“Be Strong In The Lord”

“Be Strong In The Lord”

It seems that everyone I talk to is having some type of battle in their life. I know that it is getting close to the return of Jesus. I also know because of this, satan and his demons are working over time.

Daily we need to dress in the armor of God. We need to make sure our family is dressed in the armor. Ephesians 6: 10-18, “10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,[a] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance an supplication for all the saints—”

Isaiah 58:8: “And the glory of the Lord shall be my rear guard.”

The scriptures above talks about withstanding. Strong’s concordance compares it with “antihistamine.” “against, and to cause to stand” The verb suggests vigorously opposing, bravely resisting, standing face to face against an adversary, and standing your ground. Just as an antihistamine blocks histamine, the Scripture tells us that with the authority and spiritual weapons granted to us we can withstand evil forces.

Faith’s Warfare, Paul admonishes us to put on the whole armor of God in order to stand against the forces of hell. It is clear that our warfare is not against physical forces, but against invisible powers who have clearly defined levels of authority in a real, though invisible, sphere of activity.

Paul, however not only warns us of a clearly defined structure in the invisible realm, he instructs us to take up the whole armor of God in order to maintain a “battle-stance” against this unseen satanic structure. All of this armor is not just a passive protection in facing the enemy; it is to be used offensively against these satanic forces.

Note Paul’s final directive; we are to be “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.” Thus, prayer is not so much a weapon, or even apart of the armor, as it is the means by which we engage in the battle itself and the purpose for which we re armed. To put on the armor of God is to prepare for battle. Prayer is the battle itself, with God’s Word being our chief weapon employed against Satan during our struggle. The chief weapon is not the book. So throwing your bible at satan will not defeat him, or his demons. Knowing the scriptures, God’s Word, is the chief weapon.

That is the reason you need to know the scriptures and be able say them. Speaking God’s Word out loud will defeat the evils of hell.

Joyfully, In The Master’s Service
Blessings, Prayers and Love,
Pastor Pat

©1996/2015
CWPM1996/2015
Notes: The New King James Bible

I read this story many years ago. I shared it with the devotion team back in 2005. I came across it this morning and decided that we all needed to read it again, and remember, “Jesus Paid the Price for us.”

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him not not perish, but have everlasting life.

MY ATTORNEY
Author: Unknown
After living what I felt was a “decent” life, my time on earth came to the end.

The first thing I remember is sitting on a bench in the waiting room of what I thought to be a court house.

The doors opened and I was instructed to come in and have a seat by the defense table. As I looked around I saw the “prosecutor.” He was a villainous looking gent who snarled as he stared at me. He definitely was the most evil person I have ever seen.

I sat down and looked to my left and there sat my Attorney, a kind and gentle looking man whose appearance seemed so familiar to me, I felt I knew Him.

The corner door flew open and there appeared the Judge in full flowing robes. He commanded an awesome presence as He moved across the room I couldn’t take my eyes off of Him. As He took His seat behind the bench, He said, “Let us begin.”

The prosecutor rose and said, “My name is Satan and I am here to show you why this man belongs in hell.”

He proceeded to tell of lies that I told, things that I stole, and In the past when I cheated others. Satan told of other horrible perversions that were once in my life and the more he spoke, the further down in my seat I sank. I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t look at anyone, even my own Attorney, as the Devil told of sins that even I had completely forgotten about.

As upset as I was at Satan for telling all these things about me, I was equally upset at My Attorney who sat there silently not offering any form of defense at all. I know I had been guilty of those things, but I had done some good in my life – couldn’t that at least equal out part of the harm I’d done? Satan finished with a fury and said, “This man belongs in hell, he is guilty of all that I have charged and there is not a person who can prove otherwise.”

When it was His turn, My Attorney first asked if He might approach the bench. The Judge allowed this over the strong objection of Satan, and beckoned Him to come forward.

As He got up and started walking, I was able to see Him in His full splendor and majesty. I realized why He seemed so familiar; this was Jesus representing me, my Lord and my Savior. He stopped at the bench and softly said to the Judge, “Hi, Dad,” and then He turned to address the court.

“Satan was correct in saying that this man had sinned, I won’t deny any of these allegations. And, yes, the wage of sin is death, and this man deserves to be punished.”

Jesus took a deep breath and turned to His Father with outstretched arms and proclaimed, “However, I died on the cross so that this person might have eternal life and he has accepted Me as his Savior, so he is Mine.”

My Lord continued with, “His name is written in the book of life and no one can snatch him from Me. Satan still does not understand yet. This man is not to be given justice, but rather mercy.”

As Jesus sat down, He quietly paused, looked at His Father and said, “There is nothing else that needs to be done. I’ve done it all.” The Judge lifted His mighty hand and slammed the gavel down.

The following words bellowed from His lips.. “This man is free.” The penalty for him has already been paid in full.

“Case dismissed.”

As my Lord led me away, I could hear Satan ranting and raving, “I won’t give up, I will win the next one.”

I asked Jesus as He gave me my instructions where to go next, “Have you ever lost a case?” Christ lovingly smiled and said, “Everyone that has come to Me and asked Me to represent them has received the same verdict as you,

~Paid In Full~

“Stop telling God how big your storm is. Instead, tell the storm how big your God is!”
We succeed when we realize that our failures are the preparation for
our victories.

Pastor Pat Aman/©1996/2015
CWPM1996/2015
Notes: The New King James Bible