Day 291: God Sized Truths; The Reality Of Spiritual Warfare
Read: Ephesians 6:10 - 12
First off, it is my most heartfelt desire to express my very deepest
gratitude to all of you who responded to my call for more wisdom and
more knowledge. I want to thank all of you out there who took the
time to read yesterdays devotion and took the time to consider and
reflect on the reality of what you knew and took the time to consider
the possibility of a new reality as it relates to your own personal
understanding of what Spiritual Warfare means for you as you live out
each day of your Christian faith. It is worth noting here that Jesus
himself said that there will always be war, there will be ongoing conflict that will challenge the very strongest faith, truths which are, for me, all too often too hard, all too often just too impossible to swallow!
It is here that I would like to try to explore some of those truths with you. I ask you to keep in mind that I am quite the novice at this and as always would appreciate, value, what feedback you can give me to help me and those who read this, learn
something new. I want to spend this time today because I doubt that
most of you have ever had any teaching in this area, and we really,
truly need to start with these fundamentals. First truth I have
discerned from my Bible readings is that there really is an invisible world
that is just as real as the visible world. The Bible that's sitting on my
table is real, the clothes on my back are real, I know this because I
can see them with my own two eyes and I can touch them, I can feel them against my skin.
But when we begin to talk
about that which is invisible, those things that cannot be seen, heard,
touched, smelled, or tasted, we tend to think that those things are not
real, or somehow at a lesser level of reality than the visible world.
Nothing could be further from the truth: As Paul so writes: (12) 'For we
are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against
the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those
mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked
spirits in the heavenly realms.' While we do exist in this present
visible world, we also exist simultaneously in the unseen world that
Paul so vividly describes here.
Secondly, The unseen world is
described as the place where evil beings exist, but it is also the place
where Jesus Christ, and all believers exist. And this second truth is
quite the powerful one for me. Where power of evil exists, so too does
the greater power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Ponder that truth
for yourself! God...has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. (Ephesians 1:3b) This is
the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in
the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms! (Ephesians 1:19b-20) We've been raised from death in sin unto eternal life in Christ! For God raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with
him in the heavenly realms all because we are one with God, one with Christ Jesus, one with the Holy Spirit.
(Ephesians 2:6)
Let Us Pray: Thank you, Lord, for my salvation. I receive it in a new
and fresh way from You, and I declare that nothing can separate me now
from the love of Christ and the place I shall ever have in Your kingdom.
Lord, I will wear Your breastplate of righteousness today against the
enemies arrows sent against me. Fit me with Your holiness and purity -
Lord, defend me from assaults that are directed at my heart.
Lord, I put on the belt of truth. I choose a lifestyle of honesty and
integrity. Show me those truths I so desperately need today. Expose
those lies that I am not even aware that I believe. I do so choose to
live for the Gospel at any moment. Pray, please show me where You are working and lead me to it. Do not let me become slack in my walk.
Jesus, I lift the confidence that You are good against every lie and
every assault of the enemy. You have only good in store for me. Nothing
is coming today that can overcome me because You are with me. Holy
Spirit, show me specifically today those truths of the Word of God that I
will need to counter the snares of the enemy. Bring them to mind
throughout the day. Finally, Holy Spirit, I agree to walk in step with
You in everything - in all prayer, as my spirit communes with You
throughout this day.
I claim the blood of my Savior Jesus
Christ as the only true source of my cleansing. I claim the precious
blood of the Lamb of God which was shed in Love for me as the one, the only true source of my life. I claim the power of Christ's resurrection
which keeps me facing forward in the face of mine enemies. True love for
His much Truer Love. Amen
http://www.youtube.com/
Read: Ephesians 6:10 - 12
First off, it is my most heartfelt desire to express my very deepest gratitude to all of you who responded to my call for more wisdom and more knowledge. I want to thank all of you out there who took the time to read yesterdays devotion and took the time to consider and reflect on the reality of what you knew and took the time to consider the possibility of a new reality as it relates to your own personal understanding of what Spiritual Warfare means for you as you live out each day of your Christian faith. It is worth noting here that Jesus himself said that there will always be war, there will be ongoing conflict that will challenge the very strongest faith, truths which are, for me, all too often too hard, all too often just too impossible to swallow!
It is here that I would like to try to explore some of those truths with you. I ask you to keep in mind that I am quite the novice at this and as always would appreciate, value, what feedback you can give me to help me and those who read this, learn something new. I want to spend this time today because I doubt that most of you have ever had any teaching in this area, and we really, truly need to start with these fundamentals. First truth I have discerned from my Bible readings is that there really is an invisible world that is just as real as the visible world. The Bible that's sitting on my table is real, the clothes on my back are real, I know this because I can see them with my own two eyes and I can touch them, I can feel them against my skin.
But when we begin to talk about that which is invisible, those things that cannot be seen, heard, touched, smelled, or tasted, we tend to think that those things are not real, or somehow at a lesser level of reality than the visible world. Nothing could be further from the truth: As Paul so writes: (12) 'For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.' While we do exist in this present visible world, we also exist simultaneously in the unseen world that Paul so vividly describes here.
Secondly, The unseen world is described as the place where evil beings exist, but it is also the place where Jesus Christ, and all believers exist. And this second truth is quite the powerful one for me. Where power of evil exists, so too does the greater power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Ponder that truth for yourself! God...has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. (Ephesians 1:3b) This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms! (Ephesians 1:19b-20) We've been raised from death in sin unto eternal life in Christ! For God raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms all because we are one with God, one with Christ Jesus, one with the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 2:6)
Let Us Pray: Thank you, Lord, for my salvation. I receive it in a new and fresh way from You, and I declare that nothing can separate me now from the love of Christ and the place I shall ever have in Your kingdom. Lord, I will wear Your breastplate of righteousness today against the enemies arrows sent against me. Fit me with Your holiness and purity - Lord, defend me from assaults that are directed at my heart.
Lord, I put on the belt of truth. I choose a lifestyle of honesty and integrity. Show me those truths I so desperately need today. Expose those lies that I am not even aware that I believe. I do so choose to live for the Gospel at any moment. Pray, please show me where You are working and lead me to it. Do not let me become slack in my walk.
Jesus, I lift the confidence that You are good against every lie and every assault of the enemy. You have only good in store for me. Nothing is coming today that can overcome me because You are with me. Holy Spirit, show me specifically today those truths of the Word of God that I will need to counter the snares of the enemy. Bring them to mind throughout the day. Finally, Holy Spirit, I agree to walk in step with You in everything - in all prayer, as my spirit communes with You throughout this day.
I claim the blood of my Savior Jesus Christ as the only true source of my cleansing. I claim the precious blood of the Lamb of God which was shed in Love for me as the one, the only true source of my life. I claim the power of Christ's resurrection which keeps me facing forward in the face of mine enemies. True love for His much Truer Love. Amen
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