PT-1 "Intro to Eph. 6:14-15)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/8/2019 9:27 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  PT-1 “Intro to Eph. 6:14-15”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                              Reference:  Ephesians 6:14-15

 

            Message of the verses:  “14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS

WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;”

 

            I believe that there will be a few Spiritual Diaries on this introduction to us looking at these first three pieces of the Spiritual Armor, and then we will look at the different pieces individually.

 

            We mentioned that this spiritual battle that Paul described in verses 11-12 has been going on ever since the third chapter of Genesis when man fell into sin.  The battle is between God and His angels and Satan and his demons, and this battle will continue to go on until Satan is finally put into hell at the end of the Millennial Kingdom.  Now I neglected to mention in our last SD that Satan will be put into the pit along with the false prophet and the antichrist at the end of the Tribulation period, but Satan will be let out at the end of the Millennial Kingdom to fight against God one last time.  However during the Millennial Kingdom there will be many people who do not accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord even though the influence of Satan and his demons will not be there.  The reason for this is because people are still born with a sin nature, and people will still need to be saved, and this will happen during a perfect time period on planet earth as Jesus Christ will be ruling from His throne in Jerusalem. 

 

            Now because believers are connected to God because of their new birth and because the Holy Spirit of God lives in all believers, they too are drawn into the spiritual battle attacked by the various schemes of the devil.

 

            John MacArthur writes “This is the supernatural enemy who rebelled against God in His own heavens, who succeeded in luring man from innocence to sin in the Garden of Eden, who repeatedly tried to destroy God’s chosen people, Israel.  This is the enemy who tried to stop the birth, ministry, and resurrection of God’s only Son, Jesus Christ.  This is the enemy of unequalled wickedness who seeks to thwart Christ’s coming again and who will oppose Him with desperate and unprecedented fierceness when He does return.”  One may ask how does Satan try to stop our Lord from coming back to planet earth.  We have studied the book of Revelation and learned that the entire seven years of the Tribulation period is centered on Israel, and so if Satan succeeds, (and he won’t) to destroy Israel before the Lord returns then all the things written in Revelation will not be able to happen.  Like I said this will never happen, for there is something that we call the “Prophetic Text” meaning that once God says it will happen it is as if it has already happened, meaning it will happen because He said it will happen.

 

            Paul has written that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, and this means that we as believers cannot fight like the enemy is flesh and blood.  “3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,” (2 Cor. 10:3-5).

 

            With that quotation from 2 Corinthians we will end this SD, but, Lord willing we will continue to look at this introduction to these two very important verses found in the sixth chapter of Ephesians.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have to remember that it is the Lord who fights the battles going on in my life, and that I must have faith that He will continue to fight for me.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I believe that it takes humility for me to understand that I cannot really fight these spiritual battles that come against me, but to completely rely on the Lord.

 

We will be looking at 2^nd Corinthians 1:3-5 from the living Bible today as it is quoted in “Love in Action.”

 

What a wonderful God

we have—He is the Father

of our Lord Jesus Christ, the source

of every mercy, and the One who so wonderfully

comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and trials.

And why does He do this?  So that when others are troubled

needing our sympathy and encouragement, we can pass on to them

the same help and comfort God has given us.  You can be sure

that the more we undergo sufferings for Christ,

the more He will shower us with His

comfort and encouragement.

II Corinthians 1:3-5 TLB

 

10/8/2019 9:57 AM