GEMS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR SATURDAY DECEMBER 7, 2013
PROVERB:
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3.
PROMISE:
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16.
PRAISE:
Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld His love to me. Psalm 66:20
December 8, 2013
Favor: December 6, 2013
TODAY”S WORD FOR FRIDAY DECEMBER 6, 2013
FAVOR
DEFINITION:
To regard with approval; Goodwill; esteem; backing; kindness.
SCRIPTURE:
But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Genesis 6:8
And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. Luke 2:52.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Once we have accepted Jesus as our Savior we have favor with God. We ask you the question, does it matter then how we act to keep that favor? The Bible responds with an emphatic YES and gives us numerous examples of godly lives to comsider. Today we want to look at four of those godly people from the scriptures.
In the verse we have put above we read about Noah having favor with God. Noah was not perfect but he pleased God because he loved God and was obedient to God. The scripture tells us that Noah responded to God by walking with Him daily. God responds positively to us when we walk closely with Him, live by His Word, and listen carefully to His Holy Spirit. This means that we as believers need to make the scripture a major part of our life but also learn who God is and what He is like.
Moses, despite initial protests, chose to obey the divine call from God and live life God’s way. The Lord favors followers who choose His preferences over their own. God expects us to think about our lives in terms of pleasing Him. This requires being able to submit our will to His perfect will for life, as Moses did.
The apostle Paul, after his conversion, lived with the single-minded focus of serving Jesus. He sought to do his best by means of inward and outward obedience. We learn from Paul that the Lord favors those whose hearts are bent toward Him and willing to serve Him no matter what the cost. Paul willingly gave up all he had to serve the Lord and preach the gospel.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, responded with trust and did not doubt when the angels announced that she would give birth to the Messiah. God blesses those who choose to believe even when the circumstances make it difficult to believe. God looks with favor on those who look to Him in unwavering faith.
We find favor with our heavenly Father through believing minds, responsive hearts, and obedient spirits.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in II Corinthians 9:8.
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything; you may have abundance for every good deed.
PRAYER:
Help us to serve You in faith so that we may receive Your favor in all that we do. We ask that Your Holy Spirit may guide us daily to do what is Your will for us and not our own. Thank You that by faith in You we are saved and not by our own works. Thank You for Your many blessings that you favor us with each and every day.
FAVOR
DEFINITION:
To regard with approval; Goodwill; esteem; backing; kindness.
SCRIPTURE:
But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Genesis 6:8
And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. Luke 2:52.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Once we have accepted Jesus as our Savior we have favor with God. We ask you the question, does it matter then how we act to keep that favor? The Bible responds with an emphatic YES and gives us numerous examples of godly lives to comsider. Today we want to look at four of those godly people from the scriptures.
In the verse we have put above we read about Noah having favor with God. Noah was not perfect but he pleased God because he loved God and was obedient to God. The scripture tells us that Noah responded to God by walking with Him daily. God responds positively to us when we walk closely with Him, live by His Word, and listen carefully to His Holy Spirit. This means that we as believers need to make the scripture a major part of our life but also learn who God is and what He is like.
Moses, despite initial protests, chose to obey the divine call from God and live life God’s way. The Lord favors followers who choose His preferences over their own. God expects us to think about our lives in terms of pleasing Him. This requires being able to submit our will to His perfect will for life, as Moses did.
The apostle Paul, after his conversion, lived with the single-minded focus of serving Jesus. He sought to do his best by means of inward and outward obedience. We learn from Paul that the Lord favors those whose hearts are bent toward Him and willing to serve Him no matter what the cost. Paul willingly gave up all he had to serve the Lord and preach the gospel.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, responded with trust and did not doubt when the angels announced that she would give birth to the Messiah. God blesses those who choose to believe even when the circumstances make it difficult to believe. God looks with favor on those who look to Him in unwavering faith.
We find favor with our heavenly Father through believing minds, responsive hearts, and obedient spirits.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in II Corinthians 9:8.
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything; you may have abundance for every good deed.
PRAYER:
Help us to serve You in faith so that we may receive Your favor in all that we do. We ask that Your Holy Spirit may guide us daily to do what is Your will for us and not our own. Thank You that by faith in You we are saved and not by our own works. Thank You for Your many blessings that you favor us with each and every day.
Bitterness: December 5, 2013
TODAY’S WORD FOR THURSDAY DECEMBER 5, 2013.
BITTERNESS
DEFINITION:
Resentment; hatred; anger; vengefulness; vindictiveness; jealousy.
SCRIPTURE:
Then Saul became very angry (and bitter), for this saying: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” Saul was displeased and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands and to me they have ascribed thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom.” I Samuel 18:8-9.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
King Saul had it all: God’s anointing on him as ruler; the prophet Samuel to guide him; the power and wealth of the kingdom of Israel; and the applause of the people. Yet he died a bitter man. There are several issues that led to his downfall that we as believers need to watch out for in our lives.
There was anger. When Goliath was defeated, the crowds praised Saul as a killer of thousands but David as a slayer of tens of thousands. Instead of rejoicing that God had raised up someone to slay the giant, Saul grew angry with David for receiving more praise than he did.
Saul also had wrong thinking about events around him. Saul’s flaring temper affected his mind and he became suspicious of David’s every move. He started thinking that since the Lord was with David and blessing him that the young man would want to take over the kingdom right away.
Saul became fearful and it led to plotting against David attempting to kill him by throwing spears at him. Saul sent David away from his presence. This showed his rejection of David.
Saul’s fear grew stronger with David’s military success and the people’s growing love for the younger man. Twice Saul used deceitful plots trying to manipulate David by offering one of his daughters to him for marriage in an attempt to get David killed by the Philistines. Each attempt failed. Saul responded to these failures by making David his enemy for the rest of his days. From this point on bitterness ruled Saul and reigned in his heart and destroyed his peace of mind.
Our lives are different then Saul’s but the steps to bitterness are the same. When we face unresolved anger in our lives and we allow it to fester, bitterness sets in. Do you avoid people, friends and family, because of ill will? Bitterness is never a proper response for a child of God. Bitterness poisons the mind, emotions and peace of mind.
Be sure you react differently than Saul did. Take your disappointments and anger immediately to the Lord. Do not wait and procrastinate. Ask the Lord to help you get through them and to help you let go. Your spiritual health depends on this.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in II Corinthians 9:8.
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything; you may have abundance for every good deed.
PRAYER:
Help my family to be willing to forgive so that we can avoid the pain and danger of bitterness in our lives. Help us never to be satisfied for less than Your best for our lives. Help us to be willing to put our lives in Your hands knowing You will lead us in the right path and keep us from sinning.
BITTERNESS
DEFINITION:
Resentment; hatred; anger; vengefulness; vindictiveness; jealousy.
SCRIPTURE:
Then Saul became very angry (and bitter), for this saying: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” Saul was displeased and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands and to me they have ascribed thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom.” I Samuel 18:8-9.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
King Saul had it all: God’s anointing on him as ruler; the prophet Samuel to guide him; the power and wealth of the kingdom of Israel; and the applause of the people. Yet he died a bitter man. There are several issues that led to his downfall that we as believers need to watch out for in our lives.
There was anger. When Goliath was defeated, the crowds praised Saul as a killer of thousands but David as a slayer of tens of thousands. Instead of rejoicing that God had raised up someone to slay the giant, Saul grew angry with David for receiving more praise than he did.
Saul also had wrong thinking about events around him. Saul’s flaring temper affected his mind and he became suspicious of David’s every move. He started thinking that since the Lord was with David and blessing him that the young man would want to take over the kingdom right away.
Saul became fearful and it led to plotting against David attempting to kill him by throwing spears at him. Saul sent David away from his presence. This showed his rejection of David.
Saul’s fear grew stronger with David’s military success and the people’s growing love for the younger man. Twice Saul used deceitful plots trying to manipulate David by offering one of his daughters to him for marriage in an attempt to get David killed by the Philistines. Each attempt failed. Saul responded to these failures by making David his enemy for the rest of his days. From this point on bitterness ruled Saul and reigned in his heart and destroyed his peace of mind.
Our lives are different then Saul’s but the steps to bitterness are the same. When we face unresolved anger in our lives and we allow it to fester, bitterness sets in. Do you avoid people, friends and family, because of ill will? Bitterness is never a proper response for a child of God. Bitterness poisons the mind, emotions and peace of mind.
Be sure you react differently than Saul did. Take your disappointments and anger immediately to the Lord. Do not wait and procrastinate. Ask the Lord to help you get through them and to help you let go. Your spiritual health depends on this.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in II Corinthians 9:8.
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything; you may have abundance for every good deed.
PRAYER:
Help my family to be willing to forgive so that we can avoid the pain and danger of bitterness in our lives. Help us never to be satisfied for less than Your best for our lives. Help us to be willing to put our lives in Your hands knowing You will lead us in the right path and keep us from sinning.
Compromise: December 4, 2013
TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 4, 2013
COMPROMISE
DEFINITION:
Mediate; arbitrate; reconcile; give-and-take; accommodation; a settlement of differences by mutual adjustment or modification of opposing principles.
SCRIPTURE:
For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. I Kings 11:4.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We are living today in a society that believes that compromise and tolerance are the only reasonable world view to have. This is a popular misconception and ultimately will lead one to destruction.
Compromise means giving up something in order to obtain an objective. Compromise can be beneficial in some instances. In personal relationships there is a needed element of give and take. One person cannot have it his or her way all the time. However, compromise that leads to sacrificing one’s moral values and Godly standards of righteousness will have disastrous results. Sadly, this is what we learn from the life of Solomon. Solomon’s life shows that compromise was a destructive choice in his life.
In the early years of Solomon’s reign as King, he was committed to doing right. But later in life when he saw the opportunity to promote himself politically, he ignored the command in scripture forbidding marriage to pagans. You can read about this in the Old Testament books: Deuteronomy 7:1-3 and I Kings 3:1. Though Solomon viewed this union as an insignificant deviation, Satan used it in his strategy to convince him to compromise small portions of God’s Word at a time. And this was the beginning of that compromise for Solomon.
Stepping away from the truth of God’s Word and breaking His commandments always begins with what seems to be of no great significance.
Solomon admired women of other nationalities, but instead of marrying just one and finding ways to avoid the temptation of other women, he married many, became involved in their religions and soon was trapped in sin and his heart turned from God.
Solomon’s temptations may be different than what we face daily but accepting compromise in our lives can trap us as well. Unchecked admiration for something or someone beyond God’s will for our life can convince us to pursue it. Even though we know intellectually and spiritually our choice is wrong it is very easy to be trapped by Satan and to harden our heart against God even with the warnings we may get from the Holy Spirit.
As believers in Jesus we must guard against a preoccupation of a person, object, or activity that holds a place in our life with a greater priority than our Lord’s. If we allow this to happen we lose our freedom in Jesus and become caught in a prison of sin. The cost of compromise is the corruption of our soul.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in II Corinthians 9:8.
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything; you may have abundance for every good deed.
PRAYER:
Help our family, dear Lord, not to compromise on what we believe. May our faith in You be strong in every situation we face in life. May others see in us a consistency that honors Your name.
COMPROMISE
DEFINITION:
Mediate; arbitrate; reconcile; give-and-take; accommodation; a settlement of differences by mutual adjustment or modification of opposing principles.
SCRIPTURE:
For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. I Kings 11:4.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We are living today in a society that believes that compromise and tolerance are the only reasonable world view to have. This is a popular misconception and ultimately will lead one to destruction.
Compromise means giving up something in order to obtain an objective. Compromise can be beneficial in some instances. In personal relationships there is a needed element of give and take. One person cannot have it his or her way all the time. However, compromise that leads to sacrificing one’s moral values and Godly standards of righteousness will have disastrous results. Sadly, this is what we learn from the life of Solomon. Solomon’s life shows that compromise was a destructive choice in his life.
In the early years of Solomon’s reign as King, he was committed to doing right. But later in life when he saw the opportunity to promote himself politically, he ignored the command in scripture forbidding marriage to pagans. You can read about this in the Old Testament books: Deuteronomy 7:1-3 and I Kings 3:1. Though Solomon viewed this union as an insignificant deviation, Satan used it in his strategy to convince him to compromise small portions of God’s Word at a time. And this was the beginning of that compromise for Solomon.
Stepping away from the truth of God’s Word and breaking His commandments always begins with what seems to be of no great significance.
Solomon admired women of other nationalities, but instead of marrying just one and finding ways to avoid the temptation of other women, he married many, became involved in their religions and soon was trapped in sin and his heart turned from God.
Solomon’s temptations may be different than what we face daily but accepting compromise in our lives can trap us as well. Unchecked admiration for something or someone beyond God’s will for our life can convince us to pursue it. Even though we know intellectually and spiritually our choice is wrong it is very easy to be trapped by Satan and to harden our heart against God even with the warnings we may get from the Holy Spirit.
As believers in Jesus we must guard against a preoccupation of a person, object, or activity that holds a place in our life with a greater priority than our Lord’s. If we allow this to happen we lose our freedom in Jesus and become caught in a prison of sin. The cost of compromise is the corruption of our soul.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in II Corinthians 9:8.
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything; you may have abundance for every good deed.
PRAYER:
Help our family, dear Lord, not to compromise on what we believe. May our faith in You be strong in every situation we face in life. May others see in us a consistency that honors Your name.
Worthless: December 3, 2013
TODAY’S WORD FOR TUESDAY DECEMBER 3, 2013.
WORTHLESS
DEFINITION:
No good; valueless; of no use; of no purpose.
SCRIPTURE:
A worthless man digs up evil, while his words are like scorching fire. Proverbs 16:27
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. I Corinthians 15:17.
KNOWLEDGE:
It seems that when things begin to go wrong in life, people begin to feel worthless and to think negatively. Feeling worthless drives a person to accomplish nothing. There is a lack of drive to accomplish even the smallest of tasks. There is no desire to go places, see people, or to do things.
In the verse we have written above from Proverbs it reads that a worthless man digs up trouble. He goes on to say that a worthless man’s words are like a scorching fire.
There are scriptures that remind us that worthless people have trouble with their tongue. Their words are abusive and unkind. In Proverbs 6:12 we read that a worthless person is a wicked person who walks around with a perverse mouth. In James 1:26 we are told that if anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this person’s religion is worthless. May we remind you that purity of heart is often revealed by a controlled tongue with proper speech.
Those who feel worthless feel useless and become easy prey for Satan’s temptations to do evil. Without a purpose in life they have nothing to live for and they become reckless and do not care what happens to themselves or what others think. Under Satan’s control they will say and do all kinds of evil things.
In God’s sight no one is worthless. Genesis 1:27 reads, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” God certainly wouldn’t create something worthless in His likeness. God created man from a worthless bit of clay. Knowing that we are made in God’s image we can be assured we have worth in His sight. When God finished His creation He looked at it and said it was good. How can anyone dare to say what God has created is worthless?
We further know God considers us to have worth because He loves us and loves us so much that He gave His only Son to die a cruel death to pay the penalty for all our sins. Jesus died but He was raised from the dead conquering death so we could have eternal life.
And in the verse above from I Corinthians, Paul warns the people in the church of Corinth and all who question the resurrection of Christ that if Christ had not risen from the dead that their faith is worthless and they are still living in sin.
Those of us that believe in Jesus as our Savior should never have a reason to feel worthless. Knowing that God created us in His image and feels we are worth dying for should bring us to our knees in humble gratitude and filled with a desire to love Him and live for Him.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in II Corinthians 9:8.
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything; you may have abundance for every good deed.
PRAYER:
Thank You, dear Lord that You loved us so much that You were willing to die for us. Thank You that because You love us we should not ever feel worthless. Give us a victorious attitude in all that we do knowing you created us and are with us guiding us over every mountain and through every valley.
WORTHLESS
DEFINITION:
No good; valueless; of no use; of no purpose.
SCRIPTURE:
A worthless man digs up evil, while his words are like scorching fire. Proverbs 16:27
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. I Corinthians 15:17.
KNOWLEDGE:
It seems that when things begin to go wrong in life, people begin to feel worthless and to think negatively. Feeling worthless drives a person to accomplish nothing. There is a lack of drive to accomplish even the smallest of tasks. There is no desire to go places, see people, or to do things.
In the verse we have written above from Proverbs it reads that a worthless man digs up trouble. He goes on to say that a worthless man’s words are like a scorching fire.
There are scriptures that remind us that worthless people have trouble with their tongue. Their words are abusive and unkind. In Proverbs 6:12 we read that a worthless person is a wicked person who walks around with a perverse mouth. In James 1:26 we are told that if anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this person’s religion is worthless. May we remind you that purity of heart is often revealed by a controlled tongue with proper speech.
Those who feel worthless feel useless and become easy prey for Satan’s temptations to do evil. Without a purpose in life they have nothing to live for and they become reckless and do not care what happens to themselves or what others think. Under Satan’s control they will say and do all kinds of evil things.
In God’s sight no one is worthless. Genesis 1:27 reads, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” God certainly wouldn’t create something worthless in His likeness. God created man from a worthless bit of clay. Knowing that we are made in God’s image we can be assured we have worth in His sight. When God finished His creation He looked at it and said it was good. How can anyone dare to say what God has created is worthless?
We further know God considers us to have worth because He loves us and loves us so much that He gave His only Son to die a cruel death to pay the penalty for all our sins. Jesus died but He was raised from the dead conquering death so we could have eternal life.
And in the verse above from I Corinthians, Paul warns the people in the church of Corinth and all who question the resurrection of Christ that if Christ had not risen from the dead that their faith is worthless and they are still living in sin.
Those of us that believe in Jesus as our Savior should never have a reason to feel worthless. Knowing that God created us in His image and feels we are worth dying for should bring us to our knees in humble gratitude and filled with a desire to love Him and live for Him.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in II Corinthians 9:8.
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything; you may have abundance for every good deed.
PRAYER:
Thank You, dear Lord that You loved us so much that You were willing to die for us. Thank You that because You love us we should not ever feel worthless. Give us a victorious attitude in all that we do knowing you created us and are with us guiding us over every mountain and through every valley.
Warfare: December 2, 2013
TODAY’S WORD FOR MONDAY DECEMBER 2, 2013.
WARFARE
DEFINITION:
State of war; fighting; combat; battlefield; armed conflict between two factions.
SCRIPTURE:
Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Ephesians 6:11
Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, which is the devil. Hebrews 2:14.
KNOWLEDGE:
To say and believe that there is no spiritual warfare in life today is to believe the lie that Satan and evil do not exist. The truth is that we were born into an ongoing war that is already won. It is a war between God and Satan. Jesus has defeated Satan and sin and death forevermore, as we read in Hebrews 2:14 above, and in so many books of both the Old testament and the New Testament including Ezekiel, Daniel, Isaiah, John and Revelation.
However, Satan has not surrendered and it is important to note that battles of temptation continue to happen every moment of everyday because of the power of sin and the enticing activities of Satan. That is why Paul says in the verse we have put above that we as believers need to put on the armor he has outlined in Ephesians 6 as permanent life-long attire. These battles will continue to persist until Jesus returns and the last battle against Satan is fought and won.
Many people today seem to believe that spiritual warfare only affects some people. But the Apostle Paul, talking to the people at the church of Ephesus, as recorded in Ephesians 6:13 said, “so that when the day of evil comes.” Paul never said to some but declared the day of evil will come to everyone and spiritual warfare will be faced by all believers.
Satan is constantly at war with all who are following Jesus. Satan’s goal is to defeat Christ’s Church. Satan and his army of demons will use every conceivable device and scheme to turn us away from following the Lord and lead us back into a life of sin and destruction. Satan is the great deceiver. His methods of deception encompass every sin, immoral practice, false theology, false religion, and worldly enticement that is known.
Paul, in Ephesians 6, wants us to understand that spiritual warfare is real and no one is exempt from its effects. Since this is so what are we to do about fighting it? God provides us some answers for this question through Paul in five verses from Ephesians (6:14-18).
Paul says we must be prepared and we are to put on the whole armor of God. We are to stand firm girding our loins with truth and with His righteousness. When Paul referred to girding it was an illustration taken from the way soldiers prepared for battle by tightening their robes with a belt so their robe would not get in the way. The belt is the truth of the gospel that we need to tighten for battle against Satan’s untruth.
Paul uses the example of a soldier who shods his feet --- wears boots with nails in them to grip the ground in combat. We need to be grounded in the Word so that we are prepared to share the good news of the gospel.
We are to take up a shield of faith to protect us from the flaming arrows of Satan just as the shield protected the soldiers in Paul’s day. Satan’s flaming arrows are the temptations he attacks us with.
Paul closes out these verses by reminding us with illustrations from the armor of his day to wear the helmet of Salvation. This was a protection for the head. Satan will do all he can to destroy what is in the mind, head, of a believer. The head is the major target in battle. Satan tries to destroy the believer’s assurance of Salvation by attacking our minds with doubt.
We are to carry the sword of the Spirit and then pray at all times, in the Spirit, for leadership and help as we face each battle in life. The sword of the Spirit is God’s Word. It is more powerful than any of Satan’s weapons.
All the resources that we need to fight our battles, and to be able to stand firm in warfare, flow out of our relationship with Jesus.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in II Corinthians 9:8.
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything; you may have abundance for every good deed.
PRAYER:
Prepare our hearts today for the battles we will need to face against evil and Satan. Equip us with the armor needed to fight so that we know that you are with us and protecting us.
WARFARE
DEFINITION:
State of war; fighting; combat; battlefield; armed conflict between two factions.
SCRIPTURE:
Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Ephesians 6:11
Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, which is the devil. Hebrews 2:14.
KNOWLEDGE:
To say and believe that there is no spiritual warfare in life today is to believe the lie that Satan and evil do not exist. The truth is that we were born into an ongoing war that is already won. It is a war between God and Satan. Jesus has defeated Satan and sin and death forevermore, as we read in Hebrews 2:14 above, and in so many books of both the Old testament and the New Testament including Ezekiel, Daniel, Isaiah, John and Revelation.
However, Satan has not surrendered and it is important to note that battles of temptation continue to happen every moment of everyday because of the power of sin and the enticing activities of Satan. That is why Paul says in the verse we have put above that we as believers need to put on the armor he has outlined in Ephesians 6 as permanent life-long attire. These battles will continue to persist until Jesus returns and the last battle against Satan is fought and won.
Many people today seem to believe that spiritual warfare only affects some people. But the Apostle Paul, talking to the people at the church of Ephesus, as recorded in Ephesians 6:13 said, “so that when the day of evil comes.” Paul never said to some but declared the day of evil will come to everyone and spiritual warfare will be faced by all believers.
Satan is constantly at war with all who are following Jesus. Satan’s goal is to defeat Christ’s Church. Satan and his army of demons will use every conceivable device and scheme to turn us away from following the Lord and lead us back into a life of sin and destruction. Satan is the great deceiver. His methods of deception encompass every sin, immoral practice, false theology, false religion, and worldly enticement that is known.
Paul, in Ephesians 6, wants us to understand that spiritual warfare is real and no one is exempt from its effects. Since this is so what are we to do about fighting it? God provides us some answers for this question through Paul in five verses from Ephesians (6:14-18).
Paul says we must be prepared and we are to put on the whole armor of God. We are to stand firm girding our loins with truth and with His righteousness. When Paul referred to girding it was an illustration taken from the way soldiers prepared for battle by tightening their robes with a belt so their robe would not get in the way. The belt is the truth of the gospel that we need to tighten for battle against Satan’s untruth.
Paul uses the example of a soldier who shods his feet --- wears boots with nails in them to grip the ground in combat. We need to be grounded in the Word so that we are prepared to share the good news of the gospel.
We are to take up a shield of faith to protect us from the flaming arrows of Satan just as the shield protected the soldiers in Paul’s day. Satan’s flaming arrows are the temptations he attacks us with.
Paul closes out these verses by reminding us with illustrations from the armor of his day to wear the helmet of Salvation. This was a protection for the head. Satan will do all he can to destroy what is in the mind, head, of a believer. The head is the major target in battle. Satan tries to destroy the believer’s assurance of Salvation by attacking our minds with doubt.
We are to carry the sword of the Spirit and then pray at all times, in the Spirit, for leadership and help as we face each battle in life. The sword of the Spirit is God’s Word. It is more powerful than any of Satan’s weapons.
All the resources that we need to fight our battles, and to be able to stand firm in warfare, flow out of our relationship with Jesus.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is found in II Corinthians 9:8.
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything; you may have abundance for every good deed.
PRAYER:
Prepare our hearts today for the battles we will need to face against evil and Satan. Equip us with the armor needed to fight so that we know that you are with us and protecting us.
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