The Armor from God

The only defense a Christian has against an attack from Satan or a demon is the armor that God provides. This armor has the ability to quench any attack from Satan or one of his demons. The next section of the Christian life that we are going to discuss is our second enemy; Satan. Although an attack my come from Satan or a demon, the manner and methods of the attack are the same; therefore, the defense is the same.

There are many different opinions about how to defeat an attack when it comes from Satan or a demon. Because many of these methods come from mythology, superstitious awe, and the miss-use of scripture, it can be rather confusing to determine how to defend yourself against an attack. Rather than dealing with mythology, superstitious awe, or the miss-uses of scriptures, I am going to go to the Scriptures and expound on what is written about demons, Satan, and how Christians can defend themselves against an attack.

In Ephesians 6:10-18, Paul writes concerning the armor from God. The purpose for this armor is so that a Christian can stand against Satan's fiery darts. "Put on the full armor of God that you may be able to stand against the methodology of the devil."

Satan cannot touch a Christian, "We intuitively know that all the ones born out from God do not habitually sin, but the one born out from God guards himself, and the evil one does not touch him." 1 John 5:18; therefore, his attack is not physical. In fact, within the instructions on the armor from God in Ephesians, Paul specifically states that we are not fighting against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness, (Ephesians 6:12). This is not a physical battle and we are not soldiers in the army of God. This battle rages on within our minds.

Satan designs his methods of attack to sway the way we are thinking so that we begin to do what Satan desires for us to do as though it is our own desire. It is therefore, very important that we begin by properly framing our minds. Ephesians 6:10 "Finally, my brethren, be empowered in the Lord and in the might of his strength." The defense against Satan and demons begins from our position in Christ; Christ’s strength empowers us to be able to defend against Satan’s methods of attack. We do not have authority over Satan. He is a greater creature than we are. Our defense solely rests upon who we are in Christ.

Who is Satan? Satan was once known as Lucifer, the greatest of God's creations. Lucifer, a cherub, ruled over all other spirit beings from earth before the creation of man. It was only after Lucifer's fall that he came to be known as Satan - which means the adversary. You may get more information, and scriptures about who Satan is on my other blog at oldtestamenttruth.blogspot.com.

How we frame our mind directly affects our actions." for those who are (walking) according to the flesh, set their minds on the things of the flesh; but the ones (walking) according to the Spirit, (set their minds) on the things of the Spirit. For the mind framed on the flesh is death; but the mind framed on the Spirit is life and peace." Romans 8:5, 6. When we frame our mind on the Spirit, it is impossible for Satan to win an attack, unless we chose to no use the armor from God. Although Satan cannot use our sin nature against us, when we frame our minds on the desire of the flesh, we are easy prey for Satan. The reason for this is how the armor works and what it relates too. Satan designs his methodologies to get us to act independent from God, which ultimately leads us into sin. This was Satan's sin, when he was Lucifer, the anointed Cherub, ruling in the mountain of God. Ezekiel 28:14 "You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I set you on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire." Isaiah 14:12-14 "How you have fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how you are cut down to the ground, who did weaken the nations! For you said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High." Lucifer was not content with where God placed Lucifer’s throne. He wanted to be in the third heaven, above the stars of God, so that he could be like God. When we frame our mind on the desires of the flesh, we are already acting independent from God. We have done the hard part of Satan’s work for him.

We are acting independent from God because we are no longer reckoning ourselves to be in Christ. Remember, in Christ we are dead to the sin nature, Romans 6:11. The desires of the sin nature no longer rule over us, Romans 6:18. When we focus our thoughts on the desires of the sin nature, and determine to fulfill them, we are acting as though we are not in Christ, our mind is set against God, and we are not able to please God. We are then open to attack from Satan because we are not in a mindset that will detect an attack from Satan. Remember, we only have a defense against an attack from Satan when we are living from our position in Christ.

Acting independently from God is the main purpose of an attack from Satan; however, he is not always going to suggest that you do something your way, rather than God’s way. He uses other methods to sway you. Bitterness, disappointment, discouragement, an unforgiving spirit, stealing, doubt, pride, idleness, busybody, lying, filthy speech, tattling, and spiritual cowardice are all methods that Satan may use to get you to act independently from God.

In order to apply the proper defense against an attack, we are to clothe ourselves with the whole armor from God, ("Clothe yourself with the full armor from God to be able to stand against the methodologies of the slanderer," Ephesians 6:11) not just with the part that defends against the method Satan is presently using, he can easily switch methods. We are responsible for putting on the armor from God. God has provided us a defense against Satan’s methods; however, if we do not apply it, we will be defeated. The design of each piece of the armor is to defend against specific attacks; therefore, failure to put on the whole armor will leave you vulnerable.

Next, we will go into each piece of armor to understand how it is used.

A Christmas Message - One Expression of Love

Did you know that there was a time when all of mankind walked with God? There was a time where death did not exist, man was innocent, the earth was without thorns and thistles, and peace ruled over all creatures, big and small. How did mankind go from a state of peace to what we see today? Death has become an everyday part of life, which eventually affects everyone, man is corrupt in all his ways and rejects God, the earth is full of thorns, thistles, decay, and even the creatures of the earth kill each other, big and small. What happened to bring about such a change in this once perfect creation? Today we are going to talk about the fall of man, the condition of mankind as a result of the fall, how mankind tends to approach God, and why we need a savior - I know this does not sound like much of a Christmas message; however, Christmas is about the giving of a special gift to mankind, by which mankind could be saved from its corruption. Understanding what happened to mankind will shed light on why the giving of this gift is so important.

In my blog on the Old Testament, I have been writing about creation. In the beginning of Genesis, we find mankind in a state of innocence and peace. Genesis 1:26-31 "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creeps upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day."

Mankind is in a wonderful garden, with everything needed to sustain life. Within this garden are two special trees, the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The only rule that mankind must live by in this garden is to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Genesis 2:17. The penalty for eating from this one tree was death. Actually, God was a bit more emphatic with His warning, " But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you will not eat from it for in the day you eat from it dying you will die."

When God created Adam, He also created Eve. Eve was formed from the side of Adam to be his helpmeet, Genesis 2:18; 21-24. She was, and still is, man's perfect counterpart. Adam was responsible to pass on the law that God gave him to Eve, and he did; however, Adam added to the law. He added, do not touch, Genesis 3:2, 3. This seems like a harmless addition; however, it could have very well assisted the Serpent in deceiving Eve.

In the fall of mankind, Satan, through the serpent- a very shrewd creature, deceived Eve. He addressed Eve, rather than Adam, and asks a simple question, "Did God say..." Now you may think that because Eve was deceived, surely God would understand; however, it was not Eve's eating of the fruit that brought about the fall of mankind, but rather Adam's. You see, Eve was thoroughly deceived by the serpent and transgressed that law. Adam, on the other hand, was not deceived. 1 Timothy 2:14 "and Adam was not deceived, but the woman being thoroughly deceived was in transgression." Eve transgressed, or broke, the law. Adam sinned. Adam knew full well what he was doing, and chose to disobey God. The result of Adam's sin brought about a change, not only in man, but also in creation. God warned Adam that if he ate from the tree, dying he would die.

Romans 5:12-14 "Wherefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and through sin, the death, and thus unto all men death came, for all have sinned- for until law, sin was in the world, but sin was not counted when there was no law; nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses even upon those who did not sin in the likeness of Adams transgression..."

Adam stood as a representative of all mankind and therefore passed on the result of his sin to all mankind. Now, physical death reigns in the world and is passed on to all generations, even those who did not sin after the likeness of Adam's sin. Unfortunately, physical death is not the only thing that Adam passed on. Adam's sin cause death to come upon all; however, before Adam sinned, he trespassed. (a trespass happens when we determine to fulfill a desire that lacks in character. Trespass is not a sin, rather, it is a result of the determination to commit a sin. James 1:14,15 but every man is solicited by that which lacks in character (tempted)when he is drawn away and baited by his own desire. Then when lust has conceived, it births sin. And when sin is finished, it brings forth death. ) The result of Adam's trespass was spiritual death. (Death is separation, not annihilation. Physical death is the separation of the spirit and soul from the body. Spiritual death is the separation of the spirit with God.) What does all this mean? All mankind has inherited the results of Adam's trespass and sin. Therefore, all of mankind is condemned in Adam. "And not according as through one man's sin, the gift, for on the one hand judgment out from one into condemnation..." Romans 5:16. (Condemned is being in a state of having judgment already passed and awaiting punishment.) Not only does all of mankind face physical death, because mankind is spiritual dead the ability to receive the things of the Spirit is also gone. 1 Corinthians 2:14 " but the soulish man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he does not have the ability to experientially know them because they are spiritually discerned."

Man is in a state of separation from God, no longer having the ability to receive the things of the Spirit, and physically dying. Man also continually rejects God and His ways. Romans 1:19-32 speaks of a time when all men know God and knew the judgment of God. This time was just after the flood, when only a few remained. You would think that after seeing the world flooded because of judgment that you might pay a bit more attention to following God. However, all of mankind rejected God again. It began with not glorifying God. They did not attribute to God all that He was, nor were they thankful. Rather, they became useless in their imaginations and their hearts were darkened. (The heart of a man is the center, where the body, soul, and spirit intersect. This is where the person and determinate will reside.) Mankind continued on this path of rejection until God became, to them, equal with the creatures of the earth and they fulfilled the desires of their sin nature at will, knowing full well that it would bring judgment upon them.

Even though mankind was rejecting God, God still chose one man and gave him and his seed a promise. However, rather than taking God at His word, when it was time for the nation of Israel to receive the promise, they rejected it and asked for law. Exodus 19:8. They wanted a way to show God how righteous they could be. (The Jewish nation is a representation of all of mankind. What they did, would have been done by any of us in their shoes.)

The end result of mankind's actions throughout history resulted in the situation we see today. So much crime, destruction, and hopelessness exist today. All of this is a result of the choices humans have made throughout history and continue to make. Now we live in a world without hope. There is no hope, because there is not one that is able to save mankind. All have fallen short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23. No one has lived up to God's opinion of him or her. We have all gone astray. All are condemned and awaiting punishment. We can not even pay for our own sins, much less the sins of the entire world. Mankind needs a savior.

A single expression of God's love changed all of this. Some two thousand years ago, God expressed His love towards the world. God gave us His son. "For God so loved the world that He gave his unique, one of kind son, in order that all the ones believing in him should not perish but have eternal life," John 3:16. The second person of the Godhead came to be found in the likeness of a man and submitted himself to death so that we could be free, Philippians 2:5-8 "Let this frame of mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus, who existing in the outward form of God, did not think to be equal with God a things to be grasped, but emptied Himself, being found in the outward form of a servant, coming to be in the likeness of man and being found in the appearance of man, He humbled Himself, becoming subject unto death, even a cross death." The result of this one expression of love forever changed the lives not only of those who believe.

Born of a virgin, born under the law, rejected by His very own people, becoming the savior of the world. Just as God had told the prophets thousands of years before, God the Son came in the flesh. In the genealogy given in Matthew beginning with Abraham, Christ came out from Mary, a descendant of the king David. Mary, at the time of her pregnancy with Christ, had not known a man. Rather, the Holy Spirit came upon her and she was found with Child. A child that would save the world. Luke 1:26-35 Now in the sixth month ( of Elizabeth's pregnancy with John the Baptist) the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee, called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you." 29 But she was greatly troubled at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 "And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end." 34 And Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" 35 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy thing shall be called the Son of God. Jesus was born to a virgin, so the condemnation that was upon mankind did not pass unto Him. For it is through the seed of a male that the condemnation is passed on to the next generation.

Jesus was also born under the law, Luke 2:21-24 And when eight days were completed before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. 22 And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every first-born male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord "), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." Jesus was born to fulfill the promise of a savior for the Jewish people. He came to fulfill God's word and rule over them. Luke 1:33 "and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end." During Jesus' earthly ministry the Jews came first, even though at times He did give to the Gentiles. Mark 7:26-29 Now the woman was a Gentile, of the Syrophoenician race. And she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 And He was saying to her, "Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." 28 But she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children's crumbs." 29 And He said to her, "Because of this answer go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter." Jesus came unto his own, but they rejected Him. John 1:11 "into his own things he came, but his own people did not receive him." However, this time, God used this rejection to bring about salvation for all.

During this time of the year we have set aside a special time to remember the gift that God so graciously gave us; the birth of our Lord. It was this gift that made it possible for us to be spiritual alive. For all who receive him, their spirits are united with God's spirit and they share in a quality of the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthian 2:16 "for who knows that mind of the Lord? The one being knit together with him. For we have a quality of the mind of Christ." Christians are no longer spiritual separated from God. Rather, they are joined with him and share intimately with His Son.

Because of this gift we have a new nature, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Therefore since anyone is in Christ; a new creation, the old things have passed away, all things have become new.

Because of this gift we partake in the Divine nature, 2 Peter 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Because of this gift we are able to live out God's life through ours, 2 Peter 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: (godliness is living out God's quality of life.)

Because of this gift we have hope. Therefore, as we take the time this week to remember Christ's birth and the gracious love from God, let us also remember the results of this gift in our lives. Through our own actions, mankind has brought about death and destruction. Through our own action, mankind has fully rejected God. Through one act from God, all of mankind can be saved.

For those of you who are not saved - The celebration of the birth of Christ is so precious because it is through his birth that salvation entered the world. Salvation comes by expressing faith at Christ through the Gospel for salvation. Faith is taking God at His word and is based upon a promise. The promise is, Christ died for your sins, was buried and rose again on the third day according to the Scripture, 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4. Believe and you will be saved!

For those of us who are already saved. Let us remind ourselves that through this gift from God, we received salvation. Not a stagnate salvation, but one that is alive. We are not waiting for eternal life so that we may live out God's quality life through ours, we already posses it. Let us work out this salvation that God gave us, by using it in every day of our life.

There was a time when all of mankind walked with God, but through one man's actions we were separated from God. Now there is a time when those who receive Christ are intimately joined with God through Christ, all because of one expression of God's love.

May you all enjoy this Christmas season and especially the gift that God so graciously gave us.

Walking By The Spirit

What does it mean to walk by the Spirit? Romans 8:4 "...in order that the righteousness of the law should be fulfilled in us, those who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."

We are not under the Mosaic Law, so we can not use any part of the law to govern our lives. As a matter of fact, we are not under any quality of law when it comes to our approach to or position before God; therefore, fulfilling the law of righteousness cannot be done by living according to the Ten Commandments or any other law we may create. The law of righteousness is fulfilled when we walk by the Spirit.

How we act in our daily lives is directly affect by how we are framing our minds. If we are framing our minds on fulfilling the desires of the flesh, we will not be able to fulfill the law of righteousness because we will produce the works of the flesh, which are contrary to the law of righteousness.

The word for "walk" used in Romans 8:4 is the basic Greek word for walking. It is used in Matthew 4:18 of Jesus walking by the sea of Galilee. In Matthew 9:5 Jesus used this word when asking the scribes when they questioned His healing of a lame man whether it is easier to say, you sins are forgiven you, or stand up and walk. The meaning of the word "walk" goes beyond simply meaning "to walk" to define how a person governs his or her life. In Acts 21:21 "walk" is used for one who follows the Mosaic customs. Or in this case, that the gentiles are not following the customs.

Walking by the Spirit refers to how you are governing your life; what manner of life you live. What is your mind framed on? Are you always seeking to fulfill the desires of your flesh, or do you seek the desires of the Spirit? The desires of the flesh relate to that which is unrighteous: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, religious superstitious awe, enmities, strife, zeal, inner burning anger, disputes, dissensions, heresy, envy, murder, drunkenness, reveling, and such like. The desires of the Spirit relate to what is righteous: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.

When we are governing our lives in the customs and manners of the flesh, we are not able to please God. We are not able to please Him because a mind that is framed on the desires of the flesh has set itself against God, Romans 8:7. However, we are no longer of the flesh. "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh, for if we continue to live after the flesh, we are about to die, but if we put to death the practices of the body by the Spirit, we will live. For as many as are lead by the Spirit are the sons of God." Romans 8:12-14.

The Holy Spirit is going to lead us through the desires that relate to our new nature. God does not speak to people today, there is no need for Him to because we have the full revelation. (1 Corinthians 13:8-13. The things we know in part is referring to prophecy. Paul did not possess the entire revelation at the time he wrote to the Corinthians. Scripture was still being written. But now that we have the full revelation the Spiritual gifts that related to prophecy ceased. There were no longer needed. These gift are: prophecy, speaking in tongues, interpreting tongues, healing, word of wisdom, word of knowledge, working of miracles, and discerning of spirits. All of these gifts were use in the giving of the revelation, either to reveal it, or to validate it.) God has provided us with all we need to live godly, we just need to use it. As we take God at His word, and begin to apply it to our lives, the Holy Spirit will begin to produce the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

"But I say, walk by the Spirit and and you will in no way fulfill the desires of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh. For these are contrary to one another in order that you should not do the things you desire. But if you are lead by the Spirit, you are not under any quality of law." Galatians 5:16-18.

We do not need a law anymore. Christians do not have a set of laws that tell them what not to do, like the Mosaic Law. Rather we are lead by the Spirit, through the desires of our new nature, which is not a slave to the sin nature, but rather dead to the sin nature and alive unto God. We are now slaves to righteousness. Romans 6:18.

By setting our minds on things above, Colossians 3:1,2, our actions will begin to line up with who we are in Christ. Remember from Romans chapter eight, how you frame your mind directly affects your actions. So we are lead by the Spirit when our minds are framed on our position in Christ.

In our position in Christ, we have a renewed mind. Romans 12:1,2 "I encourage you, brethren, through the tenders mercies of God, present your bodies as a living holy sacrifice, well-pleasing to God, which is your logical spiritual service. And stop being outwardly conformed to this (legal) age, but be transformed by the renewedness of your mind unto the testing for approval that is the desire will of God for you, the good and well-pleasing, and complete. "

We are to stop being conformed to the legal age and be transformed by our renewed mind. We can know God's desire will for our lives by using what He has already given us. In our position in Christ, we have the ability to receive the things of the Spirit because we share a quality of mind with Christ. "For who has the mind of the Lord, the one being knit together with him? Now we have a quality of the mind of Christ" Since we have a new mind in Christ, we do not have any need for God to lead us by giving us specific instruction. Rather, we can know what God's desirous will is for our lives because of the relationship we now have with God through Christ.

We are lead by the Spirit, not by the letter of the law, so let us walk by the Spirit. Stop using law and start governing your life according to who you are in Christ.