A Christ Follower: The Journey

Praying IN The Spirit Completing our Journey Today, we complete our series regarding "Clothing ourselves in Christ" and    "Being Strong in The Lord and in HIS mighty power as we intentionally " stand against the Devil's schemes." We conclude as Paul asks the Church to pray that he would “fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel as he should” (Ephesians 6:19–20); however, Paul is now with the Lord — but his prayer request still lives. It wasn’t just for him ; it was for every Christ Follower who who wants to be strong in the Lord, and in HIS mighty power, and who wants to be able to stand up to the Devil’s schemes, and who carries the gospel in each one's heart and into a world that desperately needs Jesus. 🌟 1. Pray Paul’s Prayer for Yourself Every Christ‑follower is called to speak the gospel with clarity, courage, and compassion. Yes we are to use our words: Through God’s empowering Grace, let us allow Paul’s request becomes our prayer: “Lo...

 Ephesians 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and keep on praying for the Church, God's holy people. Where Most People Stop It is my experience that, whenever I have heard people speak, or teach about getting clothed in Christ, by putting on the Armor of God, they usually use Ephesians 6:10-17. And as I understand it, they do so because they literally use the dress code guidance of how a Roman Soldier was dressed and prepared for battle.  While this has validity, this way of getting people prepared for being strong in the Lord and in HIS mighty power, so that folks can stand against the Devil's schemes, leaves out weaponry that is highly important. Leaving out verse 18 is a BIG MISTAKE! Why? You may ask, "Why?"   I am glad you asked. First, the Bible, in verse 18, specifically tells us to pray, and it give us specific instruction on how to pray. Secondly,  prayer is powerful, potent an...

  “Take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” — Ephesians 6:17 To have victory over the darkness, go on offense: The sword is the key offensive weapon in the armor of God. The sword pushes back the darkness. Paul is reminding Christ-Followers that God’s Word is not merely information—it is a weapon empowered by the Holy Spirit Himself. The Word as a Living Weapon Hebrews 4:12 "The Word is alive, powerful, sharper than a two edged sword that pierces to the dividing of the spirit, soul, joints an marrow. It is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of our hearts;" therefore, when Scripture is spoken, remembered, prayed, or obeyed, it cuts through the evil ones lies, confusion, and temptation. Jesus modeled this in the wilderness: every attack of the enemy was met with “It is written.”  ( Matthew 4:1-11) He didn’t argue. He didn’t negotiate. He wielded truth. He simply spoke truth. Satan had to leave Him alone, and He was victorious, and so will you be if you fol...

  As you put one the full armor of God, “Take the helmet of salvation…” — Ephesians 6:17a The Holy Spirit inspires us to continue armoring up by putting on this very important piece of the Armor of God. I am talking about "The Helmet of Salvation." Here is why it is so vitally important: A soldier could survive a wound to the arm or leg, but a blow to the head was fatal. Spiritually, the mind is the battlefield, where Satan and his minions, use the world, the flesh and himself to aim his fiercest attacks — confusion, accusation, fear, doubt, and discouragement. DON’T BELIEVE ANY OF THIS FOR THESE COME FROM “THE FATHER OF ALL LIES"… SATAN! God's Answer To The Evil One and His Lies: The helmet of salvation is God’s answer to all of it: It is not merely the moment you were saved; it is the ongoing protection that comes from being saved, and from being who you are in Christ. When you “take” the helmet, you actively choose to let God’s truth guard your thoughts: I am f...

  The Shield That Stops Satan's Fire “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” — Ephesians 6:16 IN ADDITION TO ALL THIS As we continue this series where we put on the armor of God, to clothe ourselves in Jesus Christ, in order for us to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power, and as we do this to be able to stand against the Devil’s schemes, the Apostle Paul tells us we need to add a really vital part to our spiritual armor , if we want to defeat Satan in his primary scheme: After all,  “He is a liar, and he is the father of all lies, and when he lies he speaks his native language.” {John 8:44c} Therefore, we need to add “The Shield of Faith.” Then we are empowered to stop Satan's fire. Faith is not passive. Paul doesn’t say, “Hold on to faith somewhere nearby.” He says, "take it up! Lift it! Raise it! Use it!" Yes! We choose to walk in faith! In the Roman world, a soldier’s...

  🌿 Empowered To Walk The Walk & Talk The Talk: Ephesians 6:15 — “Stand firm… with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” As we continue to examine being "clothed in Christ," It seems there’s something striking about Paul’s imagery in this verse of Holy Scripture. When he describes the armor of God, he doesn’t skip the feet. Indeed, in battle, unprotected or unstable feet meant vulnerability. A soldier who couldn’t stand, couldn’t fight. Here we learn some of God's plan to actually walk out our faith, as He gives us the stuff to be enough, and He graces us to walk the walk and talk the talk. Paul says our stability—our ability to stand firm in the LORD—comes from being grounded in the gospel of peace . Not just knowing it, but being ready with it. The gospel, provides peace with God and it equips us to win the spiritual warfare against the evil forces of wickedness located in the Heavenly dimension. The Gospel of Peace gives us tr...