· As long as you are alive in this life, you must always be engaged in battles. There are demons that are assigned to ensure that negative things always happen. Any man who is ignorant of this fact will fall prey.
Eph 6:10-17
· There is no place for weak Christians.
· You are admonished to be strong, how? By putting on the whole armour of God. This enables you to withstand the wiles of the devil. This injunction was explicit; there was nothing subtle in the instruction from Paul to the Ephesians. You have to put on the WHOLE ARMOUR.
· The devil acts on people’s Ignorance. The devil watches out for areas where the believer is ignorant and takes advantage of it. That is why Hosea wrote, ‘my people perish for lack of knowledge’ (Hos. 4:6).
Paul drew inspiration from the appearance of a typical Roman Soldier and thus;
7 DIFFERENT ARMOURS EVERY “SOLDIER” MUST CARRY:
1. Belt of Truth: Eph. 6:14
· It deals with personal integrity and truthfulness.
· It is character that can shield you from the attacks of the devil.
· Don’t put yourself in a compromising situation and turn around to say you did not know what came over you.
· Most times, there is always an opportunity to uphold personal integrity.
· Prov 11:1-3 As a Christian in politics, you must maintain your integrity and not siphon money at every opportunity.
· Remember the saying: Everyday is for the thief, one day for the Owner. That one day, could end someone’s destiny.
· You see that attitude, that thing, that habit, that misbehavior, that corrupt act, that immorality, that you can’t seem to resist, one day, when the “owner” catches you, then you will see the foolishness of what you have been doing all along.
· Without this armour, your life can be likened to a man who points and fires a gun, only to find out that the barrel is not loaded.
· It destroys all your ability to fight back when you are tempted to compromise your position.
· Wives, be a warrior princess, this fight is not against flesh and blood. Husbands, be warrior princes; this fight is not against flesh and blood.
· There are some people you must delete from your phone if you want to make heaven.
· Heb 12:1, how do you lay aside those sins that easily beset? By putting boundaries!
· Even after you make up your mind not to do something, without boundaries, you will easily cross the line again and again.
· For instance, instead of trying to fight off sexual immorality, it is easier to set a boundary that ensures you are not in a position to become tempted to commit the act. Eg. You can forbid friends of opposite sex from coming to your house alone.
· You must have dos and don’ts. People will say “she’s uptight”, yes, better be uptight, you must be uptight. They will call you a “Jew man”, but that Jew Man you are will save you one day.
2. Breastplate of Righteousness:
-It means an upright heart without evil intentions, strife, jealousy or bitterness. Love is a command, we must love genuinely from our heart. James 3:14-16
· Prov. 4:23 (NLT)- Your heart is your command center. If you do not guard your heart, people, including the devil, will find it very easy to manipulate and control you. First rearrange your heart, then you can command the devil.
· Always remember you are fearfully and wonderfully made. When people do not recognize your worth, remind yourself.
· Take yourself out sometimes. Let important things occupy your heart. Encourage yourself like David encouraged himself in the Lord – 1Sam. 30:6. Rejoice always (Phil 4:4)
3. Your Feet shod with preparation of the gospel of peace:* (Eph. 6:15)
· Engage in Soul winning.
· You cannot be a passive soldier.
· You cannot carry a weapon and do nothing.
· You must preach the gospel.
· Rom 1:16. You should not be ashamed of the Gospel.
· You should see people beyond business relationships: my client, my patient, my relations, my colleague, my customer, my prospect, etc. Every encounter is an opportunity to introduce Christ and the Gospel to people.
· 1Cor. 9:16. Preaching is like what sales peoples and marketers do.
· Every encounter is an opportunity to sell Christ. We must minimize distractions and focus on the job at hand.
· Let your feet always be prepared.
· Any prayer said and no responsibility is taken, is an irresponsible prayer. God does not work for us but he is in partnership with us.
· Rom. 10:13-14. The son of man came to seek and deliver the lost. That is the summary of all your purpose in life. It is irrespective of your work in life.
· God will judge us based on this purpose.
4. Shield of Faith:
· This is for blocking out darts (small arrows) thrown by the devil.
· It is anti-gospel for a believer to become a victim of “pin”, i.e spiritual attack.
· If that happens, the person has not been wearing the shield of faith.
· You must have that faith and depend on God.
· That saying, heaven help those who help themselves is not true.
· Habakkuk 2:4; Heb. 10:38. You must keep faith. The Just lives by his faith.
· You must not draw back. You must not faint. Deal with natural fear.
· Daniel 11:32, Ps. 91:2.
· “THERE IS A ‘TOUCH NOT’ ON EVERY BELIEVER”
5. Helmet of Salvation: Salvation is the protection and assurance we have for life after death. You need to give your life to Christ if you have not yet done that.
6. Sword of the Spirit: That’s the word of God. You must have word foundation. Study the scriptures.
7. Praying Always: Pray without ceasing. When Paul admonished that, it implies that our lives should be dedicated to and based on prayer.
When the cooker/oven is on fire, no flies would dare perch on it.
God bless You!!!
PASTOR OKEY OKAROH
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