SPIRITUAL WARFARE AND THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT

SPIRITUAL WARFARE - THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD AND THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT                                   
                                                       PART ONE
                                                                    

SERIOUSLY CONSIDER THIS, DEAR READER....ARE YOU PREPARED AND EQUIPPED TO ENTER INTO SPIRITUAL WARFARE BY BRANDISHING THE "SWORD OF THE SPIRIT" WHICH IS THE SPOKEN "RHEMA" WORD OF GOD FROM THE "LOGOS" WHICH IS THE WRITTEN WORD OF GOD?  "WHY SHOULD I BE?" YOU RIGHTLY ASK... SO AS TO ENTER INTO SPIRITUAL WARFARE AGAINST "THE THIEF (WHO) DOES NOT COME EXCEPT TO STEAL, AND TO KILL, AND TO DESTROY..." (JOHN 10:10)

WE ARE COMMANDED IN EPHESIANS 6:10, 11, "FINALLY, MY BRETHREN, BE STRONG IN THE LORD AND IN THE POWER OF HIS MIGHT." AND "PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD THAT YOU MAY BE ABLE TO STAND AGAINST THE WILES OF THE DEVIL." MOST IMPORTANTLY, KEEP IT ON, FOR WHAT SAINT WOULD NOT WANT TO BE PROTECTED BY THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD 24/7?  I CALL YOUR ATTENTION TO THE EVER SO CRUCIAL VERSE 12: "FOR WE DO NOT WRESTLE AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD, BUT AGAINST PRINCIPALITIES, AGAINST POWERS, AGAINST THE RULERS OF DARKNESS OF THIS AGE, AGAINST SPIRITUAL HOSTS OF WICKEDNESS IN HEAVENLY PLACES."

ALSO, IT IS MOST IMPORTANT THAT WE KEEP BEFORE US WHAT IS DECLARED IN MATTHEW 11:12, "AND FROM THE DAYS OF JOHN THE BAPTIST UNTIL NOW THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN SUFFERS VIOLENCE, AND THE VIOLENT TAKE IT BY FORCE."

NO LONGER ARE WE TO BE PASSIVE IN OUR DAILY WALK WITH THE LORD, BUT ACTIVE...FOR JESUS TOLD US TO "GO DO" THE WORKS THAT HE DID WHILE ON EARTH, BUT EVEN FAR GREATER THINGS". (JOHN 14:12) AND IN ADDITION, WE ARE ADMONISHED IN JAMES 1:22-25..."BUT BE DOERS OF THE WORD, NOT HEARERS ONLY, DECEIVING YOURSELVES.....".

THE EMPHASIS OF THIS BLOG WILL FOCUS ON A MOST CRUCIAL TOPIC IN THE ARENA OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE WHICH TRAGICALLY IS GIVEN SO VERY LITTLE ATTENTION IN THE BODY OF CHRIST! AND WHY IS THIS? MUCH CONSIDERATION CONCERNING ONE OF THE LORD’S ADMONITIONS IS SO APPROPRIATE HERE: “MY PEOPLE ARE DESTROYED FOR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE" (HOSEA 4:6).

THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD AND SPECIFICALLY TO REITERATE BECAUSE OF ITS IMPORTANCE, THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT ( THE RHEMA WORD WHICH IS THE SPOKEN WORD OF GOD RATHER THAN THE LOGO WHICH IS THE WRITTEN WORD OF GOD) ARE FOUND IN EPHESIANS 6:10-18. IT IS CRITICAL TO POINT OUT HERE, THAT WITHOUT THE LOGO (THE BIBLE WHICH IS THE WRITTEN WORD), THERE WOULD BE NO RHEMA (SPOKEN) WORD.  I CAN HEAR SOME OF YOU ASKING..."WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?"  STAY WITH ME!
 

THUS, WE MUST FOCUS ON THE SWORD OF THE (HOLY) SPIRIT WHICH IS A MOST SIGNIFICANT, NECESSARY, AND POWERFUL WEAPON FOR CHRISTIANS IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE! OBVIOUSLY, WITHOUT THE EXPLICIT KNOWLEDGE AS TO THE SIGNICANCE IN THE LIFE OF THE BELIEVER CONCERNING THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT IS AKIN TO GOING INTO BATTLE WITHOUT A WEAPON!  IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT BEING BORN AGAIN "LIKE BEING GIVEN A RIFLE, WHILE BEING BAPTIZED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT IS ITS AMMUNITION!" THUS HAVING A RIFLE IS THE BEGINNING  IMPERATIVE PREPARATION FOR WARFARE, FOR WITHOUT THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, ONE IS POWERLESS IN WARFARE, AND THUS DEFEATED, TRAGICALLY! 

KEEP IN MIND, EVEN OUR LORD JESUS HAD TO BE BAPTIZED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT IN ORDER TO BE EMPOWERED FOR ACCOMPLISHING ALL THE FATHER HAD FOR HIM TO ACCOMPLISH WHILE ON EARTH AS HE BEGAN HIS MINISTRY. SO MUST WE BE BAPTIZED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT- IT IS IMPERATIVE, AS YOU WILL LEARN AS WE CONTINUE.  I GUARANTEE, IT WILL BE A POSITIVE LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE FOR YOU, TRULY!

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE BORN AGAIN, BUT UNFAMILIAR WITH THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHICH IS DISCUSSED MAINLY IN THE BOOK OF ACTS, BUT ALSO IN MATTHEW, MARK, AND LUKE.  IT WOULD BE SO VERY NEGLECTFUL OF ME TO NOT REVEAL WHAT THIS GODLY EXPERIENCE IS ALL ABOUT AND ITS NECESSITY IN ONE’S CHRISTIAN WALK AT THIS POINT IN THE DISCUSSION.  CONSIDER THIS…IF OUR SAVOR AND LORD JESUS WAS SO AWARE OF THE NECESSITY OF THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHAT DOES THAT SAY TO US CHRISTIANS?  AGAIN, WE MUST BE AS WELL!

TO REITERATE, PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT ONE WHO IS BORN AGAIN, BUT HAS NOT EXPERIENCED THE “BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT”, IS TRULY DEVOID OF THE EMPOWERMENT/AUTHORITY/GIFTS/FRUIT FOR ENTERING INTO SPIRITUAL WARFARE!  AGAIN, AN INCREDIBLE DECEPTION (SATAN’S WEAPON, IF YOU WILL) BY THE DECEIVER…WHAT BETTER WAY TO KEEP THE BODY OF CHRIST IMPOTENT SPIRITUALLY AND AS WELL, WEAPON-LESS!  AS WE KNOW, TRAGICALLY, THE LACK OF KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING WHO THE HOLY SPIRIT IS AND THE WORKS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT HAVE PLAGUED AND DIVIDED THE BODY OF CHRIST FOR CENTURIES!

PERHAPS THERE ARE SOME READERS PRESENTLY READING THIS WHO HAVE BEEN VICTIMS OF SUCH DECEPTION! ALSO, THERE ARE THE “CESSATIONISTS” WHO DECLARE THAT ALL THIS WAS NECESSARY SO AS TO “JUMP START” THE EARLY CHURCH, BUT NOT APPROPRIATE FOR THE CHURCH TODAY!  OBVIOUSLY, THEY HAVE BOUGHT THE “LIE”!  WHERE IS SCRIPTURAL SUPPORT FOUND IN THE BIBLE...YOU WILL FIND NONE! AGAIN, THANKS TO SATAN AND HIS LIES, AND THE LACK OF SCRIPTUAL KNOWLEDGE ON THE BELIEVER’S PART, THE CHURCH TRAGICALLY HAS AS BEEN EXTREMELY FRACTURED!

 EARLY ON IN HISTORY BECAUSE OF MAN'S DISOBEDIENCE, ALMIGHTY GOD COULD WELL HAVE DECLARED “ENOUGH, I AM DONE WITH THE MAN I CREATED!" THANKFULLY, IN HIS MERCY AND GRACE, HE SENT JESUS TO BE BORN ON EARTH AS THE SACRIFICIAL LAMB IN ORDER TO RESCUE, EMPOWER AND REVITALIZE HIS CHURCH WITH THE REVELATION OF GOD’S TRUTHS WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT...TO "RESTORE WHAT THE CANKER WORM HAS EATEN". (JOEL 2:25) FOR AS JESUS DECLARED, AS HE WAS ABOUT TO ASCEND INTO HEAVEN AND SIT AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER: “AND I WILL PRAY THE FATHER, AND HE WILL GIVE YOU ANOTHER HELPER, (ALL INCLUSIVE) THAT HE MAY ABIDE WITH YOU FOREVER”. (JOHN 14:15) SUCH GREAT EVIDENCE OF THE LOVE ALMIGHTY GOD HAS FOR HIS PEOPLE! PRAISE BE TO THE ONLY ONE TRUE GOD, “THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB.”

PART TWO OF THIS BLOG WILL CONTINUE TO REVEAL SUPPORTIVE SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCES FOR ASSISTING US IN WALKING VICTORIOUSLY AS GOD'S WARRIORS....AS THE FAMOUS CHRISTIAN HYMN DECLARES.."ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS, MARCHING AS TO WAR, WITH THE CROSS OF JESUS GOING ON BEFORE...!"

AGAIN, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO BE LIKE THE BEREANS IN DETERMINING "TO FIND OUT WHETHER THESE THINGS WERE SO" (ACTS 17:11)

AND "THAT THE GOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, THE FATHER OF GLORY, MAY GIVE TO YOU THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM AND REVELATION IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIM." (EPHESIANS 1:17)