Standing Up To Evil When Bombs Blow Up In MA.

10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
 
Today we learned once again that there is evil in the world. Bombs blew up in Boston Mass; yet it might just be that we need to look at the source behind the course of the those who chose as their course of action a course to harm other human beings.
 
Consider this:  We do NOT battle against mere human beings (flesh and blood.) There is a clear evil behind what is going on in our world and it is a spiritual problem. Part of the spiritual problem will be with us,  if we do not go into this with wide open spiritual eyes.  Some may not want to believe there is actually an evil ONE or even any form of evil in the world. They simply cannot see it; however, "The reason Jesus came into the world was to destroy the Devils work." (1 John 3:8) So, if we want to throw out the Devil out of our theology,  we may as well throw out Jesus having a purpose.
 
In Romans 13,  the Apostle Paul tells us we cloth ourselves in Christ when we put on the "Armor of God." And here in this passage, the details of putting on these "Jesus Clothes"  are spelled out as crystal clear as can be; therefore,  we put on Christ when we put on these coverings by faith... literally. Then in doing so we find strength that comes straight from God to guide us in addressing evil.
 
Check out this gear: "Helmet of Salvation." So we give God our head. "Breast Plate of Righteousness."  So we surrender our heart to Him.  The "Belt of Truth" is next, representing the teaching our God gives us.  "The Shoes of peace."  So we surrender where we go or step to Him.... in a path of peace.   "The Shield of Faith."  So we surrender our whole self. (The Roman shield that guided this writing usually covered the whole body when flaming arrows were shot.)  Then we take the weapon of the "Word of God" that is like a "two edged sword" when utilized appropriately, and this offers our hands.  Finally we are called to "pray in the spirit" and with all kinds of prayer. This allows us to complete the surrender and let the words of the Spirit to flow from us. When we make this kind of surrender, then and only then,  would we dare take our stand.  By the time we do this, we are well on our way to being guided by the Almighty in any decisions we make.
 
There is so much more to be said about "spiritual warfare" that we cannot cover them all here, but we certainly need to surrender, "armor up" or  clothe ourselves in Christ... including pray as a first course of action  before we take our stand or begin to make a plan.
 
Here is a challenge: Let's take some time to read this passage.  Let's take some time meditate on this passage and ask God-- through His Spirit--to help us understand what God wants us to know?  What does He want us to stop?  How do we need to correct your course?  Finally ask God for guidance on what choices to make.  We might just be surprised to see that ....
 
We will be blessed today.
Especially 2day... Even 2day
Don't try to figure this out without God's Ancient Wisdom.
 
One thing I know for sure: Surrendering To Our
Loving Heavenly Father First
Is of First Importance.
SoJourner

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