ARMOUR OF GOD PT 2

MEMORY VERSE: But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goest, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes, 1 John 2:11

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ruth 1, Acts 26, Jer 36, Luke 5

Ephesians 6:11 says put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. In part one of these series we defined what an armor is and the uses of an armor. An armor is used to defend one’s self, attack the enemy or plunder the enemy. When we win souls for Christ, we are plundering the kingdom of darkness and bringing out souls that have been condemned to hell back to God. The armor of God is God’s own armor. It is efficient and useful in all kinds of battle – financial , marital , spiritual, physical, emotional e.t.c.

Before we discuss about the parts and components of this armor, we need to know about tools and methods the enemy employs when they want to attack. The enemy has three main objectives – to kill, to steal and to destroy. John 10:10 says the thief does not come except to steal, kill and to destroy. The enemy uses doubts, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, hatred, adultery, fornication, laziness, masturbation, fear e.t.c. to accomplish these three objectives. When the enemy wants to destroy, kill or steal from a fellow they shoot fiery darts or arrows at the fellow (Ephesians 6:16). If the fellow is not putting on the armor of God or there is a missing part in the armor maybe the fellow is saved but still tells lie, the dart or arrow will hit the fellow and poison is released into the blood stream. For example if the enemy wants to plunge a brother of his spiritual gifts or his destiny or his ability to see and hear spiritually, they shoot the darts of adultery and fornication at the fellow. God help the brother if he is not putting on the whole armor of God. Once poison is released in to the blood, the passion for adultery or fornication starts burning. Once the brother commits adultery or fornicates that’s it. The enemy can now come in to take anything he wants, at what time he wants. Not only that, he can now permit demons to live in the fellow or put the fellow in bondage. I pray that this will never be your portion in Jesus name.

Recently we treated a topic titled ‘You and Your location’. One’s location is very important because been at the wrong place at the wrong time could lead to death. Your location could increase or decrease spiritual attacks. The safest location in the world is found in the secret place of the most High. Psalm 91:1 says he that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. The question is this where is the secret place of the Most High or what does it mean to abide under the shadow of the Almighty? 1 John 4:8 says God is love. To abide under the shadow of the Almighty means to abide or live in love. Love God with your Spirit, soul and body. Love your neighbors as you love yourself. 1 John 2:11 says but he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knowest not whither he goest, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. A fellow who does not love walks in darkness. Darkness is the territory of the devil while light is the territory of God. When a fellow walks in the territory of the enemy, he is prone to more attacks.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please fill my heart with love.

YOU AND YOUR LOCATION

MEMORY VERSE: Psalm 1:1 says blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners nor sits in the seat of the scornful, Psalm 1:1

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judg 21, Acts 25, Jer 35, Luke 4

Location play a big role in our life. Whether a man will prosper or not will be determined by his location. If Isaac had disobeyed God and went to Egypt, he would have died as a nobody but because he remained where God told him to be, he prospered and became very prosperous (Genesis 26:11-14). Actually he became so great that a whole nation began to envy him. Whether the promise of God will come to fruition in a life or not will be determined by the individual’s location. If Joseph had remained with his father, he would never have become the prime minister in Egypt but one way or the other the Lord took him to Egypt and that plan came to fruition. In Matthew 2:13-14 the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and advised him to flee to Egypt because Herod wanted to kill baby Jesus. If Joseph had disobeyed the angel and remained in Bethlehem, Herod would have killed the baby and Jesus would never have been able to die for the world. I pray that God in one way or the other will change your location to where your destiny will be fulfilled in Jesus name, amen.

Your location will determine your harvest. In Mark 4:1- 20 we see the same seed producing varying results. Those that fell by the wayside were eaten by  birds ; those that fell on the mountain produced a bit of result but it did not last long ; those that fell on good soil brought forth a good harvest. We also noticed that even those that fell on good soil brought forth different returns. Some brought forth returns in thirty; some sixty and others hundred fold.

Your location will determine whether you will have faith or not. The good book says faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God(Romans 10;17). If you are in an area where all they talk about is negative things, your faith will not grow.  But if you are in a place where the undiluted word of God is preached, where people talk about possibilities, your faith will soar. Ultimately your location will determine how you finish your race on earth. Psalm 1:1 says blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners nor sits in the seat of the scornful.  Lot lost all as a result of his location. He came into Sodom and Gomorrah with a lot of servants, sheep, cattles, gold and his family but he left with only his daughters. At the end Lot died a frustrated man because his location corrupted the life of his children. Despite the fact that the girls were virgins, what they saw and heard corrupted their mind .At the end these two girls conceived and hatched a plan to get their dad drunk and lay with him carnally.

PRAYER POINT: Father ,please open my eyes to the location you want me to be.

ARMOUR OF GOD PT 1

MEMORY VERSE: Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, Ephesians 6:11

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judg 20, Acts 24, Jer 34, Luke 3

An armour is a protective covering worn to prevent injury to the body in battle. Battles could be financial, legal, spiritual, physical, emotional (battle of the mind) e.t.c. An armour is mainly for defense. Anyone who has fought battles or any war veteran will tell you that the best form of defense is attack so an armour would include items to defend oneself, items to attack the enemy, items to disarm the enemy e.t.c. The reason for battle could be for freedom, to recover back what the enemy has stolen, to claim back lost grounds or to kill the enemy at infancy thereby preventing it from growing and causing problem in later life e.t.c. Some of the enemies that needs to be destroyed at infancy are anger, jealousy and all. 

The type of battle you are fighting will determine the type of armour you need. If you are fighting a legal battle in court, you need a good lawyer. It will be absurd to turn up at court with an AK17 and missile launcher to defend yourself in court. The type of enemy you are fighting will also determine the type of armour you require. If you are fighting spiritual enemies, you need prayers not a lawyer or statutes or technical know-how.

You may be wondering i am not fighting with any one; I am a peaceful person, why do I need an armour? I have not offended anyone, why should anyone want to attack me? I am honest and I have never taken what does not belong to me so why should anyone be after me? Matthew 11:12 says from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. The violence referred to here is not physical but spiritual. Ephesians 6:12 says for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. We are talking of the devil and his hosts of fallen angels. The bible calls them spiritual wickedness which means they do not need a reason to attack you. This is why you cannot adopt a soft nature when dealing with spiritual forces. When dealing with humans the bible admonishes us to be gentle, slow to speak, quick to hear e.t.c but when you are dealing with spiritual forces take the most aggressive stance. Because we are at spiritual war we need spiritual armour. Because we are fighting forces invisible to physical eyes, we need an armour that is invisible to physical eyes. To cater for such enemies, the Lord gave us His own personal armour called the armour of God.This armour is guaranteed to give you victory over bitterness, addiction, masturbation, failure, anger, hatred, unforgiveness and all. Because it is God’s own armour it is guaranteed never to fail. Because it is God’s own armour it is guaranteed to work 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The armour of God has never failed and will never fail.

KEY WORD: The armour of God is God’s own armour.

UNTIL LOT LEAVES

MEMORY VERSE: For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point he is guilty of all , James 2:10

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judg 19, Acts 23, Jer 33, Luke 2

In Genesis 12:1-4, God gave Abram seven promises subject to obedience to three simple instructions. He told him to get out of his country; get out from his family and get out from his father’s house to a land He will show him. In return He promised to make him  a great nation; bless him; make his name great; make him a blessing; bless those who bless him; curse those who curse him and through him all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Abram obeyed all the instructions except the last one - he got out of his country, his family but not fully from his father’s house because he took little Lot (young son of his late brother –Haran) with him. When he arrived at where God told him to go, he was greeted by famine instead of abundance. He ran out of there and went to Egypt with little Lot. In Egypt, Pharaoh took his wife from him but God intervened. He left Egypt for south of Bethel still with Lot (by this time Lot was now a big man). One day fight broke out between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot. That day Abram decided that enough was enough. He told Lot to pick a portion of the land and leave. Immediately Lot left the presence of Abram, God spoke after several years.

Despite the fact that Abram obeyed two out of the three instructions, God did not fulfill the seven promises. God is not looking for those who will obey most of His commandments. He is not satisfied with people who are ready to obey ninety per cent or people who obey nine percent. To the Most High God, obedience to ninety percent of God’s commandments is still classified as incomplete obedience. No wonder the book of Matthew 5:48 says be perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

From time to time, many of us wonder if the words written in the bible are actually true. James 4:7 says Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Many of us have been resisting the devil and instead of the devil to flee, the devil is actually pursuing us in the dreams, why? Malachi 3:9 says bring all the tithes into the storeroom that there may be meat in mine house and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of Host, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. Many of us have been faithful in the payment of tithes and instead of lending to nations; our financial situation is getting worse by the day, why? The reason for this is incomplete obedience. James 2:10 says for whoever keeps the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. As far as you are still fornicating, you can pay tithe from today till tomorrow the Lord will not open the window of heaven to any fornicator or adulterer. You can join all the groups in the church; as far as you are not merciful forget about mercy. You can be the Sunday school teacher, as far as you are not fully submissive to your husband or authority, you can rebuke the devil all you want instead of fleeing he might even chase you.

POINT: Lot represents incomplete obedience

REACTING TO THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE

MEMORY VERSE: and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, Genesis 18:2

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judg 18, Acts 22, Jer 32, Luke 1

BIBLE STUDIES: Genesis 18:2-8

In Genesis 18:2-16 is an account of Abraham and three divine visitors. Abraham was sitting at home one afternoon when he observed three men passing by. He approached them and invited them to turn in for a meal and they agreed. After the meal they said thank you and blessed Abraham and his family. Nine months later Sarah conceived and gave birth to a son .

God is a rewarder, Hebrew 11:6. Although He is the God of the whole universe yet He appreciates every little thing we do for Him. According to Zechariah 1:3 if we return to Him, He will return to us. When we give to Him, He will return it to us in good measures, pressed, and shaken together and running over, Luke 6:38. Matthew 19:29 says if we forsake all for His name sake, we get all back in hundred fold. All your labour in Christ is not in vain.

How we react to the opportunity to serve ( in one capacity or the other maybe to join a particular department in church, or volunteer, or give towards a particular assignment or participate in supporting mission works e.t.c.) will determine whether our service will accepted by God or not. Abraham greeted the opportunity to serve with willingness, excitement and joy. Immediately he saw the three men, the bible records that he ran to meet them and bowed himself to the ground. While the men sat down, Abraham ran around to ensure that his guests were entertained. This man was ninety - nine years old when the angels visited yet he did not allow his physical body or weakness to come in between him and his service to God. Despite there was a delay in the fulfillment of the promise of God for his life, he did not allow this to affect his service to God. Abraham saw the opportunity to serve as a favor from God not the other way round. That was why when the men were eating, he stood beside them ready to run errands. The reason why many of us do not take the things of God serious is because we think we are doing God a favor. By serving God, you are doing yourself a favor. After Abraham had served God to His satisfaction, God fulfilled the promise of twenty four years and made his joy full.

KEYWORD: The opportunity to serve is a favor from God not another burden from God.

PURITY IN SPEECH

MEMORY VERSE: but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation, 1 Peter 1:15

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judg 16, Acts 20, Jer 29, Mark 15

What is the meaning of the word pure? It has two major meaning. 1) Purity means of a single content e.g. pure wool or pure cotton. When we say a material is pure cotton, it means the only thing you will find there is cotton. When we say a material is pure wool, it means you won’t find a single trace of nylon or cotton in it. The word purity inclines singleness of purpose; singleness of mind. It means reliability. It means trustworthiness. When we say a fellow is pure, it means the fellow is trustworthy. When we say a brother is pure in speech it means you can trust whatever comes out of the brother’s mouth. When a sister who is pure in speech says yes, she means yes. There is no question of that is it to say. Pure in speech means you mean what you say and say you what mean. Matthew 5:37 says let your yes be yes, and your no be no. When a brother who is pure in speech says I am coming, you can go to sleep because you know he is going to come. When a sister who is pure in speech says I am not going to do, she is not going to do it no matter what. 

Purity also means no contamination. If we put a little bit of wool in cotton, it is no more pure wool. It has been contaminated by cotton. If we put a little silk in cotton, it is no more pure cotton; it has been contaminated by silk. Every contamination is dangerous. Imagine a big bowl of clean water is set aside for people to drink. One way or the other a nursing mother whilst cleaning her child mistakenly allows a small tiny bit of feces to fall inside the water; will you drink the water? I bet No. Why? Because the water is no longer pure, it has been contaminated by feces. Imagine the same tiny feces in a big tank of clean pure water; would you still drink the water? I bet No. Why because the water is no longer pure. Regardless of the mass of the water, just a tiny bit of feces contaminates it. A little contamination destroys purity. When we say a fellow is pure in speech, you will never hear a word that should not be uttered by a Christian from his mouth. Ephesians 4:29 says let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth. Not even one by mistake. Colossians 4:6 says let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt. Ephesians 5:4 says neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving thanks. You will never hear a fellow who is pure in speech use slang phrases or idle words. You will never hear them use a simple swear word e.g., f**k, s****t, mothef******r e.t.c

1 Peter 1:15 says but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. In all your conversation, you need to be pure in speech. Anger is not excuse not be pure in speech. Luke 6:45 says out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. You need a pure heart , to be pure in speech.

PRAYER POINT: Father , please purify my heart.

CONDITIONS FOR REVELATION

MEMORY VERSE: for I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him, Genesis 18:19.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judg 15, Acts 19, Jer 28, Mark 14

BIBLE STUDY: Genesis 18:17-21

There are certain conditions that must be satisfied before the Lord reveals things to a fellow. Firstly the fear of the Lord must be deeply rooted in the heart of the fellow. According to Psalm 25:14, God shares His secret with people who fear Him. A fellow who fears God will not toy with sin at all. Proverbs 16:6 says by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil. The tendency to do evil is in everyone but the fear of the Lord drives people from committing evil or participating in evil. Secondly the fellow must raise his children and household in the fear of the Lord. In 1Timothy 3:1-13, Paul told Timothy before you anoint a man to the office of a Deacon or Bishop , first of all check how he runs his household. Where his children and household spend eternity, is it a concern for him? If it is a concern for him, he will rule and raise them in the fear of the Lord. If that is not his priority don’t bother anointing him because a man who does not love his family enough to do everything in his power to get them to heaven will not love the church of God.

How you raise your children and household is directly proportional to the level of revelation you will get from God. In other words whether God will reveal things to you or not is dependent on the effort you put in to training your wards. When God was contemplating whether to tell Abraham His plans or not, He concluded by saying I know Abraham, He will command his children and household after Me. God was not obliged to reveal His plans to Abraham but He did so because He knew that Abraham took raising children up in the fear of God as priority.

The question is how did God know that Abraham was going to raise His children and household in the fear of the Lord? Well God is God and He knows all things. According to Isaiah 46:10, God makes known the end from the beginning and from the ancient times things that are not yet done. Asides this, how you train the child of others is how you will train yours. After the death of Nahor (Abraham’s brother), Abraham took Lot and raised him as a son. Abraham raised Lot up in the fear of the Lord. Despite the atrocities of Sodom, Lot managed to keep himself pure. Not only that, Lot raised his two daughters has virgins in Sodom all thanks to the training Lot received from Abraham. Thirdly, the fellow must be upright. Psalm 11:7 says for the righteous Lord loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright. To be upright is being in accord with what is right or to be honest.

POINT TO NOTE: When you raise a child in the fear of the Lord, you are preparing him to be used by God to influence nations.