JOSIAH-MINISTRIES
Ephesians 6:10-18
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 you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 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. 13 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.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 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, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— 19 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, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Paul tells us to put on “the full armor of God” it is;
- The belt of truth.
- Breastplate of righteousness.
- Feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel.
- The shield of faith.
- Helmet of salvation.
- Sword of the Spirit.
- Praying at all times in the Spirit.
Keeping in mind that our battle is in the spirit realm, we can understand that only spiritual armor will protect us, mere physical armor will not work.
How can we put on the “The Belt of Truth” if we don’t know what truth is?
II Timothy
Psalm 119:105-112 says…Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light unto my path…..
How can we wear the “The Breastplate of Righteousness” if we do not walk in righteousness?
Ephesians 4:17-29 says…
17 Now this I affirm and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds; 18 they are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart; 19 they have become callous and have given themselves up to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of uncleanness. 20 You did not so learn Christ! — 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus. 22 Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore, putting away falsehood, let every one speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need. 29 Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear.
Ephesians 5:1-8 says….Be imitators of God, as beloved children…..
Matthew
20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
9 He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves and were confident that they were righteous [that they were upright and in right standing with God] and scorned and made nothing of all the rest of men:
10 Two men went up into the temple [enclosure] to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee took his stand ostentatiously and began to pray thus before and with himself: God, I thank You that I am not like the rest of men—extortioners (robbers), swindlers [unrighteous in heart and life], adulterers—or even like this tax collector here.
12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I gain.
13 But the tax collector, [merely] standing at a distance, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but kept striking his breast, saying, O God, be favorable (be gracious, be merciful) to me, the especially wicked sinner that I am!
14 I tell you, this man went down to his home justified (forgiven and made upright and in right standing with God), rather than the other man; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Titus 2 and 3:1-11(see notes)
“Feet Shod With the Preparation of the Gospel” Are we standing on solid ground? Are we ministering where God led us? Are we fighting the right battles?
“The Shield of Faith” The simplest definition of faith is “I believe God will do what he says he will do” If I am pursuing my relationship with thee Lord(reading, praying, worshipping, fellowshipping etc…) I am able to Know what he says he will do. No matter what the circumstances look like.
Am I wearing the “Helmet of Salvation”?
Phillipians 2: 12 says…
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
As I looked at the context of this verse, I ended up reading the full book of Phillipians. Paul is telling them to do what he is telling them to do. ” live Godly lives and learn of your Savior. Grow and mature!!! As you are spending time in the Word and receiving it, your mind is changing into the mind of Christ.
I Corinthians 3:1-3 says…
1 But I, brethren, could not address you as spiritual men, but as men of the flesh, as babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food; for you were not ready for it; and even yet you are not ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving like ordinary men?
In another place Paul says “You should be teachers by now”
“The Sword of the Spirit” The word of God.
The helmet of salvation is receiving the word of God and the sword of the Spirit is wielding it as a weapon.
II Timothy
When tempted by Satan, Jesus quoted scripture to defeat him.
See Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 3:1-13
In this battle, Satan used scripture, but out of context to temp Jesus. We have to not only know it, but know the author to use it as a weapon.
Hebrews 4:12-13 says…
12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And before him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
“Praying at all times in the Spirit” Praying and letting the Holy Spirit take over. Keep in mind that this is a spiritual battle!!!
All of this adds up to time spent with Lord (reading the Bible, prayer, worship, fellowship, etc…) is what makes up our armor. What are my priorities? The world? Or the one I am going to spend eternity with. I have found that the more time I spend with the Lord, the more I want to and the better equipped I am to stand against the enemy.
In Genesis 32:24-32 Jacob wrestled with an angel all night. In the morning as the angel was trying to leave, Jacob held on and said “I will not let you go until you bless me” (verse 28) In recent times the Lord keeps bringing me back to this verse. I am determined to pursue the Lord in all things until I find him in every part of my life.
