Spiritual Warfare

[Pine Baron]

From Bridgegap.org

Paster Lloyd Pulley

Spiritual Warfare
Friday, May 26, 2017

In Ephesians six, verses thirteen through eighteen, Paul lays out for us the key pieces of our Godly armor. One of the biggest mistakes Christians make is in thinking that we aren't vulnerable to satan's schemes. We are. All of us. Whether you're Billy Graham, Lloyd Pulley or the plumber who lives next door, satan is on the prowl!

Ephesians 6:10-18 (I included verses 10 thru 12 for perspective)

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

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.

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.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

[nagantguy]

And if we are missing any piece of this kit we are not properly outfitted to do battle against evil,true evil!

[DCP]

Wonderful post Pine
Unfortunately too many Christians talk the talk, but don't walk the walk.

70x7

[LAH]

And if we are missing any piece of this kit we are not properly outfitted to do battle against evil,true evil!

Amen.

[GhostHawk]

Well said and AMEN sir.

[Bzcraig]

Sadly, it's true. To deny the power of Satan to harass and\or influence us, is to fall victim to his schemes.

[Boaz]

Great post that we remember to protect ourselves and use the power given by GOD . To do his work . I would offer the next two lines of verse (19 and 20) that to me finish this lesson . They mean a lot to me and give the power of the sprit to spread the message .

9 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,

20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Protected by GOD , lead by the Holy Sprit to give the message of our savior Jesus Christ . Praise GOD !

Thank you Pine Baron !

[Crash_Corrigan]

AS part of my quiet time every day I put on the Armor of God in prayer. I then acknowledge his being, ask to follow Christ by picking up my cross and then I ask the Holy Spirit for the fruits of the Spirit grow within me so I can do our Lord's bidding. Then I pray for others and close by asking Jesus to intercede with the Father to respond to my prayers.

[USMC87]

Thanks for the post and all the comments also.

[buckwheatpaul]

Pine Baron, thanks for the post....all too often I hear people say "God hates me because..." I always tell them that God always loves you and cries when you fail. It is fact the devil causing their misery and if they turn to God to help He will walk with you and help you....all you have to do is ask and He is proud to be with you and walk with you as you travel that hard route of your life!

[smoked turkey]

We are no match for the devil's schemes. He goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. His purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. In order to be a good soldier for the Lord we must equip ourselves with the weapons he has given us. That includes the whole armor of God. Good post Pine Baron.

[Wayne Smith]

I find it fascinating when I ask anyone, pastors included, what we are to do once we put on the armor. It is amazing the answers you get when answer is contained in the passage five times (one in the verse? prior to what is posted). Never once have I been given the correct answer, which is 'to stand'. Never are we told to attack, just take your stand and defend, quenching the fiery darts of the devil with our faith.

[Pine Baron]

Spot on, Wayne. To "stand", and if I might add, together we are stronger than we could ever be apart.

[Bzcraig]

Put on the armor.....
....and having done all you can, continue to STAND.....
when coupled with "RESIST the devil and he will flee"


We have a full understanding of how to respond to his attacks.

[Blackwater]

Amen to the OP and all comments! I believe that the reason the world is in the shape it's in today (wrote "shame" instead of "shape," but maybe my first typo was more right than what I was thinking?) is because WAY too many Christians have, once they come to light, figured (erroneously!) that all that's left to do is just enjoy their newfound faith. But Christ commanded us to do MUCH more than that! And so many seem to overlook that little detail, probably because most of them don't WANT to have to DO anything more. After all that Christ did for us on that old cross, how could we simply believe that there's nothing for US to do, personally? That can't make any sort of sense, really, and yet, I see so much of it! Truly, we're a willful lot of creatures, and we don't stop being that way automatically when we come to recognize the Light for what it truly is. Few have the will to even pursue knowing more than it takes to come to belief for themselves. It's as though they think, "Well, I got mine, now let everyone else get theirs, or do without!" That is NOT a Christian attitude, and attitude determines SO much of what we do, perhaps today more than any other time in our history on this planet!

Everyone has SOME talent or ability that they can contribute to advance our Faith. Not everyone makes a great witness, but everyone CAN know someone who is, and can get help from them when needs or opportunities arise. Some can simply be a conduit, but if they work as a conduit long enough, they WILL learn how to do their own witnessing! It's just how we grow in our Faith, and we can't grow if we DON'T practice what we preach!

God gave each one of us SOMETHING we can contribute to the advancement of our faith. My wife manages a Christian thrift store, and one of the young men that has volunteered is very, very slow mentally. If HE can do something, no matter how small that contribution may be in many's eyes, then who among us cannot contribute SOMETHING? All it really takes is the will and commitment to say, "Here am I, Lord! Use me!" And perhaps the best thing about all of this is that WE get FAR more out of anything we contribute than we could ever put into it!

Is our Lord a wondrous and loving God, or what?

[DCP]

Amen to the OP and all comments! I believe that the reason the world is in the shape it's in today (wrote "shame" instead of "shape," but maybe my first typo was more right than what I was thinking?) is because WAY too many Christians have, once they come to light, figured (erroneously!) that all that's left to do is just enjoy their newfound faith. But Christ commanded us to do MUCH more than that! And so many seem to overlook that little detail, probably because most of them don't WANT to have to DO anything more. After all that Christ did for us on that old cross, how could we simply believe that there's nothing for US to do, personally? That can't make any sort of sense, really, and yet, I see so much of it! Truly, we're a willful lot of creatures, and we don't stop being that way automatically when we come to recognize the Light for what it truly is. Few have the will to even pursue knowing more than it takes to come to belief for themselves. It's as though they think, "Well, I got mine, now let everyone else get theirs, or do without!" That is NOT a Christian attitude, and attitude determines SO much of what we do, perhaps today more than any other time in our history on this planet!

Everyone has SOME talent or ability that they can contribute to advance our Faith. Not everyone makes a great witness, but everyone CAN know someone who is, and can get help from them when needs or opportunities arise. Some can simply be a conduit, but if they work as a conduit long enough, they WILL learn how to do their own witnessing! It's just how we grow in our Faith, and we can't grow if we DON'T practice what we preach!

God gave each one of us SOMETHING we can contribute to the advancement of our faith. My wife manages a Christian thrift store, and one of the young men that has volunteered is very, very slow mentally. If HE can do something, no matter how small that contribution may be in many's eyes, then who among us cannot contribute SOMETHING? All it really takes is the will and commitment to say, "Here am I, Lord! Use me!" And perhaps the best thing about all of this is that WE get FAR more out of anything we contribute than we could ever put into it!

Is our Lord a wondrous and loving God, or what?

Spot on
Thank you

[Wayne Smith]

Somewhere it says that we are created for good works which He established for us before the foundations of the world! Even when I am doing them I am only following what He created for me before I was even thought of.