Text: “Gird Thy sword upon Thy thigh, O most mighty, with Thy glory and Thy majesty.
Psalm 45:3.
“For the Word of God is quick (alive) 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 discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Hebrews 4:12.
Good morning, Spiritually armed Christian! The true, regenerate (Spiritually-quickened
and made Spiritually alive) Christian, is called to be a Spiritual swordsman
for Jesus Christ! You and I who, to any
degree, fit the definition of genuine, Bible-believing Christians, MUST seek to
become such a Spiritual swordsman and swordswoman, if we are to fulfil a
‘...reasonable service’ to the Lord God Who has redeemed us from sin, by His
Sacrifice for us at Calvary’s Cross.
There is no place in God’s army for the Spiritually unarmed soldier!
“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye
may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil. For we wrestle not 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 (a conclusion),
having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of
righteousness (Christ’s 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 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 thereonto with all perseverance
and supplication for all saints.”
(Ephesians 6:11:18)
The
Belt of Truth: Going into temporal battle wearing army
uniform trousers which have no strong belt to hold them up – would not be
advisable in any person’s guidance book for military engagement. Those trousers would be falling down around
one’s ankles in no time flat; hindering any agile movement required by the
soldier; a major hindrance to any positive fighting or engagement with opposing
military forces. It makes good common
sense for temporal armies to be fitly attired when going into serious conflict
with opposing forces.
The Spiritually armed Christian must be,
at all times, clothed in the power of God’s revealed truth. The Lord God’s words must be spoken, if we
are to overcome our Spiritual foes.
The Lord God told Moses: “Now therefore
go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.” (Exodus 4:12)
The
Breastplate of Righteousness: Christ’s perfect righteousness is imputed (put
to our account) to us when we are granted faith to believe and receive
Salvation in Christ alone. We have no
righteousness of our own – but Christ’s righteousness covers our hearts.
“Blessed is he/she whose transgression is
forgiven, whose sin is covered (by Christ’s righteousness). Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord
imputeth not iniquity...” (Psalm
32:1-2)
The
Shoes of Peace: Again, being adequately shod with
good-fitting, strong-soled, boots/shoes is a must for soldiers serving in the
armed forces of any temporal army. It is
said, ‘An army marches on its stomach' (with proper provisions), but where the
rubber hits the road – if an army is to march at all, it must have good
shoes/boots with which to march.
Spiritually speaking, we Christians must
at all times have our minds filled with the ‘...preparation of the Gospel of
peace...’, marching forth with God’s message of reconciliation between sinful
man, and a thrice Holy Lord God. True
Christians march to the tune of Eternal peace for the immortal souls of
mankind.
“Therefore being justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)
The
Shield of Faith: Down
through the historical ages of armed conflict, mankind has found tremendous
benefit in wearing a shield upon the arm with which to fend off piercing
thrusts from opposing army’s spears and
swords. The Roman legions used their huge
shields wisely and well, as they succeeded in the military conquest of most of
the then known world.
Spiritual ‘shields’ are more vital, due to
them being ‘shields of faith’, because, ‘...without faith it is impossible to
please Him (the Lord God).’ (Hebrews
11:1;6)
“Above all, taking the shield of faith,
wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (or the
Wicked one and his demons)” (Ephesians
6:16)
True Christian faith is ‘...the gift of
God not of works, lest any man/woman should boast.’ God grants us this great ‘shield of faith’,
for He calls us to do Spiritual battle with all evil. (Ephesians 2:8-10)
The
Helmet of Salvation: Eternal Salvation
from sin and all its manifestations in our fallen lives, is found in one place
only – in Christ Jesus, and through His Sacrifice of full Atonement for sin,
made for ‘His people’ at Calvary’s Cross.
Praise God for His Salvation!
“Neither is there Salvation in any other:
for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be
saved.” (Acts 4:12)
“For the life of the flesh is in the
Blood: and I (God) have given it to you (God’s elect people) upon the altar
(the Cross of Christ Jesus) to make an Atonement (at-one-ment between sinful
man and a Holy Lord God) for your souls: for it is the Blood (the sinless Blood
of Jesus Christ) that maketh Atonement for the soul.” (Leviticus 17:11)
Christ Jesus, the Son of God, grants us
His Salvation as a helmet to protect our mind from all doubt and despair; to
pay the penalty for our sins; and to grant us Eternal peace of mind with
God. Praise His Holy Name!
“Thou wilt keep him/her in perfect peace,
whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he/she trusteth in Thee.” (Isaiah 26:3)
The
Sword of the Spirit: God’s inspired
Word is the true Christian’s faithful and powerful sword – he/she can do no
effective Spiritual warfare without it, for “...faith cometh by hearing and
hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17)
Thought:
Now, prayerfully, take up your Spiritual armour, and set the battle in array!
No comments:
Post a Comment
I invite comments that are Christian in nature. All comments are moderated, and any negative submissions are deleted and never published.