July. 29th, 2010 - 06:41 am
OUR DAILY DEVOTION
This morning we listen to:
6:15 a.m. "I NEED YOU"
6:20 a.m. - I prayed
6:40 a.m. - Rhonda prayed over the word and is reading Matthew 4:1-11
Matthew 4
1Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4But 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.
5Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
8Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010 - Bible Class Homework due Tues, August 3. 2010
John 1:1-3 Started at 10:15 p.m. 7/28/2010
ASSIGNMENT:
Take John 1:1-3 and do structuring
A. What is structuring? Take a scripture to very small parts. (I.e. Subject, noun, verb)
Then ask the questions, When, What, Where, Why and How?
Look at the back ground, what it means - Does it reference time, etc.
B. Right out thoughts based on your research and give it a title
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
In grammar, a preposition is a part of speech that introduces a prepositional phrase. For example, in the sentence "The cat sleeps on the sofa", the word "on" is a preposition, introducing the prepositional phrase "on the sofa". In English, the most used prepositions are "of", "to", "in", "for", "with" and "on". Simply put, a preposition indicates a relation between things mentioned in a sentence.
A preposition links nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence. The word or phrase that the preposition introduces is called the object of the preposition.
ASSIGNMENT:
Take John 1:1-3 and do structuring
A. What is structuring? Take a scripture to very small parts. (I.e. Subject, noun, verb)
Then ask the questions, When, What, Where, Why and How?
Look at the back ground, what it means - Does it reference time, etc.
B. Right out thoughts based on your research and give it a title
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
In grammar, a preposition is a part of speech that introduces a prepositional phrase. For example, in the sentence "The cat sleeps on the sofa", the word "on" is a preposition, introducing the prepositional phrase "on the sofa". In English, the most used prepositions are "of", "to", "in", "for", "with" and "on". Simply put, a preposition indicates a relation between things mentioned in a sentence.
A preposition links nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence. The word or phrase that the preposition introduces is called the object of the preposition.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010 - The Whole Armor of God
The Whole Armor of God
By Tim Greenwood
http://www.tgm.org/aogWholeArmor.htm
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My reason for presenting this subject is this. When I was so desperately ill and was told that there was no hope for me, I didn't know any of this. I mean, I knew as head knowledge, what the scripture said and what the parts of the armor were, but I didn't know in my heart what it all was supposed to mean to me. I didn't know what was included in salvation, or how to use the sword and shield. I did not know that I was made the righteousness of God and what all that that meant for me, in fact I was taught how unworthy I was and how I should think of myself as a lowly worm. And my concept of the gospel other than that the ‘Greek’ meant ‘good news’ -- was totally off.
The lack of this knowledge very nearly cost me my life. And, I don't want it to cost you yours. So here we go.
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The Whole Armor of God
Eph 6:11-17 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
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. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Paul the Apostle wrote the book of Ephesians during a time when he was in Rome under an unusual type of arrest. This arrest allowed him to reside in his own house, and come and go, but required him to be continually chained to a Roman soldier. For this reason, Paul became very knowledgeable about the armor and implements of warfare belonging to the man to which he was chained.
Paul refers to the whole armor (panoplia, pan-op-lee'-ah) as being one word as opposed to two, and seems to imply that the armor was an all or nothing proposition. Then he tells us what the armor is for. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. So the armor is for us to take a stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood. So it is not to be used against mankind. Unfortunately, the first thing some new believers do is to put on the armor and begin to do battle with unbelievers. Just as bad are the believers that do battle with other believers. But this is not what the armor of God is for.
He speaks of the wiles (methodeia) of the devil. Methodeia is a Greek word that denotes a path or roadway that is traveled over. This is because the devil continuously attempts to secure a foothold so that he may begin construction of a roadway to your mind.
Next we are briefed on who the enemy is.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities (chiefs) against powers (authorities) against the (world) rulers of the darkness (obscurity) of this world (age or time) against spiritual (supernatural) wickedness (malicious hurtfulness) in high places (above the sky).
This is the hierarchy of the devil and all his lower level devils and demons. From his perspective, he is the god of this world and has a pecking order of intelligent princes and mindless grunts to do his works of oppression (influence, depression, oppression, obsession and possession).
Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand (resist) in the evil day, and having done all, to stand, stand therefore
So here again we see that we are to take a stand of resistance against the devil and all of his cohorts. And by extension, we are to stand in resistance against all the works of the devil. James 4:7 says resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
I want to point out that this is the armor of an intercessor, and that intercession is much more than prayer! This is Jesus’ armor!
Isa 59:16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.
Isa 59:17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.
Now let's examine each piece of the armor that Paul is describing.
The Belt (Girt) of Truth
The Belt is not the most noticeable piece of the armor, however, it is actually the central piece that holds all the rest securely in place and provides for every need during battle. The belt was broad and made of sturdy leather. From it hung an overlapping skirt of leather straps which on the inside surface were armored with small rectangular pieces of metal held in place by decorative rivets which showed on the outside. Also from the belt hung specialized hooks and holders on which to secure the scabbard that contained the sword at the proper angle, the quiver which held lances, and an apparatus on which to rest the large battle shield. Also, on the belt were clips with which to hold the breastplate in its proper place. Supplies of bread, oil and water were also on the belt.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth.
Paul called this the belt of ‘Truth’. What could he have been referring to?
In John 17:17 Jesus says, “Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth.”
The written Word (or logos) of God, the Bible is that ‘Truth.’ Does this mean the New Testament and the Old Testament? The first chapter of John also reveals that Jesus was (and is) the living Word of God, and that He, Jesus, was the God (Eloiem) of the Old Testament as well as the Incarnate Word of the New Testament.
John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
2 Cor 6:7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,
Just as the belt is central to the armor of God, the written Word of God (the Bible) is central to all that pertains to spiritual warfare. Knowing by the written Word that we have been made and are the righteousness of God, will tightly secure our breastplate of righteousness. Faith (the shield) comes by hearing the Word of God. Also, we are to fill our hearts with the Word of God. In this case, the scabbard, which holds the sword, could represent the heart filled by the Word of God. And “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” When our heart is full of the written Word, we can unsheathe the sword of the spoken Word of God. When we hear the Word of the Spirit speak to our spirit, we can always test what was said by comparing it to the written Word. We can be confident that we are in the will of God by knowing, living by and walking in the promises of the written record of the Word of God.
1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us:
Hold up your Bible and repeat this confession:
This is my bible.
It is the Incorruptible,
the Indestructible,
Ever-living seed,
of the Word of God.
I am what it says I am.
I have what it says I have.
I can do what it says I can do.
In Jesus' name.
The Breastplate of Righteousness
The Breastplate was really a work of art. Each breastplate was custom made for the soldier that wore it. Often a casting was made of the man’s torso. This negative casting was then used to make a positive of the torso. The positive was overlaid with brass that was beaten to conform to the details of the torso. Breastplates were often made very elaborate with additional decorations and polished to a brilliant mirror finish that was blinding in the sunshine. Despite its beauty, the breastplate was very functional, protecting the heart and other vital organs from penetration through its metal shell.
Stand therefore, … having on the breastplate of righteousness;
2 Cor 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Jesus, who was righteous, took on and bore every form of sin and darkness that belonged to us, and in exchange, placed on us His righteousness, making us (you and me) the righteousness of God!
What is righteousness? It simply means, “Right standing before God.” Or in legal terms it means being found innocent. Just as Justification is the act of being acquitted.
In 2 Cor 6:7 Paul first refers to righteousness as ‘armor,’ which most likely came from the book of Isaiah.
Isa 59:17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate.
All too many Christians do not know that they have been made righteous. The majority of all Christians are right now walking in constant guilt and condemnation, feeling like failures and not ‘worthy’ to serve God or receive anything from Him. The devil is constantly bombarding man with missiles of lies and accusations and reminders of past sin. Without the breastplate of righteousness, these missiles will penetrate your heart.
Also, the devil will try to talk you out of your breastplate. He will 'tell' you that you are not righteous, not worthy. He will throw the sins of your past right into your face. The very sins that you have been acquitted of, the very sins that God has removed as if never existing.
Here are just a few scriptures on righteousness:
Psa 37:17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.
This is saying that the righteous will always be able to outlast the wicked.
Prov 10:30 The righteous shall never be removed:
Rom 3:21-22 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe
Rom 5:17 For if by one man's (Adam's) offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ
Man was an eternal criminal before God and could not approach His throne. But now, because Jesus graciously gave the believer His righteousness, then all the believer has to do is to receive it by faith, and it changes him! He has been found innocent of all charges and is righteous in the eyes of God. He can now boldly approach the throne of God.
God has freely imparted righteousness to you and that righteousness serves you as a beautiful and effective breastplate.
It is a God-given righteousness. It will give a boldness and confidence you never thought possible.
When you know you wear the breastplate of righteousness, you will pray in power and authority.
See yourself as God sees you!
Say it! I am the righteousness of God!
I have on the breastplate of righteousness!
The Shoes of the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace
The Shoes or sandals of the Roman soldier were no normal footwear. Great care was taken by Rome to supply the soldiers with appropriate footwear for their assignment. Their shoes (or boots) consisted of an elaborately cut and laced sandal of which the sole was layers of metal and leather with ‘hob nail’ spikes extending one-half inch, to in some cases ‘inches,’ from the sole to plant into the ground to keep them from being moved. Some had toe spikes and or built-in spurs with which to do damage to the enemy. The uppers of the sandals were often armored by small overlapping pieces of metal riveted to the leather straps. In addition, attached to the uppers of the sandal were removable metal greaves that extended up over the kneecap protecting the knees, shins and ankles.
Stand therefore, having … your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
Before you go somewhere, you have to make preparation to dress and equip yourself for the occasion, climate and terrain. If you are going downtown, are you going to put on your mountain climbing boots, leather shorts, backpack and climbing gear? If you are going into the jungle swamps, do you wear your arctic parka, insulated long underwear and snowshoes? The same kind of preparation is required concerning the gospel. Which shoes do I need? How should I prepare them?
Where are we to go? What are we to do when we get there?
The resurrected Jesus said for us to, “Go into all the world.” And do what? “Go into all the world and preach.” Preach what? Preach the gospel.
That brings up a good question. What is the gospel? One organization seems to teach one thing and another teaches something else.
The Bible speaks of:
The Gospel of The Kingdom
The Gospel of God
The Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ
The Gospel of Peace
The Gospel of your salvation
Confusing? It shouldn't be. The “Gospel” simply means “Good News.”
Jesus preached the “Good News!” He didn't preach that God was a harsh judge and if you do wrong He is going to kill you and send you to hell! Would that be “Good News?” He didn't preach that God killed your loved one to get you closer to Him. No, that's not “Good News” either.
This is the gospel that Jesus preached:
Luke 4:18-19 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me (the Anointed One, the Messiah) to preach the gospel (good news) to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance (release) to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to [set at liberty] (send out as delivered) those who are oppressed (bruised, trampled and stepped on, crushed and broken down by calamity) to preach (proclaim) the acceptable, (and accepted) year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound (Isa 61:1-2)]. Then He said, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled, here and now!”
The ‘Good News’ that He preached was that God Himself, has come to earth, as a man called Jesus to remit our sins by becoming our sacrificial atonement, thereby providing our whole and complete salvation, if we become citizens of His Kingdom by making Him our personal Lord and King. In doing so, even more good news was introduced to us. We were introduced to God the Father. We were introduced to the Holy Spirit. It was revealed that Jesus was the God (Elohiym) of the Old Testament, which walked with Adam in the garden, and taught Moses and the prophets. We were shown by example, that complete salvation was more than spiritual, but also physical, mental, emotional, financial, educational, etc. That the God-given dominion and authority of mankind in the earth, lost by Adam, has been reclaimed by Jesus, and has been delegated to the subjects of His Kingdom through power of attorney to use His mighty Name. Oh and so much more!
Yes the Gospel IS the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ! But is SO MUCH MORE!
Are you prepared? Are you prepared to save the lost? Are you ready to cast out demons? Are you ready to lay hands on the sick, and SEE them healed? Are you ready to take a stand against the oppression of the Devil? Because STANDING is what you are called to do. We are to prepare and equip ourselves (and others) to ‘stand’ as a ‘Peace Keeping Force.’
The devil (Satan) is an outlaw and even though he and his group of renegades have been defeated and disarmed by Jesus, they still come to steal, kill and destroy in the world. Therefor we are to prepare and equip ourselves (and others) to ‘STAND’ against them. Plus the word "shoes" in the Greek means something that you "put under your feet". Aren't we supposed to put Satan under our feet?
If I told you that your assignment was to take a stand directly in the path of the attacking enemy, you would want to be equipped and prepared. You would also want an army of like equipped and prepared soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder with you! Because that IS your assignment! Strap on your spiked armored boots with the metal greaves, so that once you balance yourself and plant your long spikes deeply into the ground you cannot be moved!
The Shield of Faith
There were actually two types of shields used by Roman soldiers of the day. One, a small (24”-36” diameter) round one, was for dress parades. The other, was a large (60”x30”) rectangular shield that in Greek was named, “a door,” because it looked like the soldier was carrying a full size leather covered door behind which he could safely stand. Each shield was made of six layers of thick animal hide specially tanned and woven together making them as tough and durable as metal yet relatively light weight. The leather shields could be soaked in water before battle so that in the event the enemy would rain fiery projectiles on them, the fire would be extinguished on impact.
Above all, we are to take (violently seize) the shield of faith, with which we shall be able (have the power) to extinguish all (every) flaming darts (arrows, spears, missiles) of the wicked (rotten, worthless Devil).
But what is faith?
Heb 11:1 Says that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
We not only have to have and ‘seize’ the shield of faith, we have to know how to use it. When God began revealing the things of faith to me, He started with Mark 11:23-24.
Jesus speaking beginning in vs. 22:
Have faith in God.
Mark 11:23 Now listen, I telling you the absolute truth here, That whoever shall say directly to this mountain, (problem, situation, disease, etc.) “Mountain, Get out of my way, and go jump in the lake!”; and will not doubt in his heart, but will have faith that what he said will happen; he will have whatever he said.
Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
The Greek literally says:
Therefore, say what soever you suppose to ask. Pray, have faith, receive and you shall have (or, it shall come to pass).
Now this is the framework of how faith works! And we are talking about how to use the shield of faith!
Rom 10:17 Faith comes by hearing, and hearing the (rhema, or spoken) Word of God.
This is how faith comes! This is how to take or seize the shield of faith, by hearing the spoken Word of God. So, the Word of God is what faith should be based upon. Now, back to how to use it. Jesus told us to speak aloud directly to the situation based upon what the Word says. He said that if we do, and have faith in what the Word said, and do not doubt, that we will have whatever we said! Now how do we express to God, that we have faith and do not doubt, during the time we are waiting for the manifestation of what we said to arrive? We praise God and give thanks for it as though it had already manifested! This is not particularly easy when what you are wielding your shield of faith against is a sickness or disease that is causing severe pain or discomfort, but without the shield of faith you are an open target to the enemy. So what I am saying is that the shield of faith in application is praise and thanksgiving.
Why does it say ‘above all’ take the shield of faith? Simply for the reason that salvation (the helmet) righteousness (the breastplate) the gospel (the shoes) and both the written Word of God (the belt of truth) and spoken Word of God (the sword) must all be received by faith. Healing, deliverance and forgiveness must also be received by faith.
The shield of faith is movable to deflect attacks no mater from which direction they come. For if the devil cannot get to you directly (from the front) he will attack from another direction. If all personal attacks on you fail because of the strength of your faith, he will often attack you through another person to attempt to provoke fear or offense to allow him a foothold. Refusal to fear or be offended will foil even these attacks.
Individuals can even combine their shields of faith together by joining their faith with that of other believers, creating a wall and or a roof of protection during a mass attack.
The Helmet of Salvation
The helmet was the most noticeable piece of armor. It was often ornate, intricately decorated and plumed with brightly dyed feathers or horsehair. Some parade dress helmets had course horsehair plumes that would extend to the waist. The Roman helmet was designed so that blows from sword, hammer or ax could not pierce it but would be deflected and yet allow the soldier maximum visibility.
And take the helmet of salvation...
We are to take (receive) the helmet of salvation, (wholeness, deliverance, health). Without the helmet of salvation, we would spiritually, loose our head. The helmet of salvation protects the mind. If your salvation is not tightly strapped around your head, all the benefits, (Psa 103:2) and manifold blessings are vulnerable to being surgically removed from your theology. The enemy will come and knock your helmet sideways by telling you that healing, deliverance and wholeness (spiritually, physically, emotionally, mentally, etc.) is not really included in the redemptive work of the broken body and shed blood of Jesus on the cross. All the enemy will allow you to retain of salvation is heaven, and will then proceed to send you there as quickly as he can first steal and destroy everything you have.
[Don’t get me wrong, nothing is wrong with heaven! In fact I plan on being there myself. But even if eternal salvation IS the most important part, it’s still not the only part! If you attend a church that ONLY teaches salvation or the new birth some call it, they may be sending you into battle with a beautiful helmet strapped on your head, but otherwise you are standing there stark naked! With nothing to protect you from the fiery darts of the enemy, you are wide open to every attack of the devil.]
The Devil knows that to control you he needs to control areas of the mind. The old saying is that if you give the Devil a ride, he will end up driving the car. If you allow him access to your mind (even just a tiny foothold) he will attempt to begin construction on a four-lane freeway into it. Don’t get me wrong, nothing is wrong with heaven! In fact, I plan on being there myself. But even if eternal salvation IS the most important part, it’s still not the only part! If you attend a church that ONLY teaches salvation or the new birth some call it, they are sending you into battle with your beautiful helmet strapped on your head, but otherwise you are standing there stark naked!
The Sword of the Spirit (The Word [Rhema] of God)
The sword of a Roman soldier of that day, was a feared weapon. Short, lightweight and well balanced, it was quick and deadly. The two razor sharpened edges of the broad blade could easily slice a roast. And, the flared and tapered point was designed to easily penetrate and disembowel the enemy. It was well known that if a Roman soldier ever unsheathed his sword -- he would use it.
And take … the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God...
We are to take (receive) the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word (rhema, or spoken) of God. This is another instrument of spiritual warfare that we need to learn how to use.
The rhema Word, in the context of the sword, is you, the soldier, speaking (or quoting) aloud the logos (written Word) or the rhema (spoken Word) that was sown into your heart.
Remember the parable of the sower?
Mark 4:3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
Mark 4:4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
Mark 4:5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
Mark 4:6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
Mark 4:7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
Mark 4:8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
Then Jesus explained the parable, adding, “If you don't understand THIS parable, you won’t understand anything I say.”
Mark 4:14 The sower soweth the word.
Mark 4:15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
Mark 4:16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
Mark 4:17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.
Mark 4:18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
Mark 4:19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
Mark 4:20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold (3000%) some sixty (6000%) and some an hundred, (10,000%).
So the Word is sown into the heart.
Remember that the scabbard that held the sword hung on the belt of truth, the logos, the Bible, the written Word of God. The Bible is the source of the Word that needs to fill your heart, (the scabbard). Then when needed, the sword (the rhema Word) can be smoothly extracted from the scabbard (heart) and wielded effectively.
Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure, (deposit) of his heart produces that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure (deposit) of his heart produces that which is evil: for (out) of the superabundance (overflow) of the heart his mouth speaks.
We are to use the very same sword of the spirit that Jesus used on the Mount of Temptation! Now, the devil has been tempting, Jesus for forty days while Jesus was fasting.
Luke 4:3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. (i.e., “Do what I say do!”)
Luke 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God, [Deu 8:3]. (i.e., I do what GOD says to do, not you devil!”) The sword was so sharp that I don't think the devil felt the cut.
Luke 4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
Luke 4:6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
Luke 4:7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
Luke 4:8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Again Jesus slices the devil!
Now, the Devil has already been sliced left and then right with the sword of the Spirit cutting a big “X” on his chest which he now feels then sees. So now Satan pulls his own sword and tries to copy and twist what Jesus is doing!
Luke 4:9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:
Luke 4:10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
Luke 4:11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Jesus deflects the attack and plunges His sword of the Spirit deep into the Devil’s heart of hearts, leaving him seriously wounded.
Luke 4:12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
After this the Devil retreated to lick his wounds for a while.
So then, to properly wield the sword, you must be knowledgeable of what the Bible says (particularly the promises and statements of fact) and receive that word into your heart. Keep receiving to the point that your heart begins to overflow out of your mouth, in the power of the Holy Spirit and authority of the Name of Jesus. So when the devil comes and gets close enough to attack your mind, pull the sword and perforate his stony heart.
The Lances of Prayer
Roman soldiers carried an assortment of lances. Long and short lances. Lances with single head, duel heads and trident lances. Some were for throwing like spears. Others were for close quarter combat. Each lance had it’s function and purpose.
By analogy the lances fit nicely as Paul continues by says:
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication.
Paul is referring to prayer of all types. For instance, the prayer of intercession, the prayer of faith, the prayer of thanksgiving, the prayer of supplication, the prayer of agreement, the prayer of petition, corporate prayer and of course praying in the Spirit, (or tongues). It is important to understand and keep in mind that prayer, all prayer, is about relationship and not ritual. In the Old Testament, prayer was often compared to sweet incense, showing that our prayer is a personally pleasant experience to God.
1 Tim 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands.
The Hebrew word ‘towdah’ is used throughout the Old Testament translated as thanksgiving, praise and confession. The word itself refers to the extending or lifting of hands.
The New Testament word ‘aiteo’ is translated “I ask or demand.” At first glance these concepts of demanding my seem offensive to some, but consider what John 15:7 has to say, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask (aiteo, demand or require) what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” The concept is one of a covenant, conditional to the first half of the verse.
1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
1 John 5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
What is the confidence that we have? And, how do we know what the will of God is? Let's go back a few verses.
1 John 5:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
1 John 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
The ‘record’ he is referring to here is the written Word of God, the Bible! So, what is the confidence that we have? And, how do we know what the will of God is? The will of God is simply what God has already SAID in the Bible through promises and statements of fact! If we know what God said his will was and what he promised us, we can have confidence and boldness to ‘aiteo,’ ask or demand these things.
The problem is on many levels. Most Christians do not know what God has promised in his word, therefor they do not know God’s will and have no confidence to receive what God has for them. Religious tradition has taught all too many that they are unworthy worms lower than snail spit, and as a result, people are actually afraid to ask for anything, let alone know how to receive from God. And then we have the ever popular “Suffering doctrine,” which is a ‘doctrine of devils’ designed to keep mankind in sickness, disease, poverty and ignorance, (to the “glory” of Jesus!)
Conclusion
Now it’s time for you to put on the whole armor of God.
As you repeat after me, envision that you take each piece of the armor and put it on.
I put on:
the belt of truth,
the breastplate of righteousness;
shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Above all, I take the shield of faith, wherewith I will have the power to quench every fiery darts the devil fires my way.
I take the helmet of salvation
I take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
I take the lances of Prayer which is all types of prayer and supplication in the Spirit,
Now I have the power to withstand evil, and take my stand as a solider in the army of the Almighty God.
My duty and assignment is to stand in the gap shoulder to shoulder with the other soldiers of the Lord as He places me. Resisting every attack of the devil. Holding the ground, refusing to be moved, healing the oppressed and destroying every work of the devil.
Remember to put this armor on each and every day, and like the credit card commercial says, “Don’t leave home without it!”
By Tim Greenwood
http://www.tgm.org/aogWholeArmor.htm
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My reason for presenting this subject is this. When I was so desperately ill and was told that there was no hope for me, I didn't know any of this. I mean, I knew as head knowledge, what the scripture said and what the parts of the armor were, but I didn't know in my heart what it all was supposed to mean to me. I didn't know what was included in salvation, or how to use the sword and shield. I did not know that I was made the righteousness of God and what all that that meant for me, in fact I was taught how unworthy I was and how I should think of myself as a lowly worm. And my concept of the gospel other than that the ‘Greek’ meant ‘good news’ -- was totally off.
The lack of this knowledge very nearly cost me my life. And, I don't want it to cost you yours. So here we go.
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The Whole Armor of God
Eph 6:11-17 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
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. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Paul the Apostle wrote the book of Ephesians during a time when he was in Rome under an unusual type of arrest. This arrest allowed him to reside in his own house, and come and go, but required him to be continually chained to a Roman soldier. For this reason, Paul became very knowledgeable about the armor and implements of warfare belonging to the man to which he was chained.
Paul refers to the whole armor (panoplia, pan-op-lee'-ah) as being one word as opposed to two, and seems to imply that the armor was an all or nothing proposition. Then he tells us what the armor is for. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. So the armor is for us to take a stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood. So it is not to be used against mankind. Unfortunately, the first thing some new believers do is to put on the armor and begin to do battle with unbelievers. Just as bad are the believers that do battle with other believers. But this is not what the armor of God is for.
He speaks of the wiles (methodeia) of the devil. Methodeia is a Greek word that denotes a path or roadway that is traveled over. This is because the devil continuously attempts to secure a foothold so that he may begin construction of a roadway to your mind.
Next we are briefed on who the enemy is.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities (chiefs) against powers (authorities) against the (world) rulers of the darkness (obscurity) of this world (age or time) against spiritual (supernatural) wickedness (malicious hurtfulness) in high places (above the sky).
This is the hierarchy of the devil and all his lower level devils and demons. From his perspective, he is the god of this world and has a pecking order of intelligent princes and mindless grunts to do his works of oppression (influence, depression, oppression, obsession and possession).
Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand (resist) in the evil day, and having done all, to stand, stand therefore
So here again we see that we are to take a stand of resistance against the devil and all of his cohorts. And by extension, we are to stand in resistance against all the works of the devil. James 4:7 says resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
I want to point out that this is the armor of an intercessor, and that intercession is much more than prayer! This is Jesus’ armor!
Isa 59:16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.
Isa 59:17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.
Now let's examine each piece of the armor that Paul is describing.
The Belt (Girt) of Truth
The Belt is not the most noticeable piece of the armor, however, it is actually the central piece that holds all the rest securely in place and provides for every need during battle. The belt was broad and made of sturdy leather. From it hung an overlapping skirt of leather straps which on the inside surface were armored with small rectangular pieces of metal held in place by decorative rivets which showed on the outside. Also from the belt hung specialized hooks and holders on which to secure the scabbard that contained the sword at the proper angle, the quiver which held lances, and an apparatus on which to rest the large battle shield. Also, on the belt were clips with which to hold the breastplate in its proper place. Supplies of bread, oil and water were also on the belt.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth.
Paul called this the belt of ‘Truth’. What could he have been referring to?
In John 17:17 Jesus says, “Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth.”
The written Word (or logos) of God, the Bible is that ‘Truth.’ Does this mean the New Testament and the Old Testament? The first chapter of John also reveals that Jesus was (and is) the living Word of God, and that He, Jesus, was the God (Eloiem) of the Old Testament as well as the Incarnate Word of the New Testament.
John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
2 Cor 6:7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,
Just as the belt is central to the armor of God, the written Word of God (the Bible) is central to all that pertains to spiritual warfare. Knowing by the written Word that we have been made and are the righteousness of God, will tightly secure our breastplate of righteousness. Faith (the shield) comes by hearing the Word of God. Also, we are to fill our hearts with the Word of God. In this case, the scabbard, which holds the sword, could represent the heart filled by the Word of God. And “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” When our heart is full of the written Word, we can unsheathe the sword of the spoken Word of God. When we hear the Word of the Spirit speak to our spirit, we can always test what was said by comparing it to the written Word. We can be confident that we are in the will of God by knowing, living by and walking in the promises of the written record of the Word of God.
1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us:
Hold up your Bible and repeat this confession:
This is my bible.
It is the Incorruptible,
the Indestructible,
Ever-living seed,
of the Word of God.
I am what it says I am.
I have what it says I have.
I can do what it says I can do.
In Jesus' name.
The Breastplate of Righteousness
The Breastplate was really a work of art. Each breastplate was custom made for the soldier that wore it. Often a casting was made of the man’s torso. This negative casting was then used to make a positive of the torso. The positive was overlaid with brass that was beaten to conform to the details of the torso. Breastplates were often made very elaborate with additional decorations and polished to a brilliant mirror finish that was blinding in the sunshine. Despite its beauty, the breastplate was very functional, protecting the heart and other vital organs from penetration through its metal shell.
Stand therefore, … having on the breastplate of righteousness;
2 Cor 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Jesus, who was righteous, took on and bore every form of sin and darkness that belonged to us, and in exchange, placed on us His righteousness, making us (you and me) the righteousness of God!
What is righteousness? It simply means, “Right standing before God.” Or in legal terms it means being found innocent. Just as Justification is the act of being acquitted.
In 2 Cor 6:7 Paul first refers to righteousness as ‘armor,’ which most likely came from the book of Isaiah.
Isa 59:17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate.
All too many Christians do not know that they have been made righteous. The majority of all Christians are right now walking in constant guilt and condemnation, feeling like failures and not ‘worthy’ to serve God or receive anything from Him. The devil is constantly bombarding man with missiles of lies and accusations and reminders of past sin. Without the breastplate of righteousness, these missiles will penetrate your heart.
Also, the devil will try to talk you out of your breastplate. He will 'tell' you that you are not righteous, not worthy. He will throw the sins of your past right into your face. The very sins that you have been acquitted of, the very sins that God has removed as if never existing.
Here are just a few scriptures on righteousness:
Psa 37:17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.
This is saying that the righteous will always be able to outlast the wicked.
Prov 10:30 The righteous shall never be removed:
Rom 3:21-22 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe
Rom 5:17 For if by one man's (Adam's) offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ
Man was an eternal criminal before God and could not approach His throne. But now, because Jesus graciously gave the believer His righteousness, then all the believer has to do is to receive it by faith, and it changes him! He has been found innocent of all charges and is righteous in the eyes of God. He can now boldly approach the throne of God.
God has freely imparted righteousness to you and that righteousness serves you as a beautiful and effective breastplate.
It is a God-given righteousness. It will give a boldness and confidence you never thought possible.
When you know you wear the breastplate of righteousness, you will pray in power and authority.
See yourself as God sees you!
Say it! I am the righteousness of God!
I have on the breastplate of righteousness!
The Shoes of the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace
The Shoes or sandals of the Roman soldier were no normal footwear. Great care was taken by Rome to supply the soldiers with appropriate footwear for their assignment. Their shoes (or boots) consisted of an elaborately cut and laced sandal of which the sole was layers of metal and leather with ‘hob nail’ spikes extending one-half inch, to in some cases ‘inches,’ from the sole to plant into the ground to keep them from being moved. Some had toe spikes and or built-in spurs with which to do damage to the enemy. The uppers of the sandals were often armored by small overlapping pieces of metal riveted to the leather straps. In addition, attached to the uppers of the sandal were removable metal greaves that extended up over the kneecap protecting the knees, shins and ankles.
Stand therefore, having … your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
Before you go somewhere, you have to make preparation to dress and equip yourself for the occasion, climate and terrain. If you are going downtown, are you going to put on your mountain climbing boots, leather shorts, backpack and climbing gear? If you are going into the jungle swamps, do you wear your arctic parka, insulated long underwear and snowshoes? The same kind of preparation is required concerning the gospel. Which shoes do I need? How should I prepare them?
Where are we to go? What are we to do when we get there?
The resurrected Jesus said for us to, “Go into all the world.” And do what? “Go into all the world and preach.” Preach what? Preach the gospel.
That brings up a good question. What is the gospel? One organization seems to teach one thing and another teaches something else.
The Bible speaks of:
The Gospel of The Kingdom
The Gospel of God
The Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ
The Gospel of Peace
The Gospel of your salvation
Confusing? It shouldn't be. The “Gospel” simply means “Good News.”
Jesus preached the “Good News!” He didn't preach that God was a harsh judge and if you do wrong He is going to kill you and send you to hell! Would that be “Good News?” He didn't preach that God killed your loved one to get you closer to Him. No, that's not “Good News” either.
This is the gospel that Jesus preached:
Luke 4:18-19 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me (the Anointed One, the Messiah) to preach the gospel (good news) to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance (release) to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to [set at liberty] (send out as delivered) those who are oppressed (bruised, trampled and stepped on, crushed and broken down by calamity) to preach (proclaim) the acceptable, (and accepted) year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound (Isa 61:1-2)]. Then He said, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled, here and now!”
The ‘Good News’ that He preached was that God Himself, has come to earth, as a man called Jesus to remit our sins by becoming our sacrificial atonement, thereby providing our whole and complete salvation, if we become citizens of His Kingdom by making Him our personal Lord and King. In doing so, even more good news was introduced to us. We were introduced to God the Father. We were introduced to the Holy Spirit. It was revealed that Jesus was the God (Elohiym) of the Old Testament, which walked with Adam in the garden, and taught Moses and the prophets. We were shown by example, that complete salvation was more than spiritual, but also physical, mental, emotional, financial, educational, etc. That the God-given dominion and authority of mankind in the earth, lost by Adam, has been reclaimed by Jesus, and has been delegated to the subjects of His Kingdom through power of attorney to use His mighty Name. Oh and so much more!
Yes the Gospel IS the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ! But is SO MUCH MORE!
Are you prepared? Are you prepared to save the lost? Are you ready to cast out demons? Are you ready to lay hands on the sick, and SEE them healed? Are you ready to take a stand against the oppression of the Devil? Because STANDING is what you are called to do. We are to prepare and equip ourselves (and others) to ‘stand’ as a ‘Peace Keeping Force.’
The devil (Satan) is an outlaw and even though he and his group of renegades have been defeated and disarmed by Jesus, they still come to steal, kill and destroy in the world. Therefor we are to prepare and equip ourselves (and others) to ‘STAND’ against them. Plus the word "shoes" in the Greek means something that you "put under your feet". Aren't we supposed to put Satan under our feet?
If I told you that your assignment was to take a stand directly in the path of the attacking enemy, you would want to be equipped and prepared. You would also want an army of like equipped and prepared soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder with you! Because that IS your assignment! Strap on your spiked armored boots with the metal greaves, so that once you balance yourself and plant your long spikes deeply into the ground you cannot be moved!
The Shield of Faith
There were actually two types of shields used by Roman soldiers of the day. One, a small (24”-36” diameter) round one, was for dress parades. The other, was a large (60”x30”) rectangular shield that in Greek was named, “a door,” because it looked like the soldier was carrying a full size leather covered door behind which he could safely stand. Each shield was made of six layers of thick animal hide specially tanned and woven together making them as tough and durable as metal yet relatively light weight. The leather shields could be soaked in water before battle so that in the event the enemy would rain fiery projectiles on them, the fire would be extinguished on impact.
Above all, we are to take (violently seize) the shield of faith, with which we shall be able (have the power) to extinguish all (every) flaming darts (arrows, spears, missiles) of the wicked (rotten, worthless Devil).
But what is faith?
Heb 11:1 Says that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
We not only have to have and ‘seize’ the shield of faith, we have to know how to use it. When God began revealing the things of faith to me, He started with Mark 11:23-24.
Jesus speaking beginning in vs. 22:
Have faith in God.
Mark 11:23 Now listen, I telling you the absolute truth here, That whoever shall say directly to this mountain, (problem, situation, disease, etc.) “Mountain, Get out of my way, and go jump in the lake!”; and will not doubt in his heart, but will have faith that what he said will happen; he will have whatever he said.
Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
The Greek literally says:
Therefore, say what soever you suppose to ask. Pray, have faith, receive and you shall have (or, it shall come to pass).
Now this is the framework of how faith works! And we are talking about how to use the shield of faith!
Rom 10:17 Faith comes by hearing, and hearing the (rhema, or spoken) Word of God.
This is how faith comes! This is how to take or seize the shield of faith, by hearing the spoken Word of God. So, the Word of God is what faith should be based upon. Now, back to how to use it. Jesus told us to speak aloud directly to the situation based upon what the Word says. He said that if we do, and have faith in what the Word said, and do not doubt, that we will have whatever we said! Now how do we express to God, that we have faith and do not doubt, during the time we are waiting for the manifestation of what we said to arrive? We praise God and give thanks for it as though it had already manifested! This is not particularly easy when what you are wielding your shield of faith against is a sickness or disease that is causing severe pain or discomfort, but without the shield of faith you are an open target to the enemy. So what I am saying is that the shield of faith in application is praise and thanksgiving.
Why does it say ‘above all’ take the shield of faith? Simply for the reason that salvation (the helmet) righteousness (the breastplate) the gospel (the shoes) and both the written Word of God (the belt of truth) and spoken Word of God (the sword) must all be received by faith. Healing, deliverance and forgiveness must also be received by faith.
The shield of faith is movable to deflect attacks no mater from which direction they come. For if the devil cannot get to you directly (from the front) he will attack from another direction. If all personal attacks on you fail because of the strength of your faith, he will often attack you through another person to attempt to provoke fear or offense to allow him a foothold. Refusal to fear or be offended will foil even these attacks.
Individuals can even combine their shields of faith together by joining their faith with that of other believers, creating a wall and or a roof of protection during a mass attack.
The Helmet of Salvation
The helmet was the most noticeable piece of armor. It was often ornate, intricately decorated and plumed with brightly dyed feathers or horsehair. Some parade dress helmets had course horsehair plumes that would extend to the waist. The Roman helmet was designed so that blows from sword, hammer or ax could not pierce it but would be deflected and yet allow the soldier maximum visibility.
And take the helmet of salvation...
We are to take (receive) the helmet of salvation, (wholeness, deliverance, health). Without the helmet of salvation, we would spiritually, loose our head. The helmet of salvation protects the mind. If your salvation is not tightly strapped around your head, all the benefits, (Psa 103:2) and manifold blessings are vulnerable to being surgically removed from your theology. The enemy will come and knock your helmet sideways by telling you that healing, deliverance and wholeness (spiritually, physically, emotionally, mentally, etc.) is not really included in the redemptive work of the broken body and shed blood of Jesus on the cross. All the enemy will allow you to retain of salvation is heaven, and will then proceed to send you there as quickly as he can first steal and destroy everything you have.
[Don’t get me wrong, nothing is wrong with heaven! In fact I plan on being there myself. But even if eternal salvation IS the most important part, it’s still not the only part! If you attend a church that ONLY teaches salvation or the new birth some call it, they may be sending you into battle with a beautiful helmet strapped on your head, but otherwise you are standing there stark naked! With nothing to protect you from the fiery darts of the enemy, you are wide open to every attack of the devil.]
The Devil knows that to control you he needs to control areas of the mind. The old saying is that if you give the Devil a ride, he will end up driving the car. If you allow him access to your mind (even just a tiny foothold) he will attempt to begin construction on a four-lane freeway into it. Don’t get me wrong, nothing is wrong with heaven! In fact, I plan on being there myself. But even if eternal salvation IS the most important part, it’s still not the only part! If you attend a church that ONLY teaches salvation or the new birth some call it, they are sending you into battle with your beautiful helmet strapped on your head, but otherwise you are standing there stark naked!
The Sword of the Spirit (The Word [Rhema] of God)
The sword of a Roman soldier of that day, was a feared weapon. Short, lightweight and well balanced, it was quick and deadly. The two razor sharpened edges of the broad blade could easily slice a roast. And, the flared and tapered point was designed to easily penetrate and disembowel the enemy. It was well known that if a Roman soldier ever unsheathed his sword -- he would use it.
And take … the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God...
We are to take (receive) the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word (rhema, or spoken) of God. This is another instrument of spiritual warfare that we need to learn how to use.
The rhema Word, in the context of the sword, is you, the soldier, speaking (or quoting) aloud the logos (written Word) or the rhema (spoken Word) that was sown into your heart.
Remember the parable of the sower?
Mark 4:3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
Mark 4:4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
Mark 4:5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
Mark 4:6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
Mark 4:7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
Mark 4:8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
Then Jesus explained the parable, adding, “If you don't understand THIS parable, you won’t understand anything I say.”
Mark 4:14 The sower soweth the word.
Mark 4:15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
Mark 4:16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
Mark 4:17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.
Mark 4:18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
Mark 4:19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
Mark 4:20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold (3000%) some sixty (6000%) and some an hundred, (10,000%).
So the Word is sown into the heart.
Remember that the scabbard that held the sword hung on the belt of truth, the logos, the Bible, the written Word of God. The Bible is the source of the Word that needs to fill your heart, (the scabbard). Then when needed, the sword (the rhema Word) can be smoothly extracted from the scabbard (heart) and wielded effectively.
Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure, (deposit) of his heart produces that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure (deposit) of his heart produces that which is evil: for (out) of the superabundance (overflow) of the heart his mouth speaks.
We are to use the very same sword of the spirit that Jesus used on the Mount of Temptation! Now, the devil has been tempting, Jesus for forty days while Jesus was fasting.
Luke 4:3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. (i.e., “Do what I say do!”)
Luke 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God, [Deu 8:3]. (i.e., I do what GOD says to do, not you devil!”) The sword was so sharp that I don't think the devil felt the cut.
Luke 4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
Luke 4:6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
Luke 4:7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
Luke 4:8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Again Jesus slices the devil!
Now, the Devil has already been sliced left and then right with the sword of the Spirit cutting a big “X” on his chest which he now feels then sees. So now Satan pulls his own sword and tries to copy and twist what Jesus is doing!
Luke 4:9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:
Luke 4:10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
Luke 4:11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Jesus deflects the attack and plunges His sword of the Spirit deep into the Devil’s heart of hearts, leaving him seriously wounded.
Luke 4:12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
After this the Devil retreated to lick his wounds for a while.
So then, to properly wield the sword, you must be knowledgeable of what the Bible says (particularly the promises and statements of fact) and receive that word into your heart. Keep receiving to the point that your heart begins to overflow out of your mouth, in the power of the Holy Spirit and authority of the Name of Jesus. So when the devil comes and gets close enough to attack your mind, pull the sword and perforate his stony heart.
The Lances of Prayer
Roman soldiers carried an assortment of lances. Long and short lances. Lances with single head, duel heads and trident lances. Some were for throwing like spears. Others were for close quarter combat. Each lance had it’s function and purpose.
By analogy the lances fit nicely as Paul continues by says:
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication.
Paul is referring to prayer of all types. For instance, the prayer of intercession, the prayer of faith, the prayer of thanksgiving, the prayer of supplication, the prayer of agreement, the prayer of petition, corporate prayer and of course praying in the Spirit, (or tongues). It is important to understand and keep in mind that prayer, all prayer, is about relationship and not ritual. In the Old Testament, prayer was often compared to sweet incense, showing that our prayer is a personally pleasant experience to God.
1 Tim 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands.
The Hebrew word ‘towdah’ is used throughout the Old Testament translated as thanksgiving, praise and confession. The word itself refers to the extending or lifting of hands.
The New Testament word ‘aiteo’ is translated “I ask or demand.” At first glance these concepts of demanding my seem offensive to some, but consider what John 15:7 has to say, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask (aiteo, demand or require) what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” The concept is one of a covenant, conditional to the first half of the verse.
1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
1 John 5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
What is the confidence that we have? And, how do we know what the will of God is? Let's go back a few verses.
1 John 5:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
1 John 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
The ‘record’ he is referring to here is the written Word of God, the Bible! So, what is the confidence that we have? And, how do we know what the will of God is? The will of God is simply what God has already SAID in the Bible through promises and statements of fact! If we know what God said his will was and what he promised us, we can have confidence and boldness to ‘aiteo,’ ask or demand these things.
The problem is on many levels. Most Christians do not know what God has promised in his word, therefor they do not know God’s will and have no confidence to receive what God has for them. Religious tradition has taught all too many that they are unworthy worms lower than snail spit, and as a result, people are actually afraid to ask for anything, let alone know how to receive from God. And then we have the ever popular “Suffering doctrine,” which is a ‘doctrine of devils’ designed to keep mankind in sickness, disease, poverty and ignorance, (to the “glory” of Jesus!)
Conclusion
Now it’s time for you to put on the whole armor of God.
As you repeat after me, envision that you take each piece of the armor and put it on.
I put on:
the belt of truth,
the breastplate of righteousness;
shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Above all, I take the shield of faith, wherewith I will have the power to quench every fiery darts the devil fires my way.
I take the helmet of salvation
I take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
I take the lances of Prayer which is all types of prayer and supplication in the Spirit,
Now I have the power to withstand evil, and take my stand as a solider in the army of the Almighty God.
My duty and assignment is to stand in the gap shoulder to shoulder with the other soldiers of the Lord as He places me. Resisting every attack of the devil. Holding the ground, refusing to be moved, healing the oppressed and destroying every work of the devil.
Remember to put this armor on each and every day, and like the credit card commercial says, “Don’t leave home without it!”
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - Studying "One Year Bible"
11:30 am - Reading "One Year Bible"
12:30 pm - Cardio @ the gym (running on the treadmill)
Reading:
Numbers 30
Luke 4
Psalm 63
Proverbs 11:20-21
Numbers 30
Laws concerning Vows
1 [a]Then Moses summoned the leaders of the tribes of Israel and told them, “This is what the Lord has commanded: 2 A man who makes a vow to the Lord or makes a pledge under oath must never break it. He must do exactly what he said he would do.
3 “If a young woman makes a vow to the Lord or a pledge under oath while she is still living at her father’s home, 4 and her father hears of the vow or pledge and does not object to it, then all her vows and pledges will stand. 5 But if her father refuses to let her fulfill the vow or pledge on the day he hears of it, then all her vows and pledges will become invalid. The Lord will forgive her because her father would not let her fulfill them.
6 “Now suppose a young woman makes a vow or binds herself with an impulsive pledge and later marries. 7 If her husband learns of her vow or pledge and does not object on the day he hears of it, her vows and pledges will stand. 8 But if her husband refuses to accept her vow or impulsive pledge on the day he hears of it, he nullifies her commitments, and the Lord will forgive her
10 “But suppose a woman is married and living in her husband’s home when she makes a vow or binds herself with a pledge. 11 If her husband hears of it and does not object to it, her vow or pledge will stand. 12 But if her husband refuses to accept it on the day he hears of it, her vow or pledge will be nullified, and the Lord will forgive her. 13 So her husband may either confirm or nullify any vows or pledges she makes to deny herself. 14 But if he does not object on the day he hears of it, then he is agreeing to all her vows and pledges. 15 If he waits more than a day and then tries to nullify a vow or pledge, he will be punished for her guilt.”
16 These are the regulations the Lord gave Moses concerning relationships between a man and his wife, and between a father and a young daughter who still lives at home.
===
Luke 4
The Temptation of Jesus
1 Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness,[a] 2 where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.
3 Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.”
4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’[b]”
5 Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. 7 I will give it all to you if you will worship me.”
8 Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say,
‘You must worship the Lord your God
and serve only him.’[c]”
9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! 10 For the Scriptures say,
‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you.
11 And they will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’[d]”
12 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’[e]”
13 When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. 15 He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
16 When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. 17 The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
19 and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.[f]”
20 He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. 21 Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”
22 Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”
23 Then he said, “You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself’—meaning, ‘Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.’ 24 But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown.
25 “Certainly there were many needy widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the heavens were closed for three and a half years, and a severe famine devastated the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a foreigner—a widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon. 27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian.”
28 When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious. 29 Jumping up, they mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push him over the cliff, 30 but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way.
Jesus Casts Out a Demon
31 Then Jesus went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught there in the synagogue every Sabbath day. 32 There, too, the people were amazed at his teaching, for he spoke with authority.
33 Once when he was in the synagogue, a man possessed by a demon—an evil[g] spirit—began shouting at Jesus, 34 “Go away! Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One sent from God!”
35 Jesus cut him short. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” he ordered. At that, the demon threw the man to the floor as the crowd watched; then it came out of him without hurting him further.
36 Amazed, the people exclaimed, “What authority and power this man’s words possess! Even evil spirits obey him, and they flee at his command!” 37 The news about Jesus spread through every village in the entire region.
Jesus Heals Many People
38 After leaving the synagogue that day, Jesus went to Simon’s home, where he found Simon’s mother-in-law very sick with a high fever. “Please heal her,” everyone begged. 39 Standing at her bedside, he rebuked the fever, and it left her. And she got up at once and prepared a meal for them.
40 As the sun went down that evening, people throughout the village brought sick family members to Jesus. No matter what their diseases were, the touch of his hand healed every one. 41 Many were possessed by demons; and the demons came out at his command, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But because they knew he was the Messiah, he rebuked them and refused to let them speak.
Jesus Continues to Preach
42 Early the next morning Jesus went out to an isolated place. The crowds searched everywhere for him, and when they finally found him, they begged him not to leave them. 43 But he replied, “I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that is why I was sent.” 44 So he continued to travel around, preaching in synagogues throughout Judea.[h]
===
Psalm 63
A psalm of David, regarding a time when David was in the wilderness of Judah.
1 O God, you are my God;
I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;
my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in your sanctuary
and gazed upon your power and glory.
3 Your unfailing love is better than life itself;
how I praise you!
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
lifting up my hands to you in prayer.
5 You satisfy me more than the richest feast.
I will praise you with songs of joy.
6 I lie awake thinking of you,
meditating on you through the night.
7 Because you are my helper,
I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.
8 I cling to you;
your strong right hand holds me securely.
9 But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin.
They will go down into the depths of the earth.
10 They will die by the sword
and become the food of jackals.
11 But the king will rejoice in God.
All who trust in him will praise him,
while liars will be silenced.
===
Proverbs 11
20-21
20 The Lord detests people with crooked hearts,
but he delights in those with integrity.
21 Evil people will surely be punished,
but the children of the godly will go free.
12:30 pm - Cardio @ the gym (running on the treadmill)
Reading:
Numbers 30
Luke 4
Psalm 63
Proverbs 11:20-21
Numbers 30
Laws concerning Vows
1 [a]Then Moses summoned the leaders of the tribes of Israel and told them, “This is what the Lord has commanded: 2 A man who makes a vow to the Lord or makes a pledge under oath must never break it. He must do exactly what he said he would do.
3 “If a young woman makes a vow to the Lord or a pledge under oath while she is still living at her father’s home, 4 and her father hears of the vow or pledge and does not object to it, then all her vows and pledges will stand. 5 But if her father refuses to let her fulfill the vow or pledge on the day he hears of it, then all her vows and pledges will become invalid. The Lord will forgive her because her father would not let her fulfill them.
6 “Now suppose a young woman makes a vow or binds herself with an impulsive pledge and later marries. 7 If her husband learns of her vow or pledge and does not object on the day he hears of it, her vows and pledges will stand. 8 But if her husband refuses to accept her vow or impulsive pledge on the day he hears of it, he nullifies her commitments, and the Lord will forgive her
10 “But suppose a woman is married and living in her husband’s home when she makes a vow or binds herself with a pledge. 11 If her husband hears of it and does not object to it, her vow or pledge will stand. 12 But if her husband refuses to accept it on the day he hears of it, her vow or pledge will be nullified, and the Lord will forgive her. 13 So her husband may either confirm or nullify any vows or pledges she makes to deny herself. 14 But if he does not object on the day he hears of it, then he is agreeing to all her vows and pledges. 15 If he waits more than a day and then tries to nullify a vow or pledge, he will be punished for her guilt.”
16 These are the regulations the Lord gave Moses concerning relationships between a man and his wife, and between a father and a young daughter who still lives at home.
===
Luke 4
The Temptation of Jesus
1 Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness,[a] 2 where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.
3 Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.”
4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’[b]”
5 Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. 7 I will give it all to you if you will worship me.”
8 Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say,
‘You must worship the Lord your God
and serve only him.’[c]”
9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! 10 For the Scriptures say,
‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you.
11 And they will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’[d]”
12 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’[e]”
13 When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. 15 He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
16 When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. 17 The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
19 and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.[f]”
20 He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. 21 Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”
22 Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”
23 Then he said, “You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself’—meaning, ‘Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.’ 24 But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown.
25 “Certainly there were many needy widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the heavens were closed for three and a half years, and a severe famine devastated the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a foreigner—a widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon. 27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian.”
28 When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious. 29 Jumping up, they mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push him over the cliff, 30 but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way.
Jesus Casts Out a Demon
31 Then Jesus went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught there in the synagogue every Sabbath day. 32 There, too, the people were amazed at his teaching, for he spoke with authority.
33 Once when he was in the synagogue, a man possessed by a demon—an evil[g] spirit—began shouting at Jesus, 34 “Go away! Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One sent from God!”
35 Jesus cut him short. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” he ordered. At that, the demon threw the man to the floor as the crowd watched; then it came out of him without hurting him further.
36 Amazed, the people exclaimed, “What authority and power this man’s words possess! Even evil spirits obey him, and they flee at his command!” 37 The news about Jesus spread through every village in the entire region.
Jesus Heals Many People
38 After leaving the synagogue that day, Jesus went to Simon’s home, where he found Simon’s mother-in-law very sick with a high fever. “Please heal her,” everyone begged. 39 Standing at her bedside, he rebuked the fever, and it left her. And she got up at once and prepared a meal for them.
40 As the sun went down that evening, people throughout the village brought sick family members to Jesus. No matter what their diseases were, the touch of his hand healed every one. 41 Many were possessed by demons; and the demons came out at his command, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But because they knew he was the Messiah, he rebuked them and refused to let them speak.
Jesus Continues to Preach
42 Early the next morning Jesus went out to an isolated place. The crowds searched everywhere for him, and when they finally found him, they begged him not to leave them. 43 But he replied, “I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that is why I was sent.” 44 So he continued to travel around, preaching in synagogues throughout Judea.[h]
===
Psalm 63
A psalm of David, regarding a time when David was in the wilderness of Judah.
1 O God, you are my God;
I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;
my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in your sanctuary
and gazed upon your power and glory.
3 Your unfailing love is better than life itself;
how I praise you!
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
lifting up my hands to you in prayer.
5 You satisfy me more than the richest feast.
I will praise you with songs of joy.
6 I lie awake thinking of you,
meditating on you through the night.
7 Because you are my helper,
I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.
8 I cling to you;
your strong right hand holds me securely.
9 But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin.
They will go down into the depths of the earth.
10 They will die by the sword
and become the food of jackals.
11 But the king will rejoice in God.
All who trust in him will praise him,
while liars will be silenced.
===
Proverbs 11
20-21
20 The Lord detests people with crooked hearts,
but he delights in those with integrity.
21 Evil people will surely be punished,
but the children of the godly will go free.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010 - Studying "One Year Bible"
Tuesday, June 29, 2010 - Studying "One Year Bible"
2:00 pm - March 19 Reading
Numbers 28:16-29:40; Luke 3:23-38; Psalm 62:1-12; Proverbs 11:18-19
New Living Translation (NLT)
Numbers 28:16-29:40
View commentary related to this passage
Offerings for the Passover
16 “On the fourteenth day of the first month,[a] you must celebrate the Lord’s Passover. 17 On the following day—the fifteenth day of the month—a joyous, seven-day festival will begin, but no bread made with yeast may be eaten. 18 The first day of the festival will be an official day for holy assembly, and no ordinary work may be done on that day. 19 As a special gift you must present a burnt offering to the Lord—two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. 20 These will be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil—six quarts with each bull, four quarts with the ram, 21 and two quarts with each of the seven lambs. 22 You must also offer a male goat as a sin offering to purify yourselves and make yourselves right with the Lord.[b] 23 Present these offerings in addition to your regular morning burnt offering. 24 On each of the seven days of the festival, this is how you must prepare the food offering that is presented as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. These will be offered in addition to the regular burnt offerings and liquid offerings. 25 The seventh day of the festival will be another official day for holy assembly, and no ordinary work may be done on that day.
Offerings for the Festival of Harvest
26 “At the Festival of Harvest,[c] when you present the first of your new grain to the Lord, you must call an official day for holy assembly, and you may do no ordinary work on that day. 27 Present a special burnt offering on that day as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It will consist of two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs. 28 These will be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil—six quarts with each bull, four quarts with the ram, 29 and two quarts with each of the seven lambs. 30 Also, offer one male goat to purify yourselves and make yourselves right with the Lord. 31 Prepare these special burnt offerings, along with their liquid offerings, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its accompanying grain offering. Be sure that all the animals you sacrifice have no defects.
Numbers 29
Offerings for the Festival of Trumpets
“Celebrate the Festival of Trumpets each year on the first day of the appointed month in early autumn.[d] You must call an official day for holy assembly, and you may do no ordinary work. 2 On that day you must present a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It will consist of one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. 3 These must be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil—six quarts[e] with the bull, four quarts[f] with the ram, 4 and two quarts[g] with each of the seven lambs. 5 In addition, you must sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering to purify yourselves and make yourselves right with the Lord.[h] 6 These special sacrifices are in addition to your regular monthly and daily burnt offerings, and they must be given with their prescribed grain offerings and liquid offerings. These offerings are given as a special gift to the Lord, a pleasing aroma to him.
Offerings for the Day of Atonement
7 “Ten days later, on the tenth day of the same month,[i] you must call another holy assembly. On that day, the Day of Atonement, the people must go without food and must do no ordinary work. 8 You must present a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It will consist of one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. 9 These offerings must be accompanied by the prescribed grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil—six quarts of choice flour with the bull, four quarts of choice flour with the ram, 10 and two quarts of choice flour with each of the seven lambs. 11 You must also sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering. This is in addition to the sin offering of atonement and the regular daily burnt offering with its grain offering, and their accompanying liquid offerings.
Offerings for the Festival of Shelters
12 “Five days later, on the fifteenth day of the same month,[j] you must call another holy assembly of all the people, and you may do no ordinary work on that day. It is the beginning of the Festival of Shelters,[k] a seven-day festival to the Lord. 13 On the first day of the festival, you must present a burnt offering as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It will consist of thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. 14 Each of these offerings must be accompanied by a grain offering of choice flour moistened with olive oil—six quarts for each of the thirteen bulls, four quarts for each of the two rams, 15 and two quarts for each of the fourteen lambs. 16 You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.
17 “On the second day of this seven-day festival, sacrifice twelve young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. 18 Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. 19 You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.
20 “On the third day of the festival, sacrifice eleven young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. 21 Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. 22 You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.
23 “On the fourth day of the festival, sacrifice ten young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. 24 Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. 25 You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.
26 “On the fifth day of the festival, sacrifice nine young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. 27 Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. 28 You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.
29 “On the sixth day of the festival, sacrifice eight young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. 30 Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. 31 You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.
32 “On the seventh day of the festival, sacrifice seven young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. 33 Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. 34 You must also sacrifice one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.
35 “On the eighth day of the festival, proclaim another holy day. You must do no ordinary work on that day. 36 You must present a burnt offering as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It will consist of one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. 37 Each of these offerings must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. 38 You must also sacrifice one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.
39 “You must present these offerings to the Lord at your annual festivals. These are in addition to the sacrifices and offerings you present in connection with vows, or as voluntary offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, liquid offerings, or peace offerings.”
40 [l]So Moses gave all of these instructions to the people of Israel as the Lord had commanded him.
Footnotes:
1. Numbers 28:16 This day in the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred in late March, April, or early May.
2. Numbers 28:22 Or to make atonement for yourselves; also in 28:30.
3. Numbers 28:26 Hebrew Festival of Weeks. This was later called the Festival of Pentecost (see Acts 2:1). It is celebrated today as Shavuat (or Shabuoth).
4. Numbers 29:1 Hebrew the first day of the seventh month. This day in the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred in September or October. This festival is celebrated today as Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year.
5. Numbers 29:3 Hebrew 3/10 of an ephah [6.6 liters]; also in 29:9, 14.
6. Numbers 29:3 Hebrew 2/10 of an ephah [4.4 liters]; also in 29:9, 14.
7. Numbers 29:4 Hebrew 1/10 of an ephah [2.2 liters]; also in 29:10, 15.
8. Numbers 29:5 Or to make atonement for yourselves.
9. Numbers 29:7 Hebrew On the tenth day of the seventh month; see 29:1 and the note there. This day in the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred in September or October. It is celebrated today as Yom Kippur.
10. Numbers 29:12 Hebrew On the fifteenth day of the seventh month; see 29:1, 7 and the notes there. This day in the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred in late September, October, or early November.
11. Numbers 29:12 Or Festival of Booths, or Festival of Tabernacles. This was earlier called the Festival of the Final Harvest or Festival of Ingathering (see Exod 23:16b). It is celebrated today as Sukkot (or Succoth).
12. Numbers 29:40 Verse 29:40 is numbered 30:1 in Hebrew text.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.
[NLT at Tyndale] [Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.]
Luke 3:23-38
View commentary related to this passage
The Ancestors of Jesus
23 Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry.
Jesus was known as the son of Joseph.
Joseph was the son of Heli.
24 Heli was the son of Matthat.
Matthat was the son of Levi.
Levi was the son of Melki.
Melki was the son of Jannai.
Jannai was the son of Joseph.
25 Joseph was the son of Mattathias.
Mattathias was the son of Amos.
Amos was the son of Nahum.
Nahum was the son of Esli.
Esli was the son of Naggai.
26 Naggai was the son of Maath.
Maath was the son of Mattathias.
Mattathias was the son of Semein.
Semein was the son of Josech.
Josech was the son of Joda.
27 Joda was the son of Joanan.
Joanan was the son of Rhesa.
Rhesa was the son of Zerubbabel.
Zerubbabel was the son of Shealtiel.
Shealtiel was the son of Neri.
28 Neri was the son of Melki.
Melki was the son of Addi.
Addi was the son of Cosam.
Cosam was the son of Elmadam.
Elmadam was the son of Er.
29 Er was the son of Joshua.
Joshua was the son of Eliezer.
Eliezer was the son of Jorim.
Jorim was the son of Matthat.
Matthat was the son of Levi.
30 Levi was the son of Simeon.
Simeon was the son of Judah.
Judah was the son of Joseph.
Joseph was the son of Jonam.
Jonam was the son of Eliakim.
31 Eliakim was the son of Melea.
Melea was the son of Menna.
Menna was the son of Mattatha.
Mattatha was the son of Nathan.
Nathan was the son of David.
32 David was the son of Jesse.
Jesse was the son of Obed.
Obed was the son of Boaz.
Boaz was the son of Salmon.[a]
Salmon was the son of Nahshon.
33 Nahshon was the son of Amminadab.
Amminadab was the son of Admin.
Admin was the son of Arni.[b]
Arni was the son of Hezron.
Hezron was the son of Perez.
Perez was the son of Judah.
34 Judah was the son of Jacob.
Jacob was the son of Isaac.
Isaac was the son of Abraham.
Abraham was the son of Terah.
Terah was the son of Nahor.
35 Nahor was the son of Serug.
Serug was the son of Reu.
Reu was the son of Peleg.
Peleg was the son of Eber.
Eber was the son of Shelah.
36 Shelah was the son of Cainan.
Cainan was the son of Arphaxad.
Arphaxad was the son of Shem.
Shem was the son of Noah.
Noah was the son of Lamech.
37 Lamech was the son of Methuselah.
Methuselah was the son of Enoch.
Enoch was the son of Jared.
Jared was the son of Mahalalel.
Mahalalel was the son of Kenan.
38 Kenan was the son of Enosh.[c]
Enosh was the son of Seth.
Seth was the son of Adam.
Adam was the son of God.
Footnotes:
1. Luke 3:32 Greek Sala, a variant spelling of Salmon; also in 3:32b. See Ruth 4:22.
2. Luke 3:33 Some manuscripts read Amminadab was the son of Aram. Arni and Aram are alternate spellings of Ram. See 1 Chr 2:9-10.
3. Luke 3:38 Greek Enos, a variant spelling of Enosh; also in 3:38b. See Gen 5:6.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.
[NLT at Tyndale] [Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.]
Psalm 62:1-12
View commentary related to this passage
Psalm 62
For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of David.
1 I wait quietly before God,
for my victory comes from him.
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will never be shaken.
3 So many enemies against one man—
all of them trying to kill me.
To them I’m just a broken-down wall
or a tottering fence.
4 They plan to topple me from my high position.
They delight in telling lies about me.
They praise me to my face
but curse me in their hearts.
Interlude
5 Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
for my hope is in him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will not be shaken.
7 My victory and honor come from God alone.
He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
8 O my people, trust in him at all times.
Pour out your heart to him,
for God is our refuge.
Interlude
9 Common people are as worthless as a puff of wind,
and the powerful are not what they appear to be.
If you weigh them on the scales,
together they are lighter than a breath of air.
10 Don’t make your living by extortion
or put your hope in stealing.
And if your wealth increases,
don’t make it the center of your life.
11 God has spoken plainly,
and I have heard it many times:
Power, O God, belongs to you;
12 unfailing love, O Lord, is yours.
Surely you repay all people
according to what they have done.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.
[NLT at Tyndale] [Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.]
Proverbs 11:18-19
View commentary related to this passage
18 Evil people get rich for the moment,
but the reward of the godly will last.
19 Godly people find life;
evil people find death.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.
[NLT at Tyndale] [Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.]
2:00 pm - March 19 Reading
Numbers 28:16-29:40; Luke 3:23-38; Psalm 62:1-12; Proverbs 11:18-19
New Living Translation (NLT)
Numbers 28:16-29:40
View commentary related to this passage
Offerings for the Passover
16 “On the fourteenth day of the first month,[a] you must celebrate the Lord’s Passover. 17 On the following day—the fifteenth day of the month—a joyous, seven-day festival will begin, but no bread made with yeast may be eaten. 18 The first day of the festival will be an official day for holy assembly, and no ordinary work may be done on that day. 19 As a special gift you must present a burnt offering to the Lord—two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. 20 These will be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil—six quarts with each bull, four quarts with the ram, 21 and two quarts with each of the seven lambs. 22 You must also offer a male goat as a sin offering to purify yourselves and make yourselves right with the Lord.[b] 23 Present these offerings in addition to your regular morning burnt offering. 24 On each of the seven days of the festival, this is how you must prepare the food offering that is presented as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. These will be offered in addition to the regular burnt offerings and liquid offerings. 25 The seventh day of the festival will be another official day for holy assembly, and no ordinary work may be done on that day.
Offerings for the Festival of Harvest
26 “At the Festival of Harvest,[c] when you present the first of your new grain to the Lord, you must call an official day for holy assembly, and you may do no ordinary work on that day. 27 Present a special burnt offering on that day as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It will consist of two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs. 28 These will be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil—six quarts with each bull, four quarts with the ram, 29 and two quarts with each of the seven lambs. 30 Also, offer one male goat to purify yourselves and make yourselves right with the Lord. 31 Prepare these special burnt offerings, along with their liquid offerings, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its accompanying grain offering. Be sure that all the animals you sacrifice have no defects.
Numbers 29
Offerings for the Festival of Trumpets
“Celebrate the Festival of Trumpets each year on the first day of the appointed month in early autumn.[d] You must call an official day for holy assembly, and you may do no ordinary work. 2 On that day you must present a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It will consist of one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. 3 These must be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil—six quarts[e] with the bull, four quarts[f] with the ram, 4 and two quarts[g] with each of the seven lambs. 5 In addition, you must sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering to purify yourselves and make yourselves right with the Lord.[h] 6 These special sacrifices are in addition to your regular monthly and daily burnt offerings, and they must be given with their prescribed grain offerings and liquid offerings. These offerings are given as a special gift to the Lord, a pleasing aroma to him.
Offerings for the Day of Atonement
7 “Ten days later, on the tenth day of the same month,[i] you must call another holy assembly. On that day, the Day of Atonement, the people must go without food and must do no ordinary work. 8 You must present a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It will consist of one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. 9 These offerings must be accompanied by the prescribed grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil—six quarts of choice flour with the bull, four quarts of choice flour with the ram, 10 and two quarts of choice flour with each of the seven lambs. 11 You must also sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering. This is in addition to the sin offering of atonement and the regular daily burnt offering with its grain offering, and their accompanying liquid offerings.
Offerings for the Festival of Shelters
12 “Five days later, on the fifteenth day of the same month,[j] you must call another holy assembly of all the people, and you may do no ordinary work on that day. It is the beginning of the Festival of Shelters,[k] a seven-day festival to the Lord. 13 On the first day of the festival, you must present a burnt offering as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It will consist of thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. 14 Each of these offerings must be accompanied by a grain offering of choice flour moistened with olive oil—six quarts for each of the thirteen bulls, four quarts for each of the two rams, 15 and two quarts for each of the fourteen lambs. 16 You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.
17 “On the second day of this seven-day festival, sacrifice twelve young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. 18 Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. 19 You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.
20 “On the third day of the festival, sacrifice eleven young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. 21 Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. 22 You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.
23 “On the fourth day of the festival, sacrifice ten young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. 24 Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. 25 You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.
26 “On the fifth day of the festival, sacrifice nine young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. 27 Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. 28 You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.
29 “On the sixth day of the festival, sacrifice eight young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. 30 Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. 31 You must also sacrifice a male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.
32 “On the seventh day of the festival, sacrifice seven young bulls, two rams, and fourteen one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. 33 Each of these offerings of bulls, rams, and lambs must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. 34 You must also sacrifice one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.
35 “On the eighth day of the festival, proclaim another holy day. You must do no ordinary work on that day. 36 You must present a burnt offering as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. It will consist of one young bull, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. 37 Each of these offerings must be accompanied by its prescribed grain offering and liquid offering. 38 You must also sacrifice one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its accompanying grain offering and liquid offering.
39 “You must present these offerings to the Lord at your annual festivals. These are in addition to the sacrifices and offerings you present in connection with vows, or as voluntary offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, liquid offerings, or peace offerings.”
40 [l]So Moses gave all of these instructions to the people of Israel as the Lord had commanded him.
Footnotes:
1. Numbers 28:16 This day in the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred in late March, April, or early May.
2. Numbers 28:22 Or to make atonement for yourselves; also in 28:30.
3. Numbers 28:26 Hebrew Festival of Weeks. This was later called the Festival of Pentecost (see Acts 2:1). It is celebrated today as Shavuat (or Shabuoth).
4. Numbers 29:1 Hebrew the first day of the seventh month. This day in the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred in September or October. This festival is celebrated today as Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year.
5. Numbers 29:3 Hebrew 3/10 of an ephah [6.6 liters]; also in 29:9, 14.
6. Numbers 29:3 Hebrew 2/10 of an ephah [4.4 liters]; also in 29:9, 14.
7. Numbers 29:4 Hebrew 1/10 of an ephah [2.2 liters]; also in 29:10, 15.
8. Numbers 29:5 Or to make atonement for yourselves.
9. Numbers 29:7 Hebrew On the tenth day of the seventh month; see 29:1 and the note there. This day in the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred in September or October. It is celebrated today as Yom Kippur.
10. Numbers 29:12 Hebrew On the fifteenth day of the seventh month; see 29:1, 7 and the notes there. This day in the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred in late September, October, or early November.
11. Numbers 29:12 Or Festival of Booths, or Festival of Tabernacles. This was earlier called the Festival of the Final Harvest or Festival of Ingathering (see Exod 23:16b). It is celebrated today as Sukkot (or Succoth).
12. Numbers 29:40 Verse 29:40 is numbered 30:1 in Hebrew text.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.
[NLT at Tyndale] [Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.]
Luke 3:23-38
View commentary related to this passage
The Ancestors of Jesus
23 Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry.
Jesus was known as the son of Joseph.
Joseph was the son of Heli.
24 Heli was the son of Matthat.
Matthat was the son of Levi.
Levi was the son of Melki.
Melki was the son of Jannai.
Jannai was the son of Joseph.
25 Joseph was the son of Mattathias.
Mattathias was the son of Amos.
Amos was the son of Nahum.
Nahum was the son of Esli.
Esli was the son of Naggai.
26 Naggai was the son of Maath.
Maath was the son of Mattathias.
Mattathias was the son of Semein.
Semein was the son of Josech.
Josech was the son of Joda.
27 Joda was the son of Joanan.
Joanan was the son of Rhesa.
Rhesa was the son of Zerubbabel.
Zerubbabel was the son of Shealtiel.
Shealtiel was the son of Neri.
28 Neri was the son of Melki.
Melki was the son of Addi.
Addi was the son of Cosam.
Cosam was the son of Elmadam.
Elmadam was the son of Er.
29 Er was the son of Joshua.
Joshua was the son of Eliezer.
Eliezer was the son of Jorim.
Jorim was the son of Matthat.
Matthat was the son of Levi.
30 Levi was the son of Simeon.
Simeon was the son of Judah.
Judah was the son of Joseph.
Joseph was the son of Jonam.
Jonam was the son of Eliakim.
31 Eliakim was the son of Melea.
Melea was the son of Menna.
Menna was the son of Mattatha.
Mattatha was the son of Nathan.
Nathan was the son of David.
32 David was the son of Jesse.
Jesse was the son of Obed.
Obed was the son of Boaz.
Boaz was the son of Salmon.[a]
Salmon was the son of Nahshon.
33 Nahshon was the son of Amminadab.
Amminadab was the son of Admin.
Admin was the son of Arni.[b]
Arni was the son of Hezron.
Hezron was the son of Perez.
Perez was the son of Judah.
34 Judah was the son of Jacob.
Jacob was the son of Isaac.
Isaac was the son of Abraham.
Abraham was the son of Terah.
Terah was the son of Nahor.
35 Nahor was the son of Serug.
Serug was the son of Reu.
Reu was the son of Peleg.
Peleg was the son of Eber.
Eber was the son of Shelah.
36 Shelah was the son of Cainan.
Cainan was the son of Arphaxad.
Arphaxad was the son of Shem.
Shem was the son of Noah.
Noah was the son of Lamech.
37 Lamech was the son of Methuselah.
Methuselah was the son of Enoch.
Enoch was the son of Jared.
Jared was the son of Mahalalel.
Mahalalel was the son of Kenan.
38 Kenan was the son of Enosh.[c]
Enosh was the son of Seth.
Seth was the son of Adam.
Adam was the son of God.
Footnotes:
1. Luke 3:32 Greek Sala, a variant spelling of Salmon; also in 3:32b. See Ruth 4:22.
2. Luke 3:33 Some manuscripts read Amminadab was the son of Aram. Arni and Aram are alternate spellings of Ram. See 1 Chr 2:9-10.
3. Luke 3:38 Greek Enos, a variant spelling of Enosh; also in 3:38b. See Gen 5:6.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.
[NLT at Tyndale] [Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.]
Psalm 62:1-12
View commentary related to this passage
Psalm 62
For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of David.
1 I wait quietly before God,
for my victory comes from him.
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will never be shaken.
3 So many enemies against one man—
all of them trying to kill me.
To them I’m just a broken-down wall
or a tottering fence.
4 They plan to topple me from my high position.
They delight in telling lies about me.
They praise me to my face
but curse me in their hearts.
Interlude
5 Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
for my hope is in him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will not be shaken.
7 My victory and honor come from God alone.
He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
8 O my people, trust in him at all times.
Pour out your heart to him,
for God is our refuge.
Interlude
9 Common people are as worthless as a puff of wind,
and the powerful are not what they appear to be.
If you weigh them on the scales,
together they are lighter than a breath of air.
10 Don’t make your living by extortion
or put your hope in stealing.
And if your wealth increases,
don’t make it the center of your life.
11 God has spoken plainly,
and I have heard it many times:
Power, O God, belongs to you;
12 unfailing love, O Lord, is yours.
Surely you repay all people
according to what they have done.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.
[NLT at Tyndale] [Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.]
Proverbs 11:18-19
View commentary related to this passage
18 Evil people get rich for the moment,
but the reward of the godly will last.
19 Godly people find life;
evil people find death.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.
[NLT at Tyndale] [Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.]
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Studying "Don't Let the Sins of Yesterday Keep You from Serving Jesus Today"
Evangelism:
The Time Is Now!
Section 4, Chapter 8
Don’t Let the Sins of Yesterday
Keep You From
Serving Jesus Today
Page 1 of 2 pages
Study Questions
What is the worse sin you have ever committed as a born again Christian? Some of you have committed the sin of sexual immorality in the past. Have you ever murdered someone as a Christian? What is the worse sin you have ever committed? King David as a believer committed both of the above sins. Yet despite this, God said about David that he was a man after His own heart who would do all his will.122
If David committed the sins mentioned above, then how could God make such a statement about David. Well, obviously it was not because David was the perfect believer or because he never blew it as grossly as is possible to blow it. God said this about David because no matter how bad he blew it, or how far at times he got away from God, he never stopped trying to live for God. David never allowed the sins of yesterday to keep him from doing the will of God today.
Some of you think your sins of the past are so bad that God can never forgive you or use your life again. But what does the Bible tell us about what became of David because of the grossness of his sin of committing adultery with Bathsheba and killing her husband Uriah?123 First, David repented of his sin. After God pointed out to David through the prophet Nathan that his sins did not go unnoticed, David said, "I have sinned against the Lord." Nathan then said to David after he acknowledged his sin to God and man, "The Lord also has taken away your sin."124
God forgave David for his sins. God’s plan for David did not change. He was still called to be King over Israel. God did, however, still have to discipline David for his sin. Why? Because David had gotten lacks in his relationship with God. He started making decisions without seeking the counsel of God first.
Israel was at war at the time, but instead of David being with his men on the front, he was instead day-dreaming on the roof of his palace where he was open to Satan’s temptations. He had stopped seeking God about how he should be using his time and life. So, yes, God had to re-discipline David so he would only act out of God’s initiative and not his own. Only a man who only acts out of God’s initiative in obedience to God’s Word can rule God’s people justly. David had to learn to only use his time as God was leading him and be diligent in his service to God, but God’s plan for his life had not changed. God’s plan for David was still to be King over Israel.
Several years ago, 1975, God told me to do something with my life and I did not obey Him. I was a good Christian from appearance sake. I went to church, I read my Bible daily, I shared my faith with others whether they wanted to hear it or not, I wasn’t doing anything immoral, but I did not do at the time with my life what God wanted me to do. I disobeyed Him. The Prophet Samuel said as God’s spokesman that "Rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry."125 The Bible puts rebellion right up there with witchcraft, adultery, fornication and murder. Many Christians today try to convince themselves they are okay, I go to church and Sunday School. I pay my tithes regularly. The only thing they do not do is what God wants them to do with their lives.
That was the condition I was in. I was religious, but not doing with my life at the time what God was calling me to do. This is what Jesus was talking about when he said, "Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven."126 During this time God asked me to do something in relation to where he wanted me to live at the time. He was asking me to move into an unpleasant situation. It wasn’t that I did not want to obey God, I just couldn’t get over some of the fears about it I was having at the time.
When I did not obey what God wanted me to do in this matter, everything in my life came to a stand still. I could not succeed in school no matter how hard I tried. I finally dropped out of school, borrowed some money and went into a gardening business.
I had had a gardening business before and had made good money at it, but what normally took me forty-five minutes to do was now taking me three hours and there was no logical reason for it. This went on for four months until I was deeper in the hole than when I started.
One day I was sitting in a restaurant eating lunch and reading the Bible when I read the following verse: As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.127 I prayed to myself, Jesus, what does this passage really mean? He answered back to me through the Holy Spirit,
Dale, when you confess your sin, not only do I forgive you for your sin, but I remove it infinitely before me so that the way I relate to you is just as if you had never committed the sin in the first place.
In other words, even though I had not obeyed him and temporarily this brought his will and plan for my life to a stand still, His will for my life did not change. What I needed to do was confess my disobedience and go back and do what he had called me to do. The Apostle Paul wrote about love in 1 Corinthians 13:5 that love "does not take into account a wrong suffered." In other words, God’s relating to us and His plan for our lives is not effected by offenses of the past when once confessed and repented of. God’s plan for our lives remains the same.
I came to realize that God loved me, that he forgave me and that He was just waiting for me to repent and do with my life what he was calling me to do. I did obey Him and go back and do what He had told me to do. Jesus, talking through the Apostle John, said,
"Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. Remember therefore what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent." (Rev 3:2-3)
Some of you think that you have so blown it in the past that God can no longer use you or wants to use your life. God’s love for you never changes. It is a matter of you turning back to him. Because His plan for your life never changes, he is waiting for you to not only return to him, but to fulfill what he has called you to do in the first place. He is not interested in your failures of the past. I’ve got news for you. It won’t be the last time. He wants you to accept His forgiveness and to forgive yourself and to stop letting the sins of yesterday keep you from doing His will today. He loves you. Jesus was already punished for your sins. Every time you use your past failures as an excuse to not do God’s will today, you rob Jesus of what he suffered for you on the cross. Jesus loves you. He forgives you. He is waiting for you to return to Him so he can continue His plan and purpose for your life.
Confess Your Sins
How do you return to him? First, confess your sin or sins to Jesus and accept his forgiveness as an automatic fact according to 1 John 1:9 which states, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Resurrender to Jesus as Lord
Second, you then need to resurrender to Jesus as Lord, remake Him Lord of your life. Just pray:
Jesus, I resurrender the Lordship of my life to You and ask You to refill me with Your Holy Spirit, to retake control of my life and to continue to lead me into your will and plan for my life. By faith thank You that it is done according to Your promise to answer any prayer that is according to Your will, in Your name, Jesus, amen.
Accept that He has by faith, not by feelings, because He promises to answer any prayer that is according to His will, and according to Ephesians 5:18 and 1 John 5:14-15 it is His will that you allow Him to be Lord of your life.
Repent of Your Sins
Third, you need to repent of your sins and cry to Jesus for his deliverance from the power of these sins over your soul and flesh. You need to either stop doing what he doesn’t want you to do or go back and do what he has called you to do. You need to stop letting the sins of yesterday keep you from doing the will of God today. You need to stop using the sins of yesterday as an excuse to not do God’s will today. In light of God’s forgiveness, it is not an excuse according to His Word.
Secondly, You need to get down on Your knees and cry to Jesus for his deliverance from the power of these sins over your soul and flesh. Until the resurrection, our soul and flesh are still corrupted by sin and under the power of sin. You cannot overcome sins power through will power. This is because your will, your volition is your soul and your soul is under the power of sin. For this reason Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:10, Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. The writer of 1 Chronicles and Psalms wrote, Seek Yehovah and His strength, seek His face continually (1 Chron 16:11, Ps 105:4). When you are having a repetitious problem with sin, you need to do more than just confess your sin and thank Jesus for his forgiveness, you need to also get down on your knees and cry to Him for His deliverance from the power of that sin over your soul and flesh. Jesus promises us in 2 Thessalonians 3:3 "But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one."
Depending on what your propensity to sin is, you will find that no matter how long you are a Christian, you will need to do this regularly. I have sin problems I have struggled with for as long as I have been a Christian: 34 years. I find that I need to at least once a week get down on my knees and cry out to Jesus for His deliverance from the power of these sins.
Remove Objects of Temptation
Fourth, remove any objects or things which tempted you and led you to sin in the first place. Demonic forces attach themselves to the unclean objects through which you were tempted to sin in the first place. The presence of these objects will keep you from having victory over sins confessed and repented of. Until the resurrection and transformation of our souls and bodies, the power of sin remains over us especially through these unclean objects. (Deut 7:25-26, 1 Cor 10:19-20, Exodus 32:19-20)
Some obvious examples of objects through which Satan has access to our souls and flesh are porno magazines, liquor, unclean videos and music CD’s, satanic cult games and books, astrology books and prediction charts, etcetera. What ever these objects are that relate to the weakness of your soul and flesh, stimulate and energize your soul and flesh to sin and keep you in bondage to those sins. You will have to pray and ask the Lord to make plain to you what these objects are. When you know, remove them. Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:22, "Abstain from every form of evil." When Jesus returns to the earth, Peter in 2 Peter 3:10 tells us the first thing Jesus will do is burn up the earth and its works with fire,
"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up."
This is because the works of godless men made in the earth encourage and stimulate man’s soul and flesh to draw away from God and to sin. Therefore, when Jesus returns, His first priority of importance is to remove these objects of stumbling from man and heaven’s presence. In light of this, Peter concludes in 2 Peter 3:11-12,
"Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!"
Command Unclean Spirits to Leave
Fifth, bind and command to leave any unclean spirits related to your sins confessed and repented of. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 10:8, "He who digs a pit will fall into it, and whoever breaks a hedge a serpent will bite him." Satan has no power over us other than the power we give him through sin. Paul writes in Ephesians 6:12, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." We have problems with sin in certain areas because this is the propensity of our soul and flesh. Satan knows this and so he assigns demonic forces to hound, harass and tempt us in these areas of our soul and flesh. When we finally give into these demonic temptations and then surrender our soul and flesh to sin, it then results in the attachment of these unclean spirits who make sure we stay in bondage to these sins.
This is why, first, we need to cry to Jesus for his deliverance from the power of sin over our soul and flesh. But then, second, we need to also exercise our authority as believers to bind the unclean spirits which have attached themselves to us as a result of our sin and command them in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth to leave and never come back. When you do this they have to leave because Jesus gave us complete authority over unclean spirits. Jesus said in Luke 10:19, "Behold, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy and to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and nothing shall injure you." However, this authority is only available to you if you have taken the first four steps of confessing your sins, resurrending to Jesus as Lord, and repenting of your sins with the help of Jesus Strength and power which includes cleansing your life of any objects through which Satan has tempted you to sin in the first place. James, the brother of Jesus, writes in the book of James 4:7-8,
"Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-souled."
To be completely free of demonic influence, harassment and control, You must sit down and write down every known sin of your past asking the Holy Spirit to help you remember; especially any involvement with the occult in the past; any sexual sins of the past; and any sins of inheritance, sins of your fathers which has led to demonic influence in your life through your blood line. You need to confess them to God one by one receiving God’s forgiveness and cleansing of them by faith through Jesus’ death and shed blood on the cross. The only basis for deliverance from oppression, harassment and possession is true repentance. Repentance involves one, confessing our sins to God; two, making right our wrongs confessed; and then, three, bringing forth fruit: continued changed behavior in keeping with repentance. This is the Bible’s meaning of repentance. See Matthew 3:1-12 and Luke 3:1-14. If you do not do this, you will have no authority over unclean spirits and they will not go away.
Once you have confessed and repented of your sins, the next step is to then verbally out loud denounce Satan in Jesus’ name in relation to any occult involvement however innocent. This would involve things like going to psychics or séances, using Ouija boards, having your fortune told, the practice of casting spells or incantations of any kind. These are all occult practices. If you have done any of these, these are doorways to demonic influence and even possession. You must confess them to God, apply Jesus’ blood and then verbally denounce Satan for each one of them.
Next, you need to then bind any unclean spirits related to each sin confessed and in Jesus’ name command them to be gone from you forever. You then by faith must accept that they are gone according to Jesus’ promise in Luke 10:19. You must accept this by faith, not as a feeling. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:7 "For we walk by faith, not by appearance." God’s word is our authority, not what we feel. You must accept the truthfulness of God’s promises in His Word regardless of how you feel and believe by faith they are gone. Joshua wrote in Joshua 21:45 "Not one of the good promises which Yehovah had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass." Pray like this:
In Jesus’ name Satan I bind you, I bind you hindering forces, I bind you spirits of the prince of the air, I bind you evil forces; In Jesus’ name I bind you. . . (name the specific unclean spirits related to each sin confessed). I command you all to take your hands off of my life, off of my home, off of my family and everyone else who lives here, off of my place of employment and fellow employees. In Jesus’ name and His shed blood I command you to be gone forever! You shall not come back in Jesus Christ of Nazareth’s name, amen.
In the previous Chapter under the subtitle "How to Stay Free of Sin" I explain how to stay free of sin once it is confessed and repented of. You need to read this if you have not already. For a more in depth study of what we have just discussed about deliverance out of the occult, I strongly recommend and urge you to get and read Rebecca Brown’s book titled Becoming a Vessel of Honor.133
The Time Is Now!
Section 4, Chapter 8
Don’t Let the Sins of Yesterday
Keep You From
Serving Jesus Today
Page 1 of 2 pages
Study Questions
What is the worse sin you have ever committed as a born again Christian? Some of you have committed the sin of sexual immorality in the past. Have you ever murdered someone as a Christian? What is the worse sin you have ever committed? King David as a believer committed both of the above sins. Yet despite this, God said about David that he was a man after His own heart who would do all his will.122
If David committed the sins mentioned above, then how could God make such a statement about David. Well, obviously it was not because David was the perfect believer or because he never blew it as grossly as is possible to blow it. God said this about David because no matter how bad he blew it, or how far at times he got away from God, he never stopped trying to live for God. David never allowed the sins of yesterday to keep him from doing the will of God today.
Some of you think your sins of the past are so bad that God can never forgive you or use your life again. But what does the Bible tell us about what became of David because of the grossness of his sin of committing adultery with Bathsheba and killing her husband Uriah?123 First, David repented of his sin. After God pointed out to David through the prophet Nathan that his sins did not go unnoticed, David said, "I have sinned against the Lord." Nathan then said to David after he acknowledged his sin to God and man, "The Lord also has taken away your sin."124
God forgave David for his sins. God’s plan for David did not change. He was still called to be King over Israel. God did, however, still have to discipline David for his sin. Why? Because David had gotten lacks in his relationship with God. He started making decisions without seeking the counsel of God first.
Israel was at war at the time, but instead of David being with his men on the front, he was instead day-dreaming on the roof of his palace where he was open to Satan’s temptations. He had stopped seeking God about how he should be using his time and life. So, yes, God had to re-discipline David so he would only act out of God’s initiative and not his own. Only a man who only acts out of God’s initiative in obedience to God’s Word can rule God’s people justly. David had to learn to only use his time as God was leading him and be diligent in his service to God, but God’s plan for his life had not changed. God’s plan for David was still to be King over Israel.
Several years ago, 1975, God told me to do something with my life and I did not obey Him. I was a good Christian from appearance sake. I went to church, I read my Bible daily, I shared my faith with others whether they wanted to hear it or not, I wasn’t doing anything immoral, but I did not do at the time with my life what God wanted me to do. I disobeyed Him. The Prophet Samuel said as God’s spokesman that "Rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry."125 The Bible puts rebellion right up there with witchcraft, adultery, fornication and murder. Many Christians today try to convince themselves they are okay, I go to church and Sunday School. I pay my tithes regularly. The only thing they do not do is what God wants them to do with their lives.
That was the condition I was in. I was religious, but not doing with my life at the time what God was calling me to do. This is what Jesus was talking about when he said, "Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven."126 During this time God asked me to do something in relation to where he wanted me to live at the time. He was asking me to move into an unpleasant situation. It wasn’t that I did not want to obey God, I just couldn’t get over some of the fears about it I was having at the time.
When I did not obey what God wanted me to do in this matter, everything in my life came to a stand still. I could not succeed in school no matter how hard I tried. I finally dropped out of school, borrowed some money and went into a gardening business.
I had had a gardening business before and had made good money at it, but what normally took me forty-five minutes to do was now taking me three hours and there was no logical reason for it. This went on for four months until I was deeper in the hole than when I started.
One day I was sitting in a restaurant eating lunch and reading the Bible when I read the following verse: As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.127 I prayed to myself, Jesus, what does this passage really mean? He answered back to me through the Holy Spirit,
Dale, when you confess your sin, not only do I forgive you for your sin, but I remove it infinitely before me so that the way I relate to you is just as if you had never committed the sin in the first place.
In other words, even though I had not obeyed him and temporarily this brought his will and plan for my life to a stand still, His will for my life did not change. What I needed to do was confess my disobedience and go back and do what he had called me to do. The Apostle Paul wrote about love in 1 Corinthians 13:5 that love "does not take into account a wrong suffered." In other words, God’s relating to us and His plan for our lives is not effected by offenses of the past when once confessed and repented of. God’s plan for our lives remains the same.
I came to realize that God loved me, that he forgave me and that He was just waiting for me to repent and do with my life what he was calling me to do. I did obey Him and go back and do what He had told me to do. Jesus, talking through the Apostle John, said,
"Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. Remember therefore what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent." (Rev 3:2-3)
Some of you think that you have so blown it in the past that God can no longer use you or wants to use your life. God’s love for you never changes. It is a matter of you turning back to him. Because His plan for your life never changes, he is waiting for you to not only return to him, but to fulfill what he has called you to do in the first place. He is not interested in your failures of the past. I’ve got news for you. It won’t be the last time. He wants you to accept His forgiveness and to forgive yourself and to stop letting the sins of yesterday keep you from doing His will today. He loves you. Jesus was already punished for your sins. Every time you use your past failures as an excuse to not do God’s will today, you rob Jesus of what he suffered for you on the cross. Jesus loves you. He forgives you. He is waiting for you to return to Him so he can continue His plan and purpose for your life.
Confess Your Sins
How do you return to him? First, confess your sin or sins to Jesus and accept his forgiveness as an automatic fact according to 1 John 1:9 which states, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Resurrender to Jesus as Lord
Second, you then need to resurrender to Jesus as Lord, remake Him Lord of your life. Just pray:
Jesus, I resurrender the Lordship of my life to You and ask You to refill me with Your Holy Spirit, to retake control of my life and to continue to lead me into your will and plan for my life. By faith thank You that it is done according to Your promise to answer any prayer that is according to Your will, in Your name, Jesus, amen.
Accept that He has by faith, not by feelings, because He promises to answer any prayer that is according to His will, and according to Ephesians 5:18 and 1 John 5:14-15 it is His will that you allow Him to be Lord of your life.
Repent of Your Sins
Third, you need to repent of your sins and cry to Jesus for his deliverance from the power of these sins over your soul and flesh. You need to either stop doing what he doesn’t want you to do or go back and do what he has called you to do. You need to stop letting the sins of yesterday keep you from doing the will of God today. You need to stop using the sins of yesterday as an excuse to not do God’s will today. In light of God’s forgiveness, it is not an excuse according to His Word.
Secondly, You need to get down on Your knees and cry to Jesus for his deliverance from the power of these sins over your soul and flesh. Until the resurrection, our soul and flesh are still corrupted by sin and under the power of sin. You cannot overcome sins power through will power. This is because your will, your volition is your soul and your soul is under the power of sin. For this reason Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:10, Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. The writer of 1 Chronicles and Psalms wrote, Seek Yehovah and His strength, seek His face continually (1 Chron 16:11, Ps 105:4). When you are having a repetitious problem with sin, you need to do more than just confess your sin and thank Jesus for his forgiveness, you need to also get down on your knees and cry to Him for His deliverance from the power of that sin over your soul and flesh. Jesus promises us in 2 Thessalonians 3:3 "But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one."
Depending on what your propensity to sin is, you will find that no matter how long you are a Christian, you will need to do this regularly. I have sin problems I have struggled with for as long as I have been a Christian: 34 years. I find that I need to at least once a week get down on my knees and cry out to Jesus for His deliverance from the power of these sins.
Remove Objects of Temptation
Fourth, remove any objects or things which tempted you and led you to sin in the first place. Demonic forces attach themselves to the unclean objects through which you were tempted to sin in the first place. The presence of these objects will keep you from having victory over sins confessed and repented of. Until the resurrection and transformation of our souls and bodies, the power of sin remains over us especially through these unclean objects. (Deut 7:25-26, 1 Cor 10:19-20, Exodus 32:19-20)
Some obvious examples of objects through which Satan has access to our souls and flesh are porno magazines, liquor, unclean videos and music CD’s, satanic cult games and books, astrology books and prediction charts, etcetera. What ever these objects are that relate to the weakness of your soul and flesh, stimulate and energize your soul and flesh to sin and keep you in bondage to those sins. You will have to pray and ask the Lord to make plain to you what these objects are. When you know, remove them. Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:22, "Abstain from every form of evil." When Jesus returns to the earth, Peter in 2 Peter 3:10 tells us the first thing Jesus will do is burn up the earth and its works with fire,
"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up."
This is because the works of godless men made in the earth encourage and stimulate man’s soul and flesh to draw away from God and to sin. Therefore, when Jesus returns, His first priority of importance is to remove these objects of stumbling from man and heaven’s presence. In light of this, Peter concludes in 2 Peter 3:11-12,
"Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!"
Command Unclean Spirits to Leave
Fifth, bind and command to leave any unclean spirits related to your sins confessed and repented of. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 10:8, "He who digs a pit will fall into it, and whoever breaks a hedge a serpent will bite him." Satan has no power over us other than the power we give him through sin. Paul writes in Ephesians 6:12, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." We have problems with sin in certain areas because this is the propensity of our soul and flesh. Satan knows this and so he assigns demonic forces to hound, harass and tempt us in these areas of our soul and flesh. When we finally give into these demonic temptations and then surrender our soul and flesh to sin, it then results in the attachment of these unclean spirits who make sure we stay in bondage to these sins.
This is why, first, we need to cry to Jesus for his deliverance from the power of sin over our soul and flesh. But then, second, we need to also exercise our authority as believers to bind the unclean spirits which have attached themselves to us as a result of our sin and command them in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth to leave and never come back. When you do this they have to leave because Jesus gave us complete authority over unclean spirits. Jesus said in Luke 10:19, "Behold, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy and to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and nothing shall injure you." However, this authority is only available to you if you have taken the first four steps of confessing your sins, resurrending to Jesus as Lord, and repenting of your sins with the help of Jesus Strength and power which includes cleansing your life of any objects through which Satan has tempted you to sin in the first place. James, the brother of Jesus, writes in the book of James 4:7-8,
"Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-souled."
To be completely free of demonic influence, harassment and control, You must sit down and write down every known sin of your past asking the Holy Spirit to help you remember; especially any involvement with the occult in the past; any sexual sins of the past; and any sins of inheritance, sins of your fathers which has led to demonic influence in your life through your blood line. You need to confess them to God one by one receiving God’s forgiveness and cleansing of them by faith through Jesus’ death and shed blood on the cross. The only basis for deliverance from oppression, harassment and possession is true repentance. Repentance involves one, confessing our sins to God; two, making right our wrongs confessed; and then, three, bringing forth fruit: continued changed behavior in keeping with repentance. This is the Bible’s meaning of repentance. See Matthew 3:1-12 and Luke 3:1-14. If you do not do this, you will have no authority over unclean spirits and they will not go away.
Once you have confessed and repented of your sins, the next step is to then verbally out loud denounce Satan in Jesus’ name in relation to any occult involvement however innocent. This would involve things like going to psychics or séances, using Ouija boards, having your fortune told, the practice of casting spells or incantations of any kind. These are all occult practices. If you have done any of these, these are doorways to demonic influence and even possession. You must confess them to God, apply Jesus’ blood and then verbally denounce Satan for each one of them.
Next, you need to then bind any unclean spirits related to each sin confessed and in Jesus’ name command them to be gone from you forever. You then by faith must accept that they are gone according to Jesus’ promise in Luke 10:19. You must accept this by faith, not as a feeling. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:7 "For we walk by faith, not by appearance." God’s word is our authority, not what we feel. You must accept the truthfulness of God’s promises in His Word regardless of how you feel and believe by faith they are gone. Joshua wrote in Joshua 21:45 "Not one of the good promises which Yehovah had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass." Pray like this:
In Jesus’ name Satan I bind you, I bind you hindering forces, I bind you spirits of the prince of the air, I bind you evil forces; In Jesus’ name I bind you. . . (name the specific unclean spirits related to each sin confessed). I command you all to take your hands off of my life, off of my home, off of my family and everyone else who lives here, off of my place of employment and fellow employees. In Jesus’ name and His shed blood I command you to be gone forever! You shall not come back in Jesus Christ of Nazareth’s name, amen.
In the previous Chapter under the subtitle "How to Stay Free of Sin" I explain how to stay free of sin once it is confessed and repented of. You need to read this if you have not already. For a more in depth study of what we have just discussed about deliverance out of the occult, I strongly recommend and urge you to get and read Rebecca Brown’s book titled Becoming a Vessel of Honor.133
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010 - Studying "One Year Bible"
9:30 A.M. - STUDYING - "ONE YEAR BIBLE" - MARCH 18 READING
12:00 PM - "LUNCH BREAK" Plan on jogging for 1 hour
SCRIPTURES
Numbers 26:52-28:15; Luke 3:1-22; Psalm 61:1-8; Proverbs 11:16-17 (New Living Translation)
New Living Translation (NLT)
Numbers 26:52-28:15
52 Then the LORD said to Moses, 53 “Divide the land among the tribes, and distribute the grants of land in proportion to the tribes’ populations, as indicated by the number of names on the list. 54 Give the larger tribes more land and the smaller tribes less land, each group receiving a grant in proportion to the size of its population. 55 But you must assign the land by lot, and give land to each ancestral tribe according to the number of names on the list. 56 Each grant of land must be assigned by lot among the larger and smaller tribal groups.”
The Tribe of Levi
57 This is the record of the Levites who were counted according to their clans:
The Gershonite clan, named after their ancestor Gershon.
The Kohathite clan, named after their ancestor Kohath.
The Merarite clan, named after their ancestor Merari.
58 The Libnites, the Hebronites, the Mahlites, the Mushites, and the Korahites were all subclans of the Levites.
Now Kohath was the ancestor of Amram, 59 and Amram’s wife was named Jochebed. She also was a descendant of Levi, born among the Levites in the land of Egypt. Amram and Jochebed became the parents of Aaron, Moses, and their sister, Miriam. 60 To Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 61 But Nadab and Abihu died when they burned before the LORD the wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded.
62 The men from the Levite clans who were one month old or older numbered 23,000. But the Levites were not included in the registration of the rest of the people of Israel because they were not given an allotment of land when it was divided among the Israelites.
63 So these are the results of the registration of the people of Israel as conducted by Moses and Eleazar the priest on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho. 64 Not one person on this list had been among those listed in the previous registration taken by Moses and Aaron in the wilderness of Sinai. 65 For the LORD had said of them, “They will all die in the wilderness.” Not one of them survived except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
Numbers 27
The Daughters of Zelophehad
1 One day a petition was presented by the daughters of Zelophehad—Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. Their father, Zelophehad, was a descendant of Hepher son of Gilead, son of Makir, son of Manasseh, son of Joseph. 2 These women stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the tribal leaders, and the entire community at the entrance of the Tabernacle.[a] 3 “Our father died in the wilderness,” they said. “He was not among Korah’s followers, who rebelled against the LORD; he died because of his own sin. But he had no sons. 4 Why should the name of our father disappear from his clan just because he had no sons? Give us property along with the rest of our relatives.”
5 So Moses brought their case before the LORD. 6 And the LORD replied to Moses, 7 “The claim of the daughters of Zelophehad is legitimate. You must give them a grant of land along with their father’s relatives. Assign them the property that would have been given to their father.
8 “And give the following instructions to the people of Israel: If a man dies and has no son, then give his inheritance to his daughters. 9 And if he has no daughter either, transfer his inheritance to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11 But if his father has no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan. This is a legal requirement for the people of Israel, just as the LORD commanded Moses.”
Joshua Chosen to Lead Israel
12 One day the LORD said to Moses, “Climb one of the mountains east of the river,[b] and look out over the land I have given the people of Israel. 13 After you have seen it, you will die like your brother, Aaron, 14 for you both rebelled against my instructions in the wilderness of Zin. When the people of Israel rebelled, you failed to demonstrate my holiness to them at the waters.” (These are the waters of Meribah at Kadesh[c] in the wilderness of Zin.)
15 Then Moses said to the LORD, 16 “O LORD, you are the God who gives breath to all creatures. Please appoint a new man as leader for the community. 17 Give them someone who will guide them wherever they go and will lead them into battle, so the community of the LORD will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”
18 The LORD replied, “Take Joshua son of Nun, who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. 19 Present him to Eleazar the priest before the whole community, and publicly commission him to lead the people. 20 Transfer some of your authority to him so the whole community of Israel will obey him. 21 When direction from the LORD is needed, Joshua will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will use the Urim—one of the sacred lots cast before the LORD—to determine his will. This is how Joshua and the rest of the community of Israel will determine everything they should do.”
22 So Moses did as the LORD commanded. He presented Joshua to Eleazar the priest and the whole community. 23 Moses laid his hands on him and commissioned him to lead the people, just as the LORD had commanded through Moses.
Numbers 28
The Daily Offerings
1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Give these instructions to the people of Israel: The offerings you present as special gifts are a pleasing aroma to me; they are my food. See to it that they are brought at the appointed times and offered according to my instructions.
3 “Say to the people: This is the special gift you must present to the LORD as your daily burnt offering. You must offer two one-year-old male lambs with no defects. 4 Sacrifice one lamb in the morning and the other in the evening. 5 With each lamb you must offer a grain offering of two quarts[d] of choice flour mixed with one quart[e] of pure oil of pressed olives. 6 This is the regular burnt offering instituted at Mount Sinai as a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 7 Along with it you must present the proper liquid offering of one quart of alcoholic drink with each lamb, poured out in the Holy Place as an offering to the LORD. 8 Offer the second lamb in the evening with the same grain offering and liquid offering. It, too, is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
The Sabbath Offerings
9 “On the Sabbath day, sacrifice two one-year-old male lambs with no defects. They must be accompanied by a grain offering of four quarts[f] of choice flour moistened with olive oil, and a liquid offering. 10 This is the burnt offering to be presented each Sabbath day, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its accompanying liquid offering.
The Monthly Offerings
11 “On the first day of each month, present an extra burnt offering to the LORD of two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. 12 These must be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil—six quarts[g] with each bull, four quarts with the ram, 13 and two quarts with each lamb. This burnt offering will be a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 14 You must also present a liquid offering with each sacrifice: two quarts[h] of wine for each bull, a third of a gallon[i] for the ram, and one quart[j] for each lamb. Present this monthly burnt offering on the first day of each month throughout the year.
15 “On the first day of each month, you must also offer one male goat for a sin offering to the LORD. This is in addition to the regular burnt offering and its accompanying liquid offering.
Luke 3:1-22
Luke 3
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
1 It was now the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, the Roman emperor. Pontius Pilate was governor over Judea; Herod Antipas was ruler[a] over Galilee; his brother Philip was ruler[b] over Iturea and Traconitis; Lysanias was ruler over Abilene. 2 Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time a message from God came to John son of Zechariah, who was living in the wilderness. 3 Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. 4 Isaiah had spoken of John when he said,
“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the LORD’s coming!
Clear the road for him!
5 The valleys will be filled,
and the mountains and hills made level.
The curves will be straightened,
and the rough places made smooth.
6 And then all people will see
the salvation sent from God.’”[c]
7 When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, “You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee God’s coming wrath? 8 Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. 9 Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.”
10 The crowds asked, “What should we do?”
11 John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.”
12 Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, “Teacher, what should we do?”
13 He replied, “Collect no more taxes than the government requires.”
14 “What should we do?” asked some soldiers.
John replied, “Don’t extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay.”
15 Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah. 16 John answered their questions by saying, “I baptize you with[d] water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.[e] 17 He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.” 18 John used many such warnings as he announced the Good News to the people.
19 John also publicly criticized Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee,[f] for marrying Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for many other wrongs he had done. 20 So Herod put John in prison, adding this sin to his many others.
The Baptism of Jesus
21 One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.[g]”
Psalm 61:1-8
Psalm 61
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by stringed instruments.
1 O God, listen to my cry!
Hear my prayer!
2 From the ends of the earth,
I cry to you for help
when my heart is overwhelmed.
Lead me to the towering rock of safety,
3 for you are my safe refuge,
a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.
4 Let me live forever in your sanctuary,
safe beneath the shelter of your wings!
Interlude
5 For you have heard my vows, O God.
You have given me an inheritance reserved for those who fear your name.
6 Add many years to the life of the king!
May his years span the generations!
7 May he reign under God’s protection forever.
May your unfailing love and faithfulness watch over him.
8 Then I will sing praises to your name forever
as I fulfill my vows each day.
Proverbs 11:16-17
16 A gracious woman gains respect,
but ruthless men gain only wealth.
17 Your kindness will reward you,
but your cruelty will destroy you.
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