KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 6:17b. ”, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:”

Among the armour of God that we are commanded to use is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The word of God is not just a presentation of words but God Himself who is presented to us as words. (John 1:1). Hebrews 4:12 reads “The word of God is alive (a living being) and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword piercing to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow. It is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The word of God as a sword is an offensive weapon to be used to cut the enemy to size or stop him outright

It must come out from the heart through the mouth in faith. In Revelation 19:15, the Bible described a heavenly being called “ Faithful and True, and out of His mouth went a sharp sword….” This being is the Lord. Revelation 19:13 “And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood and His name is called the word of God”.

He is called the word of God and out of His mouth proceeded the word of God, a sharp edge sword. Every Christian must fill his heart with the word and be ready to speak it forth against the activities of the devil. God’s word is superior to every personality, condition, situation, or event. It is a law that overrules every other law. Everything came out of the word, so everything is subjected to the word.
The Lord Jesus did not argue with the devil in the wilderness. The Lord repeatedly said it is written and then quoted the scripture. We must do the same always to stop the enemy.

In heaven, no other word, rule, or principle abides. Only the word of God remains settled (Psalm 119:89). God is forever faithful to honour the word anytime it is spoken (Psalm 119:90).

Our key scripture, implies anytime the Christian speaks out the word of God in faith, there is a release of a two-edged sword which is the most powerful and the sharper than any other weapon. There is absolutely nothing it can’t chop down or cut down to size. All that one needs to do is to say the word in faith. Satan and his demons can not resist a command spoken from the word of God in faith. It is just like God making that declaration.

CONFESSION

The word of God is my sword of the Spirit. I feed my heart fully with the word and boldly declare it against the devil and His activities. No conditions prevail over the word of God.

THOUGHT: NO EVIL SITUATION CAN STAND SUCCESSFULLY AGAINST GOD’S WORD SPOKEN IN FAITH

FURTHER STUDIES.

Matthew 4:4 ” But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”.

2 Corinthians 4:13 ” We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;“

KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 6:12 “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”.

Our key scripture shows us that our enemies are spiritual beings. They are not flesh and blood. Satan may use human beings to oppose and even attack us in many forms, yet we’ve got to know that these people are not our real enemies but certain unseen persons.

The Bible lists them as.

Principalities

Powers

Rulers of darkness of this world.

Spiritual wickedness in higher places.

This is an orderly organized regime of satanic forces that come up against the Christian. The Bible lists them in a proper order of rank.

These names of these devils should never instill fear in any child of God. We have been raised together with Jesus and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ. 

Ephesians 1:21 reads “Far above all principality and power, and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this world. But also in that which is to come”. 

The Christian shares in the authority of Christ. We are seated or ranked in authority far above these evil spirits.

Our life and experience are also after the position of Christ. Jesus is forever victorious. We share in His victory as well. This is the reason we must remain standing even in the face of trying moments that seem to depict failure. Jesus is our life. We represent him on the earth. If the Christian accepts failure and defeat from the enemy, it means he has decided to step out of his or her identification with Jesus. We are called Christians because of our identification with Jesus. We are in Him, He is in us, and we are one with our Lord.

The devil knowing this, attacks by deception. His strategy is to make us lose sight or awareness of our oneness with Jesus. He also seeks to make us lose sight of our non-negotiable victory in Jesus. The Bible calls the conflict we have with the devil as a wrestle. The Greek word for wrestle is “Pale”, it comes from the root word “Pallo”. This means to oscillate or vibrate. The idea is to sway you from your victorious position in Christ. Whatever Satan and his demons seek to achieve, is to take you from the truth that is your victory in Jesus.

Your part of the contest is to maintain your grounds and not lose your place of victory

CONFESSION

I am fully established in the Lord Jesus. I am very victorious and no matter what comes against me I am more than a conqueror.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Romans 8:37 “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us “.

1 John 4:4. “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Colossians 2:8 KJV “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

In our previous study, we looked at one aspect of the devil’s way of deceiving Christians and the world as a whole. We looked at philosophy as one way He deceives men. He easily succeeds because the meaning of the word ‘philosophy’ in ancient Greek is, that is ‘lover of wisdom’ or better still common sense. Common sense is a Normal human access to issues within the natural realm. This is called sense knowledge.

The knowledge that God communicates to His children is revelation knowledge. This is knowledge outside our three-dimensional world. Until it is revealed, you can’t know it. 

1Co 2:14 KJV “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

Any child of God who decides to relate to the things of God from the natural point of view will be lost and will surely end up accepting those things that appeal to his natural sense, yet they are all deceit from God’s point of view. Listen to the advice the Lord gave Thomas. 

John 20:29 KJV “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”

The next line of deceit, according to our key scripture, is vain deceit. Sadly, this is one of the very strong points or ways Satan uses to deceive most men. Can you believe some people go about saying “Jesus is alien”? Aliens are supposed to be beings who come from other planets with higher superpowers than human beings. This is a vain deceit. The sources of vain deceit are the same as the philosophies. They are traditions of men and the rudiments of this world. It is just strange to hear certain individuals claim Jesus is a myth. In Ghana, we have folk stories about Kwaku Ananse. Kwaku Ananse, Is a myth. 

No human being was ever called Kwaku Ananse who had all those stories spoken about Him. Another such vain deceit is the widely held view that Christianity is a white man’s religion. The original religion of Europe or the white man is idol worshipping. 

Acts 17:16 KJV “ Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry“. 

Athens, a city in Europe was given to idol worship. Rome was the center of idol worship. Europe is a fragment of the old Roman empire. Christianity rather spread to Europe and they accepted it. A million and one vain deceits are making the runs among most people. 

Rev 12:9 KJV ” And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” 

This being as described above is the original deceiver of all people. Satan is still using people to deceive others using vain deceit 

The truth is always available. That is the bible or the word of God. Stick to it

THOUGHT: STAY GLUED TO GOD’S WORD, AND AVOID BEING DECEIVED

FURTHER STUDIES

2Thessalonians 2:11 KJV “And for this cause, God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:“

John 8:44 KJV ” Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar and the father of it.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Colossians 2:9 “ For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily ”.

For in Him (Jesus Christ) dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

The word ‘Godhead’ means deity or divinity. The word ‘fullness’ also means completeness, abundance, or filled. This scripture could be said this way, “He is the manifestation of God in a bodily form”. He is not just a representative of the original but the real divine one in a bodily form.

Jesus is God.

Colossians 1:15-19 throws more light on His deity and the fact that He (JESUS) is the creator of all things. Colossians 1:15 says “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature”. This issue of Jesus being the firstborn of every creature has been misunderstood by some people, especially the Jehovah’s Witnesses. They claim Jesus is a creature.

Well, to understand the meaning and import of certain statements you must read further. Colossians 1:16 reads “For by Him were all things created“. The word by is the Greek word “En” which means “IN” in English. It could be translated as follows, “for in Him were all things created”.  He states “…that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers: all things were created by Him and for Him”.

Please consider this, how could He be a creature and all things would be created ”IN” Him and then “FOR” Him, If He is not the ultimate Lord of all things? 

Colossians 1:17 also reads “And He is before all things and by (in) Him all things consist”. 

Jesus is not a creature but the creator. 

Colossians 1:19 also teaches that“For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell”.

 Note: The whole fullness of deity or divinity dwells in Him in bodily form. He is God in a bodily form. Let’s look at 1st Timothy 3:16 ” And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles believed on in the world, received up into glory”.

Beloved, this scripture undoubtedly refers to our Lord Jesus. He is God in bodily form.

CONFESSION

Jesus is God who became man. He died for me and bought me with His blood. This makes me very precious and my salvation the dearest thing or experience on this earth. I would continue to keep faith with Him and live to glorify His name.

FURTHER STUDIES.

John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth”.

John 1:1,3 ” In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Romans 5:5 “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us”.

Our key scripture reveals a very important truth about the Christian. It says the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts. It explains a very important truth in our experience under the new creation.

In John 13:34, the Lord Jesus instructed His disciples about a new commandment to love. It reads “A new commandment I give unto you. That you also love one another”. In all the periods prior to our Lord’s death and resurrection, it was a commandment to obey certain laws. After His death and resurrection, the laws were fulfilled in us.

Romans 8:3,4 reads “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit”.

In the new creation, the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us. We are no longer trying to obey. We are doers of the word. Our key scripture states that “…..the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us”. Until the Lord died and was resurrected, the Holy Spirit had not come. Now, the Holy Spirit lives in us. All the perfections of God live in us. We are born lovers.

 1st John 4:7, 8 reads “Beloved let us love one another for love is of God, and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God”.

 Now, we do not just see these commands as external instructions to be obeyed but as part and parcel of our very being. We are born that way. Love is shed abroad in our hearts.

We no more walk in hatred. To hate is to abide in death. That is the nature of the enemy, and we have passed from death to life. We don’t hate. We can only love. Well, we must hate evil and wrong things, but we don’t hate our fellow humans, our relations, our friends, and our neighbors. No, it is not part of us.

If you are living in bitterness, please stop it from this moment. You are importing something strange to your very nature, into your being.

 CONFESSION

The love of God is shed abroad in my heart. I reflect God’s love to all persons I relate to. I do not have hatred and bitterness towards any man. It is very natural for me to love

THOUGHT: LOVE FOR ALL IS OUR IDENTIFICATION MARK

FURTHER STUDIES

Galatians 5:22” But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith”,

1 John 4:13 “Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us his Spirit.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Galatians 3:27 “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

Apostle Paul was loaded with an abundance of revelations. It was because of these great numbers of insight and revelations given to him that a messenger of the devil was allowed to buffet him lest he should be exalted above measure (2nd Corinthians 12:7). This messenger was defined as a ‘thorn in his flesh’. (Note: This is seen in the many persecutions he faced and not sickness as some may teach)

One such revelation and insight was that anyone baptised into Christ has put on Christ Jesus. The term baptized into Christ, which symbolised an outward dipping of one into water, had a more spiritual act; where the Holy Spirit places the man who acknowledges Jesus as Lord into Christ Jesus. To be placed in Christ sets you in a very glorious atmosphere. It is an escape from the dominance of darkness. You live in the presence of the Father. It is an atmosphere of heaven yet on earth. This is the reason the Lord remarked,ye are in the world, but you are not of the world. John 17:16 “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world”

To put on Christ Jesus is slightly different. To put on Christ Jesus is to have Him on you as wearing a jacket.  This one is not just an outside influence but a total change of your personality to Christ’s. The Christian of his former self died with Jesus (Galatians 2:20). To be baptised into Him in the light of Galatians 3:27 makes you just like him. Dear child of God, God’s plan and intention for allowing Jesus into this world is to raise a people just like Him. Romans 8:29 “For whom He did foreknow He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His son, that He might be the first born among many brethren”. This glorious Jesus is our big brother. It is God’s family. We have become God and His sons incorporated. Jesus is the firstborn.

Our key scripture gives a more vivid presentation of the whole idea. In this instant, it is not just conforming to Him but the very person of Christ taking over your being and being like Him in all things. You only have your name to answer to, but it is His being and Spirit that has taken over. You have put on Christ Jesus. Please don’t look at yourself as an ordinary being. Face Satan with the boldness and assurance that the Lord Jesus would have faced him. Check out diseases from your body as He would.

Overcome the promptings of the flesh to sin as he would.

You have put Him on.

 CONFESSION

I have put on Christ Jesus. It is Him who has taken over my being. I carry everything He had. I win like Him, oh what a glorious life.

THOUGHT: LET YOUR PLACE IN CHRIST REVOLUTIONALIZE YOUR WHOLE PERSPECTIVE ABOUT LIFE

FURTHER STUDIES.

Colossians 1:27 “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:”

Hebrews 2:10 ” For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering