THE ARMOR OF GOD
KNOW YOUR ENEMY
STRONGHOLDS The war is between your spirit man and your physical man!
The human spirit is like a candlewick without the wax. The Holy Spirit is the wax. When the Holy Spirit enters you it forms your armor around your spirit like the wax forms a candle around the wick.
Then a communion between you and Jesus takes place. This is the flame burning on the candle. See John 12:46. 2nd Corinthians 10:3-7
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ’s, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ’s, even so we are Christ’s.
WHAT IS A STRONGHOLD. A stronghold creates a "Soulish oppression over our spirit. A stronghold is a house of thoughts. A stronghold is made of three parts.
The first part is A principality, a principality is an arch demon. The word arch comes from the Greek word arche, which means architect.
A principality designs the stronghold and rules over it. A principality rules like a king would, over a certain region or landmass.
The second part is Powers. The Greek word for powers is exousia, which means an "Authority". This is a demon or spirit that is the builder of the principality's designs.
The third part is Imagination or a philosophy, which is promoted in one's mind by a demon or spirit, called a ruler. The Greek word for ruler is kosmokrator.
In the Old Testament there is a pagan god that was worshiped named baal. The name of this demon god gives a good example of what a ruler or kosmokrator is.
A Canaanite god most often referred to as Baal, which means “lord” or “master.” The word could be used as a title for any person who owned something, or any god considered to be a lord or master. But the word Baal soon became identified with various regional gods that were thought to provide fertility for crops and livestock. As a god who symbolized the productive forces of nature, Baal was worshiped with much sensuality (Num. 22:41; Judg. 2:13; 1 Kin. 16:31–32).
Baal-Zebub, which means “lord of the fly,” was “the god of Ekron” (2 Kin. 1:2–3, 6, 16)—the name under which Baal was worshiped at the Philistine city of Ekron. The name is probably a deliberate and scornful scribal corruption of Baal-Zebul, “lord prince,” another name for the Canaanite god Baal (see below). In the New Testament, reference is made to Beelzebub, a heathen god considered the chief evil spirit by the Jewish people (Matt. 10:25; 12:27; Luke 11:18–19). The Pharisees called him “the ruler of the demons” (Matt. 12:24; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15), and Jesus identified him with Satan.
This is one of many examples of how a man of God fought such a stronghold. In 2nd Kings 1:1-4
Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease. But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? Now therefore thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.
A STRONGHOLD IS A "HOUSE OF THOUGHTS".
The Principality is the Architect The Powers are the Carpenters The Ruler is the Real Estate Agent
The Architect makes the blueprints and gives them to the carpenters. The carpenters use the blueprints and build the "House of Thoughts" on land that the Real Estate Agent has collected. That Real Estate is your imagination or your mind. The Real Estate Agent collects his Real Estate from mutual communication and agreement between you, the land owner and him. The Real Estate Agent cannot collect land in your mind if you are not willing to sell it to or agree with, the Agent. So the Agent uses many different ways to talk, bribe or trick you into selling your land. This Ruler uses the weakness of your flesh, all the things that commonly tempt your flesh, in order to get you to agree with him. "All is fair in Love and War".
Because this entire event takes place in your mind there is only one way to both detect it and protect yourself from it. 1st John 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
YOUR ARMOR
EPHESIANS 6:10-19
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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. 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. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—.
1. Having girded your waist with truth. TRUTH BY DEFINITION.
TRUTH — conformity to fact or actuality; faithfulness to an original or to a standard. In the Old and New Testaments, truth is a fundamental moral and personal quality of God. God proclaimed that He is “merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth” (Ex. 34:6). He is a “God of truth . . . without injustice” (Deut. 32:4). Furthermore, all of His paths are “mercy and truth” (Ps. 25:10). Frequently in the psalms, God’s mercy and His truth are joined together (Ps. 57:3; 89:14; 115:1). All of God’s works, precepts, and judgments are done in righteousness and truth (Ps. 96:13; 111:8).
Truth is a moral and personal characteristic of God: He is “the God of truth” (Is. 65:16). The psalmist declared, “Your law is truth” (119:142), “all Your commandments are truth” (119:151), and “the entirety of Your word is truth” (119:160). Because of His perfect nature and will, God has to speak and act in truth; He cannot lie (1 Sam. 15:29; Heb. 6:18; James 1:17–18). Jesus is the Word of God who became flesh, “the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). All Jesus said was true, because He told the truth He heard from God (John 8:40). He promised His disciples that He would send “the Spirit of truth” (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13)—a Helper who would abide in Christians forever (John 14:16), testify about Jesus (John 15:26), guide Christians into all truth (John 16:13), and glorify Jesus (John 16:14). God is truth; the Spirit is truth; and Jesus is truth. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Jesus and the revelation the Spirit of truth gave through His apostles are the final, ultimate revelation and definition of truth about God, people, redemption, history, and the world. “The law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).
THE BELT
Specific pieces of armor for the body mentioned in the Bible include: breastplate (Neh. 4:16, NASB); belt, a wide piece of metal that protected a warrior’s lower trunk and stomach (1 Sam. 18:4; girdle, NRSV); and greaves, protective devices for the legs (1 Sam. 17:6).
If used, the belt of Truth protects you against sexual immorality
LOINS — the lower abdomen, including the reproductive organs. A man’s loins are described as the source of his offspring (Gen. 35:11, KJV; body, NIV). When a man was ready to work, he put a belt around his waist; then he tucked up his robe so his legs would not be hindered. This is the meaning of “girded up his loins” (1 Kin. 18:46). To “gird up the loins of your mind” (1 Pet. 1:13) means to prepare for strenuous mental activity.
The Belt is what you use to carry your Sword.
2. Having put on the breastplate of righteousness.
Clothing The high priest’s special garments represented his function as mediator between God and people. Over the trousers, coat, girdle, and cap, worn by all priests, the high priest wore an Ephod, a two-piece apron reaching to his hips, made of royal colors (blue, purple, and scarlet), and sewed with gold thread. By two onyx stones bearing the names of the twelve tribes of Israel fastened to the shoulders of the ephod, he brought the whole nation before God in all his priestly acts (Ex. 28:5–14). The “breastplate of judgment,” made of the same material, was attached to the front of the ephod (Ex. 28:15–30). On its front were 12 precious stones engraved with the names of the 12 tribes. In its pocket, directly over his heart, were the Urim and Thummim (Ex. 28:30), the medium through which God could communicate His will. By this the high priest was Israel’s advocate before God and God’s spokesman to them.
For us, this breastplate is used to guard our Hearts.
HEART — the inner self that thinks, feels, and decides. In the Bible the word “heart” has a much broader meaning than it does to the modern mind. The heart is that which is central to a person. Nearly all the references to the heart in the Bible refer to some aspect of human personality. In the Bible all emotions are experienced by the heart: love and hate (Ps. 105:25; 1 Pet. 1:22); joy and sorrow (Eccl. 2:10; John 16:6); peace and bitterness (Ezek. 27:31; Col. 3:15); courage and fear (Gen. 42:28; Amos 2:16). The thinking processes are said to be carried out by the heart. This intellectual activity corresponds to what would be called “mind” in English. Thus, the heart may think (Esth. 6:6), understand (Job 38:36), imagine (Jer. 9:14), remember (Deut. 4:9), be wise (Prov. 2:10), and speak to itself (Deut. 7:17). Decision-making is also carried out by the heart. Purpose (Acts 11:23), intention (Heb. 4:12), and will (Eph. 6:6) are all activities of the heart.
KNOWLEDGE — the truth or facts of life that a person acquires either through experience or thought. The greatest truth that a person can possess with the mind or learn through experience is truth about God (Ps. 46:10; John 8:31–32). This cannot be gained by unaided human reason (Job 11:7; Rom. 11:33). It is acquired only as God shows Himself to people—in nature and conscience (Ps. 19; Rom. 1:19–20); in history or providence (Deut. 6:20–25; Dan. 2:21); and especially in the Bible (Ps. 119; Rev. 1:1–3). Mental knowledge by itself, as good as it may be, is inadequate; it is capable only of producing pride (1 Cor. 8:1; 13:2). Moral knowledge affects a person’s will (Prov. 1:7; Phil. 3:11–12; 1 John 4:6). It is knowledge of the heart, not the mind alone. The Book of Proverbs deals primarily with this kind of knowledge. Experiential knowledge is that gained through one’s experience (Gen. 4:1; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 John 4:7–8).
Bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. 2nd Corinthians 10:5 2 Timothy 2:21. Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient. In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
Ephesians 4:17 Keeping yourself pure in thought and in Heart.
This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
3.Having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
DOING THE WILL OF THE FATHER.
Matthew 10:7 “And as you GO, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Matthew 7:24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
John 14:12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
Shod your feet
John 15:12-14 “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
John 15:16-17 “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. “These things I command you, that you love one another.
Ephesians 5:1-2 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
NOT DOING THE WILL OF THE FATHER.
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Matthew 7:26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: “and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
The shield of faith
4. Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
Hebrews 11:6 Without faith it is impossible to please God.
WHAT FAITH IS Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
FAITH - a belief in or confident attitude toward God, involving commitment to His will for one’s life. According to Hebrews 11, faith was already present in the experience of many people in the Old Testament as a key element of their spiritual lives. In this chapter, the various heroes of the Old Testament (Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses) are described as living by faith. In addition, the Old Testament itself makes the same point. Abraham "believed in the Lord" (Gen. 15:6); the Israelites "believed" (Ex. 4:31; 14:31); and the prophet Habakkuk taught that "the just shall live by his faith" (Hab. 2:4). In the New Testament, "faith" covers various levels of personal commitment. Mere intellectual agreement to a truth is illustrated in James 2:19, where even demons are said to believe that there is one God. Obviously, however, they are not saved by this type of belief. Genuine saving faith is a personal attachment to Christ, best thought of as a combination of two ideas-reliance on Christ and commitment to Him. Saving faith involves personally depending on the finished work of Christ’s sacrifice as the only basis for forgiveness of sin and entrance into heaven. But saving faith is also a personal commitment of one’s life to following Christ in obedience to His commands: "I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day" (2 Tim. 1:12).
Faith is part of the Christian life from beginning to end. As the instrument by which the gift of salvation is received (Eph. 2:8-9), faith is thus distinct from the basis of salvation, which is grace, and from the outworking of salvation, which is good works. The apostle Paul declared that salvation is through faith, not through keeping the law (Gal. 2:16).
HOW DOES ONE GET FAITH According to the word of God each person is apportioned a measure of faith. Both listening to, and reading the word of God can increase faith.
Romans 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
HOW DOES FAITH ACT AS A SHIELD TO QUENCH SATAN'S DARTS. You must understand that satan's darts and all his forms of attack are focused on your mind. He uses his servant demons to create a thought pattern inside your mind. Which are called strongholds. His darts come in the form of FEAR, DOUBT, ACCUSATIONS, DESTRUCTIVE CRITICISM, LUST, PERVERSION, RACISM, PRIDE, GOSSIP, etc.
For instance, he gets someone inside your own family who is unsaved to hurt you in some way. Then an authority instructs a ruler demon to whisper in your mind the suggestion that you shouldn't have to take that abuse from them. In this case the ruler or imagination would be named pride. If you don't have faith in what the word of God says about loving your enemies, you might listen to this suggestion which you will think is coming from your own mind. And then you begin to get angry with this person and after a while you will refuse to forgive that person and you have unknowingly opened a door for a stronghold to develop in your mind.
But if you have faith in the word of God, and you have been listening to the sermons preached in church and you have been reading your word, you will have a shield to deflect those demons' suggestions.
A good example of using this shield of faith as well as the sword of the spirit Is the story of Jesus in the desert for forty days. Matthew 4:3-11. The devil tempts Jesus three times and three times Jesus defends himself and fights back using the word of God as his shield and sword. Matthew 4:3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’
In the second temptation satan uses his own knowledge of the word of God. Matthew 4:5-6 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
Again Jesus uses the word to retaliate. Matthew 4:7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’
Then satan reveals to Jesus his authority over the earth. Matthew 4:8-9 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
And the third time Jesus uses the word of God to retaliate. Matthew 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
The helmet of salvation.
And take the helmet of salvation.
The helmet of salvation symbolizes your submission and your willingness to accept Jesus as your savior. Like you wear a helmet upon your head, you wear your commitment to your savior in your mind.
Ephesians 1:13. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a SEAL, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession - to the praise of his glory.
When Jesus went to the cross He wore his commitment in taking your sins with him in the form of the crown of thorns upon his head.
The one aspect of your life that God will not control is you WILL. Your spirit is always subject to your will and your mind is linked to your will. If you had not made the conscious decision to follow Jesus and accept Jesus you would never have been saved. So your salvation begins in your mind.
In the spirit realm your helmet of salvation can be plainly seen on the head of your spirit man. It shines like a beacon in the spiritual darkness of this world. It sets you apart and marks you as a child of God for all spiritual beings to see. When the angel of the Lord was sent to Egypt to kill the firstborn sons of every Egyptian family the Lord used a mark in order to tell the difference between the Egyptians and the Jews.
The mark was the blood of a lamb rubbed on every Jew's door post. Your helmet will be used to do the same thing for it represents the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.
In the book of Revelation it speaks of the way in which people will be told apart by the fearsome angels sent to earth to destroy the wicked.
The Beast out of the Earth The wicked will have the mark of the beast on their foreheads, like you wear the helmet of salvation on yours.
Revelation 13:16-17 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.
And in Revelation 14:9-11 Then a third angel followed them. Saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, “he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. “And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
The children of God will have the names of Jesus and God upon their foreheads. Revelation 14:1 Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads.
Read Revelation 16:15.
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