GEMS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR SATURDAY MAY 10, 2014
PROVERB:
A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge increases power. Proverbs 24:5.
PROMISE:
The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; the Lord has clothed and girded Himself with strength; indeed the world is firmly established, it will not be moved. Your throne is established from old; You are from everlasting. Psalm 93:1-2.
PRAISE:
I will bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for Your loving kindness and Your truth; for You have magnified Your word according to all Your name. On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul. Psalm 138: 2-3.
May 11, 2014
Conscience: May 9, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY MAY 9, 2014
CONSCIENCE
DEFINITION:
The inner sense of right and wrong impelling one toward the right action; moral sensitivity.
SCRIPTURE:
How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Hebrews 9:14.
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. I Peter 3:15-16.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Have you ever been concerned if you can trust your conscience? When one faces decisions in life, many times decisions will be made based on whether one feels that it is right or wrong. Our conscience does give us a sense of right or wrong and it is good to listen to our conscience. As believers we must be especially attentive to our conscience.
Our conscience is God’s warning device he has given us to react to sin. It produces accusation and guilt and guilt is a heavy load to carry. There is only one way to cleanse a guilty conscience that is having a devastating effect on us and that is through the blood of Jesus Christ. This is what the writer of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 9:14. He calls our sins “dead works” because they lead to death. The cleansing blood of Jesus Christ frees us from our guilt of sin and death and gives us life eternal with Him in heaven.
Peter reminds us, in the verse above, that when we speak to others to defend and testify of our faith we must be sure that we can speak with a clear conscience. Non-believers look for every opportunity to point out misconduct in the life of a believer so they can criticize the believer’s faith. That is why every believer must be sure that they are living according to God’s ways and not the sinful ways of the world. Our words will carry no weight with others if the way we live contradicts what we say we believe.
Dr. Charles Stanley recently preached a sermon on the role of our conscience and he called it, “You can trust your conscience if.” We would like to share several of his remarks with you because they are scriptural and excellent for one to follow if one is concerned about knowing they have the Lord’s leading in their life.
The first and foremost requirement that one must meet in order to trust your conscience is that you believe in Jesus and you call Him your Lord and Savior.
Secondly, the Word of God must be the basis of all of your conduct in life. This can only be a reality if you spend time daily not only reading the Bible but applying it to your life.
You can trust your conscience when you daily have made it your strong desire and priority to obey God. As you read God’s Word you will hear God talking to you and He will use your conscience to guide you in obeying God and will warn you when you are not. You need to prayerfully consider all of the decisions you make. Before you act or respond you need to pray.
When your conscience sounds an alarm you need to react immediately. It should not be ignored. You must listen to and react to what you know is right or wrong. When you feel guilty about a decision it is important to reverse your direction fast and get back on track. Your conscience is a warning system and you know it has reacted if you feel guilty.
The final point that Dr. Stanley made is that God uses your conscience to compel you to repent for your disobedience. It is the work of your conscience that leads you to repent. You can trust your conscience to cause you to do what is right.
Study these thoughts and make them part of your life and you will be able to trust your conscience. When you put your faith and trust in the Lord and communicate daily with him, you will be able to walk with the confidence that God will use your conscience to keep you on the path of righteousness.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is the ninth commandment found in Exodus 20:16.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
PRAYER:
Teach me today how to distinguish between right and wrong in my daily life. Help me to be faithful to communicate with You so that You can speak to me through my conscience so I will know Your will in every decision I make.
CONSCIENCE
DEFINITION:
The inner sense of right and wrong impelling one toward the right action; moral sensitivity.
SCRIPTURE:
How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Hebrews 9:14.
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. I Peter 3:15-16.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Have you ever been concerned if you can trust your conscience? When one faces decisions in life, many times decisions will be made based on whether one feels that it is right or wrong. Our conscience does give us a sense of right or wrong and it is good to listen to our conscience. As believers we must be especially attentive to our conscience.
Our conscience is God’s warning device he has given us to react to sin. It produces accusation and guilt and guilt is a heavy load to carry. There is only one way to cleanse a guilty conscience that is having a devastating effect on us and that is through the blood of Jesus Christ. This is what the writer of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 9:14. He calls our sins “dead works” because they lead to death. The cleansing blood of Jesus Christ frees us from our guilt of sin and death and gives us life eternal with Him in heaven.
Peter reminds us, in the verse above, that when we speak to others to defend and testify of our faith we must be sure that we can speak with a clear conscience. Non-believers look for every opportunity to point out misconduct in the life of a believer so they can criticize the believer’s faith. That is why every believer must be sure that they are living according to God’s ways and not the sinful ways of the world. Our words will carry no weight with others if the way we live contradicts what we say we believe.
Dr. Charles Stanley recently preached a sermon on the role of our conscience and he called it, “You can trust your conscience if.” We would like to share several of his remarks with you because they are scriptural and excellent for one to follow if one is concerned about knowing they have the Lord’s leading in their life.
The first and foremost requirement that one must meet in order to trust your conscience is that you believe in Jesus and you call Him your Lord and Savior.
Secondly, the Word of God must be the basis of all of your conduct in life. This can only be a reality if you spend time daily not only reading the Bible but applying it to your life.
You can trust your conscience when you daily have made it your strong desire and priority to obey God. As you read God’s Word you will hear God talking to you and He will use your conscience to guide you in obeying God and will warn you when you are not. You need to prayerfully consider all of the decisions you make. Before you act or respond you need to pray.
When your conscience sounds an alarm you need to react immediately. It should not be ignored. You must listen to and react to what you know is right or wrong. When you feel guilty about a decision it is important to reverse your direction fast and get back on track. Your conscience is a warning system and you know it has reacted if you feel guilty.
The final point that Dr. Stanley made is that God uses your conscience to compel you to repent for your disobedience. It is the work of your conscience that leads you to repent. You can trust your conscience to cause you to do what is right.
Study these thoughts and make them part of your life and you will be able to trust your conscience. When you put your faith and trust in the Lord and communicate daily with him, you will be able to walk with the confidence that God will use your conscience to keep you on the path of righteousness.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is the ninth commandment found in Exodus 20:16.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
PRAYER:
Teach me today how to distinguish between right and wrong in my daily life. Help me to be faithful to communicate with You so that You can speak to me through my conscience so I will know Your will in every decision I make.
Study: May 8, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY MAY 8, 2014.
STUDY
DEFINITION:
Application of the mind to the acquisition of knowledge; the mental effort of understanding; a branch of learning; examine thoughtfully.
SCRIPTURE:
Study to show yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. II Timothy 2:15.
Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. Colossians 2:8.
The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. Psalm 19:7.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We feel that there is a great need for a reminder to all of us that we need to do a better job of studying God’s Word. Many sincerely professing Christians are spiritually starving, or spiritually ill, because they have never thought seriously about the quality of their Bible study.
If our physical diet is not well balanced, or if our digestive systems are not functioning properly, our bodies will decline in health. The same is true if we do not take full value of the spiritual diet offered to us in the Scriptures, we will become spiritually disabled.
We would like to suggest several important basics for you to consider if you would like to have an effective Bible study. Someone that is starving spiritually must regularly eat nourishing spiritual food, which is the Word of God. These foundations, we pray, will help you learn to study the Bible.
To begin with you must know what the Bible says about itself. In the verse above from Psalm 19:7 we are told that the law (the Bible) is perfect. It is the Word of God and without error.
We need to know what God intended the Bible to do for us. The Bible is clear that it was written for us by God. In the Old Testament alone the Bible asserts over 3000 times that God spoke what is written in it. The Bible is not only the Book from God, but is the Book about God. God’s purpose in giving us His Word was to reveal Himself to all mankind. In God’s Word we learn that He is our creator, our sustainer, our judge and our hope while we are in this world and for eternity.
We need to know that the Bible stands above all human options. No human explanation or interpretation of God’s Word that adds to or takes away from what God says in His Word should be accepted. It is false teaching. The Word of God is God’s direction to us and will shape our opinions and give us direction for our lives if we allow God to work in us as we study.
God’s Word is truth. Perhaps the greatest lie that Satan gives us, being the arch-liar, is that there is no such thing as truth. But the fact is that JESUS IS TRUTH! When we study the Bible we need to understand that not only did every word in the Bible originate with God in heaven, but that most of its contents deal with how God’s truth relates factually to the way we are to conduct our lives on this earth. As we study God’s Word we need to pray that the Holy Spirit will illuminate the truth and how we are to apply it.
Finally, it is imperative that you develop a method of Bible study that is systematic and thorough (II Timothy 2:15). You will find Bible commentaries very helpful in giving additional insight on verses you read. In Bible book stores there are many excellent Bible study books.
Paul tells Timothy in II Timothy 2:2 to commit what he had heard from Paul to other faithful men who would be able to teach others. Thus the Gospel was passed from generation to generation. This is why Bible study is so important. It equips us to teach others the truths of the Bible.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is the ninth commandment found in Exodus 20:16.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
PRAYER:
Help me to first of all commit time daily to study Your Word. Then help me to learn as I read. May the Holy Spirit guide me in my study and open my heart to the power of Your Word to strengthen my faith and draw me closer to You.
STUDY
DEFINITION:
Application of the mind to the acquisition of knowledge; the mental effort of understanding; a branch of learning; examine thoughtfully.
SCRIPTURE:
Study to show yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. II Timothy 2:15.
Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. Colossians 2:8.
The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. Psalm 19:7.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
We feel that there is a great need for a reminder to all of us that we need to do a better job of studying God’s Word. Many sincerely professing Christians are spiritually starving, or spiritually ill, because they have never thought seriously about the quality of their Bible study.
If our physical diet is not well balanced, or if our digestive systems are not functioning properly, our bodies will decline in health. The same is true if we do not take full value of the spiritual diet offered to us in the Scriptures, we will become spiritually disabled.
We would like to suggest several important basics for you to consider if you would like to have an effective Bible study. Someone that is starving spiritually must regularly eat nourishing spiritual food, which is the Word of God. These foundations, we pray, will help you learn to study the Bible.
To begin with you must know what the Bible says about itself. In the verse above from Psalm 19:7 we are told that the law (the Bible) is perfect. It is the Word of God and without error.
We need to know what God intended the Bible to do for us. The Bible is clear that it was written for us by God. In the Old Testament alone the Bible asserts over 3000 times that God spoke what is written in it. The Bible is not only the Book from God, but is the Book about God. God’s purpose in giving us His Word was to reveal Himself to all mankind. In God’s Word we learn that He is our creator, our sustainer, our judge and our hope while we are in this world and for eternity.
We need to know that the Bible stands above all human options. No human explanation or interpretation of God’s Word that adds to or takes away from what God says in His Word should be accepted. It is false teaching. The Word of God is God’s direction to us and will shape our opinions and give us direction for our lives if we allow God to work in us as we study.
God’s Word is truth. Perhaps the greatest lie that Satan gives us, being the arch-liar, is that there is no such thing as truth. But the fact is that JESUS IS TRUTH! When we study the Bible we need to understand that not only did every word in the Bible originate with God in heaven, but that most of its contents deal with how God’s truth relates factually to the way we are to conduct our lives on this earth. As we study God’s Word we need to pray that the Holy Spirit will illuminate the truth and how we are to apply it.
Finally, it is imperative that you develop a method of Bible study that is systematic and thorough (II Timothy 2:15). You will find Bible commentaries very helpful in giving additional insight on verses you read. In Bible book stores there are many excellent Bible study books.
Paul tells Timothy in II Timothy 2:2 to commit what he had heard from Paul to other faithful men who would be able to teach others. Thus the Gospel was passed from generation to generation. This is why Bible study is so important. It equips us to teach others the truths of the Bible.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is the ninth commandment found in Exodus 20:16.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
PRAYER:
Help me to first of all commit time daily to study Your Word. Then help me to learn as I read. May the Holy Spirit guide me in my study and open my heart to the power of Your Word to strengthen my faith and draw me closer to You.
Creator: May 7, 2014
MAY 7 2014. TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY MAY 7, 2014
CREATOR
DEFINITION:
One who causes to come into being without pre-existing material; God.
SCRIPTURE:
Remember now your creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, I have no pleasure in them. Ecclesiastics 12:1
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
There are many people today that question the fact that God created the world we live in today, but the Bible is very clear on this. In the very first verse of the Bible, Genesis 1:1, we are told that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
If we believe that the Bible is the Word of God and was written without error then what else can you believe than that God created the world we live in? If you say no or doubt this fact then you are saying the Bible is not true and the Bible is not the Word of God. And worse yet, then you make Jesus a liar and not our Lord and Savior.
In addition to the fact that God created the heavens and the earth He also created man. In Genesis 1:27, God’s Word tells us that God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created both male and female.
God created this world in six days and the scripture tells us that He then rested on the seventh day. In six days he created the heavens and the earth, light and darkness, waters and the dry land, grass and trees, the moon and the stars, the fish of the sea and the living creatures on the land (animals). Yes, God is our creator and everything we have today is because of God.
As parents we need to teach our children about creation as outlined in the Word of God so they are well prepared for the onslaught of evolution that they will face in school and the work place.
Solomon advises in Ecclesiastics 12:1 to acknowledge God as our creator in our youth. Honoring God as our creator and Lord of our life early in life can make a real difference in the direction of one’s life and will help a person avoid “difficult days.”
Creation is a very critical issue for families today. The world and everything in it is evidence that God exists. We ask, “How does anyone look upon the wonders of creation and not believe that there is a God who created it just as God recorded it in Genesis?” We do not have the choice of picking and choosing what we want to believe or disbelieve in the Bible. We urge parents and children to study the Bible and study what the Bible says about our creator and how He created, not only the heavens and the earth, but each one of us.
The Bible begins with the account of the majestic creation of this universe and all that is in it by God, our creator. It ends with an even more majestic creation of the new heaven and the new earth by God, our creator.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is the ninth commandment found in Exodus 20:16.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
PRAYER:
Thank You for the assurance that I have in my heart that you are not only the creator of the world that I live in but my creator. Help our family to be an example and to stand strong against those who deny God as their creator and the creator of this universe.
CREATOR
DEFINITION:
One who causes to come into being without pre-existing material; God.
SCRIPTURE:
Remember now your creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, I have no pleasure in them. Ecclesiastics 12:1
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
There are many people today that question the fact that God created the world we live in today, but the Bible is very clear on this. In the very first verse of the Bible, Genesis 1:1, we are told that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
If we believe that the Bible is the Word of God and was written without error then what else can you believe than that God created the world we live in? If you say no or doubt this fact then you are saying the Bible is not true and the Bible is not the Word of God. And worse yet, then you make Jesus a liar and not our Lord and Savior.
In addition to the fact that God created the heavens and the earth He also created man. In Genesis 1:27, God’s Word tells us that God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created both male and female.
God created this world in six days and the scripture tells us that He then rested on the seventh day. In six days he created the heavens and the earth, light and darkness, waters and the dry land, grass and trees, the moon and the stars, the fish of the sea and the living creatures on the land (animals). Yes, God is our creator and everything we have today is because of God.
As parents we need to teach our children about creation as outlined in the Word of God so they are well prepared for the onslaught of evolution that they will face in school and the work place.
Solomon advises in Ecclesiastics 12:1 to acknowledge God as our creator in our youth. Honoring God as our creator and Lord of our life early in life can make a real difference in the direction of one’s life and will help a person avoid “difficult days.”
Creation is a very critical issue for families today. The world and everything in it is evidence that God exists. We ask, “How does anyone look upon the wonders of creation and not believe that there is a God who created it just as God recorded it in Genesis?” We do not have the choice of picking and choosing what we want to believe or disbelieve in the Bible. We urge parents and children to study the Bible and study what the Bible says about our creator and how He created, not only the heavens and the earth, but each one of us.
The Bible begins with the account of the majestic creation of this universe and all that is in it by God, our creator. It ends with an even more majestic creation of the new heaven and the new earth by God, our creator.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is the ninth commandment found in Exodus 20:16.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
PRAYER:
Thank You for the assurance that I have in my heart that you are not only the creator of the world that I live in but my creator. Help our family to be an example and to stand strong against those who deny God as their creator and the creator of this universe.
Time: May 6, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR TUESDAY MAY 6, 2014.
TIME
DEFINITION:
An interval; duration; indefinite and continuous duration regarded as that in which events succeed one another; duration regarded as an aspect of the present life as distinct from life to come, eternity; the period necessary to be occupied by something.
SCRIPTURE:
You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. James 4:14.
Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heeds the words that are written in it; for the time is near. Revelation 1:3
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Nothing takes God by surprise. God has a time plan for everything and every person and wants you in that plan.
The devil also has a time plan for us and each of us have to decide which plan we are going to fit into. The devil is no joke even though some people think so. Students in Universities today want to know more about the devil because they are being deluded by evil issues. Satan is the father of lies and the greatest liar of all time. He is a deceiver and blinds people to their need of Christ.
These are the two forces at work in the world today, the forces of Christ and the forces of the devil. Each one of us has the responsibility to choose, but we do not know how long we have to make our choice. We like to think that we have lots of time but the reality is, at any time our next breath may be our last one. James 4:14.
In the book of Revelation John writes of the vision of things to come that God gave to him. John says the “time is near’ and warns us to be ready at all times for the last Judgment and Jesus return to establish His kingdom. We do not know when this event will occur but we must be ready if we want to spend eternity in Heaven because there will be no more time to change our mind.
TIME IS SHORT TO DECIDE!
If you choose to serve Christ how much time are you committing to serve Him. Let us share with you some interesting facts on how the statisticians say most people spend their time.
The scriptures tell us that God allows us 70 years of life on this earth, some live less and some live longer. The first 15 years are spent in childhood and early adolescence and should be a time of learning.
Twenty years are spent sleeping and for most people the last 5 years is when physical limitations curtail our activities.
Most people take about 15 years for meals and meeting our financial responsibilities. About 7 years are spent reading books, watching television or going to the movies.
THAT LEAVES EIGHT YEARS TO SERVE OUR LORD!
We have eight years to invest for God by doing His work. Eight years doing creative things to honor Him and sharing the good news of the gospel to those around us. YES --- Time is short. How do you spend your time?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is the ninth commandment found in Exodus 20:16.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
PRAYER:
Prepare my heart and the hearts of each member of my family to desire to make our time count for You. Give us the confidence that You are with us and with Your help we can make our time productive for Your glory.
TIME
DEFINITION:
An interval; duration; indefinite and continuous duration regarded as that in which events succeed one another; duration regarded as an aspect of the present life as distinct from life to come, eternity; the period necessary to be occupied by something.
SCRIPTURE:
You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. James 4:14.
Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heeds the words that are written in it; for the time is near. Revelation 1:3
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Nothing takes God by surprise. God has a time plan for everything and every person and wants you in that plan.
The devil also has a time plan for us and each of us have to decide which plan we are going to fit into. The devil is no joke even though some people think so. Students in Universities today want to know more about the devil because they are being deluded by evil issues. Satan is the father of lies and the greatest liar of all time. He is a deceiver and blinds people to their need of Christ.
These are the two forces at work in the world today, the forces of Christ and the forces of the devil. Each one of us has the responsibility to choose, but we do not know how long we have to make our choice. We like to think that we have lots of time but the reality is, at any time our next breath may be our last one. James 4:14.
In the book of Revelation John writes of the vision of things to come that God gave to him. John says the “time is near’ and warns us to be ready at all times for the last Judgment and Jesus return to establish His kingdom. We do not know when this event will occur but we must be ready if we want to spend eternity in Heaven because there will be no more time to change our mind.
TIME IS SHORT TO DECIDE!
If you choose to serve Christ how much time are you committing to serve Him. Let us share with you some interesting facts on how the statisticians say most people spend their time.
The scriptures tell us that God allows us 70 years of life on this earth, some live less and some live longer. The first 15 years are spent in childhood and early adolescence and should be a time of learning.
Twenty years are spent sleeping and for most people the last 5 years is when physical limitations curtail our activities.
Most people take about 15 years for meals and meeting our financial responsibilities. About 7 years are spent reading books, watching television or going to the movies.
THAT LEAVES EIGHT YEARS TO SERVE OUR LORD!
We have eight years to invest for God by doing His work. Eight years doing creative things to honor Him and sharing the good news of the gospel to those around us. YES --- Time is short. How do you spend your time?
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is the ninth commandment found in Exodus 20:16.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
PRAYER:
Prepare my heart and the hearts of each member of my family to desire to make our time count for You. Give us the confidence that You are with us and with Your help we can make our time productive for Your glory.
Armor: May 5, 2014
TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY MAY 5, 2014.
ARMOR
DEFINITION:
Any covering worn for protection against offensive weapons; anything that protects.
SCRIPTURE:
Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Every believer in Jesus can be assured that we are in a spiritual war with Satan and all the demons of his army every day we are on this earth.
Satan is not a fantasy. He is real and he is a vicious fighter. He has free run in this world. He and his powerful evil forces of fallen angels will use every device to turn us away from the Lord, our God, and back to sin.
The goal of Satan is to defeat Christ’s church. It is important for every believer to understand that in our own power we cannot withstand the attacks of Satan. There is no doubt that we need armor to protect us.
The scriptures give us a clear picture of the armor that God has provided for us. We need to know this because we face a very real enemy in life who seeks to deceive and distract us from becoming who God wants us to be. So it is very important that we remain alert, at all times, watching for the deception that Satan will put in our way.
Concerning the armor that God has provided us with we must first of all prepare for spiritual warfare by taking time every day to communicate with God by reading His Word and praying. Then we must be sure that we put on the various armor pieces that God has provided for us. The apostle Paul has outlined for us what God has available for us in Ephesians 6:13-18.
We are to put on the “helmet of salvation” to protect our mind and imagination from Satan’s weapons of doubt and discouragement that he uses to destroy our assurance of salvation. We need to focus our thoughts on the love and power of our Lord that is ours because of our Lord’s victory over sin and death on the cross.
We need to claim the righteousness of Christ by wearing the “breastplate’ that will protect our heart and our emotions. The “belt of truth” should be wrapped around the core of our being to protect us from deception and so we will not fall victim to Satan’s lies. The belt of truth girds all the pieces of armor together.
By putting on the “sandals of peace” God will guide our steps and see that our feet are planted firmly in the good news of God’s redemption and His love and saving grace for all the world. These “sandals” will also empower us to stand firm against any and all attacks that will come our way by Satan.
Sometimes it is necessary to flee from Satan’s attacks. I Corinthians 6:18 says to “flee from sexual immorality” and I Corinthians 10:14 says to “flee idolatry.” We must be shod with the gospel of peace to stand firm against the devil and to flee from his temptations.
The shield of faith is what protects us from the fiery arrows of temptation which Satan shoots at us. Faith quenches those temptations.
The sword is the only weapon of attack given us but it is enough. We are to put on the “sword of the Spirit” which is the Word of God. There is no greater weapon to combat and defeat Satan. We must keep God’s Word ready and available at all times by reading it and planting it in our hearts. This will allow us to always be ready to deflect and cut down Satan’s lies against the truth of God and allow us to claim victory over all his evil ways.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is the ninth commandment found in Exodus 20:16.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
PRAYER:
Help me to never be so preoccupied with the anxieties in my life that I lose my focus that I need to be placing on the joy of knowing You. Help me to daily “dress” for battle knowing that You will enable me to be fully victorious over every temptation and evil desire that Satan tries to use to draw me away from You.
ARMOR
DEFINITION:
Any covering worn for protection against offensive weapons; anything that protects.
SCRIPTURE:
Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
Every believer in Jesus can be assured that we are in a spiritual war with Satan and all the demons of his army every day we are on this earth.
Satan is not a fantasy. He is real and he is a vicious fighter. He has free run in this world. He and his powerful evil forces of fallen angels will use every device to turn us away from the Lord, our God, and back to sin.
The goal of Satan is to defeat Christ’s church. It is important for every believer to understand that in our own power we cannot withstand the attacks of Satan. There is no doubt that we need armor to protect us.
The scriptures give us a clear picture of the armor that God has provided for us. We need to know this because we face a very real enemy in life who seeks to deceive and distract us from becoming who God wants us to be. So it is very important that we remain alert, at all times, watching for the deception that Satan will put in our way.
Concerning the armor that God has provided us with we must first of all prepare for spiritual warfare by taking time every day to communicate with God by reading His Word and praying. Then we must be sure that we put on the various armor pieces that God has provided for us. The apostle Paul has outlined for us what God has available for us in Ephesians 6:13-18.
We are to put on the “helmet of salvation” to protect our mind and imagination from Satan’s weapons of doubt and discouragement that he uses to destroy our assurance of salvation. We need to focus our thoughts on the love and power of our Lord that is ours because of our Lord’s victory over sin and death on the cross.
We need to claim the righteousness of Christ by wearing the “breastplate’ that will protect our heart and our emotions. The “belt of truth” should be wrapped around the core of our being to protect us from deception and so we will not fall victim to Satan’s lies. The belt of truth girds all the pieces of armor together.
By putting on the “sandals of peace” God will guide our steps and see that our feet are planted firmly in the good news of God’s redemption and His love and saving grace for all the world. These “sandals” will also empower us to stand firm against any and all attacks that will come our way by Satan.
Sometimes it is necessary to flee from Satan’s attacks. I Corinthians 6:18 says to “flee from sexual immorality” and I Corinthians 10:14 says to “flee idolatry.” We must be shod with the gospel of peace to stand firm against the devil and to flee from his temptations.
The shield of faith is what protects us from the fiery arrows of temptation which Satan shoots at us. Faith quenches those temptations.
The sword is the only weapon of attack given us but it is enough. We are to put on the “sword of the Spirit” which is the Word of God. There is no greater weapon to combat and defeat Satan. We must keep God’s Word ready and available at all times by reading it and planting it in our hearts. This will allow us to always be ready to deflect and cut down Satan’s lies against the truth of God and allow us to claim victory over all his evil ways.
LEARNING:
Our memory verse for this week is the ninth commandment found in Exodus 20:16.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
PRAYER:
Help me to never be so preoccupied with the anxieties in my life that I lose my focus that I need to be placing on the joy of knowing You. Help me to daily “dress” for battle knowing that You will enable me to be fully victorious over every temptation and evil desire that Satan tries to use to draw me away from You.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
