- Intro
- Counterintelligence
- Strategical Planning
- Bootcamp/Operational Training
- Assembly Phase Subsections
2. Breastplate of righteousness
3. Sandals of the Gospel of Peace
4.The Helmet of Salvation
5. The Shield of Faith
6. Sword of the Spirit (Word of God)
- Combat Support (Prayer]
- D-Day (the day on which an important operation is to begin or a change to take effect.)
- Recruitment- The Great Commission
I didn't include the intro in my first post but will so in this one.
The Armor of God
Intro
Ephesians 6:10-17 New International Version (NIV)
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
12 For our struggle is not against
flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this
dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of
truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God.
18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With
this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Paul first visited Ephesus in Acts 19:1 to 19:13-20. In this chapter, you can easily see how
demonic and pagan this city was and how the citizens were affected daily by this demonic
influence. So, if anyone needed to hear how to defend and fight against the evil forces, it was
Ephesus.
Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians sometime between A.D. 60 to A.D. 61. It was during this
time, that Paul sat in Rome undergoing his first Roman imprisonment. Paul is encouraging the
Christians in the church of Ephesus to be strong in the Lord. He then proceeds to explain how
by using the Roman Legionnaires armor. This armor must be worn in full because every piece
has an important use in battle. If the soldier was to lack any piece, they could be easily
vulnerable to attack.
Section 2 Strategical Planning
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
So now we have a general idea of the enemy’s tactics and where the forces are planning to
attack. Our enemy isn’t of flesh but the forces behind the flesh. We must study the battlefield if we are wanting to be fruitful. In victory, we will win over the lost, wounded and dying.
The picture above is from Operation Overlord or as we now call it the invasion of Normandy
and for America this day is remembered as D-Day. Much preparation and divine blessings went into the planning and victory of this day.
As Proverbs 24:6 says, “For by wise guidance you will wage war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.” The wise will always study the path ahead and determine what are the risks and what are the rewards.
Luke 14:31 says, “Or
suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with 10 thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with 20 thousand?”
General D Eisenhower was the commander of Operation Overlord. It was Eisenhower’s, the
President, and a council of experts experienced in warfare to come up with a plan to win
against the enemy. On June 5, 1944 the day before the invasion, General Eisenhower gave this speech below. While listening to the speech try to think on the words from a spiritual war
perspective.
Very powerful when you realize we are fighting a ferocious enemy, well trained, well equipped,
and battle hardened. The life and liberty of all mankind is in a constant struggle as souls are lost every day to the powers of darkness. As mentioned earlier, there are two kingdoms at war. The Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. Satan and his army occupy many fortresses all over the world, in and behind many of the rulers and the authorities of the world.
Compare and contrast the Allied nations to Nazi Germany or America to Cuba. Obviously, no country is safe from the war, but you can easily see the battle between good and evil.
We can see this example in the book of Daniel Ch. 10: 7-21. In this chapter, Daniel receives as
vision from a spiritual host who looked like a man (many believe this was an angel). The
messenger told David that the prince of Persia resisted him for 21 days. This is a glimpse into
the spiritual battlefield. Then the messenger continues and explains how Michael (an
archangel) one of God’s chief princes came to help him. At the end of the chapter, the
messenger tells David he will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when he goes, the prince of Greece will come.
Historically, Persia was defeated by Alexander the Great of Greece in 331 BC approximately 250 years after Daniel received the vision above. It isfascinating to also see that historically Alexander was taught by Aristotle who believed in God and thus made Alexander more acceptable to the Jews. He not only broke the grips of Persia, but also gave theJews many freedoms. Now revert back and take note that 2 earthly kingdoms were at war, but 2 spiritual forces were behind each one.
Every war needs an abundance of wise counselors. For the Christians, we have the greatest General and warrior of all. God is the source of wisdom and His Word is filled with many counselors that help us plan, train, and act against the evil forces that threaten us. They have written the training and operation manual (the Bible) and we must be willing to read and study this book so that we may be prepared for when the day of evil comes.
Discussion Questions
1. In what ways can you plan or strategize to defeat the enemy’s movement and tactics in
your life.
2. What do you think about when reading Daniel ch. 10 on the spiritual revelation of warfare but also the historical implications it had?
3. When studying your battlefield do you have an abundance of wise Godly minded counselors? Do you have people in mind who you trust, can call or meet with for guidance?
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