Battlelines
Monday, June 1, 2020 Good morning, Lord V.O.D.: Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!—Romans 11:33 M.O.M.: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27 Today's reading: 2 Chronicles 17-18 John 13:1-20
Battlefield
There is a frustation with modern warfare in that physical battle-lines no longer exist. It is hard to look at the people on the street and identify the enemy.
Spiritual warfare has a battle field. It is in hearts and minds of all people. Those imprisoned and tortured for their faith who have lived to tell about it know-the battle is in the heart and mind.
Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Our spiritual enemy uses the power of mental persuasion-this is the greatest power used by 'the ruler of the kingdom of the air'(Ephesians 2:2)
Paul tells us to put on the armor of God in Ephesians, chapter 6, and names each piece of that armor. God knows we must go over and over this instruction to be where we need to be to fight His daily battles.
We wake and our minds run constantly until we sleep again. This is 'choosing' time-everyday-all day long. Every waking minute, we choose what stays on our minds or not. Constant choices all the time-we make these all the time-admit it or not-we make these choices constantly.
This is why it is so important to be in God's word everyday. But, this is not all of course. There must be a commitment to the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
The belt of truth comes from the Word of God and the presence of God. The Spirit takes the word off the page and makes it part of our thinking patterns-if we make the choice constantly.
The breastplate of righteousness is the mindset of one who is servant to the most high. It cannot be known outside of thinking in the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:16 ►for, "Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.
Gospel of peace readiness is just that-ready to speak the way to peace at the leadership and permission of the Holy Spirit. It is not the gospel of 'judge when I want' or 'hate when I want' to be contrary by nature.
The sword of the Spirit is just that-the sword of the Spirit-not a sword for us to wield-a sword for us to follow-the battle is His. 1 Samuel 17:47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's;
The helmet of salvation and the shield of faith-indeed all the armor-comes as a set. The shield stops the arrows of the enemy and the helmet surrounds our minds to take all thoughts captive. 2 Corinthians 10: 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
The first line after the armor:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Pray-pray for the Lord's people-pray for each other. Prayer-continuous talking to God keeps the armor on. When we are not mindful of The Holy Spirit, our guard is down and we are left vulnerable.
Jesus did not die so we could be vulnerable. We are all in this war together-but-like the instuctions on the airplane-put your own mask on first-then take care of others.
...because He loves us...
Father in Heaven, I do not keep my mind open to You. Forgive me and remind me over and over. Merciful Father, In the name of Jesus, Amen