"WE WRESTLE NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD"
Ephesians 6:12a
source: http://www.orthocuban.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Archangel-Michael-battle-gear.jpg
Spiritual warfare is what the universal church or the collective body-of-Christ is being faced with now more than ever. To begin this Rhema topic lets look at what Apostle Paul told the church in Ephesus in Ephesians 6:10-19 (NKJV):
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 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, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Now is the time saints of God to put on the full armor, because it is not the people that we wrestle against, but rather the spirits of opposition to the Word of God and Jesus Christ our Lord. Having not been yet filled with the Holy Ghost, one is liable to do many things that are contrary to the Word of God.
We all have had moments and even seasons in our lives where we were living opposite to how the Word of God states we should live and then there are those that were not "trained up in the way they should go" (Proverbs 22:6), so now that they are old he or she has nothing to remind them of how God loves them and wants them to live a life pleasing in His sight.
Witnessing and evangelizing is a must in these last and evil days! Apostle Paul reminds us in this passage of scripture that one must be fully dressed to fight the "principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this age, and the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." v. 12.
Apostle Paul told Timothy in II Timothy 3:1, to paraphrase, "terrible times will come in the last days." My brothers and sisters, just look around, these truly are terrible times, yet the saints are not to be surprised! The saints or holy ones as Webster defines this title, are to be in much prayer because the devil is doing many things rapidly now, because he knows that his time is winding down.
In Mark 9:29, "this kind comes by prayer", Jesus states this to his disciples when they could not release the demon out of a certain man's son. The man was questioning why the disciples of Jesus were not able and then he transferred that unbelief to Jesus himself. "If you can [Jesus], can you help us?" said the man. Now that is just like many of us today, asking God, "If He can!", as if we have forgotten that God has all power in His hand! My God!
Faith is a must and to know that spiritual warfare is going to be here until Jesus Christ descends in the clouds, we must take the proper procedures as saints of God to "trample upon the snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy" as Jesus Christ stated we have been given the power to do through Luke 10:19.
May God bless you and keep you, is my prayer! Go and serve the Lord! Preach, "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" -fal
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