June 13, 2010

The Whole Armour

We are not looking for a devil behind every tree or lurking behind every door, but to understand
our battles and how to gain the victory, that is the purpose of this message.
Ephesians 6:10-20 we are in a battle that has nothing to do with how smart or strong or socially
acceptable we are. It is a spiritual battle that must be won through the means of Gods Word. All too
often we only utilize part of our armour, but St. Paul clearly tells us to, take unto you the whole
armour of God Note that he referred to the wiles of the devil. We must know how he works
against you to defeat you or hinder you from doing the will of God in order to gain the advantage and
win the victory. We must know 1st of all that the Lord Jesus Christ provided the victory for every battle.
Satan is no match at all to the power and anointing found in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We just
havent made use of His name to the extent we need to. When Jesus bowed His head while on the cross
and gave up the ghost, He 1st said, It is finished! (John 19:30). Everything you and I need to
overcome the flesh, the devil, and the world was fulfilled at that moment. When we received the Lord
Jesus as our Savior and Lord His victory became ours! Now we must use the means given to us to gain
the success He envisions for us.
One of the wiles or methods of the devil is to make you think you are all alone, or that you
arent adequate enough to defeat him. He is a liar and the father of all lies. There is n o truth in him. He
speaks from his nature: that of a liar, a deceiver. We let him trick us into thinking we are helpless and
defenseless. Mr. or Mrs. Christian, you are neither helpless nor hopeless! You are strong in the Lord
and in the power of His might! So put on the whole armour of God. Put it on! Dont leave any of it off.
It is a matter of life and death. Your peace and spiritual well-being are at stake. No matter how young
or old, strong or weak, rich or poor you are, it matters nothing to your adversary. He wants only to
destroy you, so why let him? Fight back! Take the Word of God and use it to defeat him!
*God gives you permission to stand against the wiles of the devil.* It is your right as a child of
God to stand against all the lies and ill-will that comes your way. Know that he is a false accuser of
every Christian. He stands in the courts of heaven making accusations against every believer. Every
sin, mistake, weak moment, error in thoughts, words, and deeds a believer does is brought up before
God. Do you think that the Lord never heard his railings before? He has heard every lie satan has told
about every person from the beginning of time till now. He is relentless. We may feel or sense that
condemnation but we dont have to accept it or live it in our hearts. Resist the devil and he will flee
from you! We resist and overcome him. Revelation 12:10 & 11 tells us simply how we gain the
victory. We subdue, conquer, overcome, prevail and get the victory by the blood of the Lamb,
and by the Word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Every day I
must begin with praise to the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that He is in control of every situation and
knows everything that has to do with me. Feelings come and go, but my victory is sure at all times
through Him who loved me and gave His life for me!
*Our wrestle is not against people.* We lash out against what we see, but our battle is against
what we cant see. Our battles do not involve human reason or experience. As long as we insist on
dwelling there in the natural realm we will continually be in conflict and worn down by his attacks to
the mind and heart. Stop for a minute and consider the Word of God. How did Jesus Christ handle the
situations He was in? Did He lash out against people in frustration? Im sure thats something we all
can work on a little more. Our wrestling is not against our own frailties, nor is it against our family or
kin, but our wrestle is against principalities (a magistrate or chief). Daniel 10 gives us a picture of the
spiritual battle the believer faces. Daniel had a vision and wrote about it for us today to understand
what takes place in prayer. Many answers are held up, not because doesnt hear us but because we have
an adversary that tries to hinder us. The battle for mens souls is a great battle. It is relentless and
sometimes hard to be understood. But if well persevere and hold on and know who we are in Christ,
we will gain the victory. No one said it would be easy but victory is attainable through Him who loves
us! While praying, Daniel lifted his eyes and saw a vision of a man come to him, who touched him and
strengthened him. And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words
that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken
this word unto me, I stood trembling (Daniel 10:11). In the battle, God sent this man a message that
he was greatly beloved. You are greatly beloved by the Lord, too! Dont forget it when it seems youre
all alone. Dont forget it when you are second-guessing yourself. Dont forget it when you arent sure
of yourself and your steps seem to be slipping and know-one else knows what you are going through.
Just dont forget that the Lord loves you!
Verses 12-14 here is a picture of the battle you face in prayer. The devil has a chief ruler over
every kingdom or province in the world. Why? To defeat and hinder every purpose of God. He is
organized to stop the move of God. If he can hinder you he can hinder Gods kingdom going forth in
the world because God has chosen you and I to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And we think its
about us. Sometimes we only see our short-comings and think we cant accomplish anything for God.
We are reminded of our faults and lack of spiritual vitality and how natural we are, but this is not so: it
is a wile of the devil. Verses 18-21 he told him again he was greatly beloved and to fear not but be
strong. We, too, are told to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
There is a delegated influence upon humanity ever since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden.
When the devil influenced the woman to give that fruit to her husband to eat and they disobeyed God, it
opened the door for evil to influence the hearts and minds of every man. This is called temptation. Your
temptation may be different than my temptation but nevertheless it has plagued man since the
beginning of time. The only cure for it is found in our Lord Jesus Christ. I turn my gaze and give my
attention to the power of the Holy Ghost which lives and abides in me since Christ Jesus came into my
heart. Who is a challenge to the devil but the one who has received his greatest foe into their hearts?
The ruler of the darkness is a name given to satan himself. He is a world-ruler. When the Bible
refers to the world as being evil this is why. Every shady deal comes under the realm of this adversary.
If it has to do with spiritual darkness, satan is found in it somewhere. Spiritual wickedness refers to
things non-carnal, including religion or the super-natural realm. Malice, sin and all depravity is the end
result of this opposition. Sometimes it even reaches the heavenly or ministries in the church. A leader is
not immune to the attacks of the devil. He may be more prone to those things because of his position in
Gods kingdom. We must pray for all of Gods leaders. This is where the armour of God comes in.
In ancient days, a foot-soldier had more armour on than the ones he was assigned to protect
because he was on the front line of the battle. He put on the whole armour. He knew there was a battle
before him. He pledged his life to defend and protect not only the officers but the republic for which he
stood, for his family and home and neighbors. If he let down and was defeated, so would his people. So
there he stood, completely clad with the necessary armour to defeat every foe. This is our instruction,
too. Your natural age has nothing to do with this battle because it is completely spiritual in character. A
paraplegic person can defeat the devil because it is not a battle of the flesh but of the spirit. One Word
of God spoken by faith can defeat any spiritual foe. So be of a good courage and be strong in the Lord
and in the power of His might!
Deuteronomy 33:26-29 the Lord God has always been the shield of our help and the sword of
His Excellency. We are saved by the Lord!
I pray this message is a blessing to you. May God keep you always in His care and bring forth
the victories in life for His name sake. Remember, our church is praying for you!
Pastor Daniel Bossidy (dbossidy@yahoo.com).