How can you prepare for spiritual warfare?

Last week, we learned that we are in a spiritual war, and that we must be prepared for the war. The Scripture below tells us how we can prepare ourselves to engage in the combat:

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. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.

Ephesians 6:10-18 NKJV

The Scripture above gives us 10 strategies for preparing ourselves for spiritual warfare:

1. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might and put on the whole armour of God:

To be strong in The Lord means that you recognise your strength does not come from you but it comes from God:

The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him

Psalm 28:7

2. Stand having girded your waist with truth

The first part of the armour is the belt of truth. To wear the belt of truth means to equip yourself with the knowledge of the truth and we know that Jesus Christ who is also the Word of God is truth (John 17:17). We must know Jesus as the truth and that truth will set us free (John 8:32):

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”

John 14:6

3. Put on the breastplate of righteousness

The breastplate protects the chest right down to the hip. Righteousness is living right with God. When you wear the protection of right living on your chest it will protect your heart and its emotions from the attacks of the enemy. You can only live right with God when you are clothed with His righteousness which we obtain through the blood of Jesus Christ:

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him

2 Corinthians 5:21

4. Have your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace

The feet is an important but often neglected part of the body. A soldier must be able to stand in order to wage a good warfare. The Lord wants you to wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong:

And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:

“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

Romans 10:15

5. Above all take the shield of faith

The shield is large and is shaped like a door. It was large enough to provide full protection from attack. The shield of faith then protects the whole believer and covers the whole person in spiritual warfare.

The reason it says ‘above all’ is that faith is one weapon a Christian cannot do without in this battle to reach our promised land. We must take it everywhere we go because we never know when it will be needed, and it is faith that extinguishes or takes the fire out of the missals of the enemy (Ephesians 6:16).

Faith is confidence in God and without faith it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6).

6. Take the helmet of salvation

A helmet is a protective gear that protects your head in battle. The Lord here is telling us that we need to be assured of our salvation in Him. This assurance will protect our minds when the enemy comes in with all his accusations and discouragement. In the day of battle you need to have the assurance that The Lord is The One who will save you:

O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle

Psalm 140:7

7. Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God

The sword of the Spirit which is the word of God is the only offensive weapon in the armour of God. In Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness it is the Word of God that He used to overpower satan. You use the Word of God offensively when you confess it to whatever situations you are facing. The Word of God is sharp and it will cut from the roots any plant (i.e. sickness, discouragement, pride, poverty etc.) that the Father has not planted (Matthew 15:13):

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

8. Pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit

The Bible says we should pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). To pray in The Spirit is to pray the heart and mind of God. His heart and mind can be found in the Bible and when you pray in tongues you are also praying in the Spirit:

For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries

1 Corinthians 14:2

9. Be watchful to the end

We are given a charge to be watchful. A soldier on the battlefront knows that he or she cannot afford to sleep or slumber because the enemy could attack at any time. Likewise as Soldiers in the army of God we are charged to be watchful and not to sleep because we do not know when our Lord is coming (Matthew 24:42) however we are also warned to be sober and vigilant because we have an enemy who prowls around like a lion seeking someone to destroy:

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour

1 Peter 5:8

10. Persevere and make supplication for all saints

The final charge is that we must be patient or persevere and make supplication for all saints. We are told to persevere because the race is not for the swift (Ecclesiastes 9:11) but it takes endurance (2 Timothy 2:12).

Just to recap, this is how we can prepare for war:

1. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might and put on the whole armour of God
2. Stand having girded your waist with truth
3. Put on the breastplate of righteousness
4. Have your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace
5. Above all take the shield of faith
6. Take the helmet of salvation
7. Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God
8. Pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit
9. Be watchful to the end
10. Persevere and make supplication for all saints.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, I thank You for Your Word. Please help me to daily put on the whole armour of God that I may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand. I stand therefore, having girded my waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod my feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which I will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And I take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints in Jesus name, amen.

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Are You Prepared for War?

The men from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh obeyed Moses. These men crossed the river in front of the other people. These men were prepared for war. They were going to help the rest of the Israelites take the land God had promised to give them. About 40,000 soldiers, prepared for war, passed before the Lord. They were marching toward the plains of Jericho.

Joshua 4:12-13

In this story we are told that the children of Israel were about to cross the river Jordan to go into Jericho, to take the first city that God had promised them.

Even though the men from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh had already secured their land on the other side of the river, they did not just sit and wait for their brothers to capture their promised land alone. Instead these men were prepared for war.

As Christians, we also have a promised land ahead of us that we have to reach. Our promised land is not made by human hands, for its architect and builder is God Himself (Hebrews 11:10); it is the New Jerusalem which is coming from heaven down to earth:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had disappeared. Now there was no sea. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It was prepared like a bride dressed for her husband.

I heard a loud voice from the throne. It said, “Now God’s home is with people. He will live with them. They will be his people. God Himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, sadness, crying, or pain. All the old ways are gone.”

Revelation 21:1-4

This New Jerusalem, just like the promised land of old, is not easy to attain, we also must be prepared for war in order to reach it. Just like the children of Israel had to destroy the inhabitants of the land before they could possess their land, we too have spiritual giants that we must destroy in order to possess our promised land.

However unlike the Children of Israel who fought a physical fight using natural weapons with their enemies, the Bible tells us that our fight is not against human beings but spiritual forces:

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual host of wickedness in the heavenly places

Ephesians 6:12

What Does It Mean To Be Prepared?

To be prepared is to be ready “standing by,” ready to meet the opportunity (challenge) at hand; ready because the necessary preparations are done (or are sure to happen as needed).

What Is The War About?

War is a conflict between opposing forces.

You will see from the scripture we are about to read that the war is between God and Satan, and the war started in heaven however it has moved down to earth and we human beings are caught in it, whether we like it or not:

And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,

but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.

So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

Revelation 12:7-12

So, the forces involved in this war are:

1. Two Kingdoms – the Kingdom of God with Jesus Christ as its King and the kingdom of darkness with the great dragon, that old serpent called the Devil and Satan as its king.
2. Two opposing Angels – Michael, the Archangel and his angels and Satan and his angels.
3. The battlefield – the war started in heaven however the battlefield is now the earth and people in the earth.
4. Battle strategy – Satan is out to deceive as many human beings as he can so that he can drag them down to hell. He continually accuses the children of God day and night. Satan’s strategy is to steal, kill and destroy but Jesus has come that we may have life in its fullness:

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly

John 10:10

God in His love has provided salvation, strength, Kingdom of God and the power of His Christ to all humanity who choose to believe in Jesus Christ His Son:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

How Do We Overcome Satan?

We overcome him by:

1. The Blood of The Lamb – we apply the blood of Jesus Christ when we accept that we are sinners and ask Him to forgive us and wash us clean with His blood. When we accept Him He becomes our sacrificial lamb (Hebrews 10:10).
2. The Word of our testimony – we testify when we confess with our mouth and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead (Romans 10:9).
3. We do not love our lives to the death – this means that we will be willing to lay down our lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are also encouraged to die daily to our flesh or natural desires (1 Corinthians 15:31).

For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

Matthew 16:25

Next week we’ll be looking at how you can prepare for war.

Prayer:

Dear Lord please help me to be prepared for war as the men from the tribe of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh. Please help me to always be ready to fight the good fight of faith and lay hold on eternal life, in Jesus name.

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What Are The Hallmarks of A Great Leader?

Joshua, son of Nun, and all the people were camped at Acacia. Joshua sent out two spies. No one knew that Joshua sent out these men. Joshua said to them, “Go and look at the land, especially the city of Jericho.”

So the men went to the city of Jericho and stayed at the house of a prostitute named Rahab.

(Joshua 2:1 ERV)

When Joshua was leading the Children of Israel into the promised land, the first city they had to conquer was Jericho. Joshua, the new leader decided to send out two spies to go and assess the land, to see how best they could capture the city.

Joshua did not broadcast the news to the people that he was sending out the spies. No one knew that he had sent out these men. From this story we can learn several hallmarks about a great leader:

1. A Great Leader Knows When to Speak

There is a time and a season for everything, including a time to speak and a time to be silent (Ecclesiastes 3:7). When an injustice is taking place a great leader knows that they must speak to defend the poor and the needy:

Speak up for people who cannot speak for themselves. Help people who are in trouble. Stand up for what you know is right, and judge all people fairly. Protect the rights of the poor and those who need help.

(Proverbs 31:8-9 ERV)

2. A Great Leader Knows When Not to Speak

A great leader knows that there is a time to be silent. This is especially true when your enemies are mocking you, you don’t always have to defend yourself; a great leader will leave it to God to defend them.

When the Assyrians invaded Judah and Senneacherib king of Assyria sent his commander to go and talk to the three officials from Jerusalem, the commander was mocking the God of Israel and told the people of Judah not to believe Hezekiah when he said that God would deliver them.

But King Hezekiah instructed his officials and the people to be silent and not to say anything, instead they took their troubles to the Lord:

But the people were silent. They did not say a word to the commander, because King Hezekiah had commanded them, “Don’t say anything to him.”

Isaiah 36:21 (ERV)

3. A Great Leader Knows That You Have to Study

A great leader knows that even though God may give you an assignment, you don’t just jump into it straightaway. Like Joshua and Moses before him, you have to spy out the land, or in our modern day parlance, carry out a thorough research. Research will ensure that you know what you are going into so that you can be better prepared to carry out whatever assignment is ahead of you. God tells us to study to increase our skill:

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth

(2 Timothy 2:15 KJV)

So What Are the Hallmarks of a Great Leader?

1. A great leader knows when to speak.
2. A great leader knows when not to speak.
3. A great leader knows that you have to study.

There are other hallmarks of a great leader so watch out for Part 2 as we continue our study in the Book of Joshua.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, please help me to be a great leader. Help me to know when to speak and when to be silent. Please help me to know when to study and when to act in Jesus name, amen.

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Why should we meditate on the Word of God?

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success (Joshua 1:8)

Just like Joshua, God has a promise land that He has placed before all of us to possess, however before we can go in and possess the land and have good success, there are certain principles that God wants us to follow:

What does God want us to do?

1. Keep the Word of the Lord in your mouth

This means that we must speak the Word of God whether circumstances are favourable or not. For example when we are weak the Lord wants us to declare that we are strong (Joel 3:10). This doesn’t deny the fact that we are feeling weak, but we are declaring the outcome that The Lord will make us strong. Speaking the Word of God is important because that is how our faith will increase:

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17)

2. Meditate on the Word of God day and night

According to Strong’s Concordance, to meditate is to “moan, growl, utter, speak and muse”. In other words when you meditate you ponder on and then declare the Word of God. You don’t just do it in the morning but also in the night. When you do this the Bible tells us that you are blessed:

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night (Psalms 1:1-2)

3. Observe and do according to what is written in the Word

To observe means you pay a close attention to what the Word is saying and then you do it:

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves (James 1:22)

Why should we meditate on The Word of God?

1. You shall make your way prosperous

To be prosperous in all your ways refers to well-being, having favour with God and man and being wealthy. It means that when you ponder on and declare the Word of God you will flourish in your spirit, soul, body as well as in your finances, and God take pleasure in making His servants prosperous:

Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant” (Psalm 35:27)

2. You shall have good success

Success is achieving all of what God has ordained for you with excellence. Successful people have wisdom and understanding, and are skilful in what they do. Success comes when we obey the commandments of God:

My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man (Proverbs 3:1-4 ESV)

So in summary, we meditate on the Word of God so that we can be prosperous and have good success. You can also listen to this message on YouTube here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlaxqzd6yq8

Do you know God’s purpose for your life? If not, please download your free book copy of How to Discover Your Life’s Purpose Through Dreams

God bless,

Blessing

You are God’s special people

In today’s Scripture God want you to know that you are His special people.

“Today the Lord your God commands you to obey all these laws and rules. Be careful to follow them with all your heart and soul. Today you have said that the Lord is your God. You have promised to live the way he wants. You promised to follow his teachings and to obey his laws and commands. You said you would do everything he tells you to do.

And today the Lord has accepted you to be his own people. He has promised you this. The Lord also said that you must obey all his commands. The Lord will make you greater than all the nations he made. He will give you praise, fame, and honor. And you will be his own special people, as he promised.”

Deuteronomy 26:16-19 (ERV)

 In this Scripture, Moses the man of God, tells the people of Israel that if they do everything The Lord requires of them then the Lord will make them His special people. As believers in Jesus Christ, the Lord is saying the same thing to us today. If we will believe in God by accepting Jesus Christ His Son as our Lord and Saviour, The Lord will also accept us as His own people and we will be God’s special people. Let’s take a closer look at this scripture.

What does The Lord require from us for us to be His own special people?

1. Obey all His laws and rules – do everything The Lord has told us to do in His Word – The Holy Bible. Just like Jesus, we should surrender our will to the Father and do all that He has commanded us to do “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38)
2. Be careful to follow them with all your heart and soul – we should put our all in serving God and follow His Word with all our heart and soul “Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’” (Matthew 22:37)
3. Make The Lord your God – there are many god’s out there. Some are made of stones, metal and wood, some even worship the sun and the moon. Some worship their money, car, family etc. But The Lord who made heaven and earth, the God of Israel, wants you to make Him your Lord and God: “But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men’s hands” (Psalm 115:3-4)
4. Live in the way God wants – there are many philosophies out there of different ways to live the good life, however God wants us to walk in love (Ephesians 5:2), walk as children of light (Ephesians 5:8), and walk in in wisdom (Ephesians 5:15)
5. Follow the teachings of God – we should do what The Word says “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22)
6. Obey His laws and commands – even in the face of difficulty and persecution The Lord wants us to do what He says “But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29);
7. Do everything God tells you to do – The Lord wants us to do everything He tells us to do so that He will make us prosperous and give us good success “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:8)

Once we do what The Lord require, what will The Lord do for us?

1. The Lord will accept us as His own people – to be accepted is to have the assurance that we belong to God and that no one can take us from His hand; “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.” (John 10:28-30)
2. The Lord will make you greater than all the nations He made – it has always been the will of The Father to make those who obey Him great and to give them a great name. God told Abraham, Israel’s ancestor, that if he will leave his father’s house and go to a land that He will show him; “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2)
3. The Lord will give you praise – God is a faithful God, and when you listen to Him, He will give you fame and praise “At that time I will bring you back, Even at the time I gather you; For I will give you fame and praise Among all the peoples of the earth, When I return your captives before your eyes,” Says the Lord” (Zephaniah 3:20)
4. The Lord will give you fame – God makes those who obey Him famous. Listen to what He told David, the man who was after God’s own heart: “And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth” (2 Samuel 7:9)
5. The Lord will give you honour – because Solomon asked wisdom from God, God gave him both riches and honour “And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days” (1 Kings 3:13)
6. You will be God’s special people – when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour we become God’s special people “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9)

Prayer of Surrender

If you would like to become God’s special people but have not yet surrendered your life to Jesus, please pray this prayer of surrender from your heart:

Lord Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God. I believe that You are the way, the truth and the life and no man comes to the Father but by You. I believe You died on the cross and You were raised from the dead.

I accept that I am a sinner and have come short of the glory of God. I now confess my sins and ask You to please forgive me for the sins of (……..please take your time and name them one by one and make a decision not to do them again).

Please wash me clean with Your precious blood that was shed for me on the Cross. Please remove me from the kingdom of darkness and bring me into Your Kingdom of Light. I want to know you Jesus, and have a loving relationship with God my Father.

Please become the Lord of my life and fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I can live a victorious life.

From today, please gain control over my spirit, my soul, my mind, my will and my emotions. Please help me to live for You. Thank You Jesus.

Father, I now come to You in the name of Jesus. Thank You for giving Jesus Christ Your Son to die for me so that I can have a loving relationship with You. Please guide and direct my steps from this day forward in Jesus name.

Father, I know You created me for a purpose. Please show me why You have created me and what You want me to do with the rest of my life in Jesus’ name.

Next Steps

Dear Friend, if you have prayed this prayer from your heart, you have become a child of God, His own special people. Please get a Bible and start reading the Word of God, because the Word of God is Spirit and it is life. You literally become transformed as you read the Word of God. If you do not have a Bible please read it at: https://www.biblegateway.com/

Please find a Church where the pure Word of God is preached and join fellowship with other believers. This will help you to be strong and to grow in the Lord.

Dear Brother or Sister, if you have prayed this prayer, we would love to hear from you. Please send an email and we will send you a Bible and some excellent reading material to help you on this Christian journey: info@blessingcoaching.com

God bless,

Blessing