Readiness -
Some have mistakenly identified this as the Gospel of Peace.
It is not. It is Readiness, and it comes from the Gospel of Peace.
It is a readiness,
a willingness to speak to others of the Gospel unashamedly.
1st Peter 3:15:
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer
to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this
with gentleness and respect,
We are to be Christ's Ambassadors, fearlessly
proclaiming His Gospel to all men.
2nd Cor. 5:20: We are therefore Christ's
ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's
behalf: Be reconciled to God.
If we are afraid or ashamed to speak to others
of the Gospel, then we are weak, ineffectual Ambassadors. We are soldiers who are
afraid to use our weapons. We are Generals afraid to make a decision.
Romans
1:16: I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation
of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
Phil. 1:20:
I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient
courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life
or by death.
2nd Tim. 1:8-16: So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord,
or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the
power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life-not because of anything
we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in
Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through
the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought
life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 And of this gospel I was appointed
a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet
I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is
able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.
13 What you heard from
me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.
14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you-guard it with the help of the
Holy Spirit who lives in us.
15 You know that everyone in the province of Asia
has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.
16 May the Lord show mercy
to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed
of my chains.
1st Peter 4:16: However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be
ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.
Being always ready to share
your faith with others builds up a spiritual protection. If we are afraid to speak
the gospel, then we are easily mocked. This type of person does not want to be singled
out as a Christian. He does not want the embarrassment of being different.
Matthew 10:32, 33 says that: "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also
acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before men,
I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
A person without the readiness
to acknowledge Jesus as Lord will be easily knocked around by the enemy. His effectiveness
will be stripped from him, and he will find himself in the camp of the enemy - a
casualty whom not even the Lord Jesus will acknowledge.
Faith -
Faith, quite simply, is belief. Jesus said if we only believed it was possible, we
would be able to uproot a mountain and cast it away. This is faith. (Matt. 17:20,21)
Faith is the core of our being. It is belief. We either have it or we don't. This
is one reason the scripture tells us to: Train up a child in the way he should go:
and when he is old, he will not depart from it. - Proverbs 22:6.
It is much easier
to be raised to believe something, than to believe in it later on in life.
This
goes much deeper than simply believing in the existence of a God. That would simply
be Truth. This is the type of belief that the three Hebrew Children had, when they
said that God had the power to rescue them from Nebuchadnezzar's furnace. It didn't
matter whether the Lord would actually deliver them or not, the fact remained that
they believed that the Lord possessed the power to save them if He desired to do
so.
It is this type of belief. Belief that the Lord is Sovereign, and Omnipotent,
and Loving, and Just, and All-Powerful. It is the belief that He can deliver us from
overwhelming circumstances. He can save us from impossible situations.
The type
of belief that can cause a mountain to rise out of the ground and be thrown into
the sea.
It is this type of belief, this type of faith, that protects.
This type of belief keeps us from backsliding. By that, I mean that it keeps us from
remaining in sin, because we know that if we fall, He is able to lift us out of our
sin and restore us to Himself. We don't have to remain in sin, worried that He will
not accept us. He will accept us, and He will deliver us.
People like to
go to extremes so often, when looking at examples, so let us go to an extreme. Let's
look at homosexuality. Do you believe God can deliver a person trapped in this vile
lifestyle? Of course He can. Do you believe that God can save a murderer? What about
a rapist? How about a child molester? A bank robber? A prostitute? A drug addict?
Of course He can. The bible even says, in 1st Cor. 6:11: And that is what some
of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
But most likely,
you are not involved in such things. You do not have to go to such an extreme. You
may be falling into sin on a daily or weekly basis, but the sin is not as great.
Now let me say this: It is true that the bible lists some sins as greater than others.
(John 19:11 - Jesus talks here about a "greater sin") That does not mean
that engaging in the smaller sins leaves you any better off. The wages of all sin
is death (Rom. 6:23).
But if you can believe that the Lord can deliver a person
from sins such as those mentioned above, then how easy it would be for the Lord to
deliver you from your little sin! Believing that the Lord can save, even from such
terrible, impossible sins, should make it easy to believe that there is hope for
your situation as well.
So don't remain in your sin, afraid that the Lord will
not accept you. He will accept you, and with open arms. If you doubt this, just read
the parable of the Prodigal Son, the Parable of the Lost Coin, and the Parable of
the Lost Sheep (Luke chapter 15).
Let's look at the three Hebrew Children once
more, and let's view Faith as a mathematical equation.
You in your sin, (let's
say it happens to be swearing, or lying, or gossiping, or lusting) when you fall,
are on the wrong side of the equation. You want to get onto the other side of the
equation.
The Hebrew Children were also on the wrong side of the equation: a
blazing furnace!
There are two parts to this equation of Faith: You, and God.
With the Hebrew Children, they believed that God had the power to save them from
their impossible situation. They told the king that it didn't matter if He actually
delivered them or not, they still refused to bow before him. The Lord was still mighty
to save.
Now let's parallel your sinful situation. First of all, theirs was an
impossible situation. Yours is not.
Even though they had the more dire situation,
they still believed that God had the power to deliver them. Now look at your own
situation. Do you believe God can deliver you from your not-so-impossible circumstance?
Of
course you believe He can. It would be ridiculous to try to indicate otherwise.
With
the Hebrew Children, the X Factor, (themselves) had already been taken care of. They
believed in the delivering power of God. The only unknown factor left, was God. Would
He, or would He not, deliver them from the furnace?
With you, the Y Factor (God)
is what has already been taken care of. God does not want you to remain in sin, but
died on a cross that you might be saved! He wants to take you back! It is not His
will that any should perish (2nd Peter 3:9: The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise,
as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish,
but everyone to come to repentance.).
With you, the only Factor undecided is You!
Do you believe that the Lord can save people from impossibly sinful lifestyles? Then
how can you possibly believe that He would be unwilling to save you from your little
sin?
All you have to do is have Faith! Believe! Once that happens, both parts
of the equation come together, and you find yourself on the right side of the problem!
Safe, and protected!
This is the power of Faith!
This belief, this
Faith keeps the doubt at bay. When you stumble into sin, the Lord wants to help us
right back up and out of it. But the devil is there to attack us, to kick us when
we're down. He whispers to us that God could not possibly want to have any association
with such a vile sinner. He whispers that we are not even worthy of coming before
His presence to ask for forgiveness, and so we should stay away from Him for awhile,
until we can get our lives back in order, until we can regain a measure of righteousness.
This
lie only serves the devil's purpose! It keeps us isolated from the only help that
can save us! And the cunning part of this lie, is that we can never regain any measure
of righteousness while we're off on our own, afraid to ask for God's hand in deliverance!
The best thing we can do when we fall is to run straight back to the Lord, confess
our faults to Him, be forgiven, and move on with our lives. Wandering around in a
wilderness of sin only gives the devil more time to prey on us.
Faith is what
gives us strength in times of trouble, just as it did for Elisha and his servant
in 2nd Kings chapter 6, when there were more "with us than against us".
It doesn't matter how bad the situation looks, God is able to deliver us out of the
hand of the enemy. And if the situation doesn't look so impossible, then how much
easier are we able to be delivered!
If we can have faith in the impossible, then
we can believe in the possible!
When Satan tells us we are unable to be saved,
when he says that we are unworthy of God's attention, Faith is the power that will
protect us!
Salvation -
This is not just knowing the Truth, but
obeying it, and living it.
It is not just living righteously on the outside (as
they did in Matt. 15:8,9), to fulfill a requirement, but it is taking on Christ's
righteousness as a garment.
It does not mean going through the motions of Christianity,
as the Pharisees did, it involves fulfilling the most basic commands of the Lord:
Repenting, being Baptized in Jesus Name, and being filled with His Holy Spirit.
In
other words, you don't just look the part, you become the part!
Salvation gives
you a modicum of protection all by itself, since you now belong to the Lord, but
you are weak as a baby, needing the milk of the Word. (1st Peter 2:2: Like newborn
babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,)
You must grow strong in the Lord, by putting on the other pieces of the Armor of
God.
You are bought with the blood of Jesus, and this does give you the protection
of telling Satan that you belong to the Lord, but if salvation is the only protection
you have in your life, you are as a small tree that can be shaken by the wind. You
need to be deeply and firmly rooted.
Salvation gives a measure of protection
all on its own, but it is not enough to stand against the wiles of the Devil.
It is a starting point, a stepping stone. We are supposed to continue in the faith
and become strong. Unfortunately, many Christians do stop at this point, believing
that this is all the protection they will ever need.
These are the ones who end
up lukewarm. These are the ones unto whom the Lord will say on the Day of Judgement:
"'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" - Matthew 7:23.
The Word of God -
Hebrews 4:12 tells us that: For the word of God is living
and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul
and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
The Word of God is a strong protective covering. Jesus used it effectively when dealing
with the temptation of the Devil, and was successful in turning the enemy aside.
(Matt. 4:1-11)
Romans 10:17 tells us that: Consequently, faith comes from
hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
Our faith can be built up through the hearing of the Word of God. So we see that
some of our armor can be strengthened by having other parts of it active in our lives.
Proverbs
27:17 says that: As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
Not only
do believers strengthen each other, but the individual pieces of the Armor of God
also work to strengthen the other parts.
Prayer in the Spirit -
This is our offensive weapon! We are not just to be well fortified, or well protected,
we are to attack! There is an old saying that "The best defense is a good offense".
Once we are well protected, firmly ensconced in the Armor of God, we need to attack,
through prayer.
This isn't simple prayer, it is prayer that is done through
the Power of the Spirit! We are told to launch a veritable wave of aggression and
oppression against the Powers of Darkness!
We are to be bold, fearless, relentless,
praying on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
The Prayer of
the Spirit is to be used as a shotgun - repeated, continuous discharges that blanket
the spirit-world with powerful, effective blasts.
Pray at all times, in the morning,
noon, evening, and night. Pray on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Saturdays. Pray at mealtimes
and before bed at night. Pray on Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and Halloween! Pray
when you're happy, pray when you're sad. Pray when things are going great, and pray
when things are falling apart around your ankles.
Pray at all times and on all
occasions and do not let up for a second against the enemy!
Pray for physical
needs, pray for emotional needs, pray for financial needs, pray for victory over
the enemy, salvation for your family and friends, pray for your politicians, pray
for your co-workers and your company. Pray for spiritual gifts, pray for the homosexual,
the battered wife, the drug addict, and pray for the lonely, the sick, and the elderly.
Pray for your country, and pray for the world. Pray for the missionaries on foreign
soil, and pray for the soldiers that are defending your freedom. Pray for the sunshine,
and pray for the rain, and pray for the farmer and his crops, and pray that God will
allow you to see another day.
Pray in thanksgiving, thank God for your blessings,
thank God for the answers He has given to previous prayer, and for the answers He
has yet to give.
Pray, pray, and pray!
This is the state in which we
need to find ourselves: Fully armed with the Armor of God, and relentlessly assaulting
the kingdom of darkness with the powerful, effectual prayer of the Spirit!
James 5:16: … The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Article 4: Implementation
Paragraph 12; Subsection 4
How To
Use The Armor
We will go over each piece of armor once more, this time
instructing you in each item's use; how to go about implementing these things in
your daily life and really affecting the Kingdom of God for good.
Truth -
The Truth can be added to your life through reading the Word of God, hearing
it preached, praying to God for instruction, and seeking the scriptures to make sure
that what you are hearing (both from man and God) is correct.
Don't have a closed
mind to the things of the Word. Don't be afraid to challenge the traditions you have
always held, or things that the "church" may hold to. Make sure that you
accept as Truth nothing except the Word of God.
Do not be swayed by the eloquent
words of others. Some things sound very nice and very good, but can they be backed
up by scripture?
Remember that the Bible is the infallible Word of God, and that
it does not contradict itself. If you hear things through the "Spirit"
that contradict the Word, then you have not heard from God - the enemy has attempted
to infiltrate your ranks. Do not allow him to gain access!
Galations 1:8,9: But
though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which
we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9As we said before, so say I now
again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let
him be accursed.
If you find things in the bible or hear teachings that seem
to cause the Bible to contradict itself, search very hard into these things! I tell
you the truth, the Bible does NOT contradict itself. What may appear as contradictions
to some are merely the result of a lack of the Truth in their lives.
The explanation
can be found. Search for it! Once you understand scripture in a way that allows each
verse to exist in peace with the others, you will have found the Truth!
On your
quest, employ the use of bible study groups, preachers, and prayer to help you uncover
the Truth. The Lord is faithful to reward those who diligently seek him (Heb. 11:6).
Matthew 7:7,8: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock
and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks
finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
Righteousness
-
"Do it". Live it. Ask for prayer in this area. Get encouragement
from the Body. Don't despair when you fail (and you will at first), but get back
up and try it again. Don't stay in sin.
Once you begin to live righteously, it
will become easier and easier. Resolve to do better. Just do it!
Readiness
-
Read and memorize the Word of God. Again, just do it! Speak to others about
the Lord. Practice with the Body of Christ, by testifying to the group of believers.
Then when you become comfortable, move on to sharing your faith with others.
Don't worry about success. Don't worry about whether you will actually reach the
people you speak to for the Lord's Kingdom. Just do it to be exercising your readiness.
Remember, where one sows, another one reaps (John 4:37,38).
In other words, just
witness, and don't be worried about the outcome. If you go throughout your life planting
seeds in the lives of others, the Lord may have another believer come along and reap
the rewards of what you sowed.
To paraphrase an old military slogan, "Speak
to them all, and let God sort them out".
Do this as unto the Lord. Everything
you do should be as unto the Lord.
Romans 14:6-8: He who regards one day
as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives
thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.
7 For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8
If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we
live or die, we belong to the Lord.
Ephesians 6:7,8: Serve wholeheartedly,
as if you were serving the Lord, not men, 8 because you know that the Lord will
reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
Colossians
3:23,24: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord,
not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord
as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
1st Corinthians 10:31:
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatever ye do, do all things to God's glory.
Do
not do good deeds to others in expectation of some reward. Do it so that your Father
in Heaven may be pleased with you, and you will store up much treasure in heaven
as a result.
If people ask you why you are doing good to them, you will then
have an opportunity to speak to them about living after the example of Christ.
If they mock you, then consider yourself fortunate, and take pleasure in it, for
Jesus was also mocked. (Matt. 5:11,12: "Blessed are you when people insult you,
persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice
and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted
the prophets who were before you.)
Faith -
Share your answered
prayer with others. Start with the Body of Christ until you are more comfortable.
Listen to the testimonies of others.
Depend on the Lord. Allow Him to work out
your problems, and don't try to solve everything on your own.
Go through some
tough times. Moses, Jesus, John the Baptist, Elijah… they all went through a wilderness
experience, a time of hardship where they grew close to the Lord.
Fast. Pray.
Read the Word of the Lord. Sell what you have and give to others.
As God begins
to intercede in your life, your faith will be increased.
Salvation -
Obey Acts 2:38.
Word of God -
Read the bible. Memorize it. Study
it. Write your own bible studies.
Pray in the Spirit -
Pray.
Pray always. Pray about everything. If you have been filled with the Holy Spirit,
then you will have the power of the Spirit in which to pray. Use it. Allow the Spirit
to take over, and pray in other tongues.
Article 5: Conclusion
Paragraph 19; Subsection 5
Where To Go From Here
After being
fully armed, expect a fight. The devil is not going to allow such a strong bastion
of righteousness to go unchallenged.
Keep alert, keep on your guard, and keep
praying for everyone else, so that they will become as strong in the faith as you
have become, and then strive to become stronger.
Refine your knowledge. Hone
your skills. Draw closer to God.
You will become as strong as you can possibly
be!
Satan may still stomp on you (as he did the Church of Smyrna in Rev. 2:9,10),
but you will have a wealth and a power through the spirit that he can never touch
or take away from you!
Remember, the Armor of God is not a guarantee against
failure. Once clothed in it, you will still be expected to fight with it. But the
stronger your armor, the better your chances.
A Christian without the Armor of
God can be assured of disaster. Remember, we are at war! So do not stop at just learning
about it. Learn to use it!
Arm yourself, put on the full Armor of God, and
then stand and fight! Do some damage to the Powers of Darkness!
In Christ,
Chad
J. McCoy
Dark Savant Ministries
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