(photo story after the article)Ephesians 6 tells us to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Verse 11 says, "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
The battles you have with relationships and addictions are not to be dealt with in the flesh. Our flesh is not strong enough to overcome our old nature. Only the Spirit can win the battle of sin. When we want to scream at somebody or we feel compelled to follow the desires of our flesh for bad things, will power is not going to work very long and definitely doesn't work very effectively.
Smith Wigglesworth
says, "There is a power in you that is greater than any other power. By the help of the Spirit, may you come into a place of deliverance, a place of holy sanctification, where you dare to stand against the Devil's schemings, drive them back, and cast them out ...... I want God to give you an inward awakening, a revelation of truth within you, an audacity, a flaming indignation against the powers of Satan."The Bible speaks of this power and Ephesians 6 instructs us how to use it, but do we believe it can work? Do we believe it will work for somebody else but not us? What is your belief about the power of the Devil and your power over the dark spiritual realm? Christ died to give us victory over the Devil and it is our salvation that gives us the power and authority over the works of darkness.
There are battles in the heavenlies and what we struggle with in our flesh is spiritual. Will power and self-control can only go so far since they are of the flesh also, but when we get into the spiritual realm of battle we have all that it takes to gain victory ... if we believe the Truth of His Word.
It's so much easier to relinquish our power to the Enemy and lay down on the battlefield waiting for this life to be over, for the trouble to pass by, or we hope for a miracle. God is still in the business of miracles, but He has instructed us to battle.
Ephesians 6:13 tells us, "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." We are not to give up, we are to stand on His Word to accomplish what we cannot.
Verse 16 commands us to "take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. There is all power in The Word if we will choose to believe it. We can't let our mind wonder about with our thoughts or erroneous belief systems on what The Word means. If necessary get down to the Greek and Hebrew of it all and retrain your mind. Church denominations may err in interpretations and we are trained to believe a particular doctrine ... but God tells us to "take up the shield of Faith" and the "sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."
The Devil wants us to think we are powerless against the evil he dumps into our lives, but we have been promised Joy and Peace and Victory through Christ and the power of God that is now within us. Don't relinquish your position in the Kingdom. Stand tall and might in Spirit and overcome the deeds of the Enemy.
Prayer
Father, teach me Your Truth. Help me to see my weapons for victory are within me. Retrain and renew my mind from wrong beliefs and fill in my faith where I am weak to stand against the devil's strongholds in my life. I desire to honor You and to be a victorious warrior in this battle for my soul on earth. I want to be an overcomer and glorify Your name and Your power so that others will be drawn to You and saved from the realm of death and destruction. Direct my steps and renew a right spirit within me. Amen.
Story of the Photo
A hawk chased this Yellow-billed Cuckoo into our deck door window. The bird landed below our steps and had this spread out presentation which I never have understood. Seems to me it was sending up a prayer for the hawk to choose another meal. It survived. With me on the deck, the hawk was not going to come back. View several cuckoo photos I took until he stood up and flew away. (click double arrows to the right when viewing)
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