Ephesians 6:10. “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might”.
Praise the Lord, my COOLJC Church family. I want to begin where I left of last week from the “Presider’s Heart to Your Heart”; Be Strong in the Lord.
The believer must put on the armor of God. Once the believer is STRONG WITHIN, then he is ready to be clothed with the armor of God. But note: no amount of armor is worth the material it is made of unless the soldier has the heart to fight. The believer must… absolutely must… be strong in the Lord before he can be clothed with the armor of God and begin to wage war against the foes of life.
Once man has the presence and power of God within his heart, it is then that he begins to arm himself to wage war against the spiritual enemies of life. But note a most critical point: he must put on the WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD, leaving nothing out. If he leaves a piece of the armor off, he exposes himself to the enemy and stands a good chance of being wounded, perhaps killed.
In spiritual warfare, the enemy of the Christian soldier is Satan himself. The enemy is the devil and his strategies. In verse eleven the word “wiles” mean the deceits, craftiness, trickery, methods, and strategies which the devil uses to wage war against the believer. He will do everything he can to deceive and capture the believer.
There are the strategies that appeal to the lust of the eyes. Satan will see to it that something crosses the eyesight of the believer, something that is very appealing to the flesh and pride of life:
* some delicious food
* some attractive person
* some person who is exposing the body
* some possessions: clothing, land, cars, homes,
* some position
* more authority and power
Satan will present something to the eyes that is so appealing, the believer is doomed unless he is clothed in the FULL ARMOR of God. Satan will entice the believer to eat the second helping, take the second look, but the unneeded possession, begin to selfishly seek more power and more position. Satan will use all of the strategies he can to appeal to the flesh and make and pride of the believer. We must never forget that Satan is not a fiery red person with horns, a pointed tail, an a pitch fork in his hands. He is a living being in the spiritual world… a being who is transformed into a messenger of light. And he has ministers who walk about as ministers of righteousness, but they proclaim a righteousness other than that of Christ.
I say again “BE STRONG IN THE LORD”. Your place of safety and victory.
Much Love,
Because He Is – I Am
Presider,
Servant-Leader
