Ephesians 6:11-18
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual [hosts] of wickedness in the heavenly [places]." "Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."
Jesus used the power of Holy Spirit to deliver people from bondage or strongholds created by satan. He passed His mission on to His disciples with specific instructions on what to do to destroy the works of satan's (Mark 16:14-20).
As the disciples went into the world and preach the gospel, they realized the purpose and mission of Jesus. John, the apostle, tells us that:
1 John 3:8 (NKJV)
"He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil"
Central Intelligence The Father, Jesus, and Holy are the head of our kingdom and delineate our orders or strategies in the earthly realm. I encourage you to read Isaiah 61 for a broader context on this truth.
We must remember that the Lord prepared the battle plan before the foundations of the world. It is amazing how the Father is so mighty and sovereign that He can write down the basics of His battle plan and leave it in the earth in written form for centuries. What a mighty God we serve. We should have confidence in that fact alone and not waiver in our faith.
Fighting the Battle
Control your emotions
A good soldier never follows his five senses when he fights a battle. He depends on his weapons and other personal equipment, such as a compass, map, or night vision equipment to fight the fight. Our emotions will cause us to question the command of our Superiors (the Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit) and question our mission.
What the Lord has said about you
Paul wrote to Timothy to use the words of prophecies over his life as a weapon against the enemy.
I Tim. 1:18 (ESV)
"This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,"
Can you recall words spoken to you by prophecy whether by a person, when reading the word, or by an answer to a prayer? Jesus knew His relationship with the father was secure, He knew his mission and why He was deployed in the earth. We must know our relationship with the Father is safe to carry out the mission where we are deployed in the earth.
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual [hosts] of wickedness in the heavenly [places]." "Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."
"Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;"
"Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one." "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;”“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--"
"And for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,"
"For which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak."Understanding the Battle
Our battles are the Lord’s battles. We are the soldiers the Lord intends to use to annihilate His enemies on the earth. He goes before us, and He is our rear guard. [Isaiah 52:12] We are not in this battle alone because there is a heavenly host in us, with us, and on stand by in the kingdom to assist us with our daily struggles. Before the beginning of time, spiritual battles have been fought and won by our heavenly Father. We must have confidence that He can manifest His power to deliver us from the hands of satan and his demonic forces.
One of the first statements Jesus made when He began His ministry was from Isaiah 61, where He talked about His mission on the earth.
One of the first statements Jesus made when He began His ministry was from Isaiah 61, where He talked about His mission on the earth.
Luke 4:18-19 (NKJV)
"The Spirit of the LORD [is] upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to [the] poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to [the] captives And recovery of sight to [the] blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."
"The Spirit of the LORD [is] upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to [the] poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to [the] captives And recovery of sight to [the] blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."
Jesus used the power of Holy Spirit to deliver people from bondage or strongholds created by satan. He passed His mission on to His disciples with specific instructions on what to do to destroy the works of satan's (Mark 16:14-20).
As the disciples went into the world and preach the gospel, they realized the purpose and mission of Jesus. John, the apostle, tells us that:
"He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil"
Central Intelligence The Father, Jesus, and Holy are the head of our kingdom and delineate our orders or strategies in the earthly realm. I encourage you to read Isaiah 61 for a broader context on this truth.
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the responsibility of Central Command or Central Intelligence. Holy Spirit is our reconnaissance in the earthly realm. Jesus said the Father would send Him in His name to be in us, with us, and to guide us into all truth (read John 14). A soldier knows theater of the battle and the strength of the enemy through reconnaissance. Likewise, we see the mission and battle plan of why Jesus came and the weapons to use for spiritual battles.
Reconnaissance is the responsibility of Central Command or Central Intelligence. Holy Spirit is our reconnaissance in the earthly realm. Jesus said the Father would send Him in His name to be in us, with us, and to guide us into all truth (read John 14). A soldier knows theater of the battle and the strength of the enemy through reconnaissance. Likewise, we see the mission and battle plan of why Jesus came and the weapons to use for spiritual battles.
We must remember that the Lord prepared the battle plan before the foundations of the world. It is amazing how the Father is so mighty and sovereign that He can write down the basics of His battle plan and leave it in the earth in written form for centuries. What a mighty God we serve. We should have confidence in that fact alone and not waiver in our faith.
Not all mysteries of the plan are revealed to every generation. Jesus taught about the mysteries of the Kingdom (Matthew 13:11), and Paul wrote about it (I Colossians 1:24-27).
We must recognize that our Father’s enemy has his headquarters as well. But he is defeated. He came to kill the souls of men, steal the souls the men, and destroy the souls of men.
John 10:10 (ESV)
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."
John 10:10 (ESV)
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."
Preparing for Battle
We engage in needless spiritual battles because we do not practice the word of God. As mentioned earlier, when we sin, we battle
with sin consciousness, unforgiveness, and false humility.
Followers of Jesus must remember that once a soldier, always a soldier. Even though career soldiers retired from the military, they can be reactivated to duty. It does not matter whether or not a solder is disabled. If there is a job he or she can do to support the battle, the military has the “right” to assign that job to that individual. A soldier may live for a while as a citizen. However, he or she may be required to muster as a soldier.
A soldier practices the battle maneuvers before engaging the enemy. There are several maneuvers followers of Jesus must practice before deployment:
A soldier practices the battle maneuvers before engaging the enemy. There are several maneuvers followers of Jesus must practice before deployment:
- Meditate on the Word of God
- Praise and Worship the Lord
- Receive training through the five-hold ministry offices (Ephesians 4:11-12)
Fighting the Battle
Control your emotions
A good soldier never follows his five senses when he fights a battle. He depends on his weapons and other personal equipment, such as a compass, map, or night vision equipment to fight the fight. Our emotions will cause us to question the command of our Superiors (the Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit) and question our mission.
The Lord created us to be emotional beings. However, we must learn when and how to transcend our natural passion into a passion for the battle. Transcend is the appropriate word for this principle. We must use our emotions to rise above, go beyond, and surpass the point in our thought life where the enemy has control. He can inject negative thoughts and behavior into our thoughts.
What the Lord has said about you
I Tim. 1:18 (ESV)
"This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,"
Can you recall words spoken to you by prophecy whether by a person, when reading the word, or by an answer to a prayer? Jesus knew His relationship with the father was secure, He knew his mission and why He was deployed in the earth. We must know our relationship with the Father is safe to carry out the mission where we are deployed in the earth.