Strongholds Pt 4

14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness I always am amazed to watch battles on TV. There are people on each side, that don’t carry a weapon or even a drum. Their job is to carry the banner. When they get shot, someone else picks it up. The banner usually has a crest or flag on it representing the nation for which it stands.

The banner for God is the truth. The banner for the devil is falsehood and lies. The vital organs of a soldier are protected by a breastplate. The heart, lungs, liver, kidneys etc. if they are damaged will bring death. There is no hope for a person to tear down a stronghold if they are not on God’s side. If they do not have the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is what salvation is, the enemy will render them useless in battle.

15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; The peace spoken of here is not between the two warring parties but between God and man. We defeat the enemy by stealing his soldiers. The gospel of Christ is the power of God. God predestinates His people to be the firstborn among many bretheren.

16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. The devil is a master liar. He is so good at deception, people don’t even know they are being lied to. 1 Tim 2:14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. Eve really thought that she would be like God if she ate that fruit. The devil had her completely hoodwinked. She should have simply believed God. That is what faith is. Gen 2:17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." The need for faith in this battle is far reaching. When you are in the midst of the battle, there is not time for every soldier to question every command. The marine motto is, “Our is not to question why, ours is but to do or die.”

2Co 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. for whatever is not from faith is sin. God does not want innovation and new ideas so much as he want us to do what he has called us to do. Hos 6:6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; If you want to kill the enemy, shoot him in the head. The devil gets into the head of men through the ears and eyes. This is where the TV, movies, and mass media come into play. This is the Devil’s propaganda campaign. No soldier is worth much if he doesn’t have a weapon. You will not have much success tearing down a stronghold if you don’t have at least a sledgehammer. The word of God is our weapon. Jer 23:29 "Is not My word like a fire?" says the Lord, "And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? We must memorize it, study it, read it prayerfully and do what it says. Jas 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints-- Prayer changes things. We remove strongholds through prayer. Prayer must come from righteous Christians battling for holiness. Psa 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear. Jas 5:16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Here are the rules for war. We must be good soldiers. There are many strongholds to be torn down. Rom 16:24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.