Spiritual Warfare Study #4

	In natural warfare, the helmet protects and defends the head. Therefore, it was necessary and extremely important for the Roman Centurion to have his helmet on, and not just with him. It's a foolish soldier that runs out on the battlefield without his helmet. The enemy would love to hit him with deadly blows to the head, and even sever his head from his body. Inside the head is some important stuff that must be protected at all times. The slogan says - "kill the head and the body will die." Concerning spiritual warfare, the devil knows the importance of the head. It is in this area that he constantly hits us with dangerous and deadly blows. If your spiritual helmet is not in place, those head shots will affect you tremendously. Many saints of God have lost the victory, and many are losing the victory in this hour, and can't figure out what is happening to them. The problem - their helmet is not on, and they are taking too many blows to the head from the devil. At one time the devil had Bro. Freeman very woozy and discouraged from so many head shots. Because of the lack of knowledge, I suffered many unnecessary defeats. A happy day came into my Christian life when it was revealed to me how to overcome this. God in His Goodness had already provided a piece of armor for my protection. I learned what "the helmet of salvation" was all about. "AHHHH, thank you LORD for the helmet of salvation which protects us from the many deadly and destructive head shots." In our study, we've already found out that "the breastplate of righteousness" includes the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ, which is our salvation. Now, as Paul mentions the helmet, he is drawing attention to the head - which is the mind, the understanding, and the thinking of the Christian. He is attempting to arm us a little bit more in the area of who we are and what we have in Christ Jesus. To understand what the helmet of salvation really means, we must look elsewhere in Scripture. The Bible says, "and for a helmet, the hope of salvation" (I Thes. 5:8). This Scripture explains that the helmet is the hope of salvation. As you study Scripture, you will find that salvation is in three parts - Justification (Rom. 5:1), Sanctification (I Thes. 4:3), and Glorification (Rom. 8:30). When we accept Jesus as Savior, we are justified by the blood of Jesus Christ. Then as a babe in Christ, we start the process of Sanctification, which is growth and development in the things of the Lord. This process daily conforms us to the image of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:29). We then look forward to the return of Jesus whereby we shall be glorified to reign and rule with Him (2 Tim. 2:12). There is not a doubt in my mind that what God has started in me, He will complete (Phil. 1:6). Eternal life with Him throughout the Ages of Ages belongs to me! These are the promises, and there shall be the performance of each promise. I have the hope of complete salvation! In Scripture we continuously see God's promise and then God's performance of His promise. In the plan of God, there is (usually) a space in time between the promise and the performance of the promise (Rom. 4:21). In spiritual warfare, the devil sneaks and catches us somewhere between the spoken promise and the performance of the promise, and begins to hit us with head shots of fear, doubt, and unbelief. These shots come in many different forms as we bear many different burdens and the heat of the day. When we look at all of our labor, striving, struggling, wrestling, wounds, problems, and battles, and do not see the results that we desire, there comes periods of hopelessness. Sure, this great Christian campaign is long and drawn out. Sure, this warfare is constant - every minute of the day. Because of it, the HOPE of many saints is in trouble. In the lives of many believers love is waxing cold, many standards are being lowered, much compromise is going on, and many are contemplating giving up the entire battle. There is great VICTORY in knowing who we are, and what is destined for us. Without this hope, we all would grow weary. The fight would get us down (I Cor. 1:19). This hope, "the helmet of salvation" is a powerful piece of armor. With it, it does not matter if we are troubled on every side, it will keep us from being distressed. If we are perplexed, it will keep us from despair (2 Cor. 4:7-10). Even while facing death, this helmet of salvation kept Paul filled with joy and anticipation (2 Tim. 4:6-8). Beloved, what we do for the Lord is not in vain. Every act (done in the right spirit) will be rewarded. Therefore, let the enemy come with his divers trials, and temptations (James 1:2). Let him shoot every fiery dart in his arsenal. You'll be okay! Just continue to stand in HOPE. Testify - If God be for me, it does not matter who or what is against me! I may be going through, but I have HOPE that I'm coming out. I'm more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ! Beloved, I've already read the back of the book (Rev. 19, 20, & 21). I know what the end is going to be! Guess what??? The saints of God through Jesus Christ WIN! Through faith and patience we will inherit every promise (Heb. 6:12). Knowing the END, should help us to deal with everything in the MIDDLE. Therefore, we should make sure that we keep this powerful piece of armor - "the helmet of salvation" - in place in our lives. It will help us to daily walk in joy and victory! Hallelujah!!! Praise God!!!
	Sword of the Spirit "and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." Ephesians 6:17
	The Roman Centurion carried a sharp two-edged sword with him. The other pieces of armor were for purposes of defense, but the sword was a dual purposed weapon. The sword was used for both offense and defense. The centurion did not necessarily have it drawn at all times, but he had it with him and he could take it up at a moments notice. If the enemy came toward him, he could stand his ground, hold out his sword and keep him at a distance by saying, "that's far enough." Then, offensively with the sword, he could charge and attack. In our text, Paul is letting us know that God has given us the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. In spiritual warfare, you cannot fight a spiritual enemy with fleshly, carnal, and worldly weapons (2 Cor. 10:3,4). The devil does not fear any of us. You can be a genius or a scholar, a prince or a pauper, you may have muscles, machismo, beauty, degrees, and pedigree. To the devil that does not matter. The only thing that commands the devil's respect and stops him in his tracks is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Heb. 4:12). The devil fears and respects the Word of God! Jesus (our Savior and Example) came face to face with the devil in the wilderness. Jesus defeated the devil and put him to flight (Matt.4:1-11). Notice the pattern: Jesus - the Word - knew the Word - and used only the Word. *Jesus used selected portions of Scripture to answer every attack and temptation of the devil.* Jesus quoted the Word. It was quick, precise, and confident. Jesus cut the enemy (spiritually) three times - Swish!! Swish!! Swish!! - with the sword of the Spirit. Satan was no match for the Word, therefore, he had to flee! Beloved, the first step to daily spiritual victory is getting to a place whereby you believe the Bible and every word in it (2 Tim. 3:16). The Bible is not a human document, but Words from the very mouth of God (Matt. 4:4). The Spirit of God breathed on holy men from many different walks of life over a period of many different years. They wrote being moved, guided, and inspired by the Holy Spirit. It cannot be the work of man! Search the world over, there is no book like the Bible. It's God's Book!! Concerning spiritual warfare, the Word of God is our sword. It's God's gift to us that prepares us both offensively and defensively in the fight of faith. Thank you Lord!!! It's sad that universities and seminaries are turning out preachers and teachers that don't believe the infallibility of the Bible. Beloved, if the devil can get you to doubt the accuracy of the Bible, he knows that it is equivalent to you walking around with a broken, dull, and good-for-nothing sword. If you doubt some of the Word of God, when you try to use other portions against the devil, he'll make you doubt them also. Your path to victory and deliverance lies in getting to a place in God whereby you know without the shadow of a doubt that the Bible is God's Holy, Inspired, Infallible, and Inerrant Word. This is the only way to fight a good fight!! To be effective in spiritual warfare, and be able to go into the devil's camp and take your stuff back, you must know the contents of the Bible. We must make time for the Word of God. Many people make sure they have three or four meals a day and snacks in-between, but only have time for a verse or two a week of the Word of God. Then they wonder why there's no victory and deliverance in their lives. We must know the Bible in a detailed manner whereby we can pull out selected portions of Scripture like Jesus did at any given point of attack. If you memorize one Scripture a week, at the end of a year, you've got fifty-two individual swords hidden in your heart, waiting and ready for immediate use. Then when the devil attacks - quickly, precisely, and confidently, you can block and counter. Not with your words, but with His Word, the sword of the Spirit. The result will be the same as it was with Jesus, "then the devil leaveth him (or her), and behold angels came and ministered unto him (or her)." Remember: Never drop your guard and get over confident (I Cor. 10:12), because the devil will be back. But every time he does - Swish, Swish, Swish - cut him again and again with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. There are times when you will just have to stand and withstand your ground. There will also be times when you will be compelled to move out and conquer. Through the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit, we have all we need to do both!!! Hallelujah!!!

		Praying Always "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints." Ephesians 6:18
	In natural warfare, the whole armor is great, but in order for the ground troops to be more effective on the battlefield, there is something else they will need. On a level battlefield, the visibility is not great. Therefore, the ground troops need someone with an aerial view that can see the big picture of the whole battlefield. They also need some type of communication device that will allow them to be in constant contact with this aerial view. In the latest wars of high tech warfare this is what you saw. With the use of overhead satellites, and high powered cameras equipped with night vision, they were able to wipe out targets with pin point accuracy. It was this bombardment from above that brought many to submission. The ground troops often didn't have to do too much. All they had to do was cleanup work. In spiritual warfare, for the believer, there is a Command Center. It is written, *"The Lord hath prepared His throne in the heavens; and His Kingdom ruleth over all"* (Psm. 103:19). God's throne is the Command Center of the universe. Prayer is the communication device used to contact the Command Center. The believer's reporting station is at a place called "the Throne of Grace" (Heb. 4:16). If you haven't been born again you are not allowed on the premises. It is written, "Except a man is born again, he cannot see or enter the kingdom of God" (John 3:3,5). In spiritual warfare, VICTORY or DEFEAT depends on our ability to keep in touch with the Command Center on high. Living life at ground level and facing the many wiles (large scale planning of wicked, combat operations) of the devil, we are at a terrible disadvantage if we aren't prepared and knowledgeable of pending enemy attacks. The Lord, at the Command Center on high, sees the big picture. He knows every planned attack and all things that are going to be coming against us (John 21:17). If we are spiritually minded and are always praying and hanging around the Throne of Grace and in touch with the Captain of our Salvation (Heb. 2:10), nothing will slip up on us. God will give us spiritual intelligence and heavenly wisdom that will always cause us to be one step ahead of the forces of Satan. This is why Paul prayed that God will give the believers of Ephesus a spirit of wisdom and revelation, and enlighten the eyes of their understanding (Eph. 2:17-19). What a great spiritual place to be in! Beloved, constant communication with the command center may not deliver you from certain things, but it will prepare you to go through with joy and victory. In Acts 21, Paul was told what would happen to him at Jerusalem and was compelled by the believers - not to go (Acts 21:10-14). They did not realize that in Acts 20, God had already shown Paul the big picture of what would happen (Acts 20:22-27). Therefore, Paul was already prepared in his spirit by the Spirit. He could boldly say, "None of these things move me" (Acts. 20:24). "For I am READY not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 21:13). It was his constant communication with the command center that made the difference (I Thes. 5:17). Prayer prepared him to finish his course with VICTORY and JOY (2 Tim. 4:6-8). To be effective in spiritual warfare, you must have a prayer life (2 Tim. 2:8). If Jesus the mighty Son of the Living God spent nights in prayer - in touch with the Command Center - what about you and I? Many saints today are falling into temptation, bound by evil habits, living loose and defeated lives, all because of the lack of prayer (Matt. 26:41). We need to live in an attitude of prayer. It is written, "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man AVAILETH MUCH" (James 5:16). There is much power in prayer. That's why the devil really comes against our prayer lives. The devil's attitude is - learn about prayer, preach about prayer, sing about prayer, but please don't pray. The devil hates prayer, so therefore, we should do what he hates the most and that is pray, pray, and then pray some more!!! In spiritual warfare, all kinds of prayer should be going up constantly to the Command Center. Paul said that we should be instant (Rom. 12:12) or quick to call up heaven with all prayer. Yes, there are many kinds of prayer. There are prayers of Worship - Adoration - Thanksgiving - Petition - Supplication - Intercession - Secret, Private, Closet - and Corporate prayers. These prayers can be with words or without words (I Sam. 1:13). These prayers can be with knowledge of what you're saying or without knowledge (I Cor. 14:14). Sometimes in desperation, when you are crying out to God and "sowing in tears" (Psm. 126:5,6), it's okay to grunt, moan, and groan. There is SOMEONE in the Command Center that understands every sound. In the midst of those tears, grunts, moans, groans, and unintelligible speech, the Holy Spirit is searching and scanning your heart, and then making intercession to the Command Center on your behalf, according to the will of God. Then, the Command Center responds to the mind of the Spirit (Rom. 8:26,27). When you get to that place in prayer, don't be surprised when you find a heart's desire, a miracle, or a blessing showing up on your doorstep and coming into your life. I can hear you saying to yourself, "Hummm, I didn't even ask for this." Remember all of that moaning and groaning, the Holy Spirit asked for you, and the request has been granted by the Command Center from on High!! "In Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand are pleasures for evermore" (Psm. 16:11). The song says, "Oh the pure delight of a single hour that before Thy throne I spend, When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God, I commune as friend with friend. Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord to Thy precious bleeding side." Lord help us to pray always, with all prayer, in the Spirit. In spiritual warfare we are and can be "more than conquerors through Him that loved us!" Amen
	God bless you my beloved. I pray that this brief excerpt of messages on spiritual warfare is and has been a blessing to your spiritual life. It's my prayer that God may use these messages to bring encouragement to all who read them. May they be used to help many in the body of Christ to walk in Victory and Deliverance, as they behold all that God in His rich grace and mercy has provided for us through Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. To God be the Glory!!! Maranatha (I Cor. 16:22).