Preface: The following was transcribed from verbal teachings given in a small home fellowship setting in April-May 2016 by our pastor Terry Smith, who finished his course and went home to be with the Lord on April 25, 2017.

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 
    Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
    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.
    Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
   Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 
    And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
   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, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
   And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
   For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”  Eph. 6:10-20

INTRODUCTION: Introducing the need for the armor is preceded by being told about the enemy and the reality of that and the persistence of Satan and his army. “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” That’s the very reason he’s saying to put on the armor of God because Satan doesn’t sleep and innocent people get hurt. That’s what the battle is all about. That’s preceded by: like it or not, you’re in it and you’re going to get hurt – that’s the enemy and he doesn’t give up. If the fight isn’t to the death then you aren’t in it, you’re not walking with the Lord. We’re really good at walking in our own world. Jesus is telling us that we should be in the thick of it. This is forever living. He’s saying you have to put on the whole armor of God.

The whole Church has dumbed this all down, by the gospels of the world, the false gospels, the accuser of the brethren (Satan himself), and our own flesh. Our own worldly flesh, the desires of man, and the humanistic gospel has dumbed it all down to make it like this isn’t a battle. If you’re walking with Satan, he isn’t going to get you. If it hasn’t been dumbed down then the bombs should be falling all around you. So you better get your helmet and your armor on. Satan will only bomb you if you’re his enemy. Satan is always there and you can’t forget this for one millisecond or you will be doing his bidding, and there’s no way of knowing him except if you are being led by the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Satan knows you better than you know yourself, and if you don’t have your armor on he’ll be able to use you. That’s why God himself is saying put on his armor. Brotherly kindness is one of the things we must have with Jesus. Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the whole armor that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” It isn’t you – put Him (Jesus) on. Jesus Christ is our helmet of salvation. You have to do what God is saying, and that is to put Jesus on. You can’t believe in yourself, you have to put on Jesus Christ. That means I’m going to listen to Jesus in everything.

To put on armor is life forever! You can’t believe it unless you put on the armor of God. It’s all about eternal life!! Which you know nothing about except through Jesus Christ. It’s a matter of life and death. We can stand in what is really real, but it has to be through Jesus, and he can bring truth and reality to it, but he can’t get through to everybody because they won’t listen.

We must walk in the Spirit, deny ourselves! If you’re not walking with Jesus you’re an easy mark for Satan.

The world is trying to tell us we should all just be able to get along and that everybody’s got a good heart. When the Bible says “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jer. 17:9

One of Jesus’ plans is to deliver us of all our fears and we need to let him do this, whenever anything comes along that you’re afraid of and you want to do something about. What if you’re afraid that you’re a no good person that could never do anything about anything? Ask the Lord to deliver you of all your fears even about yourself.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” Prov 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning knowledge.” Prov.1:7 So if the Lord tells you that a preacher is no good you better believe Him. You have to be afraid of being on the other side of God’s will. Not afraid of anyone else. Be delivered from that to Him.

When it comes to the “mark,” that’s when people will be found out. People in the Church are flirting with the worst eternity they could ever get. Jesus’ Father did send Him to give us all fair warning. We will all be without excuse and Jesus does say to them go to where you belong. You didn’t care about anybody but yourself.

Awake and Christ will give you light and life! “Awake O Zion and Christ will give you light”. Christ can show you what is really going on, every minute of every day. We do have liberty in Christ, and it has nothing to do with you. You better listen to Jesus and let him do the talking and lead you around. So put on the armor of God. It’s the only way to be defended from Satan and to fend him off. It’s a battle, we have to know what’s going on and what to do about it when we’re under assault, and you won’t know where things are coming from. Satan can’t overcome you if you keep the armor on. Jesus can help us and tell us what to do and when to do it when we have His armor on. And there’s no overcoming temptations without Jesus and the armor.

It’s really advisable to listen to what Jesus says because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowing what’s going on. You should fear not hearing from the Lord! It comes down to “Do what you’re told.” Jesus kills the whole army of the world with the sword of his mouth!

Everybody’s will has to be flopped over; otherwise, we’re stubborn asses, which is Witchcraft. It’s working against God’s reality and trying to make their own reality instead of believing what God says reality is. A deceiver- that’s what your heart is, and it’s worse than that- who can know it?

LOINS GIRT ABOUT WITH TRUTH

“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth” Eph. 6:14

What is the reality of what this should be in us now? What does it mean spiritually with me? Things seen and unseen, what does it mean? We better consider it deeply, it better be a reality in our life!!

We get pushed away from things that are not reality. In terms of reality, this earth is not going to be my final destination. We must act on this and believe. So climate change and all that, is not what it’s about. The whole earth and heaven are going to be rolled up like a scroll. This is why we have to know what the reality really is. That’s what prophecy is for!

The world says we can all love one another. That’s not reality. Mother Teresa didn’t even know if God existed when she was dying. The world doesn’t even know about reality, so why am I going to believe what the world says about reality? If we don’t ask God about things we won’t know what reality is, that’s why we follow the Spirit.

We must STAND and put on these 6 pieces of Armor. The first thing is to stand, having our loins girt about with Truth! Our loins are what comes forth from us. It’s where life comes from and where we relieve ourselves from. It’s where ideas, manipulations, and intimidations come from.

Gird your loins about with Truth. Truth is whatever Jesus Christ says because Jesus is the way the light and the Truth. Jesus says “I am the Truth”. Whatever Jesus has been or ever will be or has above him or below him and whatever exists- He is The Truth. Anything that isn’t what He says and does and believes isn’t truth, it’s something else. He is the sole proprietor, owner and doer and active light of Truth. And all the big implications of that is; you mean I haven’t been taking everything that I ever thought, that I ever hoped for, that I ever dreamed, that I was ever told, that I actually used and it worked, and every single thing and take it to him and empty out my pockets and say is that truth? Is it right? Truth also means correct, proper, real, pertinent, stable, everlasting, can’t be destroyed; it’s indestructible. If Jesus says this is not going to last, then it’s not going to last. The Truth will live and everything that isn’t the Truth won’t live. He’s told us the truth about hell. You really don’t want to go there. To gird something is to cinch it up. Make sure it’s tight. So make sure the Truth is around you tightly.

We’re talking about what you actually effect pertaining to life. Jesus is talking to people who are the Bride of Christ! Put on the armor because you have just become the #1 target of Satan. That’s where we are. Awake and let Christ give you life.

Should we not be edified that this is the first thing where everything starts? He’s made man so that we can bring forth life, and we do and it’s not just flesh and carnal – it has to be the Truth.

Girding your loins with Truth, this is one of the places Satan will continue to attack you. He would love to turn you into some kind of a pervert. It’s a crucial place for him to attack. So it’s important to understand it and protect the Truth. Satan will be after this vulnerable spot all the time. He’ll use our ignorance and try to get us to lose our balance. We must stay with the drill sergeant, Jesus. We must get up and stand because this is a fight. You can’t be a coward. You have to keep going to him because you’re going to be needing him all the time. We need everything that is right to issue forth from us. We are in his army. He saved us and he’s brought us to this. But we have to be 100% about Jesus. We must drop ourselves because we are our worst enemy. At the end of the day, Jesus has proven that He loves me.

People should even sleep in their armor because Satan never sleeps. So put on the armor and keep it on. Be humbled to know that if it’s not for the protection of God and Jesus Christ being with us, the only other option we have is to perish or go over to the other side. Don’t ever give yourself any credit for standing against Satan, Jesus has to do it. Don’t chicken out. Jesus has to save us every second. The times we are living in are so tricky.

THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

“and having on the breastplate of righteousness;” Eph 6:14

The breastplate protects our vitals and life, seen and unseen. Not just life here. Life is the whole ballgame and righteousness is as unto a breastplate which protects my vitals from being attacked. The breastplate is righteousness. It protects our heart, of which we need a new one and our lungs which God breathed life into.

Adam and Eve were with God, and it is incomprehensible how they could believe Satan and eat the apple. That’s why it’s so critical to just believe God’s Word! When we become born again we need a new heart.

Fundamentalism is synonymous with self-righteousness, which is the opposite of righteousness. We must understand what the full armor is so that we can put it on as God is commanding us! These things are so vital. We have to grow in this and not be ignorant, know how it works absolutely and to live it. We are not righteous, it’s God’s righteousness and it’s believing God and knowing that He will do what He says.

The Lord gave us Proverbs 13 because it’s essential for these end days and what’s going on now. In Proverbs 13, righteousness is always contingent on The Word. I don’t like memorizing scriptures because I don’t want to get in the Lord’s way. It’s about what’s pertinent in that moment – it’s the living word and it’s a universe.

The place to begin is at Proverbs 13:5 “A righteous man hateth lying:”  A righteous man hates anything that isn’t truth. Jesus is the truth so anything contrary to him is a lie. Jesus will tell us what the truth is. So we are in the world where lies are, but we must be seated in heavenly places.

Proverbs 13:6 “Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way:”  We must stay upright in Jesus for Jesus is the way. Wickedness is anything that is not “straight and narrow.”

There is great irony in verses 7 & 8. We have to put in a real effort to listen to God because we don’t know this. Walk in it. You have to do this before you understand it. Proverbs 13:7 “… there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.” He “maketh” is important here, the world is eating people alive. Verse 8: “The ransom of a man’s life are his riches:” The “mark”– you can’t buy or sell without it. This is the breastplate of righteousness, wear it. We are walking in realms that are unknowable but God can reveal it to us. “Riches” equals ransom for your life. “…but the poor heareth not rebuke.” “Poor” is the ransom that will give you life. It’s about not having investments in this world. We must make ourselves poor, to buy into any of these lies in these end days ends with the mark. We will perish if we do not get these things about the armor.

Read about Samuel and Saul. Everything that Samuel did, He trusted God.

FEET SHOD WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE

“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”  1 John 2:16

Lust of the flesh: an example of that is “Am I going to have a really good sub for lunch?” There is no escaping this. This is the lust of my flesh. Scriptures have taught us what the “flesh” is and it’s bigger than I can reach. It covers the whole deal. Even if I get into a plane and fly to another country it still wouldn’t cover the extent of the lust of the flesh.

Lust of the eyes: This is how stuff gets into us, through our eyes. That’s what the scriptures tell us. There’s no escaping that unless you poke out your spiritual eyeballs. Which if you’re actually walking with Christ, you can do that. There’s not one second in which I’m not confronted with the lust of the eyeballs vs. the spiritual eyes.

Pride of life: This is where your tiny brain explodes. This is anything about life here that I have pride in and I seek to have pride in. It’s acted out all the time. “I just want to be proud of my son”. What’s wrong with that? In fact, all the pressure is that you should be working for that and hoping for that. Why? Because this helps you fit in here, right? I’m getting along fine here now. That’s just one of the big chicken scratches of the pride of life that people want. This is big and even big is too little a word to use here because this is the whole vast deal.

These three things are all-consuming, all the time, because of all that is in the world. These are not of the Father, but it is of the world. So God is telling us He’s not in on the world, but He is with me. God does state “I will be with you,” but not there. Go figure huh? I’m just thinking this thing through right? So what should I conclude? That if I am with God, I’m actually somewhere else, not here. Doing what is here. What again is here? God says what the world is doing to you. He’s saying what’s squeezing you in. This is being pressured on me. And the apostle John is just informing us that this is what the world is doing to you, there’s no escaping it. It’s a huge effective problem on us all. The elements are again; the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and the pride of life. It’s a big thing affecting your life. So if God asked you what this is all about, you can sum it up in one-word…life. Jesus says, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10. God came to give us life first because we were dead, we didn’t have life in us. The world doesn’t have life, Jesus Christ does. The Father gave him life and said you are life itself. You give life and if it’s not from you, it’s death, it’s nothing. So that’s what we’re dealing with every second this body is alive. The Lord is identifying the real problem we have and we better put on the armor against this.

The third thing is “You must have your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” The first image there is your feet. That’s an image of being in the world, which is all over you trying to get you to live in a dead place. You have to fight against this every minute of every day and people don’t fight against it, they’re into it. You have to have mobility; you cannot be paralyzed with fear. Your feet need to be shod with the gospel of peace. It’s about peace with God, not peace with this world. Get your feet shod with this so they can have peace with God, that’s all this is. This armor is to get us to protect us and be mobile.

“Stand therefore having your loins Girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness
 and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;” Eph. 6:14-15

It is not the world because the world has the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and pride of life and those are death and they attack us every single moment of every day. Attack isn’t even the right word, they demand things of my spirit, heart, mind, emotions, plans, they demand everything of me and there’s one remedy; Jesus Christ – who can save us and does and teaches us how to walk in this by faith so that we are not overcome by it. He actually knows how to do this miraculous thing where I walk in this world, yet I live in peace with him. And there’s no peace with the world and we can’t be down with it ever. Otherwise, we’re going to be condemned except we walk with him because he’s the only one who can minister to us so we’re not condemned.

People can’t be saved by good works. They can only be saved by faith in truth, which is Jesus Christ himself, it’s no other God, it’s no other thing. It’s Jesus Christ since he knows what he’s doing. We must humble ourselves before God.

I like the way it’s said, “be shod with the preparation of the gospel”. He didn’t say you put down the plan because you don’t know, but be shod with the preparation because he’s the one that can do it. It’s all faith. What you have to do is believe and do. The only way to survive is to get out of the world and Jesus Christ says you can be out of it, if you will take on the armor and follow me, I will be there. Jesus has no place else to go, He will be with you every second. This is a war and it doesn’t let up. Satan doesn’t sleep, he doesn’t have to sleep and he’s not going to let up.

Just like we have to walk outside the world, that’s where the pride of life is, we’re here and it’s all hammering away at us all the time and it means business and it’s effective, it’s hard. This is the hardest thing for somebody who’s putting on the armor because you’ve got to walk in this world and somehow be defended against it because it’s way bigger than you’ll ever be here and it’s inescapable. You cannot escape it. It just pushes everybody in the world around and they don’t have any clue of it, no knowledge of it.

Integrity is also essential to having your feet shod with the preparation of peace, it’s having a love of the truth. It’s desiring to hear from the Lord and doing what he tells you to do. Like in chapter one of Jeremiah when God asks him what he sees, and Jeremiah tells God exactly what he sees, then God’s asks him a second time to make sure Jeremiah had integrity. And the Lord is well pleased with him and knew he could use him, and that’s what God desires of us.

“Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.
   Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.
   And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof [is] toward the north.
   Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.” Jer 1:11-13

To sum up, the third one, to have your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. I know that is a very complicated sentence, but I know God explained it directly. And He’s told us that we’re in the world so ruminate over those, have some integrity. The lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and pride of life, it’s what we want. It’s what the flesh needs, wants and cannot escape and there’s only one remedy for it. Walk with your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. That means to believe that Jesus Christ is the only solution and he’s the one with the way out of lusting after this world. You can’t possibly escape, that’s what this world is. Drinking in everything that you can see, every influence, every spirit and thirsting after these things, that’s what comes here. There’s only one remedy, you better walk with Jesus Christ, you better get your feet shod. And you better walk too! You have to do the whole thing. For the preparation of the gospel of peace which is Jesus Christ himself. That’s His Truth about what peace really is, and it ain’t here! So you have to walk in the Spirit here and go to that. You have the gospel of peace. Peace for your goal is to escape the lust you’re going to be drinking in. It surrounds you and it’s got you all in. The only way to possibly escape it is to put on the armor and to breathe in Christ.

The Lord is using Jeremiah to show us, just do what he tells you, and when He tells you something and shows you something, then you know it. Don’t fudge on that, don’t backpedal on it, don’t do anything, but put that on, as your traveling shoes and that’s what you’re standing in, and walking in, that’s what you’re going with. That’s what your expectations are. It’s the Truth, and integrity is walking in the Truth. Being that, doing it, expecting that, hoping in it knowing that it’s not here. And that God is honest, he understands the truth that I’m living here. He hasn’t said he wants me to live on a cloud. Only he can orchestrate things, and make things so that I can understand that I’m living in two realms. One is material and one is the expectancy of God’s perfection. That we can walk in that by faith even now. If we simply do what he says it will be pointing us to our salvation. Therefore we need to be armed, we have to put the armor on because this is a fight. Behind us we’re getting attacked and we’re just engulfed in this and that’s a reality but ahead of us we have to have the armor so we can be living in a realm by faith that we haven’t experienced yet except in the spirit, except by God’s protection by his allowing us to walk and remain alive and be healthy in Christ, in the Truth. We have to put on the armor: it’s an active thing and anything short of doing it properly, by seeking the Lord and having him do these things, is a lack of integrity and therefore is no integrity. God wants to be able to count on us because God isn’t making robots. God even tested Jeremiah. He told him I don’t want you to show up crying about this and that and the other thing and having second thoughts and being scared of telling people stuff. If you do, I’ll make it so you just don’t know what’s going on, you’ll be completely out of it and you will regret that. And Jeremiah showed up more than once and said I don’t want to do this anymore. God said fine but next time you see me coming you better run because you won’t know anything, and Jeremiah said, “well on second thought…” And a lot of it was a bummer for Jeremiah.

SHIELD OF FAITH

“Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” Eph. 6:16

God chooses the weakest vessels (you can’t do it, you don’t have the courage or strength, you’ve got to go to Jesus, he’s got to do it) to prove that Jesus Christ is the only real strength that can do it.  You’ve got to fight, you can’t be a gutless worm because our enemies are not going to stop. It’s not bravado on your part, it’s trusting in the Lord by faith. You can’t say let’s just all get along and not make waves with others. You have to stand up for the truth and take measures to protect yourself against all the fiery darts of your enemies and know that God is on our side. He will take care of you. He will protect you if you do what he says.

When David was a young lad his father told him to bring water to his brothers who were on the front lines battling the Philistines. When David got there he couldn’t believe that people wouldn’t do anything about Goliath blaspheming God. David was mad. So he (by faith) told King Saul that he would go and kill Goliath. Mockingly, Saul said to David, ok boy, put on my armor and it was too big for David so he took it off. Then he chose 7 stones (7 being the number of perfection), knocked him out, took out Goliath’s sword and cut his head off. Courage is someone who has no chance to win but trusts the Lord and fights his battles.  After his victory, his brothers were pissed off at him, they hated him for it. To exonerate themselves they had to accuse him of bravado but David did it by Faith.

Goliath (standing for The World) says to us what are you going to do about it? The world bullies us into conceding to it and we cave in. What can we do? We can rely on God to stop this. Take a stand to no longer accept the bullying of the world. The world is powerful and will mess you up. It doesn’t care one bit about you. When you go against it, then it cares and wants to stop you. You need Jesus to save you from the world, your flesh, and Satan.

“FAITH comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” Rom 10:17

Our Pastor had a dream when he was young in the Lord. He saw two David’s, and they looked exactly the same but he knew that one was a fake called “Sucker Tanner”. He knew who the real David was, by the spirit revealing him, and began to fight the Lord’s battles with David. Then the Lord said to him “Judge, judge, judge.” Judge righteous judgments and don’t go by appearances. God and the world are at enmity against each other and we have to deal with that, it’s always a conundrum. Jesus (who is the truth) will let us know what is going on, we can rely on him.

When Satan was tempting Jesus, he could have asked the angels to come and rescue him but he had to rely on God and he had the courage for that. He knew God wins.

“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
   Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:4-5

Anyone who is born of God (born again) has to overcome the world, and if one has overcome the world than they are born of God. If you haven’t been born of God you won’t ever overcome the world. The person that walks it can overcome because he believes in Jesus. I have to be in him. He is everything to me and for me. He is every part of the armor of God that has to be put on. Jesus is the only one that can defeat sin and death.

What can’t overcome the world? Do gooders, politicians, those trying to bring peace to the world, trying to straighten out the world, and self-righteous religious people to name a few. We are told in the scriptures to live in the world but not be of it. The basest of men are the ones in power in this world.

“Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.” Habakkuk 2:4 Satan is against this and is an enemy of it. We shall suffer persecution in this life just like Jesus and all the great men and women of faith. We have to have courage and faith in God.

An example of a person that was afraid yet lived by faith was Moses. He was afraid to talk to Pharaoh, so God sent his brother Aaron to help. Moses still had to go before Pharaoh and perform the judgments that God told him to do at the peril of his life. He trusted God to deliver him from the hand of Pharaoh because God told him he would. He didn’t presume it, God spoke it to him and therefore he could have faith to do what he had to.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
For by it the elders obtained a good report.” Hebrews 11:1-2

When God was outraged at the Jews for their idolatry, He asked Moses to separate the idolaters from amongst them and commanded that they be killed. The Levites stood up and had to kill their idolatrous brethren because it had to be done. As a reward for their obedience, the Levites got to serve the tabernacle and be provided for by God.  “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” John 3:36

“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17  Live faith to faith in every situation. I have to seek it all the time. Faith comes to me by hearing from God what he speaks to me. The world and my flesh need to be fended off. We can’t get faith from psychology, philosophy, political people, etc.

“But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.  And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.” Gal 3:11-12 You have to love God above all else. You can’t live by the law, it’s not faith. The Holy Ghost has to apply the word to us, it’s not my ideas about what the word says or me applying the word to a given situation, it has to be given to me by the Holy Ghost.

A few final words about faith. The word says “…for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Heb 14:23 That is worthy of pondering. If we take matters into our own hands or do anything other than what the Holy Ghost tells us, that is sin.  You wonder “How do I get faith?” Through God’s word. You have to go to him to make sure you hear from him and do what he says. God mostly uses his word to speak to us but he also gives us dreams and has things happen in our lives to speak to us. As you mature in him you will be able to detect his way of speaking to you and what he uses that’s personal to you. If you’re a sports fan God can use sports things, if you garden, he will use that. Whatever he uses must conform to his word. For example, I was sowing seeds in my garden when I was young in the Lord, and I was planting one seed in each hole exactly spaced out according to the directions, and the Lord said to me “Joelle you have to sow more seeds, not all the seeds will grow.” Then he brought to my mind the parable of the sower of the seeds, and I understood the parable more perfectly because the Lord was explaining it to me in a way I would receive it in the moment that I needed to understand it. That’s just one example of how God speaks to us. He can use anything – we have to be looking to him all the time, ready to receive. Here is a warning from God. “Now the just shall live by faith: But if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.” Heb 10:38 I have seen people draw back from God after walking with him and you don’t want to do that. 2 Peter 2:20 says “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.” People actually do walk away from God and perish, I’ve seen it amongst people I have known. Many preachers have done it: James Baker, Jimmy Swaggart, and Benny Hinn to name a few. Salvation is something that has to be walked in till the day you die. It’s not “Once saved, always saved” as is preached in the church today. You can lose your salvation if you’re not wise.So take up the SHIELD OF FAITH “Wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” Like Abraham, Isaac, David and other great saints live your life from faith to faith, clinging to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith.

HELMET OF SALVATION

“And take the helmet of salvation,” Eph 6:17

“For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Cor 2:16

To cover your mind we are instructed to get the mind of Christ about everything. It really is possible to have the mind of Christ and utilize it and walk in it. God does try to get through to us. We need to want to know what Jesus has to say so that we don’t get our brains blown out by the world, Satan, or by walking in the vanity of our own minds. You can only do destructive things if you don’t go to Jesus.

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;
  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” 2 Cor 10:4-5

The Holy Ghost needs to teach us, but if you think you know, it’s all over and you can’t see. If you say “I don’t know,” now you can learn. The Holy Ghost can and does teach us. Everything has to be worked in us. We don’t have any knowledge, love, patience, etc. until it is built in us by the power of the Holy Ghost [which you can read in the Invitation Section on Prepared – Holy Ghost as Personal Guide and Built Into The Divine Nature].

The fruits of the spirit will grow in us by listening to and doing what Jesus says. There are levels that need to be built on faith. God wants to build things in us quickly it doesn’t take years. Drop your ideas and go to him and he will tell you what is going on and what to do. A wise person will do it so they don’t get cut down by Satan. You must wear the armor all the time, if you don’t, God will not protect you. You need to give things you think to God; if not, Satan will use that against you. If you don’t do this you will be denying the power of Jesus Christ saying he couldn’t do it for me. You will succumb to Satan, the world, and your flesh.

Jesus died on the cross for us. Your salvation has been bought with his very own blood so that you can walk a perfect life here (which is just doing the Father’s will). Keep that part of the helmet of salvation on your mind as you walk through the trials of this life. Think about the examples of the saints that have gone on before us that have achieved victory from all their enemies, proving God is true. He will cover you if you do his will. But don’t think that it’s going to be a piece of cake here; consider the biblical testimonies of what other saints have gone through as examples of what to expect in this world and what Satan will do to you, but know that Jesus promises that we too can overcome just like he did. He also had to overcome the wiles of Satan. He fought against the false religion of Israel (his very own people and also family members) and all the pressures of the world. That is why he is our Savior. He had to overcome, so that we, through his guidance and the power of the Holy Ghost, can walk in truth and overcome all our enemies. So keep that helmet on and get your Savior’s mind on everything, and you will be walking in salvation all the time.

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Phil 4:13

SWORD OF THE SPIRIT

The only offensive weapon that we do have in this deadly fight.

“and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” Eph. 6:17 

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Heb 4:12 It says this about everyone; the word of God gets to everyone, it covers every aspect of the human creature. Jesus is supposed to be living and abiding in me. He is the Word of God. The Word of God has life in it and it’s Jesus and He has overcome death.

The Word of God can have a powerful effect on our lives if we let the Holy Ghost apply it to our hearts and mind. It can divide my soulish, earthly, fleshly life and give me true spiritual life that has real eternal power. I can be changed from being a slave to sin and lusts to having great freedom to live a perfect life in Christ. The Truth (which only comes from Jesus Christ) does set me free in every situation that I am dealing with on any given day. It doesn’t come from me, it has to come from Jesus revealing the truth to me. That is the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God, which is the only weapon in the armor of God that we have as Christians.

God’s word is a universe. The only way to know it is to live it. God says heaven and earth will pass away but His Word will never pass away. What He says is that it will never become unuseful; forever, it’s eternal. Jesus is the Word and he lives forever, He is life, He is everything. The Word will never become obsolete. It’s never going to pass away.

We are a tri-part person, body, soul, and spirit. The soul, and spirit are different parts and God’s word is designed to separate them. We need the Lord to show us the truth about this fact. We need to respect this and acknowledge it and the forces of Satan attacking all of it. Living soulishly robs you of the spirit and life. You end up doing good works, which God hates. If it’s about good works why did Jesus come? A lot of false religion is born out of man not knowing anything about being a tri-part person. Men thinking we can do something or being self-righteous on our own.

My soul wants to keep my spirit dead. It’s a conflict within me. Without life in me I am one royally messed up dude. I can’t even know this without life coming in to show me. Jesus Christ needs to be life in me and I must allow him to kill things in me. I have to be all in. Jesus gives me the tools to do this, which is the Holy Ghost, so we have no excuse not to succeed.

The scriptures say “For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”1 Cor 2:16 Prayerfully reading and considering the scriptures with the Holy Ghost, we can get Christ’s thoughts on what he thinks and wants us to do.

It’s very helpful for us to keep this particular scripture in our back pocket all the time. It tells us what Jesus Christ will do for me as my saviour:  

“For he put on righteousness (rightness, truth, no bull, the truth contingent on The Word- Jesus) as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.
   According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.
   So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.” Isaiah 59:17-19

Jesus is our Messiah and He will recompense our adversaries and take vengeance, it’s not up to us to do this. We need to stand up and fight for the truth but God says vengeance is his.

Satan and his demons are our greatest enemy “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.” Eph 6:12 It is so important to be delivered from your heritage and the traditions of your fathers. [You might want to read You Can Have a Whole New Heritage in Christ]

In Mark 5:1-20 Jesus gives us a very serious demonstration about the battle that we will always be in.  There was a man that was so demonically possessed that he lived in the tombs. In truth the man was dead of any true life and unable to be with anyone else. He was a tortured and tormented soul by very real and powerful demons and Jesus had compassion on him. Without Jesus that man was going to hell. There was no way he was going to be freed from the demons that had possessed him. Jesus was doing what his father commissioned him to do and part of his ministry is the “opening of the prison to them that are bound” Isa 61:1. I just want to take a moment to say He is still alive today doing the same works.

When questioned by Jesus the demons identified themselves by saying they are a legion that are possessing the man. In fear that Jesus would torment them (the demons) before their times they ask to be sent into the swines. They entered the swine and the swine ran into to sea and drowned. Jesus lets the spirits go into swine because it’s very symbolic of what they really are, filthy pigs. The possessed man used to beat people up that went that way. No one could do anything about it. Jesus saved the man by delivering him of all those spirits.  The people in the town were pissed off because they lost all their pigs – which was, they were more concerned about losing their money that the pigs would have brought them than for a man to be delivered and set free from demons. They proceeded to violently tell Jesus to get out of town. Jesus not caving to the pressures of the whole town delivered the man because it was God’s will. He wasn’t going to do anything else. He saved the man that didn’t deserve to be saved because Jesus had pity for him and for that reason alone the people ran him out of town. The townspeople no doubt went around spreading bad gossip about Jesus.

There are a lot of other points that can be discovered in this account but it reveals the spiritual battle that rages on and how spirits use people. Most importantly the need for us when we begin a new life in Christ, is the need to be delivered from inherited spirits from our family line and renouncing our part with demonic activity.  Whether that is a ouija board, fortune telling, astrology, walking in the vanity of our own minds, or good works just to name a few. The demons have legal claims on us that we need to be delivered from and only Jesus can deliver us from those active forces in our own being. We need to renounce those hidden things of our hearts and be delivered to Jesus Christ our saviour to protect ourselves against the wiles of the devil.

When you walk by faith you will always be battling the world, your family, friends, your own flesh, Satan and his minions. Make sure you are using your sword which is the Word of God (Jesus).

“Dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow,” Joints and marrow, your body, these have a lot to do with life. You have movement, life, communication, relationship, touching, getting feelings, being able to communicate back and forth, like love – that’s life; death doesn’t have that. That’s why some human beings are living but have no life in them, which is most people, they aren’t communicating back and forth with Jesus who is life.

We are created in God’s image. The word of God is life. It shows me things, I can’t know them without Jesus Christ showing me this. A man who dies without understanding, dies like any animal. If you don’t understand you will be dead. Hell is to be put in a coffin and have it nailed shut, never being able to react to stimuli or life forever.

We all hold onto our own precious ideas or things that we give birth to and won’t let go of them. We need to give those up and let the Lord sort them out. In all reality we look like the Hobbit’s naked, scared and greedy little guy (Gollum) holding onto things that aren’t good for us. God was so blown away when Solomon said I don’t know how to come in and go out. I don’t know anything, can you give me wisdom and everything I need to know. Because of that God said I am going to give you everything. Money,  prestige,  power etc., God said he hadn’t seen anything like that in all his days.

The word is more powerful than anything, more powerful than a two-edged sword. It’s everything, it will separate you from the things that are separating you from life. It will get you connected with life all the time. So cast all your cares upon him, for he careth for you, and pray without ceasing (which is just you asking Jesus to show you the truth and help you with everything).

“For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.” Luke 21:22 That in those days all things will be fulfilled. How much of the book of Zephaniah is about the end? God says in Zephaniah that he has had enough and says the laundry list of things that he’s fed up with. For these be the days of vengeance when all these things will be fulfilled. Vengeance is killing and hurting never to rise again.

God took Josiah out, who demanded of the people to bow down to God’s word. For that, God took him out of the day of vengeance that fell at that time. There is a day coming when everyone is getting what they have coming to them. That day is coming soon. It’s all coming to ultimate vengeance when all things will be settled. Revelation states that. Josiah got killed by an arrow, he got killed and it wasn’t his fault. He died in a lot of pain fighting the Lord’s battle. You shouldn’t belong and be getting along in this world. You need to stand and fight the Lord’s battles like Josiah and David did so you too can escape the judgement that is about to fall on the whole earth.

Some people will be put to death – but Jesus says not a hair on their head will perish; they won’t be able to hurt you. It’s not about this life, our bodies, etc.

“in your patience possess ye your souls,
    And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.
    But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
     In your patience possess ye your souls.
     And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
     Then let them which are in Judæa flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
     For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.” Lk 21:17-22

The word of God is a great sword for us, we must rely on it. He will use his Word and relate His words to us.

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Heb 4:12

Soul is a counterfeit – if you don’t let God separate this you will be very sorry.  Even our body, our wants, and the thoughts and the intents of the heart. I need to go to God to tell me the intents of my heart. God’s word is meant to expose the thoughts and intents of my heart. My body, soul, and spirit can be separated by God and His word.

You have to pick up your cross daily, we can’t just say we want to die and then it’s a done deal. It boils down to saying “I don’t know.”  Waiting to hear from God. Love God’s word; He had people write it down for us so we can learn and know what to do. He will confirm it to us. We can’t have our intentions and what we think is good. In death we are precious in the sight of God, every time we die in things. The only things Jesus cares about is God and what he wants. We should fall in love with it and know it’s the only thing that can bring life. It takes faith, you have to be a disciplined follower of Jesus, they have complete faith that He is the one. It’s a set of heart. You can’t determine what to die to, we have to be shown. Satan will accuse us. You have to stay clear of your own will. It’s a battle all the time. Daily pick up your cross and be clad in the armor. God knows this is really difficult. The Holy Ghost is our guide and tutor. He truly loves to do this for us that is why he is here.

“And that, knowing the time, that now [it is] high time to awake out of sleep: for now [is] our salvation nearer than when we believed.
   The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
   Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
   But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof].” Rom 13:11-14