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Isaiah 50:4- “The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary…”
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    • Yielding the Sword!

      Posted at 2:44 am by wonderfuljesus8, on August 8, 2020

      Ephesians 6:17 – “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;” NKJV

      yielding-the-sword_.mp3

      I trust you are getting encouraged in your walk with the Lord! The Word of God says that we are more than conquerors; therefore, the weapons against our adversary are fail proof when used in faith! Have you ever watched someone play a video game, or maybe you have played, and the battle called for warriors to use different weapons at different phases of the game? Or maybe you have no knowledge of video games, but understand real warfare. You understand that there are foot soldiers with guns, snipers with rifles, tanks with artillery, planes with bombs, all headed for the enemy to engage him in different ways. All important, all strategic, all deadly, but in different ways! That’s how our spiritual weapons are used; in different phases of the battle, for different attacks, but all are lethal against the adversary! I wrote a blog, this year, “Talk Back to the Enemy” that is a companion blog to today’s entry.

      Paul is writing about the full armor of God in this passage. I won’t address the armor in this blog, but I do want to address the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Typically speaking, a sword is a weapon of defense and the Word is definitely great for defending ourselves against the enemy; but it can also be an offensive weapon used to attack an opponent. Which ever position you find yourself in, even at this moment, the word will work!

      In Matthew, chapter 4, we find Jesus is being led into the wilderness. After forty days and nights of fasting, the devil comes for a visit. He didn’t send a demon this time. This was an assignment he took up.

      The first temptation was at Jesus’ physical need of food. He said to Jesus, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” This was a real temptation because Jesus was hungry. It was also an attack on Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. Jesus didn’t get into a long discourse with the devil. He simply replied, “It is written, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'” Jesus’ weapon against the devil’s attempt to pull Him into the flesh after a forty day fast was countered with the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God!

      Then we see that the devil took him up into the holy city, and said, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you.'” We can see that Satan came with a counterattack at Jesus, using the Word against Him. That was pretty dumb to use the Word against the Living Word, but he did it. Jesus of course responded with a greater truth, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'” In other words, it is very true that angels would come to His rescue, but He knew it would be silly to test God’s faithfulness on a challenge from Satan.

      Lastly, Satan takes Jesus on an exceedingly high mountain and shows Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. Now he is trying to impress Jesus with his goods. He say to Jesus “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Jesus rebukes Satan by saying, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.'”

      After these words of rebuke, the devil leaves, and angels came and ministered to Him. He whipped the devil with the Word and was victorious, not because He was the Son, but because of the effectiveness of the sword of the Spirit! It worked for Jesus, and it will work for us!

      I want to address something that was going on. During this time of temptation, Satan was trying to get Jesus to sin against God. The temptation wasn’t a sin, but had Jesus done either of these things, He would have sinned. When we are tempted, they are just temptations, but when we give in and do a thing, it becomes a sin. Learning to cut the devil off before he has a chance to get us to thinking about his proposal is key in maintaining our victory. The immediate weapon to use against a suggestion to sin, is the Word of God!

      • Consider an individual who is dating. The enemy tells that person some tired lies that he have used throughout the centuries with others. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t, but he’s had enough success that he still uses it. Recently my daughter told me this one that a young person shared with her, “Girl, you have to try it before you buy it!” How many times did my “girlfriends” tell me the same thing, decades ago. The only thing you get to try before you buy it is a car. Are we reducing our bodies to that of an automobile? You buy a house, you buy it first, then you move in; unless you rent to own. See the lie for what it is then use the word against sexual sin.
        • It is written, “Flee sexual immorality! And again it says “that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and I am not my own. Or have you not heard how Joseph, when approached by Potiphar’s wife refused her saying that he would not sin against God?” No devil, I will not do this thing for it is written, “You shall not commit adultery or fornication. So get out of here with your lies!”
      • Consider an individual who is struggling to make ends meet. The enemy tells that person, you should not be giving the church all of their money. You have been tithing (for all of two months) and things are worst. You have been giving to support the teens ministry, VBS, or pastoral support, but who is helping you?
        • It is written, “Bring the tithe in the storehouse…and I will open the window of heaven and pour you out a blessing you will not have room to receive. It is also written, “Give and it shall be given to you!” There is no way that I will stop being a financial blessing to my church for God has promised in His word, that the righteous are not forsaken and His seed is not begging for bread!” Now leave me alone!

      These are just examples that are common in the church. And they are lies that I have heard hundreds of times over the years that I have living for the Lord. Lies you have heard personally, or know others who have heard them. The Bible is filled with examples of people who have gone both ways: Eve, Samson and Judas believed the lies, Abraham, Noah, and Joseph did not! You don’t have to give in to the lies of the devil, just yield the sword of the Spirit at him and watch him hightail it out of your presence! Once you see it work, it may very well become your preferred weapon of attack!

      I believe I am finished with the weapons of our warfare blogs. I trust you have enjoyed reading them as much as I have enjoyed writing them. On wonderfuljesus.blog, it is my hope that you will always find encouraging, practical topics to keep you living a victorious life and falling in love with Jesus, over and over again! Wonderful Jesus!

      Posted in Jesus, Satan, Spiritual warfare, the devil, weapons of warfare | 0 Comments | Tagged blessings, God, Jesus, sexual sin, Sin, Spiritual warfare, the devil, Tithing, Vic tory, Victorious Living, weapons of warfare, word of God
    • Can I Get a Witness!

      Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on August 4, 2020

      Revelation 12:11 -They gained the victory over him on account of the blood of the Lamb and the word of their witness. Love for their own lives didn’t make them afraid to die. CEB

      can-i-get-a-witness.mp3

      I’ve been blogging on the spiritual weapons given to us to overcome the devil. This week will be my last week dealing with the subject. What I am realizing is that Jesus gave us so many ways to be victorious, that to live a life of defeat would be a slap in His face!

      Today I want to look at the phrase, “the word of their witness” as our spiritual weapon against the enemy. When I think about this phrase, it brings to mind, “what are we saying about Jesus?” Have you thought about the fact that what you say about Jesus can cause you to be either victorious or defeated?

      John wrote that they overcame the devil by the word of their testimony, or in this version, by the word of their witness. One commentator wrote that every single time we say no to sin, to temptations, to the lies of the devil, we are overcoming him! That’s what the end of this verse is reflective of when it says we overcome by the word of our testimony.

      The way we live as Christians, going back to holiness, will determine how adept we are at overcoming the devil. In the Bible we have two great men of God, who were totally different in their walk with the Lord, yet alike! Peter and Paul!

      Paul is one of my favorite people in the Bible, outside of Jesus! His life, speaks to me. He was a persecutor of the disciples of Jesus, arresting them and consenting to their deaths. Paul was zealous for the Law he had given his life to learn about, but ignorant of the God who sent His Son to die for him. I believe that every time he arrested one of the disciples their lives were a witness to him. He just couldn’t understand why they were so passionate, and some times, so willing to die for this Jesus! After watching Stephen die, I believe his life was changed. This young man had just used the very Law Paul had studied to explain his devotion to Jesus, and as Stephen dies, he cries “Lord, forgive them!” This was on his mind as he traveled on the road to Damascus. Now he was ready to encounter Jesus, and when he did, Paul recognized Him and called Him Lord. The same energy that Paul used to persecute the believers, was the same energy that he used to serve the Lord. He was strong in faith, strong in power, and strong in his teachings. There is no record of him ever straying from Jesus. He was passionate about his faith in Jesus, and he loved not his life, even to the death. Paul’s witness is an encouragement to me to live for Jesus. His life demonstrates that we can live a devoted, separated, victorious life with the Messiah.

      Peter was so enthusiastic in his service for Jesus that he sometimes got ahead of himself! When Jesus asked His disciples what were they saying about who He was, Peter spoke up, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!” Yet, Jesus rebuked Peter on several occasions, and Peter denied knowing Jesus three times. But Jesus saw Peter’s heart, and restored him, and Peter went on to be used mightily of God. Peter then stumbled in his relationship with the Gentiles, not wanting to eat with them when the Jews were around. It wasn’t that he was a flaky Christian, he just showed a more human side, a fear for what people thought of him. His enthusiasm and passion, sometimes got the best of him, trying to block out his godliness. Yet he still remains a powerful witness that we can all look up to! God knows we aren’t perfect, that we will stumble, and through Peter’s life we have a witness that we can overcome, even when we don’t always get it right!

      Can you imagine the impact these men lives had on the people they came into contact with? By his witness, Paul overcame the devil, and God used him to write most of the New Testament and to take the gospel to the Gentiles! By his witness, Peter impacted the Jewish community for Jesus every time he preached, winning thousands of souls to Jesus at a time. Their witness, in their life, and with their words, caused them to overcome the devil, time and time again!

      I think of the Voice of the Martyrs magazine at this time. The powerful testimonies I have read over the years of these same type of Christians who, in spite of intense persecution, continue, even in the midst of trials to deepen their relationship with Jesus. One such man comes to mind that I read about. I don’t remember his name, but I remember his witness. He was arrested for his faith in the Lord Jesus while living under a communist regime. During his arrest he would witness to the prisoners. One day, the guards took him outside in the wintry weather, naked, as a means of torturing him. However, each time he was brought back inside, he was without sickness, frost bite, or even pain. I believe I also read that the Lord clothed him in warmth while he was outside. His witness was even stronger after the intense persecution and he led many to Christ. I don’t remember the end of his life, but he overcame the devil and his attacks, with his witness!

      We won’t all be a Peter or a Paul, but we can all be a witness. The devil will constantly do things to try and tempt us from our faith in Christ Jesus, but we must be determined that nothing will separate us from God. He will lie to us about God’s character, but we must be diligent in letting our words speak of God’s faithfulness, His goodness, His mercy, and His love. Even in these challenging times with the coronavirus, we must remain true to Him, remembering always, that people are listening to our words and watching our lives.

      We overcome the devil! Jesus made it clear that we do so! He gave His Blood as an overcoming weapon. We have praise to silence the enemy. We have the word of our testimony to testify that God is good and the devil is a liar! We have our holy, consecrated lives that give no place to him. We must live free of any fear of the devil! And now, we just have to live like we know these truths, believe these truths, and operate in these truths. Can I get a witness? Wonderful Jesus!

      Posted in God, Jesus, the devil, weapons of warfare, witness | 0 Comments | Tagged Believer, coronavirus, freedom, God, Jesus, king, Paul, Peter, Revelation 12:11, Satan, Spiritual warfare, testimony, the Blood of Jesus, the devil, weapons of warfare, witness
    • Our First Line of Defense!

      Posted at 2:06 am by wonderfuljesus8, on July 25, 2020

      Revelation 12:10-11- Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. NKJV

      our-first-line-of-defense-2.mp3

      prayer-for-salvation.m4a

      This text is loaded with revelation, but for today’s blog we are dealing with a key weapon God has given us against the devil. John the Apostle has been exiled to the Isle of Patmos as a punishment or because of persecution for his faithfulness to the Lord. However, he is not sitting around whining about his isolation, he is communing with Jesus!Jesus takes this time to reveal to John, “things which must shortly take place”. It is at this time, when John is being given an opportunity to see and listen in on what’s happening in heaven, that we learn how to overcome the devil.

      Since we have already talked about him as the accuser of the brethren, I won’t focus on that. What I want us to see in this verse is, the weapon: “they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb…” They, meaning the ones to whom salvation was given, the children of God. Him, meaning the devil. So our most effective weapon against the devil is the Blood of Jesus. Let’s look at how it works!

      Salvation comes through the precious blood of Jesus. Ephesians 1:7 – “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” When we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, it is our first line of defense against the devil. Satan knows that he has no way, whatsoever, to get back into God’s grace. And he doesn’t want you to experience it either. Therefore, he does everything he can to keep mankind from accepting Jesus and partaking of the grace of God. Once a person receives Jesus, they are born into the family of God (John 1:12). Paul wrote that at the time of salvation, we are also delivered out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s dear Son. (Colossians 1:13).

      This is important to note as a first line of defense against Satan. Before you or I became the children of God, we belonged to the devil. In Ephesians, chapter 2, Paul wrote that at that time, before Christ, we were strangers to the covenants of promise, we had no hope, and we were without God in the world. This is a terrible place to be because it’s Satan’s domain, and he is in complete authority. He can whip up on you and have full legal authority to do it. The only way you can stop him from kicking you around is the Blood of Jesus! You have to become born of the Spirit of God, through the Blood. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. There is no other way!

      Our physical bodies have a first line of defense. “The first line of defence (or outside defence system) includes physical and chemical barriers that are always ready and prepared to defend the body from infection. These include your skin, tears, mucus, and, stomach acid….” Once we become spirit beings, our first line of defense for us as spiritual beings is the Blood of Jesus, applied on the doorpost of our hearts. This salvation keeps us in a state of readiness against our enemy!

      A natural depiction of this spiritual principle is seen in Exodus, chapter 12, when the children of Israel is getting ready to depart from Egypt. Moses instructs them to kill a lamb and to reserve the blood of the lamb. The blood was to be placed on the two door posts and on the lintel of the houses they were in. (This was to be their first celebration of the Passover). In verse 12, God tells them that He will strike all of the firstborn in the land, of man and beast, and when He sees the blood, He will pass over them and their homes. The blood was a sign, that the people in the houses where the blood was applied was “off limits”.

      In the same manner, the Blood of Jesus is applied to our hearts on the day of our salvation. It is a sign to God and the devil, that we have been bought with the Blood of Jesus; and the devil has no legal right, or authority, to mess with us. It doesn’t stop his attacks! It makes him keenly aware that when he messes with us, he is messing with someone dear to the heart of God. It also let’s him know that in the past when he messed with us, we were on our own; but that is no longer the case. When we become born again, we gain a Heavenly Father, God, and He is in our corner! Not only that, to every one that is born again, Jesus has given authority over the devil! So that’s another reason why the devil works so hard to keep people from getting saved. Isn’t that exciting! The one who had authority over you is now under your authority! Glory be to God!

      Before you even think about going on the offense against the devil and using that authority, make sure the Blood of Jesus has been applied to your heart. Once that first line of defense is in place, you have nothing to fear from the devil. In my next blog, I’ll give more insight into the power of the Blood against the attacks of Satan. Wonderful Jesus!

      Posted in Deliverance, Jesus, Salvation, Spiritual warfare, the Blood of Jesus, weapons of warfare | 4 Comments | Tagged authority over the devil, Blood of Jesus, forgiveness of sins, Jesus, Prayer, Salvation, Spiritual warfare, testimony, the devil, weapons of warfare
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