WE ARE AT WAR THANKFULLY
HOWEVER....WE MUST DO OUR PART
AS THE HOLY SPIRIT LEADS US
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT WHICH HAS BEEN SHARED IN BLOG 4, AND EPHESIANS 6:12 "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." IN SO DOING, IT WILL CHANGE OUR VERY WAY OF THINKING/ACTING CONCERNING THE BATTLES WE FACE EACH DAY..."WRESTLING IN THE FLESH RESULTS IN DEFEAT WHERE AS WIELDING THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT RESULTS IN VICTORY!" THE LORD LEAVES THE CHOICE UP TO US....WE ARE TOLD IN JOSHUA 24:15 "CHOOSE YOU THIS DAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE.....BUT AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD."
A VERY CRITICAL POINT MUST BE REITERATED HERE BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER, AND IT IS THIS...FOR BELIEVERS TO BE VICTORIOUS IN WIELDING THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT REGARDING SPIRITUAL WARFARE, ONE MUST BE BAPTIZED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT AND IN ADDITION, ALLOWS THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT AND GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT TO FLOW! I REFER YOU TO GALATIANS 5:18 AND I CORINTHIANS 12-14
WE READ IN MATTHEW 3:16 AND 4:1-11 THAT JESUS AS MAN, HAD TO BE BAPTIZED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT IN ORDER TO BE EMPOWERED IN DEFEATING SATAN INITIALLY ON EARTH WHILE IN THE WILDERNESS ! IF IT WAS MANDATORY FOR JESUS, THEN WHY IS IT NOT MANDATORY FOR THE BODY OF CHRIST TO FOLLOW SUIT? THE ESSENTIAL QUESTION BECOMES "HAVE YOU BEEN FILLED/BAPTIZED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT? IF NOT, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS ASK THE HOLY SPIRIT TO COME UPON YOU, AS YOU HAD TO ASK TO BE BORN AGAIN! THE SCRIPTURE DECLARES "YOU HAVE NOT BECAUSE YOU ASK NOT..."! I WOULD REFER YOU TO ACTS 1:8 "BUT YOU WILL RECEIVE POWER WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS COME UPON YOU....", AND ACTS 2 WHERE THE EMPOWERMENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT CONCERNING THE DISCIPLES AND RESULTING IN THE BIRTH OF THE NEW COVENANT (COVENANT OF GRACE) CHURCH IS SO EVIDENT! ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA!
TRAGICALLY, ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS THE BODY OF CHRIST IS BASICALLY IMPOTENT, IS BECAUSE CHRISTIANS TRY TO WALK OUT THEIR CHRISTIAN WALK IN THE FLESH! WHAT BETTER WAY FOR SATAN TO DEFEAT CHRISTIANDOM THAN TO CONVINCE CHRISTIANS THAT THE NEED FOR THE EMPOWERMENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NOT NECESSARY! CONSIDER JUST HOW MANY CHURCHES HAVE SPLIT BECAUSE OF SATAN'S LIES?
AS STATED IN 1 SAMUAL 17:47 "...THE LORD DOES NOT SAVE WITH THE SWORD
AND SPEAR (BY CARNAL MEANS); FOR THE BATTLE IS THE LORD'S, AND HE WILL GIVE YOU (GOLIATH) INTO OUR HANDS." THIS RELATES TO THE BATTLE UNDERTAKEN BY DAVID, AS YOU REMEMBER, WHO USED JUST ONE STONE TO KILL GOLIATH, WHO BY THE WAY STOOD 9'9" TALL. SURELY THIS SHOULD COMFORT US WHEN WE FACE OUR "GOLIATHS" THAT GOD IS THE GOD OF THE "IMPOSSIBLE", WITH "NOTHING BEING TOO DIFFICULT FOR HIM"? AMEN?
YOU MIGHT WELL ASK, IF THE "BATTLE BELONGS TO THE LORD", WHY THEN MUST I ENTER IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE? WHY CAN'T I JUST SIT BACK AND LET THE LORD FIGHT THE BATTLE? ALSO, YOU COULD DECLARE: "WELL, DAVID FOUGHT 'AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD' WITH THE STONE AND THE SWORD (CUT OFF HIS HEAD)!" HOW DOES ALL THIS FIT TOGETHER? OBVIOUSLY, THIS ENTIRE EPISODE WAS ORCHESTRATED BY GOD ALMIGHTY FOR HIS GLORY THUS USING DAVID AS HIS 'BRANCH' (INSTRUMENT) TO DESTROY GOLIATH. GOD COULD HAVE DESTROYED GOLIATH ON THE SPOT WITHOUT DAVID...BUT HE CHOSE TO USE THE "HOLY SPIRIT EMPOWERED" DAVID, AS HE CHOOSES TO USE THOSE OF US WHO ARE EMPOWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, THANKFULLY...CONSIDER THIS AS WRITTEN IN JOHN 15:5 ....
"I AM THE VINE, AND YOU ARE THE BRANCHES. HE WHO ABIDES IN ME, AND
I IN HIM, BEARS MUCH FRUIT; FOR WITHOUT ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING."
HOWEVER, IT MUST ALSO BE STRESSED..."WITHOUT US BELIEVERS, HE WILL DO NOTHING." IN OTHER WORDS, WE ARE HIS "BRANCHES" (INSTRUMENTS) AND WITH HIS HELP, WE ARE TO DO OUR PART AS DID DAVID AND COUNTLESS OTHERS (INCLUDING US) THROUGHOUT HISTORY! PLEASE KEEP IN MIND, THAT JESUS AS MAN WAS HIS "BRANCH", FOR WITHOUT JESUS DOING HIS PART, WHERE WOULD MAN BE?
IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT "COOPERATION WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT IS ESSENTIAL TO VICTORY" (NEW SPIRIT-FILLED LIFE BIBLE NKJV INTRODUCTION TO JOSHUA-PAGE 278) THAT IS ONE DECLARATION THAT ONE CAN "TAKE TO THE BANK FOR DEPOSIT"!
BE ENCOURAGED, SAINTS AND BE LIKE THE BEREANS "TO FIND OUT WHETHER THESE WERE SO" (ACTS 17:11)
(I APOLOGIZE FOR THE IRREGULAR LINE UP ON THE JOHN 15:5 QUOTES)
*TO GOD BE THE HONOR AND GLORY*
TO BE CONTINUED IN THE "SPIRITUAL WARFARE BLOG 6"
