What is Spiritual Warfare? – Part 3

Hear ye! Hear ye! Part 2 of John: Volume 27 of our Heavenly Citizens series is available.

Light for the blind, Shepherd for the sheep, Life for the dead, King and Servant and Sin Offering for the people. His name is Jesus.

Enter through the Door of the sheepfold and meet your Shepherd. He is one and the same, Door and Shepherd. John Chapters 8-14 will take you where no man has gone before, and it’s not on the Starship Enterprise. It is into the heavenlies, and all while your feet are still on terra firma. Everyone is welcome.

If you hear his voice calling you, then sign up for class and get your copy of John: Volume 27 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. Click here! Download your copy instantly! Oh, yes, one last detail. Don’t be late for class.

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf [Ephesians 6:18-19].

So how can Christians with regularity don “the full armor of God” and then go home, thinking themselves to have won the spiritual war before they even took to the battlefield? The idea is preposterous, granted, but its origin makes it understandable…though still just as wrong.

The wrong behavior stems from a wrong understanding of what spiritual warfare consists. Christians today, like people in general, are not much given to reading, including reading the Bible. This is a shame, nay, it is a sin. We are neglecting the Word of our Lord. We are ignoring His orders. We are indifferent to His love letters. We are unfaithful as His Bride, the Church.

Instead of serving our purpose as new creations in Christ Jesus, instead of being salt and light in the acrid darkness which is the world, instead of transforming the world, we are conformed to the world. We fit right in with the devil’s kids!

But the Lord has this strange notion known as the “doctrine of separation”. He has nothing to do with sin, so He doesn’t get personal with sinners…and He expects His kids to behave the same way. We are not to conform to the world and its way of thinking. We are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind to think like our Lord does.

This can only come via the Bible, but we aren’t reading it! Small wonder that we don’t transform the world, when we ourselves are not transformed first. We cannot give anyone what we don’t first have for ourselves. We cannot lead anyone where we don’t go.

Church make-believe may be comfortable, but it isn’t new life. So long as we are busy enjoying the things of the world like we do, we will never have time to read the Bible either…or the desire to read it. In which case we will remain conformed to the world and be the same old sinners living the same old life of sin. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Consequently Christians have a penchant when reading the Bible—or reading verses and chapters in the Bible—to read only on an intellectual level. No person can feed on the Bible as real spiritual food, unless he truly wants to lose his life for the sake of attaining new life. If we’re content with the things of the world and our share in them, we aren’t ready to listen to the voice of Jesus and surrender to His leading.

Ergo, Christians read Ephesians 6 and observe the six pieces in “the full armor of God”. They are pleased with themselves that they know the facts of spiritual warfare because they can rattle off all six pieces without taking a breath. They know spiritual warfare, you see.

We will continue this topic in our next study. For now sit at the feet of Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to impress these truths on your mind and heart.

To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B00507WC86

What is Spiritual Warfare? – Part 2

Hear ye! Hear ye! Part 2 of John: Volume 27 of our Heavenly Citizens series is available.

Light for the blind, Shepherd for the sheep, Life for the dead, King and Servant and Sin Offering for the people. His name is Jesus.

Enter through the Door of the sheepfold and meet your Shepherd. He is one and the same, Door and Shepherd. John Chapters 8-14 will take you where no man has gone before, and it’s not on the Starship Enterprise. It is into the heavenlies, and all while your feet are still on terra firma. Everyone is welcome.

If you hear his voice calling you, then sign up for class and get your copy of John: Volume 27 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. Click here! Download your copy instantly! Oh, yes, one last detail. Don’t be late for class.

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf [Ephesians 6:18-19].

As Maxwell Smart would say, “The old fly on the wall trick, eh?” As a fly on the wall you witnessed the football team get dressed and geared up for the big game. And then they congratulated themselves for winning the game, changed into their civvies, and took their wives to supper!

You think to yourself,

You gotta be kiddin’ me! Why didn’t they actually play the game? How could they think they won the game already, when they didn’t even leave the locker room? What a bunch of yokels!

And right you would be too. Yokels beyond a doubt. It is so preposterous, it could never happen. Right? Uh, that would be a no, my friends. Let me tell you about the San Sippio team of the 1930s.

Gotcha! There was no San Sippio team, not in the 1930s or any other time. I just made it up. But the funny thing is—no, scratch that—the sad thing is the exact same scenario occurs every day on the part of many teams and players. No, they aren’t football players and teams, but they are players and teams in the Lord’s army.

We’ve just concluded our disquisition of “the full armor of God”. We vetted each of the six pieces of armor afforded the Christian by His Lord, for conducting spiritual warfare on behalf of the Great King. I trust you now have a handle on this material.

Many a serious-minded saint has studied the six pieces of armor with all diligence. He understands the intricacies of each and every piece. He has every good intention of serving His Lord fully. So he dons all six pieces one at a time, giving due consideration to the significance of each piece.

He becomes enthralled by the intellectual implications, as he mulls over the subject in deep meditation. The good Lord Jesus is so kind and thoughtful to provide such splendid resources for conducting the spiritual warfare He assigns His soldiers. He knows no other commander-in-chief who can match the care and concern which his commander-in-chief has for His own.

His heart goes out to Jesus and he is determined to serve his King to his full potential. Jesus will be proud of him when he is done! He will hear His Master say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master.” He will settle for nothing less, and he will commit himself wholeheartedly in love to accomplish that goal on behalf of His King.

Wow! He’s had a good go of it, hasn’t he? So he pats himself on the back, removes the armor, disrobes and dresses in his civvies, and goes home. The war is over. He won!

No doubt you are reasoning about now, “Huh? That doesn’t make any sense!”

And you would be right. Let’s try to comprehend how such a scene can occur with frequency. We will do so in our next study. See you then. Enjoy time with Christ Jesus now.

To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B00507WC86

What is Spiritual Warfare? – Part 1

Hear ye! Hear ye! Part 2 of John: Volume 27 of our Heavenly Citizens series is available.

Light for the blind, Shepherd for the sheep, Life for the dead, King and Servant and Sin Offering for the people. His name is Jesus.

Enter through the Door of the sheepfold and meet your Shepherd. He is one and the same, Door and Shepherd. John Chapters 8-14 will take you where no man has gone before, and it’s not on the Starship Enterprise. It is into the heavenlies, and all while your feet are still on terra firma. Everyone is welcome.

If you hear his voice calling you, then sign up for class and get your copy of John: Volume 27 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. Click here! Download your copy instantly! Oh, yes, one last detail. Don’t be late for class.

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf [Ephesians 6:18-19].

Imagine being a fly on the wall in the locker room of your favorite football team. It is game day. The atmosphere is electric. All of your favorite players are there, and some not so favorites too. The head coach and all his assistants are present as well.

There is the quarterback, fitting himself with his various pieces of football paraphernalia. You see him pulling the shoulder pads over his head, and then the drawstrings are tightened to fix it securely in place. The wide receivers are in the same proximity, donning their pieces of equipment too…and the running backs and tight ends.

Oh, let us not leave out of the equation those big uglies of the offensive line. On the field those five starters and their backups function as a single entity, so  it is  not surprising to see them hanging together off the field and doing the same.

The center chats with his quarterback, and then turns to his mates who make up the line to relay the quarterback’s thoughts to them. The two tackles and two guards nod their heads in agreement and go back to fraternizing about what they’re going to have for supper after the game.

The left guard and left tackle assist each other in getting their pieces of equipment adjusted and fastened securely. The right guard and tackle do likewise. The center aids the quarterback as he gets his equipment on, and the quarterback reciprocates with the center.

The defense is assembled on the other end of the locker room doing the same ritual. And the special teams aces mirror the same scenario. Finally everyone is dressed and properly equipped in their football paraphernalia.

Now it is time for the head coach to take over and do his thing. He congratulates the team for their fine performance on that game day. He considers them to have won the game hands down, no competition. They are the man! To them go the spoils of war. He instructs the team, “Go home and take the wives out to celebrate. You guys earned it.” And then he dismisses them with his blessings.

Remember, you are a fly on the wall…and about that time you fall off the wall! You are beside yourself with befuddlement.

What is wrong with the head coach? And why don’t his assistants take his spiked coffee away from him? He’s had enough! For that matter, why don’t the players laugh at his antics? Go home? You guys won the game hands down? Whatever is the problem with the coach’s brain today?

Then you get trampled on by all the players and coaches, as they make their way out the locker room door to go home. Serves you right for being a fly on the wall! Nobody likes flies.

Think this scenario is a bit wacky? Well, we’ll see even wackier things in our next study. Don’t miss it! And don’t miss time with Jesus now either.

To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B00507WC86

The Sword of Damocles – Part 4

Hear ye! Hear ye! Part 2 of John: Volume 27 of our Heavenly Citizens series is available.

Light for the blind, Shepherd for the sheep, Life for the dead, King and Servant and Sin Offering for the people. His name is Jesus.

Enter through the Door of the sheepfold and meet your Shepherd. He is one and the same, Door and Shepherd. John Chapters 8-14 will take you where no man has gone before, and it’s not on the Starship Enterprise. It is into the heavenlies, and all while your feet are still on terra firma. Everyone is welcome.

If you hear his voice calling you, then sign up for class and get your copy of John: Volume 27 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. Click here! Download your copy instantly! Oh, yes, one last detail. Don’t be late for class.

And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God [Ephesians 6:17].

“The sword of the Spirit” is defined as “the Word of God”. When the Christian engages in spiritual warfare, the Holy Spirit brings to mind the Word of God. We refute Satan’s vicious accusations by standing on the Word of God. We attack Satan’s strongholds by standing on the Word of God. Our sword in the battle is “the Word of God”.

The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you [John 14:25].

As we’ve assayed each of the six pieces in “the full armor of God”, we learned that each one is related in some way to “the Word of God”. In the case of the sixth piece of armor, namely “the sword of the Spirit”, it is stated to be “the Word of God” itself.

Let’s employ a numbered list to itemize the six pieces of armor:

1. the belt of truth
2. the breastplate of righteousness
3. the shoes of peace
4. the shield of faith
5. the helmet of salvation
6. the sword of the Spirit

The Lord Jesus is the living Word of God, and He identified Himself as the truth (cf., John 14:6). The Bible is the written Word of God, and Jesus identified it as the truth (cf., John 17:17).

We learn the truth about “righteousness” and “peace”, “faith” and “salvation”, from the Bible, as the Holy Spirit guides us into all the truth (cf., John 16:13).

We overcome the devil’s accusations about our righteousness by recalling from Scripture that we are “the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus”, not our own righteousness.

We don’t succumb to doubt and despair because we recall from Scripture that we have “peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”. Consequently we enjoy “the peace of God which passes all understanding”.

We ward off all the vicious attacks of those demon hoards by remembering how we are “saved by grace through faith”. Ergo, we stand by faith in the Word of God to us.

We know that Satan is a liar and that our salvation is real and complete, by recalling the teaching to that effect in the Scriptures. Consequently, Satan’s lies peter out and the flames die down, when the fire extinguisher of faith sprays it and the truth of our salvation stands up under his attacks.

Our foundation is the Rock, you see, not the shifting sand of man’s words and opinions and doctrinal assertions. We are founded on the living Word of God, Jesus Christ, and we come to know Him and understand His achievements on our behalf by means of the Word of God as the Holy Spirit teaches it to us. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Lord, we give you thanks for “the full of armor of God”. Help us to put it on and wear it at all times, for our adversary, the devil, is on the prowl at all times.

As for the builders, each wore his sword girded at his side as he built, while the trumpeter stood near me…neither I, my brothers, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us removed our clothes, each took his weapon even to the water [Nehemiah 4:18, 23].

To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B00507WC86

The Sword of Damocles – Part 3

Hear ye! Hear ye! Part 2 of John: Volume 27 of our Heavenly Citizens series is available.

Light for the blind, Shepherd for the sheep, Life for the dead, King and Servant and Sin Offering for the people. His name is Jesus.

Enter through the Door of the sheepfold and meet your Shepherd. He is one and the same, Door and Shepherd. John Chapters 8-14 will take you where no man has gone before, and it’s not on the Starship Enterprise. It is into the heavenlies, and all while your feet are still on terra firma. Everyone is welcome.

If you hear his voice calling you, then sign up for class and get your copy of John: Volume 27 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. Click here! Download your copy instantly! Oh, yes, one last detail. Don’t be late for class.

And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God [Ephesians 6:17].

Some preachers emphasize the Bible at the expense of the Holy Spirit. Others emphasize the Holy Spirit to the detriment of the Bible. On the one hand some leave off with the Holy Spirit, while asserting doctrines under the guise of being the Bible. On the other hand some leave off with the Bible, while asserting that the Holy Spirit teaches them new revelations apart from the Bible. One side belittles the Holy Spirit, the other side belittles the Bible.

Egads, man! What is your problem?! It isn’t an either/or. It is a both/and. It is both the Bible and the Holy Spirit. As Paul under inspiration of the Holy Spirit teaches, the Holy Spirit employs the Bible on both offense and defense during spiritual warfare. The Holy Spirit’s sword is the Word of God.

If a well-meaning brother claims that a viewpoint is the Word of God, I want to know from him where it is located in the Bible. If he cannot find it, he needs to sit down and be quiet and learn, until he can show such a viewpoint from the Bible. He first needs to adequately know his Bible before he attempts to teach it.

In the same vein should a brother claim his viewpoint is the Word of God, and when I ask him to show me where it is in the Bible, he counters by asserting how the Holy Spirit told it to him—well, he too needs to sit down and be quiet and learn, until he can show his viewpoint from the Bible.

The Apostle Paul distinctly tells us as much, when he defines “the sword of the Spirit” as being “the Word of God”. The Holy Spirit brings to our mind the teaching of Scripture. We stand on the Word of God, understanding that the Holy Spirit teaches it to us rather than we understand it by our natural abilities alone.

But the Holy Spirit doesn’t shout new revelations from heaven. He gave us the written Word of God to serve that purpose. We defend against Satan’s attacks by quoting the Word of God, as Jesus did when He was tempted. We go on the offensive and attack the gates of hell in the same way. “The sword of the Spirit” is “the Word of God”, not new revelations revealed out of the clear blue or from the supercilious flesh inside the Christian.

We must betake ourselves to the prayer closet at this time. We will pick up in our next study where we are leaving off in this one. Praise the Lord Jesus!

To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please click on the “Shop” tab at the top of this page, where you will find a complete list of my books. Each book is available in both paperback (Createspace) and eBook (Kindle).

#ephesians6 #armor #spiritualwarfare #devil #demons #military #war #sword #holyspirit #wordofgod #evilone

The Sword of Damocles – Part 2

Hear ye! Hear ye! Part 2 of John: Volume 27 of our Heavenly Citizens series is available.

Light for the blind, Shepherd for the sheep, Life for the dead, King and Servant and Sin Offering for the people. His name is Jesus.

Enter through the Door of the sheepfold and meet your Shepherd. He is one and the same, Door and Shepherd. John Chapters 8-14 will take you where no man has gone before, and it’s not on the Starship Enterprise. It is into the heavenlies, and all while your feet are still on terra firma. Everyone is welcome.

If you hear his voice calling you, then sign up for class and get your copy of John: Volume 27 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. Click here! Download your copy instantly! Oh, yes, one last detail. Don’t be late for class.

And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God [Ephesians 6:17].

Damocles wanted to live like King Dionysius, so Dionysius obliged. He had Damocles outfitted in kingly garb and bedecked with jewelry. He sat him at the table and served him a gourmet meal. Damocles ate until it came out of his ears, before he even noticed the catch, this oddity in the room. There above his head, right where he was seated at the banqueting table, was a sword suspended by a single horse hair, dangling over the crown of his head.

Damocles nearly toppled over in his chair, frightened out of his wits. “What is that doing there?” he blurted out to King Dionysius.

Dionysius stared him straight in the eye and soberly explained, “You wanted to know what the life of a king is like, didn’t you? Well, now you know not only its pleasures but also its precariousness. And I see by your reaction that you don’t much relish the life.”

All of this was too much for Damocles. He fled the life of the court fawner and returned to real life as he once knew it, nevermore to be seen or heard anywhere near the throne room.

From this tale of ancient mythology has come the adage, “the sword of Damocles”. It refers to a situation which potentially brings with it harm or catastrophe, an imminent peril which looms on the horizon.

In our Bible verse today we have the sixth and final piece in “the full armor of God”. Paul phrases this piece of armor as “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God”. There is a gourmet’s meal in those words, dear friends. We shan’t miss out on any of it either.

I am seized by the import of “the sword of the Spirit”. It is defined as “the Word of God”. Hmm. What implications accrue from such a definition? Much in every way!

Our Pentecostal and Charismatic brethren make a big to-do about the Holy Spirit. In many ways they are absolutely right on target. I mean, if we look at a good many of Christian preachers, they pound the pulpit and assert unabashedly, “Around here we follow the Bible!” Then in the next breath they commence to preaching denominational soap box issues and doctrinal statements. Well, so much for following the Bible! One can only conclude that they equate their doctrines with the Bible itself!

Such Bible believers are no closer to the truth than some of those who emphasize the Holy Spirit in contrast to the Bible. When we insist on knowing where their beliefs are located in Scripture, they shuffle the feet and stutter a bit, and end up asserting how the Holy Spirit told them what they claim.

We will see where this leads in our next study. Let’s commit our ways to the Lord Jesus now and enjoy His fellowship a while.

To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please click on the “Shop” tab at the top of this page, where you will find a complete list of my books. Each book is available in both paperback (Createspace) and eBook (Kindle).

#ephesians6 #armor #spiritualwarfare #devil #demons #military #war #sword #holyspirit #wordofgod #evilone

The Sword of Damocles – Part 1

Hear ye! Hear ye! Part 2 of John: Volume 27 of our Heavenly Citizens series is available.

Light for the blind, Shepherd for the sheep, Life for the dead, King and Servant and Sin Offering for the people. His name is Jesus.

Enter through the Door of the sheepfold and meet your Shepherd. He is one and the same, Door and Shepherd. John Chapters 8-14 will take you where no man has gone before, and it’s not on the Starship Enterprise. It is into the heavenlies, and all while your feet are still on terra firma. Everyone is welcome.

If you hear his voice calling you, then sign up for class and get your copy of John: Volume 27 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. Click here! Download your copy instantly! Oh, yes, one last detail. Don’t be late for class.

And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God [Ephesians 6:17].

Back in the day… No, even further back than that. You still don’t have it right. Back still further, say circa 350 B.C. Back then there was this tyrant named Dionysius. He ruled over the city of Syracuse in southern Italy.

Dionysius was famed for his inordinate wealth. It would seem that he enjoyed opulence like none other in that day. The tastiest dainties he feasted upon. The most sumptuous wardrobe he bedecked himself in. Pretentiousness with the flashiest jewelry was a trademark of his. Why, he even kept many a court flatterer on the payroll, so he could daily feast on their audio servings of how fantastic he was.

Yes, Dionysius was the envy of the Mediterranean world back in the day. During Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls heyday, the prevailing shibboleth to make the rounds of the airwaves stated, “I want to be like Mike.” Well, back then it was said, “I want to be Dionysius.”

This one particular courtier actually drank the Kool-Aid. He swallowed the hype, making him the best toady Dionysius had on staff. Day in and day out without letup, Damocles practically stalked Dionysius, inundating him with envious praise and adulation.

As we might have expected, Dionysius soon tired of the charade. That is what it was to him, it was so over the top. He didn’t know Damocles was for real, that his flattery wasn’t meant to be disingenuous. Damocles, it would appear, was the original rock-‘n’-roll groupie!

Finally Dionysius took Damocles aside. Allow me to fabricate for your consumption a likely scenario in this conversation. He asked Damocles, “So you think my life is glamorous, do you?”

Damocles responded without hesitation, “Oh, yes indeed, good King Dionysius. Would that I could be a tenth of the man you are!”

“Oh, so you would like to be me, would you?” shot back Dionysius’ retort.

“Yes, good king,” rejoined this simpleton courtier. “Without reservation I affirm your question. ‘Twould be a dream come true!”

To which Dionysius replied, “Okay, then. So be it. You will live my life for a while.”

Then the king gave the order to prepare things for Damocles, so that he could enjoy the life of Dionysius. Straightway Damocles was bedecked in luxurious garments and the jewelry of his choice. He was seated at the banqueting table, which was filled with scrumptious dishes like Damocles had never imagined he would enjoy. So Damocles dived in mouth first, not bothering to come up for air until his tummy was sated.

Let us take our leave of this study at this time. We will return to it on the morrow. Enjoy your quiet time with Jesus now.

To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B00507WC86