Our weapons. (Colossians 1 v 13)2

We saw last time how we are in a unrelenting where there will be no let up . The scripture we have been looking at is Ephesians 6 v 10ff.  2 Corinthians 10 v 4 tells us that in this battle the weapons that we have at our dispoal are not the weapons of the world but they have the divine power to demolish strongholds.  It is in Ephesians 6 v13 -18. we have them set out ,there are 6 of them,the first one is,'the belt of truth'It was Richard Nixion in an interview as regards charismatic politicians,' he said he didn't rate them,he was more concerned what they stood for'  So it is as Christians we must not to be swayed by charismatic preachers,we must always be guided by truth.There must be no ,compromise as regards truth,in this battle truth must prevail.Next we have ,'The breastplate of righteousness,this covers the front and the back , John Stott writing on this declares,'No spiritual. protection is greater than a righteous relationship with God.,' Before we trusted  Christ ,we had no righteousness of our own,Isaiah 64 v 6,reads, 'All our righteous acts are like filthy rags'.But when we trust Christ the Lord becomes our righteousness Jeremiah 23v 6 /1 Corinthians 1 v 30'.This means as JS writes ,'We can stand '.before God not condemned but accepted',the devil has no answer to that. The next weapon is,'Shoes for our feet',Stott uses the word ,'boots', such as a Roman soldier would wear,he calls them gospel boots, indicating a readiness to proclaim the gospel of peace.Let us remember there is no more beautiful thing, than to proclaim the gospel of Christ,it is that Gospel that delivers sinners from Satan's power. (We will continue this next time)

                                                                 Isaiah 52 v 7.

                                      'How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet

                                      of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace,

                                      Who brings good tidings of good things, who proclaim

                                      salvation,Who says to Zion,Your God reigns!

                                                                

None of us are civilians. ( 1 Peter 5 v 8-9 )1

We don't go far on in the Christian life before we are faced with temptations,that is why our Lord taught us to pray ,'Lead us not into temptation',but it does not stop there,for it goes on to say,'But deliver us from the evil one' (Matthew 6 v 13)  The devil does not  give up on those who were once his captives,and so he is ever seeking a way to bring them back into his fold. So we must not let down our guard,Paul when he came to the end of his days,said,'I have fought a good fight',(2 Timothy 4 v7)  He speaks of the Christian life in militrary terms, in Ephesians 6 v 11,we read,'Put on the full armour of God,so that you can take your stand against the devils schemes'. The word schemes has with it the idea of one who is lying in wait for us,and he will use every means he can to bring us down,yes the devil is a schemer. Paul goes on to tell us how we can be overcomers,even against our most powerful enemy the devil. We are not left defenceless as regards our hatfeful enemy.Paul says  that this is a spiritual  battle we are in,and it goes beyond mere flesh and blood enemies.The devil will  use all those who are under his control to destroy us. One person writes the following ,'This is no afternoon athletic contest that we will  walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps,a life and death fight to the finish against  the devil and his angels.'  To say the least its a bit scarey,but let us quit ourselves like children of God,we shall overcome by God's grace, just as Paul overcame so much.

                                            

                                             'We are in God's army ,and their

                                              must be no surrendering to our

                                              enemy the devil'

                                               

Is it worth while? ( John 6 v9)

I love to see bees in my garden, the bumble bees are lovely,I looked up some interesting things about them,how they navigate,they have five eyes,four wings and six legs,and that during their lifetime they each make 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey.It appears a poor investment,  hardly worth their effort, but let us look at the bigger picture,in a honey bee colony there are up to 50,000 bees.There's a verse in the Bible that says ,'never despise the day of small things,a young lad gave his lunch ,and  over 5000 people were fed (John 6) I often think does my giving make much difference in the work of God in helping people ?when one thinks of the immense need  in some place, surely my little can't do much good.If that was all they were getting it mybe wouldn't, but I know I am not the only one giving and that makes a big difference.So dont feel that the little you give  is of no consequence,added to what others give,it can really make a difference. And yet coming back to that young lad who gave his small lunch, who knows how God will bless whatever we give,be id ever so small ,Let us not  limit it to money,a kind word,a short word of witness,or a cup of cold water.Do what we can, be it ever so small as unto God, he will not despise the smallness of whatever  we do.

Moses the historian. ( Luke 1 v 1-4)

It is Leupold who calls  Moses the historian,oh yes he was more that, but he was a historian.An event occured in one of  China's official Protestant churches, a minister on Easter Sunday declarded  the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ to be an undeniable historical event,this was a brave statement by that man to make . If our faith is not based on true history ,then we have nothing, it's untrue, if there was no Moses then everything we believe in is not sustainable.Writing about the resurrection the apostle Paul declared ,'If Christ has not be raised , our faith is futile.....and we are of all people most to be pitied',  (1 Corinthians 15 v 17-19). As regards the resurrection, Paul states these wonderful facts, that Christ rose from the dead,and after his resurrection he appeared  to Cephas,and then to the 12,then he appeared unto 500 of the brothers and sisters at the same time,though some have died since, but most of them were still living ,He then appeared to James ,then again to the apostles.Paul finishes by saying and last of all He appeared unto him'(1 Cor 15 v3-8)These are the historical facts , we are not distorting history,in the Bible we are being told what actually happened. As David Prior writes,'We constantly need to reiterate the heart of the gospel, and that involves taking a firm grip on the historical facts'.One of my sons said that the Jewish peoples exsistence is evidence that there is a God,how otherwise could they have survived. Their whole history tells of a people who faced  extinction time after time,but it didn't happen. 

Atheists do pray sometimes. ( Luke 17 v 11- 19)

 There is a saying,''There are no atheists in foxholes'',this is an aphorism used to express that at times of extreme stress or fear one will pray to a higher power .It does not mean that they will become a Christian,it did in the case of John Newton.although he was  firmilar with Christianty ,he lived a very ungodly life. It was on a boat voyage back home to England ,the boat he was in was caught up in a severe storm, and was at the point of sinking,it was then that John called for God's mercy,Soon after the storm ceased,and he arrived safely home,it was the beginning of him becoming a Christian.The idea of writing this came from an article I read in a news paper,about a North Korean diplomot who defected to South Korea.He describes the awfulness of living in North Korea.He came to a point when he wanted to get out of N K, but it is a very dngerous thing to do,as defactors pay a  terrible price if caught.He was not a religious person ,but there was a moment just before he escaped,he prayed' One can hope that the experience will lead him to seek the truth and find Christ. A prayer in a time of temporarly trouble does not make one a Christian,and will not  make any difference,to one's eternal destiny,and the awful storm that faces everyone without Christ.

The cross ( Romans 12 v1 -2 )

 When on holiday a number of years go I  bought a braclet for my wife,it ia made of leather with a round metal  inset ,with a cross on it.My wife give to me, so I am wearing it ,I hope it will arouse somebody's curiosity,and ask me about it, and so give me an opportunity to witness. Many people wear crosses,some wear then as a fashion accessory being devorced from any religious significance. There are some Christians feel uneasy about anyone wearing a cross,I wonder why?.I have said I hope me wearing this bracelet wiill be a tool in evangelisim,let's hope and pray it will be.I also hope as I look at it,its significance will bear in on  me, Fanny Crosby wrote a lovely hymn,here is a verse from it,'Near the cross! O Lamb of God, bring its scenes before me; Help me walk from day to day,with its shadow o'er me'.the cross speaks of many things,it speaks of forgiveness,reminding us we have been forgiven, so we must forgive,it speaks of the wonderful love we have experienced from God,and so we must also love,it speaks to us of one who died for us sinners,and that we must die daily to sin, it speaks to us of humility,of one who was equal to God and became a servant,reminding us that we are called to serve. So one could go on and on reminding us ,of all that the cross stands for ,challenging us each day to live day by day in its shadow.

No chance happenings. ( Genesis 24 v1 - 27 )

I believe it is important to be reminded of the providence of God,that He is sovereign as John Flvael writes,'That everything in the world and in our own lives down to the minutest details is ordered by the providence of God.As Psalm 57 v2 declares,'God that performeth all things for me'.not only that He works all things for our  good.Read the book of Esther how God intervened to preserve his ancient people.,it didn't happen by accident.How David was preserved time after time from King Saul  his persecutor..When Abraham sent his servant to get a wife for his son,he guided him to the very place and the  person who would become Abraham's sons wife 24 Genesis 24 v27,here is what he said,'The Lord led me on  the journey to the house of my fathers relatives'.That servant had strong faith in the providence of God,a certainty that the greater as well as the smaller happenings of life are very defintely controlled by the Lord's hand'. (Leupold) 'Our  times are in God's hands', we could not be in better hands,he makes no mistakes,Yes God  is sovereign He rules and overrules in all the affairs of life,there are no chance happenings,none.John Ryland wrote the following..

                                                    'His decree that formed the earth

                                                     Fixed my first and second birth;

                                                     Parents, native place,and time,

                                                     All appointed were by Him.

                                                     He that formed in the womb,

                                                     He shall guide me to the tomb;

                                                     All my times shall ever be

                                                     Ordered by His wise decree.

                                                     Plasgues and deaths around me fly;

                                                     Ti'll He bids, I cannot die;

                                                     Not ab single shaft can hit,

                                                     Till the God of Love sees fit'