 11:28-29: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Is anyone else just absolutely basking in that promise?

As we go through our lives we would do good to remember this: God is pruning the branches that bear fruit so that they may bear even more fruit; no branch can bear fruit by itself, it must remain in the vine. The vine being Jesus. As He remains in us, let us also remain in Him (John 15). Let us do this so that we may be the Father’s glory by bearing much fruit. I love what one of my pastor’s said this last Sunday about glory: it is to live your life in such a way that those around you have a good opinion of God.

But what fruit is it that we bear? The fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5 and Colossians 3. Love. And through love we see joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control and compassion. As we devout ourselves to God’s, love and all these things ooze from our pores. We are a pleasing aroma to God. If you know about my love for essential oils, then you know I’m all about pleasing aromas.

This may beg the question then, how do we remain in Christ, how do we continue shining His light, how do we worship God with all of our life, particularly when life is hard?

1. You must stay in the Word of God, or use The Sword of the Spirit. Daily! “Oh, but everyday is so hard. I’m just too busy. I don’t have the time.” This may not come out very gracious, but really!? You don’t have time for the creator of the universe? You don’t have 5 minutes you can devout to Him? But I agree, it can be a challenge to figure out when and where to fit in the time with God. Here’s my personal belief, which is supported Biblically by Jesus: first thing in the morning. (And make it something interesting ya’ll). Let me drive my point home a bit further here: how often is Satan trying to steal and kill and destroy you? Every single day. And sometimes he’s not even taking a break while you’re sleeping. So, yes, read and study your Bible daily.

2. You must exercise faith. Exercise implies that you’re strengthening something. How do you strengthen your faith then? Stay in the Word of God as you walk, run, stumble and fall through this race of life. Faith is the assurance of things not seen and confidence in what we hope for. As we go through life with confidence in our hope in the Lord, and assured through the Word of God, our faith turns into a Shield with which we can duck behind, or hold high as we extinguish the fiery darts of the evil one. I’ve even recently pictured my Shield of Faith growing larger with each trial.

3. When we equip ourselves with the Sword of the Spirit, and the Shield of Faith, our Breastplate of Righteousness begins to form around our life. Righteousness will protect our heart and vital organs and our back. The righteousness that God is working out in you and allowing to flourish will give you strength to make the right decisions when facing temptation, it will protect you from relying solely on your own strength, or, may the Lord forbid, your emotions or feelings. Instead you are able to rely on God’s truth. When circumstances begin to loom over you like a dark cloud, or your life seems to be spinning out of control, or a situation rises up suddenly, you get to rest in your righteousness. Knowing that you have already have a line of defense in place.

4. Speaking of God’s truth…we are to wrap the Belt of Truth around ourselves, as if allowing it to hold us together. We are then able to walk in His truth which we can find in the Word of God. If you follow Priscilla Shirer with Going Beyond Ministries there are several events she has spoken about regarding the Armor of God. In her speech she talks about how the Belt of Truth helps take the weight of your own righteousness.

5. When we strive to equip ourselves with all these attributes and disciplines we are then moved, and fully prepared by God to spread the Gospel of Peace. It becomes natural to spread that peace where ever our feet take us.

6. And isn’t that our great mission? To tell others about the Helmet of Salvation. With which, none of these other pieces would fit. So you see, it’s a full circle. Salvation leads to the Word which leads to faith, and righteousness, leading to knowing and walking in the truth, and where we walk we carry with us the Gospel of Peace. Salvation leads to the Word, and to faith and righteousness and truth…it’s all connected. They aren’t really separate pieces at all.

7. And then there’s Prayer.

The power and strength and might that Paul is mentioning here in Ephesians 6:10 is most certainly an active strength. When you think about a battle, it’s not a place you imagine to be relaxing, or comfortable, a nice place to rest and rejuvenate. NO! Why then do we think that we can rest in our devotion to God? Leaving fellowship, or taking a day off? I’m guilty of this. In fact just just a few weeks ago, when I was sick (flu sick), I thought, ‘I don’t need God, I’m sick. I’ll be fine. I’m not going to work; I can barely have an attitude anyway with how sick I am. I got this.’ Let me tell you how well that didn’t work for me. I was an awful human being to be around. Isn’t it so reassuring though, to know that the power of Christ can cover a multitude of scenarios? Cancer, death, moving, relationship struggles, mental or emotional distress…the list could on. If Christ’s power works in the midst of a battle, then boy howdy, He can do anything!

I did a quick search in the Bible to see what else the power of God is described as, likened to, or emulated as. [This is where you can grab your Bible and look with me]. Ephesians 1:19-20 The Resurrection Power. Psalm 68:32:35 It can be/should be proclaimed; resides in Heaven; over us-not tyrannically, but rather compassionately, with a downward care for us; the power of His sanctuary is awesome; he freely shares it with us. *Mark 12:24 The power of God is for the living. Job 27:11 We teach others about God’s indescribable power. 1 Corinthians 1:24 Christ is the power of God. *Acts 8:10 Satan often disguises himself as the power of God.
*Context is important for these verses; go back far enough to get a feel for the Scripture and message.

The power of God: justifies, saves, reconciles, judges, loves infinitely, creates life, gives life, demands holiness, forgives.

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If we go back to Ephesians 6:10, we see that the power of God lives within us, working personally and communally, as the Church. And it’s God’s power working in us and through us that puts us in a place to choose to put on the Armor of God to fight against our enemy. Don’t miss this: it is a choice; it is your choice. God is not going to force you into relationship with Him, that would go against all He is. But He has given you all the tools to fight successfully, you just have to pick them up, clothe yourself with them, and stand firm in your choices.

We agree then, that the power of God is in us, right? Then let’s talk about the kind of environment you have you created for the Lord to dwell in. What is the state of His house? You’re the keeper of the house, what have you been doing to it? If you watch the show “Stranger Things,” is it like the Upside Down? Do you have locked doors that disallow Holy Spirit to truly roam freely in your life? Do you have piles of clutter you or Holy Spirit are tripping over, or is your life so full right now ya’ll are walking in pathways in your house? Are you holding on to anything that you know the Lord disapproves of? Are you an active participant in keeping the house clean? Are you like I was as a teenager, allowing things to gather and sit and build and pile for ages, and then finally doing a big, deep clean, only to let it all fill up again? Are you putting up a front of cleanliness or righteousness, knowing that inside it’s really a different story? What kind of place have you built for God to dwell in?

Can God truly move freely within you in order to accomplish His plan? What are the obstacles you have out you might be tripping up on, or might be holding up God’s plan?

Prayer is a Powerful Weapon

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Andi Anderson

Have you ever had one of those weeks where nothing could get you down? It feels like you are walking hand in hand with God. He’s got you. You’re His girl, and He isn’t going to let anything knock you down.

And then there’s the week where everything seems to be going wrong. You forget your morning devotion time or skip it completely on purpose (!?). You’re at your Husband’s throat for no reason. AND you’re on your period.

While the last 16 weeks or so has been closer to the first described, this last week has been all of the second scenario and more.

Perspective Check: I don’t have cancer, I’m not addicted to drugs, and I’m not pregnant (Yay God!). This is a little thing some of my closest friends and I do when we’ve had a really rough week. And considering most of them are of menopausal age, it really is a YAY GOD that they aren’t pregnant. 

I was reminded this morning that prayer is one the most important weapons we have in our spiritual arsenal. I wish I would have done more to listen to that reminder. Hindsight and all that… The week has left me so emotionally raw. I can’t seem to focus, I’m on the verge of tears, I feel like I’m going to just lose it at any moment, my husband is getting the beating from it all, and all I need to do is stop and pray.

We could probably quote scripture to each other all day long about prayer: where to pray, how to pray, when to pray, what to pray, praying in Spirit and truth, praying continuously… Really, the list could go on. I could fill this blog post with all those scripture references, but where’s the fun in giving you all the answers? Open up your Bible and study prayer for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.

I’m writing to you on my lunch break now. I want to convey to you how prayer has affected my day. When I began my day I was easily angered, picking fights with my husband, running to the bathroom every 15-30 minutes to have a mini cry session (talk about being unproductive at work!), unable to focus, and everything was setting me off. I sat in my car for lunch and started typing this post, and it was awful! The anger inside me was pouring out onto the screen in front of me and I couldn’t stop it. I finally threw my phone down on the seat next to me in utter frustration. “This is awful!” I yelled at God. And then it came. The release I needed. Sobbing, pouring my heart out to God. “I’m sorry I’m so angry. I’m sorry I can’t do it all. I’m sorry I’m letting people down. I’m sorry I was so mean to my husband…” The list went on. All the things I’ve been holding on to for days now came gushing out in tears, sorrow, pain and snot. I took a breath, and then I was done. I simply didn’t have any more tears to cry, no more snot to wipe. The sorrow and pain were gone. And all that remains is a peace that I can’t explain.

I needed to unload all my burdens to God, because that’s what He wants from me. I love being able to talk to Him about whatever: constipation or diarrhea, marital problems, parenting problems, friend problems, work problems, I get to thank Him every morning for the beauty I see during my commute, I get to praise Him for His handiwork I see in my life, I get to worship Him with my words for no reason in particular except that He is God.

Prayer is a mighty tool. A weapon that can not be forgotten during your battle. Our battle is 24/7 my friends, which is why we are instructed to pray continuously. Our enemy does not rest, but even greater than that, OUR GOD DOES NOT REST! He does not sleep. He cares about all the details of your life, big, small and everything in between.

I once had a patient tell me she only talked to God about the big stuff, because He was so busy you know with all the wars, and cancer, and other big stuff people have going on. How sad her faith must be. How misinformed she was. I pray to this day that she would know God’s true character. And I pray the same for you.

Share your life with God, share your heart with Him.