04/05/2008
Jan. 01, 2006
Whole Armour of God
by Brenda Staggs
Eph. 6:10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19
[10] Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
[11] Put on the whole Armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
[12] 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.
[13] 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.
[14] Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breast plate of righteousness.
[15] And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
[16] Above all taking on the shield of faith, where with ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
[17] And take the helmet of Salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
[18] Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
[19] 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.
Dear Lord Jesus anoint me to have the utterance to bring forth this word, in the manner how you spoke it to me. Open our eyes that we may see the mysteries, that you have laid up in store for your children. Lord open our ears that we might hear what the Spirit has to say to the church. Lord make us and mold us into vessels, that you can use for your glory. I give you all honor and praise, unto your Holy name Jesus. Oh! mighty God, the creator of heaven and earth. There is nothing made that was not fashion by thy hand, or spoken by your word. We magnify you Jesus and Praise you with a everlasting praise, from our hearts and souls. Amen.
First of all, I would like to address the fact. That we are living in perilous times. Every where you look, there is evil and darkness, being manifested in broad day light. Use to, the evil doers had to do their evil deeds under the cover of darkness. Keep it hid and behind close doors. Not So! today. They do it so blatantly, and out in the open and dare you to try to stop them. The Prophets of old and prophets in the last twenty years. Have spoke to us and told of these days that we are seeing today. Back in the mid and late seventies the Lord prophecy through me and spoke of children, as young as eight, nine, ten and up would be killing each other in the streets with guns. People looked at me as if I was crazy. You never heard of such back then. We have seen this very thing for the last fifteen years or so. The bible told us that in the last days they would call evil good and good evil.
Paul said in the last day that they would not endured sound doctrine. That they would want preachers that would tickle their ears and pat them on the back. I think that it takes a Holy boldness to stand up and tell the people the truth. Jesus when he walk here on earth he continually taught the people how to live and treat one another. Most people want you to speak blessings and nothing but good things to them. Which, Jesus wants to give these things unto his people. But when their is so much sin in the church, how can you speak these things. The real saints of God they want the word no matter how rough it gets. They know when the Father chastens them that it is only for a little while then his blessings will flow. He said if he didn't chasten us that we where basterds and not his children. I say God, if I am doing something that displeases you, chasten me but not in your hot displeasure least ye destroy me. Did not King David pray this? I say preachers tell me the truth of the word of God. It might sting for awhile but wake me up out of my iniquities, that I may be made free in Jesus. The truth shall set you free! Man made doctrine and carnal, fleshly way of thinking is what keeps people in bondage. Who Jesus sets free, is free indeed.
Only the true teachings and attributes of Jesus, will carry us into a place we have not stood before. A place where, we will not lean unto our own understanding. A place we know without a doubt that Jesus is who he says he is, and nothing else shall prevail.
He did not say, your truth, my truth, or someone else's truth. There is only one truth that I know that will set men free and that is Jesus! He said: I AM, listen to this! I AM! the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. If any man brings to you another gospel, let him be accursed. I can't set you free, your greatest preacher in the world can't set you free. But PRAISE GOD! Jesus Christ the Hope of Glory that lives and abides down in me, and every true man and woman of God , that has the anointing through the word of God. God's anointing through his earthy vessels will brake every yoke and every shackle that might be in your life.
You notice, Paul is telling us to stand. He was telling us, if we are going to stand in this EVIL day and having done all to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with TRUTH. Not your carnal truth, not my carnal truth but God's TRUTH. The truth of Jesus. Hallelujah! It's the only truth that will set us free. In the days of Jesus, they wore the robes. So when they went into battle or had to run somewhere fast. They would take their garments and girt it about their lions. So that they would not trip over their own robes. So if you try to run with anything but God's word, what Jesus did for us and the price that he paid that we might have life. The only door unto Salvation, is Jesus. So, we are girding about our loins with truth. Then Paul goes on to say: to take on the breast plate of righteousness. Now, this is not our righteousness because we know that our own righteousness is FILTHY RAGS!! So after we come to Jesus and he cleanse us from our wicked ways. We become a new creature in Christ Jesus and behold ALL THINGS BECOME NEW!! He puts a new clean heart in us and renews a right spirit in us. We no longer do the evil we once done. Then he puts his rope of righteousness on us. Then we have our breast plate cover. It is important that we have each one of these items of the Armour of God on. If we are missing just one of them , then it gives a gaping hole for the devil to throw his fiery darts into. I heard a minister say that when you take something UNTO you, that you where gathering it up. He gave a reference of like when you get ready for work in the morning time. Before you go into the shower, you gather all of your garments to put on. We do this daily! So we as Christians, need to gather up each one of the pieces to make the whole garment to cover every part of us. So when you gather something you are taking or putting forth an action.
Paul says, to shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. When you go out side to go for a run you put your best running shoes on. If you did not do this, then you would get your self into all sorts of trouble. Maybe, even brake a foot or ankle. By doing this you are preparing to do this. We know that he is telling us to get the whole word of God written into the fleshly tablets of our heart. So you are making preparation. The bible tells us to Study to show ourselves approved of God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed but knowing how to rightly divide the word of truth 2nd Tim. 2:15. Paul told us also in Col.4:6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. So it must be pretty IMPORTANT to read and study the word of God for yourself. You might be all by yourself when the devil comes up against you. You might not be able, to get to your pastor or a man or woman of God to pray this thing off of you. Then that standard of God stands up in side of you and says SATAN! Get THEE BEHIND ME! I am cover by the blood of Jesus and you can't touch this! I am the property of God and you have to flee. You say this knowing without a doubt that it is true. Then he has to go!
So we see that we have to prepare our selves to carry or run with this gospel. Then Paul goes on to say most of all take the shield of faith, so that you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. When you believe in what God's word says, then your belief and God's word meets in conception and brings forth the seed of faith. Jesus told us in Matt:17:20 only a mustard seed size faith would move mountains. If you spoke to this mountain and say be thy removed. It has no choice-- now listen to this. When it hears the ring of God's voice thru your faith, then Praise God! Hallelujah! That mountain has to go! Jesus said: say to this tree be plucked up, then praise God Almighty that tree is going to be jerking it's self out of that ground. You will find this in Luke17:6. I feel this children of God, it's like fire shut up in my bones!
O K. WE have come to Jesus, each one of us does this to ask him to forgive us our sins. We believe with our hearts thru faith by grace then we are His child in the Kingdom of God. This word of Jesus is truth when we take that step we are gathering the first piece of the garment. So we are girding our loins with truth. Then when he cleanses us and puts his rope of righteousness on us then we have the breast plate of righteousness on. Therefore we have taken the second piece of the Whole Armour of God on. Then we start preparing our selves with the studying of God's word until it is written in the fleshly tablets of our hearts and minds. Then we are getting the right shoes on to run with this good news of the gospel of peace. Then we moved on to the shield of Faith. Unless we get the word of God down in our hearts that we know his word. Then it, the word of God connects with our believing it to be true. Then it conceives with the seed of the word and brings forth pure faith. We know any thing that is birth of God is pure. Paul says in Romans 10: 17 faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. So we see there is no way that the devil can trick you, if you know where you stand in God. In His Word!
Then Paul goes on to say: Take the helmet of Salvation, when the Romans put on their Armour. Well their helmets where different then anything that we might have seen. So when Paul was speaking he was a roman so he use roman metaphors. The roman helmet had a very hard cord around the very top of the head with a spike on top. To protect the top, of your head from a crashing blow from a sword. The back of the helmet had a plate that went down the back of your neck, a little ways down your top spine. This kept the sword from cutting your head off. Lets go on. O K. then it had a full face shield that protected your eyes, your nose, your mouth and your ears. So you see having this helmet on you had a complete safety for your head. Lets look at this for a few minutes. When we take the helmet of Salvation on this is how it protects our spiritual man. It protects our mind that we can ward off all the evil spirits of deception, they can not even penetrate our mind because it is cover by the blood and you know the word of God. Then when the Spirit of Truth is come he will guide us into all truth. So the veil is lifted and our eyes are open to see and know his mysteries. Our nose is protected, we only smell the sweet rose of Sharon. Which is Jesus! Our spiritual ears are protected they stay intact and are open to hear the word of truth. Jesus said: we would know his voice and a stranger we would NOT follow. He tunes our hearing to the ring of his voice. Which is our spirit man. Then our cheeks and mouth are protected that he touches our tongue and anoints our mouths to proclaim the word of truth. Then he Paul goes on and says: and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. So we see how IMPORTANT it is to read and understand the word of God. If you lack understanding, he tells us to pray that he will open our understanding. We know that when I speak about our eyes and ears being open, I am talking about our spirit, it is awaken to God's truths.
So, we see that we have to put our selves into ACTION! He did not birth us into the Kingdom to set on a pew and keep it warm. He wants us to grow daily in the word of God. By being doers and not hearers only. We see how we gather up the Whole Armour of God now. Paul said we did not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities of the air, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world. Against spiritual wickedness in high places. He goes on to say to pray always with supplications for all saints. The word of God and praying goes hand in hand. This is some pretty fervent praying sounds like to me. Praying is a door to be able to talk to God. He wants to sup with you and you sup with him. Would you want to be marry to a man or woman that never wanted to talk to you. It would be one sided and boring! don't you think. The bible tells us in James 5:16, that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. That He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. You find this Heb. 11:6. In Luke chapter 21 says To pray always that we would be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass.verse36 and verse 35 says as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. And 1st Pet. 4:18 says If the righteous scarcely be save, where will the sinner and the ungodly appear. 1st Th. 5:17 says to pray with out ceasing. It sounds to me, as if God is really sold on prayer. This is a place that we find strength in midst of our troubles, pouring our hearts out to him. It says we need to pray for one another with all supplication. We need each other in this great army of God, we will not brake rank, we will stand united in the word and Spirit of God.
Don't try to get me caught up in all the fussing and fighting, complaining and backbiting among the church. I have no time for it. I say Brother and Sister, let us pray about it. I am going on for God. We have a great harvest that is ready for the picking. We need to get ready and busy and be laboring in His great vineyard before the fruit goes to seed and rot and be good for nothing. It's time we decreased and let Jesus increase in our lives. That when you look at me, you no longer see me but Christ Jesus which lives and abides in my soul. I want to bear much fruit unto the Father whereby he may be Glorified through me. Not bearing forth my old fleshly fruits that are good for nothing but His fruits of righteousness. Love, Joy, Peace and so on. Be of good cheer and love one another as Christ love the church. Do not be ignorant to Satan's devices, set a time every day to read and study the word of God and a time everyday to pray. If you really learn of Him, you will be strong in Him. In Daniel it tells us. Them that know their God, shall be strong and do exploits. Children What A Mighty God We Serve!