The Fight Of Your Life ! (Must Watch Video For Help !)

 

In the Bible, lions represent strength and power, courage and protection.  However, most Christians are familiar with 1 Peter 5:8 which tells us:  "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"

The devil is "similar" to a lion in wanting to capture you and "devour" you.  Destroy you and tear you to pieces !   But the Bible likens the devil more to be the serpent, the dragon, the deceiver, our adversary.

And therein lies the fight of our lives!   

Spiritual warfare !  Big Time !

        Following is  an excellent 56 minute video on this very subject!  I felt that I must share it with you right away!  I watched it for the first time earlier this morning and it is very thorough with many Scriptures included which will not only inform you and encourage you, but also it will increase your faith in the good Lord  ! !   As the video reminds us, "God is a willing Father Who wants to work in His children's favor."

In the above video,  it reminds us that God is always the Victor!   Our faith can make us victors, as well, with the help of the Holy Spirit.  

As stated also in the above spiritual help:

 1.  Tests are the mothers of testimonies !

  2.  Conflicts are stories that lead to victories!

   3.  Trials can only end in triumphs !

   4.   Problems are won with solutions !

Trust in God!

Do not fear anything !

Fear and Trust cannot live at the same time in one's heart !

What should keep you going is the love of God and of Christ !

Following is a partial quote from one of Charles Spurgeon's devotionals:

"We pray daily:  ' Let thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done on earth, even as it is in heaven.'   (Matthew 6:10).  We have fellowship with Christ in His sufferings.  We are not nailed to the Cross, nor do we die a cruel death, but when He is reproached, we are reproached; and a very sweet thing it is to be despised for following the Master, to have the world against us.  The disciple should not be above his Lord.  In our measure we commune with Him in His labors, ministering to men by the Word of Truth, and by deeds of love.  Our meat and our drink, like His, is to do the will of Him Who hath sent us, and to finish His work.  We have also fellowship with Christ in His joys.  We are happy in His happiness; we rejoice in His exaltation.  Have you ever tasted that joy, believer?  There is no purer or more thrilling delight to be known this side of heaven than that of having Christ's joy fulfilled in us, that our joy may be full.  His glory awaits us to complete our fellowship;  for His Church shall sit with Him upon His throne, as His well-beloved Bride....."   (end of quote).

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.  This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the LORD."  -   Isaiah 54:17

"Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you."  -  2 Chronicles 20:17

"Have not I commanded thee?  Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."   -  Joshua 1:9

"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."  -    Hebrews 13:5

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that seek Him."  -  Hebrews 11:6

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." -   Hebrews 11:1

"What We Should Wrestle Against" (With Video) - Inspirational Weekend

The above photograph of the beautiful red blossom of the cannonball tree was taken last month at Foster Botanical Gardens here in Honolulu. The "fruit" produced by this tree is large, round, a cannon-type ball and rather ugly to behold.  I have posted photos of their fruit in the past.  When the fruit falls from the tree and hits the ground (or you) it bursts open and emits a foul smell.  So this tree has its own "weapons".  

We need weapons to fight and wrestle against the schemes of the devil and his demons.  Let me quote Ephesians 6:10-12:

(10)  "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.  (11) Put on the whole armor 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."

It would be a good idea to read all of Ephesians 6, or especially verses 10-20.  The verses quoted above tell us (1) to be strong in the Lord; you can do that by much prayer and Bible study and thereby developing a strong, close, intimate love relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  (2) To put on the whole armor of God so we may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.  (Read from verses 13 to 20 to discover what the armor of God is that we need.  Most Christians are familiar with what they are). Verse 12 is what we will deal with primarily in this post, as even many believers are not aware of the meaning of the terms found there.  

As brought out in the video below, people can sometimes be cruel, hateful, and cold.  We need to look beyond imperfect humans, and to realize that the real enemy is not "flesh and blood", but the unseen evil spirits prompting that cruel behavior.  The "principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places;"  it is obvious that this is referring to evil spirits as well as the devil himself, all of whom are seeking to destroy us.  They are the source and origin of all spiritual conflicts.  These malignant spirits are rulers over the darkness of this world; their kingdom is the kingdom of darkness, full of misery and pain and troubles of the mind and of the spirit, and sometimes behind health issues.    You need to be strong in the Lord to be able to wrestle against them.   Pray without ceasing and be in the Holy Word constantly.   Ask the good Lord to give you an extra portion of His Holy Spirit for strength in combating these evil influences.   

It is no secret that the world is becoming more and more corrupt and evil in these last days we find ourselves living in now.   It is no doubt because the devil knows his time is short and he is full of wrath in his insane battle to rule instead of God.  

"Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them.  Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time."  -  Revelation 12:12

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world."   -   1 Peter 5:8-9 

Satan works extra hard on believers, to bring them down and cause them to stray and to make them ineffective, because he already has the world under his power.

Always remember that God has your back.  He will protect you and watch over you.  You cannot fight evil forces all by yourself.  By saying previously that we need to pray for the Holy Spirit  to help us wrestle against the devil and his demons, I am also saying that it is God who will help you fight the devil and his minions.  The good Lord loves us and will strengthen us.  The victory is ours by the  Lord's assistance.  Remember also that "greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world."  (1 John 4:4b).  This verse is referring primarily to the false prophets inspired by the antichrist  spirit and the antichrist spirit itself, but in my opinion it is applicable to how God will help us with the demonic world as well.

The devil definitely has the spirit of being against Christ.

One commentator tells us,  "Wherever we come in contact with evil - whether in our own hearts or elsewhere - there we are to make war."

What if you are not a believer?  Don't feel as if God cannot forgive your sins, however gross they may be.  Remember, King David committed adultery with Bathsheba and then had her husband murdered. The Lord forgave him when he showed genuine  repentance. (2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12). Don't let the evil powers control you any longer.  Turn to God in true repentance, pray to Him for forgiveness, and believe with all your being that Jesus is the Savior whose shed blood at Calvary can wash your sins away.  

Romans 10:9,10,13 tells us "(9)  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Jesus will welcome you with open arms of love and forgiveness.  He is waiting to hear from you.

Prophecy in the News has a new host, Lyn Leahz, and following is a 9 minute video on the subject of spiritual warfare, in which she also uses Ephesians 6 as the basis for her talk.   She stresses to fight the enemy with the Word of God.

Have a Christ centered weekend.....and life !

"Don't Forget The Armor" - Inspirational Weekend

The above flower and fruit (the ball) are on the Cannonball Tree; a tree with its own weapon !   When the cannonballs fall to the ground (or on your head!)  they burst open and emit a foul odor.  You might say this is a tree with its own armor.  

Christians have armor for their use as well.  The armor of God, that is.  In last weekend's post  I dealt with the subject of strength: how to be strong.  This weekend we will discuss how the armor of God can make you strong and can protect you in this spiritual battle we find ourselves in every day.  Following are verses from Ephesians 6 that describe this armor of God, which verses most Christians are familiar with but I quote it here for unbelievers or those who are not aware of this passage in the Bible.

"(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: "  -  Ephesians 6:10-17

We cannot win this spiritual battle by our own human effort; we need the Lord's help and His Spirit, and these verses above inform us how to do just that.   It is good to take note that, in verse 12, it tells us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood....in other words, we should not lash out at humans that give us a hard time as though they were the real culprits or enemy.  The devil is the real enemy and is able to use people to tear us down and persecute us and to make us lose heart.

Also in verse 12, satan and his fallen angels (demons) are referred to as "spiritual wickedness" and "the rulers of the darkness of this world."  Though powerful, they are not as powerful as God and the Lord can protect us and help us by means of the armor of God.

Please note also that verses 11 and 13 admonish us to "put on the whole armor of God."  Not just a part of it, but all of it.  That is the only way we can stand firm and be strong.  Ancient soldiers equipped themselves with all of their armor when in battle, and we should do the same with our spiritual armor.  

"Having your loins girt about with truth"  (verse 14) ;  The girdle or sash was always an important part of their dress in war as well as in peace.  It was designed to keep every part of the armor in its place, and to gird the soldier on every side. Likewise, believers need the truth of God's Word to keep things in perspective and to help them endure the battle we face with the darkness of evil.  In other words, to hold everything else together as only God's Word is able to do.

"Having on the breastplate of righteousness" (verse 14) ;  Here Paul is showing that true believers are to put on righteousness to protect their hearts as a soldier puts on a breastplate to protect himself.  This righteousness includes integrity, holiness, purity of life, and sincere piety.  

"And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;" (verse 15);  A peaceful and benevolent attitude which is an essential part of the Christian character.  This, like the boots worn by soldiers, will keep you from being harmed by the many difficulties and trials which, like sharp-pointed thorns, may lie in your way and thereby obstruct your progress.

"The shield of faith"   (verse 16)  The apostle alludes to the great oblong shield which covers the whole body.  As faith is the grace by which all others are preserved and rendered active, so faith is properly represented here by a shield by which the whole body is covered and protected.   True faith can quench any dart of the devil.

"The helmet of salvation"  (verse 17).   This protects one's understanding from being darkened and confused by any temptations of the evil one.  It also protects from any subtle views of the ungodly.

"The sword of the Spirit."  The Word of God; the Holy Scriptures.  It comes from the Holy Spirit, and receives its fulfillment in the soul through the workings of the Holy Spirit.  The ability to quote God's Holy Word, especially in times of temptation and trials, can cut in pieces (like a sword) the snares of the adversary and his demons.  

Ephesians 1:19 tells us:  "And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power."

In other words, God gives us the strength to help us to resist the devil.  As stated previously, we are in a war; a spiritual warfare against the wicked forces of darkness.   This is particularly true of Christians who are living godly lives and sharing the Gospel.  The devil strikes at them especially hard, to bring them down, because he already has the ungodly...the world in general...in his grasp.

So put on the armor that God provides.  The Lord will protect you and help you to endure.

"Do not strive in your own strength; cast yourself at the feet of the Lord Jesus, and wait upon Him in the sure confidence that He is with you, and works in you.  Strive in prayer; let faith fill your heart - so will you be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."  -  Andrew Murray

We should not overlook what Ephesians 6:18 tells us,  "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints."

Prayer gives you strength from the Lord.  It just simply makes all things better to pray.   When you pray and read your Bible daily, you draw ever closer to the Lord, and that alone gives you victory over temptation and discouragement.  When you love the Lord with all your heart, soul, strength and mind, you will live more and more in His presence and grow stronger every day.


"Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong."   -  1 Corinthians 16:13