Tag: armor of God

August 4 2020

The Sword of the Spirit

A. Scott Ingram Armor of God, Christian Life, Christian Life and Gospel Leadership, Gospel Leadership armor of God, Jesus 0

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
^{Ephesians 6:13-18a}

In this series on Spiritual Warfare and the Armor of God, we began by looking at the foundational pieces of our armor, which give us the ability to “stand firm.” These included the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, and the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace. Next, we turned our attention to the active battle armor which Paul commanded us “in all circumstances” to “take up.” Of these, we have already looked at the Shield of Faith and the Helmet of Salvation, and with this post we will look at our last piece of armor with the Sword of the Spirit.

The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God

With this piece of armor, Paul leaves us no doubt as to what he is talking about. He says very specifically that the sword of the Spirit “is the word of God.” I believe this includes both scripture and prophetic utterance. (*For discussion of the Greek, see my note on “rhema” vs “logos” below.)

The idea of God’s word being a sword is repeated over and over again throughout the New Testament. Most famously, we have the description given by the author of Hebrews:

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
^{Hebrews 4:12}

The idea presented is that the word of God is both His sword of salvation and of judgement. It discerns a person’s thoughts and intentions, to see if they are by faith, or sinfully motivated. This goes directly back to our discussion on the Mark of the Beast in the last post, where the mark on your head implies your thoughts while the mark on your hands implies your intentions and works.

What this means is that God’s standard for a person’s life is not a vague sense of right and wrong or culturally defined morality. Rather, everyone will be judged by the word of God, alone. This is why James writes that we must,

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
^{James 1:22-24}

If we judge ourselves by the word of God, and live accordingly by faith in Christ, we will escape His final judgement by the sword.

The Sword of His Mouth

The Bible is very clear that every word spoken from the mouth of the Lord, will be the final arbiter of justice to the world. Just listen to these descriptions of Jesus in Revelation:

Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
^{Revelation 1:12-16}

“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword…So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.
^{Revelation 2:12,15-16}

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
^{Revelation 19:11-15}

The Power of God’s Word

Reading these verses from Revelation, it is helpful to remember that not only is God’s Word the tool of His judgement, but it was also the tool of creation. In Genesis, God simply spoke the word, “let there be…” and everything was created (Genesis 1:3, et al).

John, revealing Jesus’ role in the creation story says of Him,

In the beginning was the Word (**see note below), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
^{John 1:1-3}

Paul adds that Jesus, “is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17), and Hebrews says, “he upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3).

We would do well to remember, then, that it is by the Word of God that creation was formed, is held together, and will be judged for eternity. It makes me think of the old cliche, spoken by parents to disobedient children for generations: “I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.” God’s word gives us life at creation. God’s WORD (Jesus) gives us the opportunity to receive new and eternal life in Him. And God’s word will be the final decree over the eternal destiny (or destruction) of every human.

The Sword in Our Hands

With all of this backdrop built in, we now come to understand the weight and the privilege it is to carry the Sword of the Spirit in our own hands.

The Bible makes clear that everyone who is called by God are supposed to live their whole lives in accordance to His word. They hear His word (John 8:47); they conform their lives to His word (Matthew 4:4), and they feel the unquenchable urge to speak His word to others (John 3:34, Acts 6:2). We are the ones to carry the sword in this world!

In fact, one of my favorite verses in the Old Testament is concerning the inability of God’s servant to withhold the word of God from others. Jeremiah, who was known as the “weeping prophet,” and whose ministry was marked by little to no fruit, declared his intention to stop preaching, and yet he simply could not. Jeremiah proclaimed,

O LORD, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me. For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, “Violence and destruction!” For the word of the LORD has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.
Jeremiah 20:7-9

The Sword Advances the Gospel

We said in our last post that to wear the helmet of salvation is to set our minds on joining Jesus in battle for the redemption of the whole world. Now, with the sword of the Spirit, we are actually putting our hands to the task of bringing salvation to the lost. As we go to battle with the kingdom of darkness, the sword of the Spirit is our only weapon of attack. As we share the word of God, in the present day before the final judgement comes, we do so with one main goal: to make Jesus known so people will turn to Him and be saved. This is how God’s Kingdom is established. This was the only aim of the early church!

They sought God to give them boldness to preach:

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
^{Acts 4:31}

And the result of this preaching? People turned to Jesus!

The word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
^{Acts 6:7}

Even Paul’s prayer request at the end of our passage on the armor of God is with this goal in mind:

To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel
^{Ephesians 6:18-19}

The Sword Defends God’s People

The other thing the word of God does for us, is that it offers us the ability to bring a counter attack to every scheme of the enemy. As the devil tries to penetrate our belt of truth, with his lies, we defend ourselves with the word of God. When our breastplate of righteousness is weakened by temptations and lusts of the flesh, we defeat them with the word of God. When our peaceful foundation is shaken, we defend it with the promises of God’s word. When the devil tries to get at us in any way, it is the Word of God that gives us the ability to resist him and see him flee ( James 4:7)!

This was the exact tactic Jesus used when the devil came to Him in the wilderness in Luke 4. For every attempt the devil made at Him, Jesus responded with the words, “It is written” (Luke 4:4,8,12).

Take Up Your Sword

Once again, as we “take up” the Sword of the Spirit, we must understand that this is the ONLY active weapon we have in battle. The belt, breastplate, and shoes, are for our stability. The shield and helmet are for our defense in battle, but the word of God is our only weapon to use to attack and to fight back.

As Christians who are filled with the Spirit and wearing God’s armor, we do not fight the devil by any other means or strategy. We are not called to be politicians, seeking to legislate morality among sinful men. That cannot change hearts. In the same manner, we are not social justice warriors sent to protest and bring awareness to the plight of the oppressed and poor. Jesus is their only hope for vindication and justice. His word is their only salvation.

The Kingdom of God is not a democracy, where the majority gets to rule. It is a dictatorship, led by a loving King who has already made His eternal decrees to govern everything, and it is by every word from His mouth that we will stand or fall.

To take up the sword of the spirit, you must hear His word, and let it guide you every day. You must know His word – both through the scriptures and in every promise He has spoken over your life personally – and wield it boldly as you go. It will defend you when you are under attack, leading you through the darkest moments of life and every demonic stronghold with victory. More than that, it will be used to charge forward in battle, bringing God’s promise of salvation to all those you rise up to fight for, as you take your place in the fight beside your King.

Let’s Connect

I would love to hear your thoughts, questions, and testimonies in the comment section, below, and you can also connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Parler, to continue the discussion on this post and more!

In the next post we will look at the Paul’s call to pray in the Spirit, as we wrap up this series. You can make sure to never miss another post by subscribing to my weekly newsletter below. I promise never to spam your inbox or give out your information.

Notes

*It is often said that the Greek usage of two words used for “word”, “logos” and “rhema,” tell us different things about the subject. Many argue that “logos” means the written word and “rhema” means spoken word, through the Holy Spirit and prophets. Although there is some legitimacy to this claim, there is also a LOT of overlap in scripture and other ancient Greek writings. It seems most scholars view these two terms as generally synonymous, and our case in this post is better suited not to attempt to draw heavy dividing lines. I will not make a distinction between “logos” and “rhema” in discussing the word of God in this post, because it leads to unnecessary speculation and division. When the Bible talks about the “word of God,” unless otherwise specified to be talking about the Torah, the Old Testament Scriptures, or another set of writings, it should generally be understood to mean every decree of the Lord, both in scripture and in extra-biblical prophetic utterance. [Before you get mad at me for affirming “extra-biblical revelation, remember, Jesus did and spoke many things not recorded in scripture (see John 20:30), and the expectation of the coming Holy Spirit is that He would bring more revelation of Jesus to the believers, which Jesus couldn’t speak in person (see John 16:12-14).]

**One exception to the synonymous nature of “logos” and “rhema” is that the Apostle John refers to Jesus with the formal title of “Logos,” which is intended to address Greek philosopher’s speculations on the supernatural and eternity.

Photo by Henry Hustava on Unsplash

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

July 14 2020

The Breastplate of Righteousness

A. Scott Ingram Armor of God, Christian Life, Christian Life and Gospel Leadership, Gospel Leadership armor of God, breastplate of righteousness, Christian Life 0

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
Ephesians 6:13-18a

As we continue our discussion of “spiritual warfare” and the armor of God, we have established that we have an enemy who stands against us and against Truth, seeking to destroy us. We said that Truth is not a set of provable facts. Rather, the biblical idea is that truth must also be an “experiential reality,” and that Truth has a name: Jesus. Therefore to put on the belt of truth is to live in Jesus, and let every other outside influence be filtered through Him. This belt holds the rest of our armor together. We now turn our attention to the next item in our armor: the “breastplate of righteousness.”

What is Righteousness

In the New Testament, each time the word “righteousness” is used, it comes from a Greek root which generally implies “upright conduct of a person in civil society” or “obedience to the law.” It’s general usage in Roman society was used to describe a person who kept the law, not just because it was the “rule” but out of an obligation to civil society. For instance, one lexicon says,

“In Greco-Roman tradition a (righteous) person is one who upholds the customs and norms of behavior, including especially public service, that make for a well-ordered, civilized society.”
William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 246.

Righteousness, then, is not a commitment to keep the law for the sake of the law itself. Rather, righteousness is a commitment to obey the law because we understand that our actions have direct impact on the relationship we have with others around us.

Righteousness In Relationship to God

That is not a complete definition of biblical righteousness, however. Righteousness is further understood by the people of the New Testament era, (Hebrews, Christians, and other pagan religions) as being connected directly to the legal decree of deity. In order to be considered “righteous” as a citizen of the community, your life must also be lived according to the will of that community’s deity. The New Bible Dictionary says,

“Referred to relations between men, righteous action is action which conforms to the requirements of the relationship and in a more general sense promotes the well-being and peace of the community… When we move from relations between men to those between God and men…righteousness implies a correct relationship to the will of God which was particularly expressed and interpreted by Israel’s covenant with God.”
B. A. Milne, “Righteousness,” ed. D. R. W. Wood et al., New Bible Dictionary (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 1020.

The point I want to make is that righteousness is not just the understanding that a person is “innocent” of breaking civic law. If that were the complete definition, then the Apostle Paul’s declarations of his past life as a Pharisee would have been enough. However, once he had come into relationship with the God of the Universe through faith in Jesus Christ, Paul came to understand that righteousness is not just innocence. For true righteousness cannot be established outside of relationship with the lawgiver. (See Philippians 3:4-10.)

A Real Life Example

To give a simple explanation of what I mean, let me use myself as an example. I currently live in Uganda, Africa. I am an American citizen and therefore, in order to live here, it is not just a matter of following the law. I also must go through a process of “becoming known.” In order to get a missionary visa, I must introduce myself to the government, have a background check, and explain my intentions for living here.

Having done all of that, I am now committed to living a life of “righteousness” in regards to the law AND in relationship to the government of Uganda. I am here at their pleasure. Therefore, I refuse to conduct my life in such a way to cause offense to either the law or the lawgivers of this nation.

Righteousness Requires Obedience And Relationship

As Christians, our righteousness in God functions in much the same way. Once we are in Christ, our sinful past has been cleansed. All offense is expunged from our legal record (see 1 John 1:9) and we are transferred out of the kingdoms of this world and made citizens in the Kingdom of God. Our calling to righteousness, then, is about maintaining our right to live as citizens of this Kingdom. That righteousness is two-fold:

First, it requires ongoing relationship with God Himself. We must be in relationship with Him. Then, secondly, it requires obedience to His commands. These two things are inseparable in scripture. Let me give two examples:

Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Jesus is essentially saying that if you want to declare yourself righteous by living in relationship with the Judge and Lawgiver, you must also obey the rules put in place by Him! (This has great impact for those who ascribe to the hyper-grace movement, but I do not have the space to dive into that in depth here.)

My second example is a little more involved. Jesus, speaking of the final day of judgment, says this,

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”
Matthew 7:21-23

In this passage, I believe Jesus is actually making the same statement twice. First he says that people will call Him “Lord,” which is their way of making a claim of relationship: you are my Lord, and I am Your servant. However, He says that calling Him Lord is not enough. You must do the will of your Lord. You must obey Him.

He then reverses the same idea. He says there are going to be many who come claiming to have done the will of the Lord – prophesying, delivering people from demons, and other great works of God’s Kingdom – and yet his answer is “I never knew you.” There is no relationship.

Without both — obedience and relationship — you cannot be declared righteous biblically!

What is a Breastplate

To understand how righteousness fits in the armor of God, we must also look at the purpose of a breastplate. Simply, the Greek word for breastplate is “thoraka,” from which we get our word “thorax.” This word was used by Greek speakers to discuss the trunk of the body, itself (as we would today), as well as to name the piece of armor assigned to that part of the body.

The thorax of the human body is everything between the neck and waist. It is the trunk of the body. More importantly, it is the location of all our vital organs – our heart, lungs, stomach, intestines, etc. The breastplate, then, was one of the most vital pieces of your armor, because without it, your life is vulnerable at each blow from the enemy.

You can go into battle without your shield. You can potentially survive a fight without a sword or without shoes. It may make fighting more difficult, but it is possible. However, without a breastplate, one shot to your vital organs means the end. “Game over.”

The Breastplate of Righteousness

To put it all together, then, the Bible is telling us that righteousness – relationship with God and obedience to His command – is what guards all of our spiritual vitality at the heart level. Simply, we would say that the breastplate of righteousness guards our heart. Joshua Young-Gi Hong discusses the need to wear a breastplate of righteousness when he says,

A righteous saint protects his heart from Satan’s attack. If there is an element of iniquity in our life, the devil will accuse us in front of God. Also, the devil will echo a voice of guilt in our heart, “How could you commit such a terrible sin as a child of God?” Whenever we commit a sin, the devil will try to take advantage of it to make us fall. Thus, we should not allow any room for the devil to accuse us and make us feel guilty.
Joshua Young-Gi Hong, Building a House of Prayer: 18 Prayer Models for Approaching God’s Throne, ed. David A. Womack (Alachua, FL: Bridge-Logos, 2008), 33.

The breastplate of righteousness, then follows the belt of truth in this way: We first step into the Truth, that is Jesus, by being born again through faith in Him. That faith become the filter for everything we let into our lives. Then, the breastplate of righteousness becomes an added layer of protection as we make it our heart’s goal to remain in close fellowship with the Lord and to obey his every command. We refuse to let our hearts be captured by sinful passions and demonic temptations.

In fact, the reverse is also true. Paul writes that those who live unrighteous lives actually suppress truth (see Romans 1:18)! Obedience to the Truth (which is Jesus) is the definition of righteousness (see Romans 2:8 and 2 Thessalonians 2:12).

Removing False Breastplates

This is not legalism. In fact, legalism itself is a piece of the devil’s false armor. To wear a breastplate of legalism is to attempt to protect our heart from sin outside of relationship with God. It is a form of pride working outwardly as self-righteousness. We must lay down any form of self-righteousness in order to find the protection of God’s righteousness.

The breastplate of righteousness is also not built on the foundation of our shame or self-loathing. This could lead to a breastplate of false-humility, or worse! Holding on to our past sins and condemnation could leave gaps in the true armor God intended to cover us completely.

While our own righteousness is fully dependent on Jesus Christ and His forgiveness, it must become our own identity in this world. It is a good thing to be declared righteous by Him, and to also have our actions and therefore our reputation be declared righteous by others. To be sure, we will eventually lay our crowns at Jesus’ feet, but our righteousness in Him will cover us for eternity. It is our identity.

Put On The Breastplate of Righteousness

Our goal, then, is to put off all the old self with its pride, sinful passions and desires, and all the condemnation from our past, and to daily put on God’s righteousness, given to us through Jesus Christ, as a protection for our hearts. He must be our love and our passions must be to do His will.

When our lives are lived in Truth and our hearts are guarded by righteousness, then it will be easy to put to death all that is earthly in us (Colossians 3:5), and to stand in the peace of Christ. That, of course, will take us to the shoes of the gospel of peace, in the next post.

Let’s Connect

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Photo by Henry Hustava on Unsplash

July 7 2020

The Armor of God

A. Scott Ingram Armor of God, Christian Life, Christian Life and Gospel Leadership, Gospel Leadership armor of God, deliverance, Gospel 0

In the last post I sought to explain that spiritual warfare does not begin with demonic manifestations and professional exorcists. Instead, the battle with the enemy begins in the mind. The Apostle Paul tells us that the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, and he charges us to “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (see 2 Corinthians 10:6). In his letter to the Ephesians, he picks up this same theme when he tells them:

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”
Ephesians 6:10-13

A Spiritual Enemy

In both of these passages Paul tells us that our enemy is not flesh, and therefore we cannot successfully do battle with weapons of the flesh. This is a call to grow in discernment (see Hebrews 5:14)!

In the modern world of news media and with videos recorded and distributed on every smart phone, it is the fleshly input filling our mind day-by-day that keeps us in a worldly mindset. Since we live in the flesh, we allow ourselves to be guided by the flesh rather than the Spirit, and that is disastrous.

The Lord’s command is to be in the world, but to understand that we are not of this world (see John 17:15-17 and James 4:4). We are not limited by the physical boundaries of this world, because we are united with the Lord, (1 Corinthians 6:17). We are spiritual beings, and we must learn to live from a higher place, in Christ, if we are to have success in this battle (see Ephesians 2:6, Colossians 3:1-4).

The Armor is Real

As we come to understand the spiritual reality of our own lives and that our enemy is not fighting us in the flesh, we will see that the “armor of God” which Paul speaks of is not just a symbolic metaphor or inspirational picture to guide our lives. It is, in fact, a spiritual reality which we must learn to step into each day!

I saw this explained, recently, in the book, “Deliverance and Inner Healing“, which states this fact better than I can. In the book Mark Sanford tells the story of a man called “Steve,” who:

“asked me why, for him, the armor of Ephesians 6 seemed so ineffective. Morning by morning he had asked God to outfit him with each piece, yet his tormentors’ arrows had not been extinguished.”
_{Sandford, John L, and Mark Sandford. Deliverance and Inner Healing. Chosen Books, 2008. Page 100}

Sanford goes on to explain that at the core of Steve’s issue was a “warped understanding of God’s grace” as he “was steeped in a doctrine that minimizes or eliminates the need for sanctification beyond the born-again experience. To him, therefore, the armor was no more than a magic wand to dispense with evil.” Sanford says that he had to explain to Steve that

“the armor is a literal reality and not just a metaphor… The one wearing the breastplate of righteousness, for example, is saying, ‘I don’t have to trust in my own goodness. I trust Jesus to be righteous for me.’ To wear the helmet of salvation is to say, ‘I don’t have to worry about what others think. I know who I am in Christ.”
_{Sandford, John L, and Mark Sandford. Deliverance and Inner Healing. Chosen Books, 2008. Page 101}

Stand Firm

The command, given to believer’s by Paul, is to put on the armor of God so that we can “stand firm” against every attack of the enemy. In Steve’s story, salvation was primarily about the next life. This mindset kept him in the flesh, and he didn’t see the armor of God as a literal covering for his spirit-man, which left him exposed to every “flaming dart” of the enemy in the present.

When we come to understand that right now we are living in a spiritual reality, and that every single day is a battle — that our enemy is bombarding us at every opportunity — we will finally understand the call to guard ourselves with God’s armor.

As believers living in the fallen world, we must understand that every thought that enters our head from the outside has the potential to be either empowered by the Holy Spirit or poisoned by the devil’s lies. When we listen to the Lord, “praying at all times in the Spirit,” He will guide us through life (Eph. 6:18). However, the culture has yet to be redeemed, and is still under the control of the ruling spiritual authorities. This allows “society” to be manipulated into willing evangelists for the enemy.

The Schemes of the Enemy

The world around us hits us, every day, with messages saying “God is dead;” “faith in the Bible is ignorant superstition;” “people are inherently good” and “it can’t be sin if you follow your heart.” The devil wants us to believe that mankind is the highest being in existence, and is therefore the sole determiner of morality and justice. The end result is to believe “only the strong survive” leading to the oppression of others, or to be guided by the philosophy, “just do what feels good” (see 1 Corinthians 15:32).

If we do not put on the armor of God, we will be knocked down by these subtle (and not-so-subtle) messages coming at us. That is why the armor of God, as we will come to see, is primarily a protection from the lies and condemnations of the devil.

We will see that as we wrap ourselves with the belt of truth, our armor will be held firmly in place when a false reality claims our attention. We will understand that as we put on the breastplate of righteousness, our heart is protected from the sinful desires and passions being promoted around us. We will learn that wearing the shoes of the gospel of peace will help us stand firm in a world of uncertainty, stress, and anxiety.

You are a spiritual being, and you are in a spiritual war. As you come to understand this reality, I hope you will be equipped to withstand the evil days ahead, and follow Jesus in a life of triumph over the devil and his tactics. You were set free when you were saved. Let us not return to the yoke of slavery in the kingdom of darkness. We will begin to actively arm ourselves with the “Belt of Truth” in the next post.

Let’s Connect

I would love to hear your thoughts, questions, or testimonies in the comment section.

You can also join me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Parler, to continue the discussion on this post and more!

You can also find out more about my ministry work in East Africa, and see how you can partner with us to take the gospel into the world by training leaders and planting churches at www.SozoMinistries.net.

Photo by Henry Hustava on Unsplash

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

July 3 2020

Spiritual Warfare

A. Scott Ingram Armor of God, Christian Life, Christian Life and Gospel Leadership, Gospel Leadership armor of God, deliverance, exorcism, helmet of salvation, spiritual warfare 1

For many Christians around the world, this current season of COVID19 lockdowns, political uprisings, race riots, natural disasters, religious persecution and more has led to struggles with stress, anxiety, loneliness, shame, depression, and hopelessness. These external causes are leading to major internal effects. I do not believe this demonstrates a lack of faith, in believers, as stress is a normal part of life. I do see, however, a lack of understanding among many, that we are in a season of mass spiritual warfare! By looking at these issues only from the human perspective, too many of us are not realizing the stakes, and losing the battle.

Mindset Matters

Often in our ministry in East Africa, we are called to do ministry in the realm of deliverance and exorcism. Thanks to Hollywood portrayals, it is pictures of extreme demonic possessions that many people think of when they hear “spiritual warfare.” However realistic (or not) those portrayals may be, that is actually only a small part of spiritual warfare. The battle starts well before someone gets “possessed” and manifests those extreme displays. The most basic level of spiritual warfare begins in the mind.

We should realize that the Bible has a lot to say about our mindset, and the outworking thereof. Just notice the simple commands given to believers in the New Testament:

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Romans 12:2

“…put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Ephesians 4:22-24

“(You) have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”
Colossians 3:10

More could be listed, but I believe you get the point. The way we live out our new identity in Christ and become conformed to His image is directly tied to the continual renewing of our minds.

What You Behold You Become

There is a principle in scripture which teaches that “what you behold, you become.” This is true whether we are looking at holy things or at worldly things. As something continually grabs our attention, eventually it captures our hearts, informs our desires, and then becomes our pursuit. This is why the Bible tells us to think on Holy things, and to fix our eyes on Jesus!

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Philippians 4:8

“…let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…”
Hebrews 12:1-2

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
2 Corinthians 3:18

This is the starting place for believers to win the spiritual war. The devil’s attacks come against every person with one goal in mind: to steal, kill, and destroy us (John 10:10). So we shouldn’t be thinking of spiritual warfare only in terms of demonic manifestations, curses, and witchcraft. His schemes are much broader and much more crafty than that. If the enemy can capture our minds with false idols, fear and anxieties, or ungodly pursuits, he knows he can get a foothold in our lives.

Spiritual Warfare Begins in the Mind

The devil’s first front of attack is your mind. He wants to put thoughts in your head which lead to stress, anxiety, fear, etc. Just as he led Adam and Eve to doubt what God had spoken and led them in temptation to eat the fruit, He ultimately wants to take your eyes off of Jesus and all the promises of God over your life, and lead you into a place of distrust. Just look at every message coming your way from the world on any given day. The avenue doesn’t matter: news media, social networks, community gossip, political messaging, television and movie themes. The world system is designed to lead you to doubt the Word of the Lord, and turn your faith away from Him. As I have said many times, fear is faith in the devil rather than God. The same is true of anxiety, depression, hopelessness, etc.

The good news is that the Lord has given us the ability to withstand every one of these mental attacks which comes from the enemy! The better news is that it doesn’t require us to engage in facebook arguments or march and counter-march in major social movements. It simply requires us to bring every thought into submission to Him.

“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”
2 Corinthians 10:3-6

Once our minds are free from the devil’s mental and emotional attacks, we are free to step into the battle ourselves by intercession and prayer, and then acting on whatever the Holy Spirit speaks to us to do.

We Must Prepare Ourselves for Battle

When the Apostle Paul was giving his final charge to the church at Ephesus, he wanted them to be equipped for every form of spiritual warfare that would come their way. He warned them that this battle was going to come against them all, and that they must be prepared for battle.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”
Ephesians 6:10-13

Just like the Ephesian believers, I believe the greatest thing we can do as Christians today is to wake up every morning and make sure we are clothed in the full armor of God.

The Armor of God

As we enter this new blog series on spiritual warfare, this will be our aim, to dismantle the false armor the enemy wants to trick us into wearing, and to replace it, each day, with the armor God gives us to protect our mind, our emotions, and our actions in the world. Over the next few weeks we will look in detail at each piece of God’s armor and how it protects an aspect of your being:

My prayer is that by the end of this series, you will stand victorious over your fears, anxieties, depressions and hopelessness, in this current season and beyond. May God give us the grace!

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Click here to go to part 2: The Armor of God.

Photo by Henry Hustava on Unsplash