BASIC MILITARY TRAINING FOR EVERY BELIEVER (4)
Basically, everything I have written in the last three blogs has been introductory, and I trust it has created a desire in you to not only know more, but want to learn how to use THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD in such a way that you learn to be totally protected from every attack of the enemy.
Do you remember when you were born again? for many Believers it was like “heaven on earth” for weeks and perhaps even months, and then there was a “crash” of some kind and you began to feel you had lost THE JOY OF HIS SALVATION Psalm 51:12 NLT
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.
Many people think that the first few weeks are a Job experience and God puts a hedge around a new Christian Job 1:10, then a part of the hedge comes down, Job 1:12, then in 2:4-6 more of the hedge comes down; there is no reference to say the fence was ever put back up.
God did this to INCREASE JOB Job 8:7 NLT And though you started with little you will end up with much. We see this is fulfilled in Job 42:12-13 NLT. So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters.
It is a fact that as we “grow in grace”, we become more useful to God and therefore more dangerous to the devil. As our relationship with God is deepening the enemy is envious, as he lost this when as Lucifer the archangel he rebelled against God.
So, the reality is as you grow in God the more costly it becomes, opposition increases, that is why we need to put on THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD.
When the Children of Israel were in the wilderness, they had the “Pillar of Cloud” by day to protect them from the desert sun, and the “Pillar of fire” to keep them warm by night. Plus the manna and the quail and water. These all stopped when they entered the Promised Land. Opposition increased, there were giants in the land, but also awesome grapes.
We know a baby eagle will never learn to fly whilst it is in the nest, but to mature and grow the chick must be kicked out of the nest and this forces it to learn to fly.
In Ephesians 6:12 NLT For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. there is a hoard of enemies contending against the Believer and the Church, and in my lifetime, I have sure seen :
The increase of spiritism, and witchcraft
The increase of false doctrine, and massive deviations from the truth.
Paul says no Christian will be able to stand unless he puts on THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD, all 7 pieces are essential.
When a part of the hedge comes down, we must recognize what God is doing, find out what piece of armour I need, and put it on and use it.
The devil has no new tricks, the way he attacked Adam and Eve is the way he attack us. He loves to sow doubt in our minds.
Genesis 3:1 Has God said
Genesis 3:4 You shall not die
Genesis 3:5 You shall be as gods.
The devil is a master at sowing doubt, he must have sowed doubt among the angels to cause a third of them to defect. In that perfect environment he was able to sow doubt, we must learn to recognize his tactics and stand against them.
He attacked the mind, then he attacked the emotions “the fruit looked good to eat”. Then Adam and Eve made a decision of their will to take the fruit. See the devil’s plan,
attack the mind
stir the emotions
weaken the wil
Has the devil ever sowed doubt about your Salvation and as you listened to him and and began to think about his reasoning, and then start to “feel” you are not saved?
We have previously quoted 1 John 5:13 NKJV These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
WE NEED TO CONFESS WHAT WE KNOW
1.You know you have a desire to keep His commandments 1 John 2:3
2. You know you have a desire to be like Jesus 1 John 2:6
3.You know you have a new love, you love the things you hared 1 John 2:15
4. You know you have a righteousness not of yourself 1 John 2:29
5.You know you have a love for the1 brethren 1 John 3:14
6. You know you are saved because the Word says so 1 John 5: 1,11,12
God has given us an awesome armoury of weapons to contend with these doubts, I recommend you meditate on the the above, and we will look at all the ways that are available to us to take the helmet of salvation in the next blog.
