Courage and Obedience Required

Choices

Our lives are full of choices that need to be made.

People will say or do something that will 

push you into battle or retreat.

Daily as Christians we will make these choices,
and it will affect our walk with the Lord.

Ephesians 6:12

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,

against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present

darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (ESV)

Battle isn't always something you can see.
And it will come from places you least expect it.
Make your choice now. Choose to either fight the good fight
or choose to turn and walk away.
Just remember...

Obedience

Matthew 28: 19-20
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in 
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. (ESV)

We as Christians are commanded to move!
The command is simple. And it provides so many choices.

What do you do when...
-Someone tells your child that there is no God.
-A friend is confused about what the Bible is saying.
-Someone asks who Jesus is and what He did for us.
-Someone is trash talking your Savior on social media.
-Someone threatens you with harm if you are not quiet.

The list is really never ending.
That is why Choices and Obedience go hand in hand.

A day is coming, a day of reckoning. A day when light
will shine on all things. Everything will be judged.
Will your activities prove you Obedient?
Will the Choices you made prove that you moved?

We cannot afford any longer to be silent.
We can no longer choose our battles.
For those who can see, the battle is against us!
It has already started!
Is it knocking you down?
Or
Are you fighting back?

We are equipped. Fully armored!

Ready? Set? MOVE!

Matthew 28:20
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (ESV)

Wrapped in Armor

The Wrap Up!

Well, it's taken a while to get through this! 

But here we are at the end!

We need to look at how all this fits together, 

and how we apply the Armor of God in our lives.

As we have looked deeper into each piece, we find 

the Armor, no matter what piece it is, is a gift from God!

Someone with the Helmet of Salvation can know

and understand all the other parts of armor!

Let's face it... The things of God are Spiritually discerned!

We cannot understand the wisdom of God or even apply

it in our lives without the understanding that the 

Spirit gives us once we are saved!

Our eyes are opened, and we move in the Spirit as 

we are directed to accomplish great things in battle!

We can live a righteous life protected by the Shield of Faith.

We can move forward with our feet protected by the 

Shoes of the Gospel of Peace.

We can pierce the darkness of this world with the 

Sword of Truth, the Word of God!

And we can expose anything false with the Belt of Truth.

A Christians life is filled with danger!

We fall into persecution and are mocked for what we believe.

But hold fast to your Salvation!

Be strong in the Lord.

Know and study His ways.

Be obedient to His calling for you.

If we can truly see all the gifts He gives in the armor provided,

we will appreciate and value every piece.

We will care for and learn to use each piece 

as if it were our very flesh!

When you look in the mirror, What do you see?

Do you see a vulnerable self, beaten down by the world?

Or do you see a Warrior ready to battle this evil world?

Don't let the world win!

We are more than conquerors!

Trust in the Lord, be strong in His might!

One day He is coming for His warriors!

Heaven awaits, and hugs that last for eternity are coming!

May God our Father protect and keep you,

bless you, and encourage you, all the days of your life!

Gifts from God: Part 7

Sword of the Spirit

Ephesians 6:17

and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, (ESV)

In the previous part of this verse, we were told to take

the Helmet of Salvation and the Sword.

The two go hand in hand.

The knowledge of the one comes through the 

acceptance of the other.

True wisdom is from God, told to us in His Word.

Knowledge of the Word is revealed through

the Holy Spirit, who intercedes on our behalf.

John 16:7

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth:it is to your advantage that I go away,

for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you.

But if I go, I will send him to you.(ESV)

So who is the Helper?

g3875. παράκλητος paraklētos; an intercessor, 

consoler:— advocate, comforter.

The Helper is only given to those who know the Lord

John 14:16-17

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, 

to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth,

whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him.

You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. (ESV)

What does the Helper do?

John 14:26

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name,

he will teach you all things

and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. (ESV)

How does the Helper relate to the Sword?

1 Corinthians 2:14

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God,

for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand

them because they are spiritually discerned. (ESV)

The word of God is written and named, The Bible.

In it, we find true wisdom, revealed to us by the Spirit of God.

it is a two edged sword piercing through the soul.

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than

any two- edged sword, piercing to the division of soul

and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and

discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (ESV)

With this Sword, we pierce into the darkness of this world,

and reveal truth and light, and the darkness cannot stand

against it. For the wisdom of man is folly!

What will you strike at the darkness with?

Will you battle with your own wisdom against the world?

We fall and are trampled unless we are

fully armored! 

Take up the Word, the Sword of the Spirit?

Cut through the darkness and be a light unto this world!

For the light of the world is Jesus!

For unto Him be all glory, honor, dominion, power, and might, 

forever and ever, Amen!

Gifts from God: Part 6

The Helmet of Salvation

Ephesians 6:17

and take the helmet of salvation (esv)

It may be short and sweet, but its cornerstone.

Without it, there is no hope

and most certainly, no future!

There is no question that salvation is truly a gift!

One gift that grants all promises,

opens all doors, and reveals worth!

We are told by Christ that His body is given for us:

Luke 22:19-20

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them,
saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." 

And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, 

"This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. (esv)

Christ told us He was door. And through no other can we be saved!

John 10:9

I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved 

and will go in and out and find pasture. (esv)

With this Salvation comes assurance, confidence,
forgiveness, eternal protection, and guidance.

There is a place for us in eternity!
Peace can be ours a midst trials and war.
Encouragement to move in and onward is ours!

Don't move into battle with the enemy of this
world without your helmet!
One hit without it will lay you on your back!
This protection can be yours if you accept
the free gift given by God through Jesus Christ.
Don't wait, move into life's battles with the proper protection!