Full Armor of God
February 18, 2024
The Full Armor of God: Sword of the Spirit. Immortal Combat
Our 9:00 am Traditional Service: https://www.facebook.com/BRBUMC/videos/309009472171827
Our 10:30 am Contemporary Service: https://www.facebook.com/BRBUMC/videos/354467780828243
In 2009 Barna Research reported that 59 percent of professing Christians rejected the existence of Satan. Only 26 percent strongly agreed that they believe Satan is real. This mindset regarding Satan, puts the Christian at a severe disadvantage. Someone once said, “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he doesn’t exist.”. I would say that that one was one of the most genius ploys of our enemy, to characterize “the devil” as the thing of “old wives’ tales”, or the substance of medieval superstition. It’s brilliant really, when you think about it, to lead a whole generation in the denial of your existence, sort of gives you the power of invisibility, and think how dangerous an invisible enemy can be. Today we take a peek under that cloak of invisibility, and even out the battlefield, because as J.I. Packer said, “The Christian’s life is not a bed of roses; it is a battlefield on which he has constantly to fight for his life. The first rule of success in war is know your enemy”.
Now we certainly don’t want to become obsessed with the Devil and his army, as C.S. Lewis so aptly put it, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.”, either extreme can cause damage to the church, but it seems to me that the church in America has strongly swung to the first error, and this leaves us ignorant, and vulnerable, regarding the enemies plans. We need a healthy balance.
The word Satan in Hebrew means “adversary”, and devil, in Greek, means “slanderer”, and in scripture he is called by names like adversary, slanderer, tempter, deceiver, liar, murderer, accuser, and evil one, and these names paint a portrait and give us a sense of his character. He is a being full of anger, rage, and hate, and all of that anger and hate is directed towards God. But God is untouchable by Satan’s rage, so he aims his wrath at God’s beloved, the Church.
Satan views the believer as escaped prisoners, he considers us to be his lawful property, and when Jesus rescued us from that prison, Satan took it very personally….and does his best to ensnare us once again, because Satan knows that the most dangerous thing to his kingdom is the voice of one who has been set free from his bondage.
Jesus spoke of the Devil’s kingdom in Matthew 12:26….Jesus knew the sway that Satan has over the world. Remember the scenario in Luke chapter 4? “The devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” (Luke 4:5–7). Notice that Jesus did not dispute the significant authority that Satan possessed and offered him. Satan could not have offered this authority if it did not belong to him. Jesus also referred to Satan as the “ruler of this world” in John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11. John tells us in 1 John that “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19), and Paul refers to him as “the god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4) and “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2). And although Satan and his army do not have absolute control over this world, he does have world impacting power, and he can cause physical illness and even death (Job 1–2; Luke 13:16; Heb. 2:14). In various accounts in the New Testament, it is clear that demons can take possession of human bodies….and pigs. The devil and his demons also seek to influence world events and governments, there is an awesome illustration of this in Daniel 10:13-14, where we see one of God’s angels battling a spiritual entity called “The Prince of the kingdom of Persia”, and we get a glimpse through this narrative of the unseen battle that is fought in the heavens. We also know that Satan can bring discouragement, a downcast spirit (depression), and just general confusion…”did God really say?”.
So, I’ve just listed some fun facts about Satan…are you freaked out yet? Well dear friend…don’t be! Because now we are gonna look at the good news…that we have not been left defenseless, and as long as we are aware of the traps our enemy has laid to ensnare us, we will be able to avoid them. We learn about them all in the Bible! Satan is obviously intelligent, but he really doesn’t vary his tactics, he just repackages them. He even has the religious version of sin trap so as to appeal to Christians, there are many false religions that claim Jesus, but when you know your Bible, you can quickly discern that the Jesus they worship is really not the Jesus of the Bible. That is why we need to be in the word! So, we won’t be caught unaware.
So, let’s take a look at where Satan stands, and let’s evaluate his power in comparison to God.
Satan is a created being. He was created by God just like you and I. Satan has no more power than God allows him. We see this demonstrated in the book of Job, God had Satan on a leash, and only allowed him to go so far, and don’t forget the story of restoration that occurs…and the lesson of hope that we receive and remember during our times of suffering.
God is sovereign, He is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent, and Satan can claim none of these attributes! God knows everything, even your thoughts, Satan does not. He cannot read your mind, he does not know the future, but he has been around a while, and is smart enough to recognize the patterns of the ages, and he does use that to his advantage…humans haven’t changed much, and tend to fall for the same old tricks.
Satan is not omnipotent; He is not all powerful. God created the universe from nothing, and spoke the world into existence, and created man with own hands out of the dust, Satan does not create anything, he just takes what God has created and twists it into something ugly. God can be everywhere at once! I don’t know how He does it, but he does…consider this one of those things we just can’t grasp; a beautiful mystery, but Satan can only be at one place at a time. He is limited. Just like God, Satan has an army of soldiers (his demons) …and yes, they roam the earth trying to cause chaos, but they are outnumbered by God’s angels! Only one third of the angels followed Lucifer in the rebellion….so that means friend, that the good guys outnumber the bad guys by two thirds, and the good guys do God’s bidding! God listens to the prayers of the saints, and sometimes the answer to a prayer is in the form of angelic assistance! Daniel prayed, and prayed, and prayed. For twenty-one days Daniel interceded, and when no answer came… He kept praying. The whole time there was an angel who had a message for Daniel from God, but the angel had a “run in” with the enemy, and he fought that enemy, the “Prince of the kingdom of Persia”, for 21 days, until reinforcements came….the demon he was fighting was a regional demon “stationed” in Persia, and he did not want the heavenly messenger to deliver the message of hope, and although Daniel could not see it, as he prayed there was a battle being fought on his behalf the whole time he was praying!
I believe what the bible says. I believe that there is a heavenly battle raging on at all times. I believe that there is great evil in this world, and that just as scripture tells us “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one”. There is evidence that Satan exists, just look around. Wherever there is injustice, you will find satanic influence. Wherever you find innocent lives being taken, and yes that includes the innocent lives in the womb, then you will find satanic influence. Where you find women and children sold for profit….yeah you get the idea. The world has plenty of evidence that Satan is real, they just don’t recognize him, because he also disguises himself as angel of light. But God is a God of truth, and He exposes the enemy in His perfect time. He wants His children to be aware of the devils’ plans, and so He gave us His Spirit to lead and to guide us. He also gave us HIs word, which contains everything we need to know about God, our lives, and of course our enemy.
God knew that we would encounter trials and spiritual attacks, but He is a good Father, and has provided protection for us. There is an army of angels waiting for just a word from God, and with that order they are ready to do battle on your behalf. We have been given the gift of worship, which lifts our thoughts to the heavens and encourages our souls. Worship in itself is a weapon of its own class, and bonus… the enemy cannot stand it! And We have been given the full armor of God ….so we can march into battle knowing we are not alone, we may not see the angelic army, but they are there, and we can march with a battle cry of worship, which is pleasing to God, but deadly to the enemy. And being equipped with an intellectual understanding of who our enemy is, and how much our God loves us, we will not be deceived by our enemy, and we will not fall into his trap. Oh, and one more thing, I’ll be there with you, we all will be. You won’t have to fight on your own, we will be praying for your victory, because that is how we fight, on our knees….and then we stand in the truth, trusting in our good Father.
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world” (1 Pet. 5:8–9). – Ginny Axelrod
February 11, 2024
The Full Armor of God: Helmet of Salvation
Our 9:00 am Traditional Service: https://www.facebook.com/BRBUMC/videos/769958351158506
Our 10:30 am Contemporary Service: https://www.facebook.com/BRBUMC/videos/903860751380264
Salvation, it changes everything! I like to compare the salvation, and the sanctification process to purchasing a house. We are the house, and God is the buyer. This house, that we are, is a bit of a fixer-upper, but there are good bones. The buyer purchases this house, and has a great vision, because He is an artist, a visionary. He sees past the peeling paint, and the creaky floors, and the outdated bathrooms, and knows how beautiful it can be with the work of a skilled craftsmen. All it needs is the master’s touch! So, He purchases it, and the renovation begins, and that includes some demolition work. The demolition part of the project can be painful for the house, but those rotten floorboards must be replaced, the leaky pipes and faulty wiring must be up to code, they have to be safe! Maybe some walls need to come down, to open up the space, so that guests can gather, and conversation and ideas are unobstructed by those walls. The buyer may want to cut in a window or two, because Son-light is the best disinfectant for the mold and mildew of sin that has overtaken the home. There is a lot of work to be done, and it is a painful process. The house may be tempted to think, “why are you doing this to me?”, or, “If I’m not good enough the way I am, then why not just leave me alone? Go buy yourself a perfect house, because that’s what you seem to want!” The house may feel hopeless, as though this project will never end, and the pain of the sledgehammer will continually whack away at its soul. It can be very discouraging for the house, but if the house took a moment and looked at the blueprints it would be so excited! See, in the process of a remodel, the goal is to restore the house to its former beauty, because there is a special tenant who will be living there. The moment the house is purchased, that tenant moves in. We can think of Him as the “resident manager”…or the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, upon purchase, moves right in, and it’s a good thing because while the house is creaking and groaning with despair, the “Resident Manager” cares for it. It assures the house that this is all a worthwhile endeavor, as the house sits in a puddle from the leaky roof, and shivers from the cold wind blowing through its cracks and crevices. He shows the house the blueprints and tells the house how of the plans the Buyer has for it, and how beautiful it will be when it is all finished. The “Resident Manager” tells the house not to despair at the demolition taking place, because if there is demolition happening it means that reconstruction will soon begin, and the fine oak floors will be buffed and waxed, and the walls covered in fresh paint, and everyone who remembers its dilapidated state, will be amazed at the artist who made this transformation possible!
James grew up with Jesus, he was Jesus’ brother, and despite a familiar relationship, he did not believe that his earthly brother could be the Messiah. The disciples, who saw Jesus perform miracles, and believed that He was the Messiah, abandoned Him, during His trial. Larger than life Peter followed Him, but wound up denying Him, just as Jesus told him he would. Paul, who opposed Jesus’ teachings from the beginning, sought to destroy the newfound church, and wipe Jesus teachings from the face of the earth. All of these men went through a “renovation” or sorts. All of their lives were changed when they met the Risen Lord! James became a believer in his brother and went on to head up the church in Jerusalem. James was so zealous that he was willing to die for that belief.
All of the 11 remaining disciples including Peter were martyred for Christ, with exception of John. John lived out his life exiled to the island of Patmos, for preaching the word of God, and his testimony of Jesus. This is where he wrote the book of Revelation. Paul’s transformation was epic! He went from persecuting the saints, to being persecuted himself! His writings reveal an unwavering faith, and a desperate love for Jesus. He worked tirelessly, to share the hope that he had, even when his circumstances seemed hopeless. Paul wrote a large portion of the New Testament, and the Church universally received, or really derived its doctrine from Paul’s writings. And yes, Paul was also martyred. My point is that salvation changes us. It changed these men, from deniers, cowards, and persecutors, into…heroes.
Salvation happens in an instant. It is a miraculous heart change, but sanctification is a lifelong process, and during that process the enemy will wage war. He knows that the war has been wo. He can’t stop the victory, but he can slow the progress. Thank goodness for our helmet of salvation because the battle always begins in our thoughts, and it’s always against the truth. Think about it, the very first attack the serpent made was an attack on Eve’s thoughts; he caused her to doubt the truth. “Did God really say…?” And he is still attacking the truth that we have in our thoughts to this day. Satan will try to tell you that God doesn’t love you. He will try to tell you that you are not worthy of that love. He will remind you of every bad thing you have ever done, and then the shame comes. And he will lie to you, and tell you that you will always be in this place of pain that you are currently in. He will say that God’s “renovation of your life” is proof that God hates you, but here’s the thing, God has promised that the work He has started in you, will be completed, He tells us that in Philippians, and if God is tearing some things out of your life, it is because they are not good for you. And if God is tearing things down, you can be sure it is for the purpose of rebuilding something better…better than you can ever fathom. Satan’s job is to lie. He is after all the father of all lies. Satan will accuse you, because he is the accuser of the brethren, but when we have our helmet of salvation in place, Satan will not be able to “get into our head”. When we read the Bible we receive the truth, and truth is our defense against the lies of our enemy. God is not what they used to call a “slum lord”…some one who buys a house, rents it out and lets it go to ruin, but still collecting their rent, they don’t care about the state of the house because they don’t live there. God is not like that, He is a “Land Lord” who is interested in His property. He is an investor who wants to improve His property and the surrounding community. He is there ready to mend what is broken. He didn’t leave us here without hope. He gave us the “blueprints”. The Bible. He also sent the Holy Spirit to help us in our battles, and to remind us that although we will have battles, the war has already been fought, and our side has won. It’s like reading a book after you’ve already read the last page, you still take the journey, but you know how the story ends! We can have confidence, because we know how this story ends…we know the truth, and honestly that truth really will get you through any battle you face, and I have proof. You are still here, loving God, believing in His goodness. He has gotten you through so many battles, and He will get you through the rest! And I am so proud of you…your renovation is looking so good. – Ginny Axelrod
February 4, 2024
The Full Armor of God: Shield of Faith
Our 9:00 am Traditional Service: https://www.facebook.com/BRBUMC/videos/2738614239628480
Our 10:30 am Contemporary Service: https://www.facebook.com/BRBUMC/videos/1241220013918344
January 28, 2024
The Full Armor of God: It’s Not a Game part 2!
Our 9:00 am Traditional Service: https://www.facebook.com/BRBUMC/videos/762003955352800
Our 10:30 am Contemporary Service: https://www.facebook.com/BRBUMC/videos/368940769197426
Paul tells us twice in Ephesians chapter 6 to stand! What he means is to stand firm, or to “hold the line”, because Paul was speaking of the intense battle he knew every Christian would face. Paul knew that we would face difficult times. There are days that we feel discouraged in our calling. There are days that we are overwhelmed by spiritual oppression, and there are also days that we are overwhelmed by the “cares of this world”; what we will eat, how will we pay our bills, will our loved ones be healed of their illness, will our neighbors come to know the Lord. These are all real-world concerns that we all face. But as believers we face those concerns in a different way than the world; we face them with peace.
Each trial we encounter is a spiritual challenge from the enemy, in which he endeavors to steal our peace, but really Satan cannot steal our peace. Because peace is a gift from God, or a fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in our lives, it can never be stolen from us, but we, dear friend, can relinquish it. And to be completely transparent… I often have.
Paul tells us to stand! Standing for long periods of time can cause fatigue, but a good pair of shoes makes all the difference! Josephus, the Jewish historian wrote that the shoes that the Roman guard wore, were the secret to their success, Cesar made sure they were well equipped for battle, and his investment in their vestments paid off. God has prepared His soldiers as well, and fitted us with special shoes, the gospel of peace!
Last week I mentioned that part of the blessing of the gospel of peace is that we can be at peace with ourselves. That is a freeing thought for many Christians. But as Christians we also can have peace within our lives…whatever trial happens to come a knockin’!
We serve a God who is Lord over all things. He is sovereign! There is no plan of His that can be thwarted. So that means that you, my friend, are exactly where God wants you to be. That might be hard for some of us to hear…what if we don’t particularly like where we are? What if we don’t like our circumstances? I know I haven’t always liked where God has placed me, and I know there were circumstances, that I found myself in, that did not make sense to me…there are times that I think I am smarter than God, but in hindsight, I can see that God was doing something big…working behind the scenes. But the important question to ask me is, “ Did you maintain your peace through it all?”, and I would say “Of course….not.” In so many situations I worried about what would happen, and when you are looking into the unknown future the possibilities are endless! I worried myself weary, and peace….gone! But here is the funny thing; in every situation, God had already worked it out! Now I didn’t know that during the trial, but if I had trusted Him, I wouldn’t have done exactly what the enemy wanted, which was to forfeit my peace. Instead of trusting that my good heavenly Father, who has promised to take care of me, had a good plan, I chose to worry, and with worry came the torture of the “what if’s”, and being distracted by the possible outcome, rather than trust in the truth, “that my Father is good, and He will work this out for my good and His glory.”, instead I wasted my time and energy worrying. I can say in every hard patch of life, God was good, but so often I failed to recognize “the good”…because again…I was worrying.
We are in a battle, and part of that battle is holding onto that peace, and that peace comes from knowing the truth…again that important belt of truth! When we are girded with truth, we are able to have a peaceful spirit, with a peace that stands even when we face tragedy. We all face tragedy at some point, but we will not be shaken, that doesn’t mean that the peace comes without a fight, we have to fight for it with the truth. We will still deal with our emotions, we will still have to navigate through our feelings…we may have some anger to sort out, we may have grief to walk through, but our understanding of who God is, and what He has done on our behalf, as well as what He has done in the pages of scripture for the saints of old, will build our faith in Him, and with faith comes a peace that passes all understanding, and then we will be able to weather any storm that blows into our lives…and storms do come, we have been warned of this fact. The time to prepare for the storm, or the trial is before it begins…We lived in Florida for many years, and if there is one thing Floridians know, it’s to be prepared for hurricane season, have your plywood for the windows at the ready! And for goodness sake!, you don’t put that plywood up during the storm, you put it up well in advance, and then you “hunker down”, and have a hurricane party…We didn’t worry too much, because we were prepared, and it is the same with the storms of life. Now is the time to prepare. How do we do that? We pray that God will keep us in the time of trial, and we read, read, read. We study God, we study His actions, we take time to praise Him for what He reveals…feel free to kick off your shoes and dance like David did!
God did not leave us here to fight this battle alone, He has given us His word so we could be confident in His care, and He gave us His Spirit….this is our armor, and our weapon against the powers, and principalities and rulers of darkness. He has given us everything that we need. Within the gospel of peace, is the good news, but that news is bad news for Satan and his evil forces, because it makes us “more than conqueror’s”, and it is the key that unlocks the prison door and sets the captive free. With the peace that it gives us, we can be bold and share that good news with the hurting, the rejected, and the down cast, just what Jesus did for us, that is God’s plan for our lives, that we would share the good news. We don’t have to stand behind a pulpit…we don’t have to preach to the masses, we can do it one soul at a time. The good shepherd leaves the 99 sheep in search of the one, maybe He is sending you to find that one! – Ginny Axelrod
January 21, 2024
The Full Armor of God: It’s Not a Game!
Our 9:00 am Traditional Service: https://www.facebook.com/BRBUMC/videos/745255673863576
Our 10:30 am Contemporary Service: https://www.facebook.com/BRBUMC/videos/203298782873318
God knows everything about you. Every hidden sin, every malignant thought…He knows about it all. He knew about David’s adultery, and He watched Jonah flee from his calling. Jonah could not hide from God, and neither can we. God loved David as he lost the battle against his lust, and God loved Jonah as he ran from the love that he was meant to share with Nineveh. God loves us, He loves us when we are victorious, and He loves us when we fail.
I think that many people have a flawed understanding of God. Their impression of God regarding sin, is that He looks down and casts shame on the sinner, or maybe that He turns away in disapproval. God never, never turns away from His child, He never shames us. God is not the initiator of shame. Remember in the garden…Adam and Eve living their best life, naked as the day they were….formed, and they were not ashamed! But sin took something that was beautiful, and natural, and made it shameful! God does not heap shame on us, sin does.
God does not look upon the sinner with shame, He looks upon the sinner with pity. He does not punish our sin, because He already paid for those sins, and in fact does not even recognize us as sinners…are there consequences for sin? Yes, sin always comes at a cost, because sin “breaks” things. Sin distorts, sin divides, and sin separates us from God…not that anything can truly separate the believer from God, but think about it, when you are actively sinning, how much time do you spend with God? How much time do you spend in His Word? Sin causes us, much like Jonah, to hide from God, we draw away, because we are ashamed… and maybe because we are enjoying our sin and don’t want to turn away from it. And that keeps us from God, and that is one of satan’s traps, but sin does not keep God from us. He may let us wallow in for a while, but He never abandons us to it. We are too precious to Him, we are too valuable to Him, and He will not allow sin to destroy us.
Many of us carry a life time of shame. The sins of our past “haunt” us. But God is a master economizer, nothing goes to waste, and in those moments of shame and sin…God was doing something on our behalf. In Genesis Joseph’s sinful brothers sold him into a life of slavery, because God needed Joseph in Egypt. Potiphar’s odious wife, lied about Joseph and he was thrown in jail, because God wanted Joseph in jail, Joseph would rub shoulders with an important person in the plan that God was working out. God wanted Joseph to meet Pharaoh’s cup bearer. Joseph asked the cup bearer to remember him. Joseph remained in prison for quite some time, the cup bearer forgot him, but God had not. God was preparing a moment that would distinguish Joseph as valuable to Pharaoh. Imagine if the cup bearer had, upon his release from prison, told Pharaoh about Joseph…”Yeah, so I met this guy in jail”, it would not have been a good introduction. But, in the context of a disturbing dream in need of interpretation….Well, God was setting the stage for Joseph. He wanted to work through Joseph, and use his plight for the good of many, and He did. He redeemed it.
God gave man free will. We are free to sin, but sin never gives way to freedom, it entangles us. But God is good, and He used the sins of our past. He taught us through them, and we see His faithfulness when He delivered us from them.
Some people “bristle” at the thought that when God saves us, He then changes us…I guess the thought is “if you can’t love me as I am then leave me”, I get that, but this is how I think about it. God doesn’t change us (though that’s the word we all use), as much as He restores us. When we are rescued from the enemy’s prison, God begins the process of sanctification, and that is the process of restoring us to what He intended us to be before sin got it’s nasty little hands on us. We were made in HIs image, or a reflection of Him, and that is what He is restoring us to! We are no longer ashamed of who we are, no longer are we ashamed of our past, just grateful and filled with praise for a God who looked at us and took pity, and reached down and lifted us up, and clothed us in His grace and mercy! Which compliments perfectly our gospel shoes!
The gospel of peace, has reconciled us to God, we are no longer in exile, we can enter His courts with out hesitation, and with out fear. we are always welcome and warmly received, we are His heirs, His children! But receiving the gospel of peace also means we can have peace with ourselves. If the perfect, holy, God of the universe can love and accept you just the way you are, and can take your sins, having fully paid the account, cast them away and “remember them no more”, are you able to embrace that, and walk in peace with yourself? That may take a bit of practice, but if you are able to consider yourself in the same way that God does, worth every drop of blood spilled, every lash delivered, and each of the nails driven in…you were worth it to God, and because of that you can be at peace with yourself. Praise His wonderful works! – Ginny Axelrod
January 14, 2024
The Full Armor of God!
Our 9:00 am Traditional Service: https://www.facebook.com/BRBUMC/videos/777459834218856
Our 10:30 am Contemporary Service: https://www.facebook.com/BRBUMC/videos/6411181678982218
January 7, 2024
The Full Armor of God: Immortal Combat
Our 9:00 am Traditional Service: https://www.facebook.com/BRBUMC/videos/1407424859849383
Our 10:30 am Contemporary Service: https://www.facebook.com/BRBUMC/videos/892754405559222
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil 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 firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, (Ephesians 6:10-14)
I was having a conversation once with a group of people and we were discussing scripture, when the subject of Satan and spiritual warfare came up. One person in the group said, “I don’t worry about Satan. He doesn’t bother me because I’m a Christian”. I find that there are two camps in regards to Satan and the threat he imposes. You have the “mainstream” Christian, Baptist, Methodist, etc., who don’t seem to consider Satan at all, they think of him as more of a thing of horror movies or fairytales. The discussion of Satan tends to make them uncomfortable, perhaps because it causes fear, or maybe they view him as an abstract idea, but whatever the case maybe they chose to ignore him. The second camp would be the more “charismatic” churches, this would be the New Apostolic Reformation type…Think IHOP (International House of Prayer), or Bethel Church (that name should be familiar because they produce a lot of worship music), they tend to see a demon behind every bush, and lurking around every corner. I tend to fall in between these two camps. I am not afraid of my adversary, because I know I belong to God, but I am very aware of his schemes.
I know I have said it before, but I will say it again; we are in a spiritual war. Because we can not see our opponent, I think it is difficult for some Christians to grasp the verity of this. I have spoken with many Christians that hold to the attitude of, “I don’t think about Satan, he doesn’t bother me, because I’m a Christian.” But I will tell you this; Satan thinks about you, and as a matter of fact, he hates you. Why? What did little ole you ever do to Satan? It is because you my friend are of particular interest to his greatest foe….God.
God loves all of His creation. He loves the display of His handy work. He loves the earth, he loves the animals, He loves insects He created. He loves the trees, and the sun, and the moon, and the stars. He created it all with just a word, or three…Let there be. But with man, it was different. God formed man with His own hands and breathed His own breath into him. It was an intimate act, signifying that there would be a difference in how He is related and interacted with man. God would have a close, intimate relationship with man, and God would offer man pardon for their sin, and that is why Satan hates us. His mind set is (probably), “I was an anointed cherubim! I was clothed in splendor, I was magnificent! I was His favorite! And sure… I rebelled, but so did the man and woman in the garden, and He offered them redemption, and denies me! And they are made of DIRT!!!” I could almost feel sorry for him if it were not for his hatred of God and the saints.
Friend you must be aware of this, Satan hates you. He also hates God, but he is no match for the omnipotent creator of all things, so in order to hurt God, he wages war on the God’s children, because God loves us, and offers us redemption.
How does Satan attack?
Satan, most often, is not going to attack dressed in a little red suit, with a tale and horns. No, most often Satan comes dressed in something that looks good, that looks righteous. He most often attacks with something good that distracts us from the truth. He tries to deceive us…But friend we will not fall prey to his wily ways, or his schemes, as Paul put it, if we have put on our belt of truth.
The belt was an essential part of Roman fight attire. It was the foundational piece of their outfit, just like in fashion, it pulled all the other pieces together, but seriously, without the belt their battle armor would fall apart. If you think about a belt, it goes around your core, it offers support, and protects vital organs. Paul was saying that everything else, all the weaponry in our spiritual arsenal relies on the truth, and the truth protects our “core” beliefs, or the foundational beliefs.
After Jesus told Pilot that He had “come into the world to testify to truth, Pilot in a cynical way asked, “what is truth?”. In John 14:6, Jesus answered that question, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”. The Old Testament refers to the Almighty as the “God of truth”, so in saying “I am the truth, Jesus was making a profound claim about His own deity. Now I do find this to be interesting, because one of the deceptions that the enemy uses is that “Jesus never claimed to be God”, but as you study the Word, and as you cross-reference, you find that He actually did. There are many religions that hold Jesus in high esteem, but do not receive Him as God. They view Him as “a” way, but not “the” way to heaven. But Jesus said “I am the way…No one comes to the Father except through me”. Truth is important. It is the protection we have against false teachers, and the only way to know the truth is by studying the Bible. This is just one example of how having your loins gird with truth can protect you from the lies of the enemy.
Liars gonna lie, and that is what the father of lies has been doing since the garden. He is very practiced, and very subtle, and he knows mankind very well…he’s been doing this for a long time. He endeavors to isolate the Christian from God, or tells him that he is worthless, and tries to cause him to doubt God’s goodness, and His unconditional love, but in studying the Bible we can see the pattern he subscribes to, and we will recognize the attack, and fight back with truth. Part of our strategy should be to “preach” to ourselves…that is simply reminding ourselves of what we know about our God, and what God says about us, and this can be so uplifting, it can transform a sneak attack by the enemy, into a time of Spirit filled worship, and Satan can not abide in that presence, and slinks off. He will return, but we will be ready with our belt of truth in place. God has not left us vulnerable, or unprotected, He has prepared us for battle, through HIs Word, but we have to pick it up and yield it. Are you thinking “The Bible is a big book, how can I learn all I need to know?” Does the thought overwhelm you? Well friend it is a new year, and it is never too late to turn a new page in life (see what I did there?)…So start today, just one book at a time, one chapter, one page, one passage at a time. You do not have to read the whole book in one sitting, just read what you can, and I promise you God will bless your efforts, and you will see life differently, and you will grow in your relationship with God. How exciting is that? And you will know truth, and you can wrap that lovely belt around your waist, and it will match your gospel shoes perfectly! Because you know your belt should always match your shoes. And if, as you are reading, you come across something that befuddles you…just give us a call. We may not have all the answers, but we can have fun finding them together. – Ginny Axelrod