Put on God's Armor, Part 1

Greetings friends and new listeners and welcome to the sound of a shower not thanking you for joining us today because we know Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Today's message put on God's armor is Satan stopping word of the Lord. Paul wrote that the church of Jesus Christ is in a cosmic wrestling match against the rulers of the darkness of this age.

Anyone with an ounce of spirituality can attest to this as Satan is ramping up his attack against the saints of God and all things Christian.

But we are not outnumbered or outperformed. We have the weapons of warfare that are mighty through God so we can put on God's armor they were going to begin this morning in the book of Ephesians.

Let's look at Ephesians 6 chapter and starting with verse 10 and these verses are ingrained in our spirits.

I know we've heard this message many times in the past, but it's been a long time. I just felt the color put it in my spirit to revisit chapter 6 of Ephesians and looking at verse 10.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. So he says.

Finally, my brethren, and after writing 5 1/2 chapters he saying this is my final and most important admonition to you and that is to be strong in the Lord's mighty power. So how do we do that we put on the whole armor of God, and that means we put on all six pieces and this is how you become strong in God's mighty power. Amen.

And so we see three important words right here in these first verses power, strength, and might the word strong in the Greek is and do not know, and it means to be infused infused with great inward strength. I don't know if you've ever experienced what that feels like.

But I have.

I had actually felt like God was just infusing my inner man with strength and that is something that I have come to depend on because in the natural end in the flesh I would be weak.

Amen.

And a lot of you know the many years ago that my spine was compromised injury and then surgery. And so I don't have necessarily the strong backbone that I had prior to that time, but in the spirit.

I had a strong backbone.

Amen. I am so glad that I had a strong directional backbone and I had a strong spirit and the reason why I have a strong spirit is because I had been infused with the strength of God and you know I always stated my testimony is like Paul said when I am weak I am strong because your strength is made perfect in my weakness. So my weakness becomes a showcase for God's strength and so I am strong in my man because of this inducement and you can hear the word due to missing there.

By the way, I'm sure you heard it right into Nomo you hear that the root is due to him as we all know what do you miss me. Don't wait. I we know that message well so we are being infused with that inward strength so he said be strong. We already talked about that in the Lord and in the power of his might. The power now, most of the time we sing.

All I know the point where we say it's doing in this and many times, and often it is not. It's not here. It's another Greek word here and it is crop toss KRA TOS crop toss and this is a demonstrative power.

It is in the room erupted power. It is safe for us.

It is an explosive power and you know God induces us, gives us that power that Dynamo on the inside of us that allows us to replicate the though the works of the Holy Spirit. But here is talking about when it's demonstrated you know someone can be powerful but you haven't actually seen them in action. Yet one day you see them in action. And you're like oh amen it's like when Sam said he came upon that lie that attacked him.

That's the first written incident of anything that Sampson ever did, and what we grab and rip it apart like it was a stuffed toy.

I'm sure he was shocked. He didn't know he was that strong. And sometimes when the devil attacks you, and you don't know he's coming and it's a blindside and you get hat I had with that and all of a sudden, something rises up and you and you explode and afterwards you like, wow, where did that come from you. Now it was the Holy Spirit and not you. That's what this word means. Just hold your place and flip over chapter 1 we got to read this because this is the same work crop toss and it shows you how it is put in action by no one other than Almighty God himself. In chapter 1 verse 19 says and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to support who believe, according to the working of his mighty power. Your C into powers. There, but they're not the same word which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and had his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world but also in that which is to come.

So what Paul is saying here is, how did God show was his exceeding great explosive power. How did he demonstrate the ultimate power that he has and he says okay I'll tell you how he did it. He did it when he raised Jesus up and he doesn't just mean when he raised him out of the two raised him from the dead. Because other people had been raised from the dead to Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead after he was dead for four days and was already a rotting corpse so is not just because he raised Jesus from the dead.

All he raised them not only out of the tomb, but above all the powers and the rollers of the darkness of this age and the wickedness in heavenly places. He raised Jesus up and gave him dominion over all these powers, and he said he met his right hand and that's the place of ultimate honor. Amen.

So when God wanted to show the awesomeness of his exceeding great power. That's what he did and then he gave them a name above every name you know the power that raised Jesus out of the tomb, even in a physical sense was so awesome that the Roman soldiers that were guarding that two men if they did not garden if they laughed or something that would be put to death, but as they were guarding that to the power of God raised Jesus out of that and not and they were paralyzed and they could move till it was all over, so that our third where we want to look at is might, and the Greek word is discussed and it's a picture of a strong muscular man. You know, like I don't know Superman Ironman one of those guys and you know you're thinking of the bulky muscles so you want to think about that in a natural sense. So what this word might means it is that ability, it is the force behind the power. Here's a good person to read it to you.

Second Peter 411 if anyone ministers let him do it. As of the ability which God gives is that good will hear that when much doing. I really like that if anyone ministers talk about the preacher, the apostle, the prophet, etc. anyone who ministers that simply means you serve the body of Christ in some way your serving and if you're going to do it, do it with the ability that God gives hello. That's the only way I want to do it. The only way I can do it is with the ability that God gives. And that's what the word might is so when he says be strong in the Lord in his mighty power.

He is saying you inward strength in God is infused in you and you are going to do it in his power. This explosive power that constraints that you had to strengthen you and the reason why you can do it is because you're doing it with the ability that God gives. Amen. So now he says when you point on the whole armor of God, all six pieces. You're like a strong man who will lapse in power against the enemy. Amen. And were back in chapter 6 of course, and he said that you might be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. The wiles and that word in Greek is nothing dying.

We bring it right into the English we see the word method right in their but let me tell you what the literal meaning is the literal meaning is with a road with a road or are awaiting with a road so what is that how does that fit when you are going on a trip, you map out the best route to get you to your destination, you know, in the old days we figure the gas station to get the map and we get out a pen or do you know this were going to go here but today you get your GPS your smart phone and it tells you the best route your smart phone is so smart.

It will tell you if you go this way it technically is the shortest route. However, right now there's so much traffic your better to go this way. Amen. Edit map out a route for you. Well, now you gotta understand the connection with Satan. He has a well planned route. A well planned route that he wants to take you on that.

It leads to bondage and misery and often deadly. He wants us to get off of the road that God is not doubtful. Roz had Dennis on his road. Amen.

Any so my trying to get in our heads, but were able to stand against the wiles of the enemy. Paul said in second Corinthians 211. We are not ignorant of Satan's devices. Now he is not talking to brand-new baby Christians. He's talking to those that are established in the word and in the truth even had the gifts of the spirit in operation in this church he said we are not ignorant of Satan's devices. The Greek word for devices is no way Motta and it means your thoughts, your mind or your intellect using states to gain access to our minds gain access to our minds with fear with lies with confusion, with false perception values what ever he feels you are vulnerable to he just wants to get in doesn't care if he gets in just a little bit. If he can get in a little bit. Once he gets to expand from there.

Amen buddies looking for that and so uses devices through my brain were Satan wages his battles, but I love what Paul said, you know these verses. Well I will quote it to you. Second Corinthians 10 46 the weapons of our warfare are my D through God, mighty through God.

That means that they are divinely able to make a bowl with God's ability and we are able to pull down strongholds and now were going to find out what kind of strongholds were talking about. It's the stronghold in the mind, casting down imaginations, and every high and salted thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Every thought. So we see that again, the battle is raged in the mind, but we've got the spiritual weapons that are greater and are able to make us able to defeat the devil in the arena of our mind. When he comes against us with thoughts because the mind is the control center of your life. Amen I have said this before, but I'll repeat it. What the spirit of the Lord led me to see for myself. When I take these verses, I just quoted to you and I reversed the order. It tells me how I can have victory.

First of all if I will take every thought captive is soonest. A thought comes, that is of the enemy, and we recognize the enemy when I thought comes if I will resist it immediately and take it captive.

Gotta make it okay. I think you're going to obey what God's word says this is the devil's own cell like my father talking this doesn't sound like my Jesus talking this doesn't sound like the spirit of God talking you not obey what God's word says now if I do that when it's a hot it will not become an imagination. Imagination goes further its fallacious reasoning and once you get into that snare of reasoning, the Devils got his hope in their and he can cause you to rationalize all kinds of things and then if you rationalize that reasoning begins doing itself against the knowledge of God and you don't even let the knowledge of God now commented fight that battle.

You're becoming still do it because you're in your head. Reasoning and when that occurs, and it goes on, it becomes a stronghold that's a fortress that's created from bad thought upon bad thought, Inc., carnal reasoning, building up a fortress St. it's a lot easier to take a thought captive than to tear down the stronghold. Now you can tear down the stronghold, but you would have your work cut out for you. It's better to take it when it's a thought. Amen. And that's what Paul is telling us we have the spiritual weapons that we need. Ephesians 612 for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. So were in a wrestling match and I tell you that in the ancient time of Paul's day wrestling was an extremely violent and blood explored. We don't think about that today, Dewey. I'm not talking about the WW EF guys I'm I'm talking about the kids in high school and college that wrestle.

Amen the real thing were the Olympics.

We don't think of it as being a bloodied violent sport.

Amen. But in Paul's time.

It was no rules. There were no rules in a loud choking down Jeannie eyes out breaking the fingers breaking ribs. Many times wrestlers fought to the enemy tell you something about Satan. If you haven't already figured it out.

He's a dirty fighter tell you about to try to take us out. So we understand we are in a wrestling match and we can't think of the real benign kind that we see in high school.

We gotta think about the kind that Paul was alluding to. It's a bloodied violent sport.

Amen. Because we are wrestling against the ranks of Satan's kingdom and we see what they are principalities. The Greek word is arche. It means the highest rank of authority. Satan is called in the word of God by Jesus himself, the prince of this world and that's why we look in the world and we see just chaos and trouble and sorrow because Satan is the prince of this world and in another place Jesus called them. The thought of this world were told by Paul right here in Ephesians.

He's the prince of the power of the air, so we are fighting against none other but the prince of darkness, the prince of evil himself. Satan the second echelon is powers. Now hear the word powers is that other work we all know well ask to see in the Greek and we know that means authority and now I doesn't mean authority, it means delegated authority it means someone gave you that authority. Amen. And we know that Jesus said in Matthew 2818 all power and authority are given unto me in heaven and earth. And we know that he said in Luke 1019 speaking to his people.

Behold, I give you.

I give you authority your King James has power but the word there is authority in Greek. I give you authority over all the power of the enemy and nothing by any means is going to hurt you. Amen the third in the echelon is rulers of the darkness of this world is actually two Greek words, Cosmo, preachers, Cosmo. It refers to the order of the universe, how many know that the universe has an order every planet*and being is in its proper orbit and everything is orderly and if it wasn't that we would even be existing here today if the sun just moved 1/2 a degree would either be a nice power fireball. So there's an order to the universe and the work Craig Toth already told you what that means is that demonstrative power so we know that we are fighting against some great explosive demonstrative power of the evil one that he has harnessed and he's brought into in order another words they obey Satan there great powers they have great ability, but he's brought them under his authority and they obey him a few weeks back I ministered on the subject ministering spirits versus hindering spirits and if you recall, I explained to you where those hindering spirits originated and so we see that here they comprise the spiritual wickedness in your King James says in high places, but the Greek word is Apple rainy us and that means heaven refers to the atmosphere with the stars and planets. We first were Satan rules and refers to the third heaven where God rules.

Amen. So that's what were fighting against. We have not some fierce enemies and because of that. Paul said in verse 13 wherefore already tell this because of this unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand what you going to do stand. Amen. So he says. First of all, you gotta take on the whole armor of God that you can withstand the word is in this to me. We get the wording histamine we bring over into the English you go by antihistamines when you got a sinus infection in your head because it will stand against that infection and fight it off. Amen. Well, that's what the word means.

It means to oppose to resist yourself against something and having done all means you already done all that is necessary on your part.

You've done everything you need to stand. So after you've done everything you need to stand, you can just stand amen to uphold and sustain the authority or force of anything where upholding the authority Jesus gave us where upholding the power that Jesus gave us.

Amen. That we are able to stand against the enemy. Now let's look at verse 14 stand therefore, having your loins girded about with truth and having on the breastplate of righteousness for the fourth time. Paul tells us to stand amen stand. We have to realize the only way we are going to be able to stand against these principalities, powers in the rulers of the darkness of this age, the only way is if we have on the whole armor of God, Saints, let me tell you this, you are no match. I am no match.

We are no such for these powers, and forces of Satan without the whole armor of God. Amen. So we have to have the armor on in the first part of the armor that he talks about here where we are, he said, is your loins are girded about with truth. So were looking at the Roman soldier picture in your mind the Roman soldier that Paul would've been very well acquainted with because they were guarding him all the time. He had soldiers all the time when he was in jail there with him and so he would have studied their armor head to toe, and you use that to bring it into the spirit and show us how in the spirit we too must have known armor because the Roman army was ferocious.

They just went through conquering their part of warfare was against them and that's why Paul wanted to use the show was how we stand in the ears against her.

Amen. I hope you're being stirred by this devil trouncing message put on God's armor. We are in a cosmic warfare against satanic forces entrenched in the heavens on our own.

We are no match against their powers and the wiles of the devil, but we have supernatural weapons that are divinely powerful when we put on all six pieces of God's armor. We can stand.

Paul studied the armor of the Roman soldiers who guarded him 24 seven and he received revelation of the spiritual armor given to the church each of its six parts is integral to our protection defensively and offensively and putting Satan under our feet. It's not the whole armor of God, if it's missing any piece, it creates a vulnerability that Satan seizes opportunity to strike a wounding blow. Don't give it to him. Familiarize yourself and your spirit with each of these parts of the armor of God, what they stand against and how to use them victoriously order put on God's armor on CD today for a love gift of $10 or more for the radio ministry request SK 211 mailed to sound the faith PO Box 1744, Baltimore, MD 21203 or order from her store on line@soundoffaith.org were MP3s are available, but to order by mail center minimum love gift of $10 to PO Box 1744, Baltimore, MD 21203 request SK 211 till next time. This fish are not seen