The Sunday Conversation | with Pastor Luke Okoro |
2 Corinthians 10:3-6. Ephesians 6:10-18. Acts 1:8; Romans 8:16,26. Hebrews 4:12-13; 10:25.
5, Put on Whole Armour/ Weapons of Warfare.
10, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11, Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12, For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13, Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day., and having done all, to stand.
14, Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15, And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
26, Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17, And take the helmet of salvation , and the sword of the Spirit , which is the word of God;
18, Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Ephesians 6:10-18. KJV.
Yes, the passage fully quoted above captures what the believer on a journey must do to remain earnest, fervent, and aglow as well as contending, dominating and on top of his or her spiritual game all through. The Christian Journey maker must know that these weapons are designed by God– who understands the nature of the battle ahead of us. This therefore means that you do not choose the ones to put on , the ones to discard or treat with levity or handle with indifference. The command of Scripture is that we must put on the WHOLE armour of our Warfare.. And it must be: In-God. Why ? Because somebody may decide to embrace fake and false weapons like the Egyptian Marabouts who faked the miracles of Moses and Aaron. Though such powers have limited impact as seen in those encounters between Moses and the Egyptian Marabouts, the danger is rea – they could deceive the unwary. These armours and weapons of warfare must be wholistic, total and complete., extensive and penetrating with consistency, constancy and painstaking steadfastness each day.
The Christian Journey maker must not behave like a sick person who got some relief from part usage of their medical prescriptions and abandoned the rest of the drugs. Only to realize that the root of the sickness is very much active and alive. Indeed, only a full dose of the WHOLE armour of God will uproot the devil, his powers and his cohorts. Jesus tells us that even when the devil is cast away, he hovers around to check if the place is vacant or not. And that the condition of such a person will be worse if the devil sees him empty or vacant. As we converse, you can use your eyes to run through friends, colleagues and family members who left the faith, and how they currently fare? Don’t join the league of sad realities.
Our words must gain power and potency to achieve performance. This is the difference between those who operate in the Power of the Holy Ghost and those who shy away from Him. Peter preached after the Holy Ghost came upon them in Acts 1:8 with over 3000 converted in a single day. The same Peter that denied Jesus before a little girl. My dear, get the Holy Ghost today, and the Journey becomes easier and surmountable.
The believer must develop appropriate amount of spiritual capacity, confidence and courage to challenge these satanic forces, gain mastery over them and win them convincingly, as Jesus did, shaming them and laying them bare and naked. We have the privilege of these weapons and cannot afford to fail or disappoint God and the several DESTINIES hanging on our shoulders.
Now, what are these Weapons?
1, Truth.
2, Breastplate of righteousness.
3, The Gospel of Peace.
4, The Shield of faith.
5, The Helmet of Salvation.
6, The Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.
7, Prayers.
8, Fellowship.
9, Praise.
10, Watching with perseverance.
11, Walking in the Spirit.
12, The Blood of Jesus.
13, The name of Jesus.
14, The Holy Ghost with enduement of speaking in tongues.
The foundation of our warfare must be laid on No 1: Truth. And Jesus is the Truth. Upon Jesus all other structures of the warfare are hinged or integrated. Jesus is the truth,the breast-plate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation and the Living Word of God made flesh to dwell amongst men, John 1:1. Therefore, when a man rejects Jesus as the True Son of God, such a person cannot have these other weapons listed in 2-6, as well as those in 11-14, namely: walking in the Spirit, the blood of Jesus, the name of Jesus and the Enduement of the Holy Ghost with evidence of speaking in tongues. He can’t also walk in the Spirit because Jesus is the Spirit of God.
Although the person can pray, praise, fellowship with others and watch unto perseverance. The big question is: To what effect. The fellowshipping, , the praising praying and the watching unto perseverance (as listed in nos 7-10) – which God hears and enjoys are those made: ‘ in the name of Jesus Christ ‘ Philippians 2: 5-11. And in righteousness. Psalms 1and 15.
The Bible says: God has highly lifted Him , hence in the name of Jesus, every knew bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus is the Lord– whether on earth, in heaven or under the earth.
We have taken time to point out these elements, separating them from the chaff so that we will not be in error of what is expected of us as we journey along.
Many make the mistake of thinking that they have the Truth in other names or beliefs or religions or faiths. No. Jesus says in John 14:6, I am the way , the truth and the life. Nobody comes to the father except through Him.
The Bible is certain there are no two Ways, No two Truths and no two Life- Givers. When you have Jesus as Lord and Savior, you have all three…Way, truth and life rolled into one.
Apostle Peter told his Jewish brethren in Acts 4:12 that there’s no other name given amongst men through which to be saved, except Jesus Christ, the Saviour of mankind. Jesus is the Only Truth. Any other Truth is fake, false and ethereal, and lacks eternal power to save, to deliver and to guarantee eternity with God. Hebrews 9:27.
No wonder Jesus told the Pharisees that: you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. John 8:32. When truth is got right, other aspects of the weapons of our warfare will fall into place. Wherefore, a man who has Jesus gains righteousness because Jesus is our righteousness. The truth is also our salvation. And Salvation is the bottom line of our relationship with Jesus. When we have Jesus, we are saved. Jesus teaches that He came to give us life , and life in its abundance. John 10:10. Luke 19:10. He came to seek the lost for His kingdom. Jesus also challenges us to seek His kingdom and its righteousness first , and thereafter, all other things will be added to us. Solomon was indeed right when he said in Proverbs 12:28, ‘ in the way of righteousness is life. And again , he says, the righteousness of a man shall direct his way.
When Jesus is your righteousness, He will direct all your battles in the Journey to eternal life and purpose. In directing your life and purpose, He will be in a position to determine which of the weapons would be most appropriate for the battle in confrontation. The Bible says:
3, For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh.
4, ( For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;).
5, Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.;
6, And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. 2 Corinthians 10:3-6.
When this truth is firmed up in the heart of the Journey maker, all distractions, all satanic rebellions, all spiritual wickedness in high places and all rulers of darkness of this world are checkmated and brought into obedience by the power of His Resurrection, the name above all names and the blood of Jesus – pleaded under the authority of the Holy Ghost. This is a rare privilege. Grab it in Jesus’ name. God bless. Happy Sunday.
(To be continue).
•Pastor Okoro, a revivalist and marriage counselor, can be reached on: 08051000462.
February 13.
