God's Armor - A Leader's Lifestyle

The Armor of God 

 ¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. ¹⁹Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.   Ephesians 6:10-20 NLT


Every Tuesday morning about a 100 people meet to pray at a church in our region.  For the last month, Ephesians chapter six has been on my heart.  I have been praying it for leaders in our region. What God was impressing upon my heart is how this chapter of Ephesians was not written to be a quick prayer we pray as we go about our business each day but that truly it is a lifestyle God wants us to learn to live. As I have been praying this passage for a month now, there are five significant things that I believe God wants to remind us of as leaders:


1.  There is a spiritual battle going on and we must prepare ourselves and become offensive in our dealings with it.


As I have been praying this Scripture for leaders in our region, God is reminding me of how often we forget that we are a part of a spiritual battle between good and evil; darkness and light.  This is the first part of walking in the power and authority that Christ has given us. As leaders, and as Christians, we can't be in denial that a spiritual battle exists.  We must prepare ourselves to stand firm now and for the days ahead.


2.  Our battle is not with people, so we must learn to forgive others quickly.


The second thing that came to me in praying through this passage is the reminder that our battle is not with flesh and blood.  How often, when something comes up and our hearts become offended, we often look to the person who has done something against us. We allow our hearts to get hardened and we forget that our  battle is truly with the unseen powers of darkness. The most important thing we can learn to do, is to become leaders who repent quickly and forgive quickly. This way we allow no room for the enemy to work with us or with those we lead.


3.  It is God's desire that we learn the disciplines of our faith, the Word of God, and the armor of God so we can stand firm in times of adversity and persecution.


This third point was a significant reminder for me as well.  It really hit my heart deep, when I was praying this passage on God's Armor, that this is not a quick prayer we pray each day.  Rather, it is a lifestyle in God that we live. As Christian leaders, we must rise up in this season, learn how to walk above the circumstances that assail us and represent Christ well to the people around us.


4.  We must learn how to use our shield of faith and our sword of the Spirit.

The fourth thing the Lord revealed to me in this passage is just how much God wants to equip His leaders and children to use their shields of faith and their swords of the Spirit. Of all the verses in the above passage, these were the one that hit my heart the hardest.  As I read these verses, a new passion arose from my Spirit.  A resounding - "yes Lord, let's equip your leaders with the spiritual weapons and skill sets they need to lead well and advance your Kingdom in the earth".  We need to teach leaders and people how to use their shield of faith and their swords (God's Word)!

How often do you have thoughts that discourage you?  Thoughts about who you are and thoughts about what you can't do for God's Kingdom?  Have you ever recognized them as fiery arrows of discouragement?  I really believe that a lot of Christians do not understand that not all the thoughts they have are God's thoughts nor do they align with God's Word.  How powerful will God's army be when Christians realize that they can use the shield of faith to throw off those fiery darts that come to lie about their identity and calling.  How powerful will a leader be who is trained in the ministry of God's Word and using it to fight and win his or her own spiritual battles.

5.  The exhortation and reminder for ALL people to pray.

This final point is a profound one as well.  So often, in many churches, people have a mindset that it is the job of the intercessors or the church prayer team to pray.  When in truth, it is the responsibility of all Christians to pray in the power of the Holy Spirit on all occassions and to be praying for Christians everywhere.

I often wonder what it would look like to see God's people praying together in unity.  I think we might see the book of Acts just happen again!  I believe Paul's word to us in Ephesians 6 was to be a strong exhortation that we must NOT give up the discipline of prayer, and to make it a lifestyle we live from.  

Lord,

My prayer is that we would understand the depths of what the Apostle Paul was trying to tell us in Ephesians chapter six.  Lord, that we would understand that we are truly in the midst of a battle.  Lord, we ask that you would prepare us for the times we live in and for the days ahead.  Lord, that you would teach us as leaders how to take up our armor, how to take up our weapons - the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, and teach us how to lead well in these times.  God, we ask that you would strengthen and undergird your leaders.  Lord, where they are weak, tired, and under oppression, God would you come and give them fresh vision and a fresh heart to lead and do what you've called them to do!  Jesus we need you.  You are the very breath we breathe.  We ask you Lord Jesus, to come and teach us how to live Ephesians 6 as a lifestyle.  Let us learn deeply these points and let us be equipped, prepared, and trained to lead others well. To lead with integrity and with spiritual authority.  Jesus, we love you and we want the world to know you.  In Jesus name, Amen.

A Different Perspective

AN ENCOURAGEMENT FROM JOSHUA

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 8:1

Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the LORD will do to all the enemies you are going to fight." Joshua 10:25  

Effective leader's see things through God's perspective.

Joshua is one of my favorite books of the Bible and one of the books the Lord leads me to in times of discouragement. In the book of Joshua, there were only two people (Caleb and Joshua) who chose to look at their circumstances differently than the crowd. As the majority of the people were looking at their circumstances, Joshua and Caleb chose to look at their God and who He was in the midst of their circumstances.

When life throws you a curve ball, and the enemy comes on like a flood wanting to tempt you to not believe God, or to discourage you - refuse to gratify the devil by allowing him to keep you insecure, fearful, discouraged, hopeless or unbelieving.

Discipline your soul, to take the Word of God, your offensive weapon against temptation - and use it! (Hebrews 4:12, Ephesians 6).

Begin declaring who your God is in the midst of your circumstances. This is one aspect of prayer. Declaring and praying God's Word. Jesus did the same thing in the desert when being tempted by Satan. God will begin to displace your enemies just as He did for Israel (Joshua 1-3). He will begin to give you a new perspective on what is going on around you.

Strong and effective leaders in the Kingdom have learned how to throw off the distractions and the temptations of the enemy, and focus on God through prayer and the ministry of the Word.


Today...no matter what is coming at you - doubt, unbelief, fear, terror - discipline your heart to declare out loud who God is! Decide today you want to be like Joshua and Caleb and not like the masses of people who believe in God but do not believe God.


PERSONAL TESTIMONY

I don't write this note flippantly, like I have never experienced the need to discipline my heart. Quite the contrary. I have had eight years of intense training with God.

Even recently, I had an MRI that showed swelling in my brain. For a few weeks, I battled with intense waves of fear and terror as the doctors threw around many words and possible issues going on. In the midst of all of this, I had to speak to my soul (just as David did in the Psalms) and declare who God was no matter what my circumstances were telling me or the doctors. I had to activate my faith in times of discouragement and fear.

I had to learn to contend for my physical healing and I had to learn in a new way how to use the Word of God truly as my offensive weapon against the temptation that was coming at me pretty strong. How to pray the Word of God on a whole new level.

I write this note to encourage you - God will join you to throw off the discouragements, the fears, and the concerns. Open your Bible and begin using your sword.

Begin declaring who God is! Soon, you will be like Caleb and Joshua - seeing who God is and who you are in the midst of your circumstances.

A different perspective - God's perspective.

You will either see your circumstances as giants or as grasshoppers.
And this all depends on what your view of God is in the midst of what you are facing.

Allow God to take you to a new level of faith and trust in who He is and what He can do.


P.S. The picture below is one that a dear friend drew of me. This picture became my prayer. That I would learn to live my life from where I see things, life, circumstances from God's perspective just as Joshua and Caleb did.