Be Strong in the Lord! Peggy Kannaday BE STRONG IN THE LORD! (1,400) We are in a battle daily, but praise God through Jesus Christ; He has won the war. He has given us His armor to combat the enemy in our lives. The armor is Spiritual because the battle is in the spiritual realm. The armor is that won by a 1st Century Roman soldier fighting in the fiercest battle; it protects when we put on the whole armor. There is no armor for the back as when a Christian back slides; he or she has chosen to relinquish their armor. ************************ 1.) We are commanded to be strong in the Lord. We are not to be self-confident as the world stresses, but we must put our trust in the power of His (God's) might. The enemy tries to keep our eyes on ourselves, but we will lose the battle if we rely on ourselves and our own power. We must understand that it is the blood of Jesus Christ and the cross that has gained for us this mighty power. We must know the source which will keep us from pride. Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 2.) You need the whole armor of God to stand against the devil as if there is the slightest chink or weak place in your armor; the enemy will zero in where he can find an opening. We need each and every piece of the armor to stand strong in these days. Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 3.) Our enemy is unseen to us in the physical realm, but he is a real and present threat to Christians, and we should never be ignorant of his plan to steal, kill and destroy in our lives. However, the Lord has a different plan for us, and He has given us His armor so that we can have the total victory in our lives. Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 4.) Sometimes all that is required of us is to stand and to hold the place that the Lord has given to us. Sometimes we are to take territory for the Lord's Kingdom, and we need the Sword of the Spirit to conquer new ground for God's Kingdom. Joshua and Caleb were given a Word from the Lord that every place they put their foot would be theirs. They could move forward on the strength of God's Word to them. Whatever God tells you to do; He will empower you to do it. Josh 1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. 5.) STANDING is mentioned 3 times in this chapter because God wants you to stand your ground, and He doesn't want you to relinquish what He has given to you. We should be found standing after every aggressive battle. Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 6.) Truth is listed first as we need a love for the truth. Jesus is the Truth, the Way and the Life. A.) King David was deceived by temptation, and we must not fall into this trap of the enemy. Do not be deceived the girdle of Truth holds things together and it keeps us from falling. B.) King David did not have protection for his heart. He did not have God's righteousness, and his heart was open to attack. We need to have Christ's righteousness to guard our hearts from attack. We must know that it is His righteousness that guards us, and not to rely on our own righteousness which is as filthy rags. Many a great leader has fallen because they did not have on their breastplate of righteousness and they had a fatal wound to their hearts. The were first deceived and then they were wounded in the heart. Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 7.) We must read, study and meditate on the Word of God daily. We must have it hidden in our hearts in order to know God's commandments and to be purified by the washing of the water of the Word. We must know the Gospel and be witnesses of the Gospel to stand strong and to be able to walk in the rough areas in our lives. Preparation means that we must have prepared previously to walk the walk of God. Just as we put on our shoes before we go out into the streets; we need to be prepared with the Gospel of peace in our hearts at all times. Eph 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 8.) All of the other pieces of the armor of God are activated by our faith in the One who provides the armor, Jesus Christ. Our faith totally quenches the fiery darts thrown at us by the enemy. Our faith (the faith of God) put the fire out of the enemy's darts before they can ignite upon us and cause us injury. Hallelujah! Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 9.) A.) Our souls and minds are the place of battle, and they must be protected by our hope of salvation. Jesus endured the cross because of the hope (the joy that was set before Him). We must do the same. We must always keep our redemption, our ultimate victory, and our eternal life with Christ foremost in our minds. C.) The Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God or the rhema Word of God is our offensive weapon. It provides a way that we can do the will of God in our lives. We must be led by the Holy Spirit as those that are the sons and daughters of God are led by the Holy Spirit. We need the Sword of the Spirit to go where the Lord leads us, and to be able to do what the Lord tells us to do as we are led by the Holy Spirit. Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 10.) Prayer is the Key to all use of the armor of God. The provisions that the Lord provides for us are given through our prayer. The Lord wants to make His House a House of Prayer. We are His House. A. We are told to pray always. B. We are told to pray in the Spirit (as led by the Holy Spirit). According to the will of God to fulfill His glorious purposes. C. We are told to pray for all saints. Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; 11.) The Apostle Paul is asking for prayer for himself that he would be able to speak boldly and make know the mystery of the Gospel. Our leaders are in need of our prayers. Eph 6:19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, Our goal is to drive back the forces of evil. The is sealed together with our victorious Lord! Rom 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. The focus of all Spiritual Warfare prayers is to give an open door for the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the victorious overcoming power of the saints of God to fulfill all of His glorious purposes in this world. The prayer is where the actual battle takes place and where the victory is attained. No prayer/No battle/means/No glory/ means/No victory. God's Word is our chief weapon of offense. He said it, we believe it, and that settles it. We stand on His Word, and we take the territory that He gives us for His Kingdom, honor and glory. Amen.