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2
Cor. 10:4,5
For
the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the
pulling down of Strongholds
Casting
down imaginations, and every high thing that exaltheth itself against the knowledge
of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
What Kind Of Solider Are
You?
10
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11
Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles
of the devil.
12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places.
13
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.
14
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the
breastplate of righteousness;
15
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace:
16
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all
the fiery darts of the wicked.
17
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the
word of God;
18
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching
thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
The
devil is a liar. Jesus called him the Father of lies (John 8:44). He lies to you and to me everyday. He tells us things about ourselves, and
other people and about circumstances
that are just not true. He doesn't tell us the entire lie all at once. He begins by bombarding our mind with clever
devises pattern of little nagging thoughts, suspicions, doubts, fears,
wonderings, reasoning’s and theories.
Satan
knows what we like and what we don't like.
He knows our insecurities, our weaknesses and our fears. He knows what bothers us most.
2Cor.
10:4,5
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not
carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;)
5
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exaltheth itself against
the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ
Satan
attempts to set up strongholds in our mind.
A stronghold is an area in which we are held bondage (in prison) due to
a certain way of thinking. We are
engaged in warfare, spiritual warfare. The mind is the battlefield! If we can conquer that battle just think
what a Christian we can be. We can't have faith if we don't win this
battle. With out faith, everything we
do is in vain. When we win this battle
we will see our church grow, we will see miracles happen, we will see a
positive life, we will have a closer walk with God. Are you in to fight or are you going to run. What kind of soldier
are you? Let's try this, if you could
take your spiritual soldier and compare it to a physical soldier. Where would America be today if every soldier was like us? How many times have you put down your
weapons and ran? What about when your
brother or sister in Christ needed your coverage from the line of fire, were
you there or had you already laid down your weapons and walked away, and your
fellow soldier got wounded and left to die.
In the spiritual, we need to uplift and protect one another from the
fiery darts of the enemy. Don't leave
them wide open for fire and left to die spiritually. When a physical soldier is taken prisoner, he is well trained how
to survive. If the enemy took him as a
prisoner on his first day in boot camp he would not survive.
A
soldier is trained if taken how to survive no matter what the circumstance
is. He is taught not to give up. What if he would give up? Would the enemy say okay you can go now? No
the enemy doesn't give up that easy, he doesn't give up until he stops the war
or he wins or the other soldiers come and take back their soldier. Sometimes, us spiritual soldiers think, when
the enemy takes us captive that if we say we give up he will leave us alone and
release us. Wrong the only way to be
released from the enemy is thru prayer and our fellow soldiers holding us up.
Sometimes, we need soldiers to come and rescue us. But if we are taken are we well trained to withstand the
enemy? How do we get trained? Reading the Bible, Prayer, Praise, Worship,
Studying the Word, listening to our fellow soldiers
Battle
stories and how they WON the battle. Memorizing the word, that is the only way
to get it in your heart. Let's back up, if or when a fellow soldier was taken
by the enemy, did we go in to the prison and take them back or did we just
leave them to the enemy to do with as he please?
Matt.
25:35-40
35 For
I was and hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I
was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and
ye came unto me.
37
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an
hungered, and fed thee? Or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in?
Or naked, and clothed thee?
39
Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as
ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it
unto me.
Let's
look at these versus a little different instead of the physical; let's look at
them spiritual. In verse 39 it speaks
of prison I feel this could also be talking about a spiritual prison, a
spiritual hunger, a spiritual thirst, a spiritual naked, a spiritual stranger,
a spiritual sickness. Sometimes, as a soldier we are hungry, thirsty, naked,
sick, or in prison, and we may even be a stranger to another soldier. Has there
been a spiritual soldier there for you? Or have you been there to help another
soldier? Sometimes, there is a soldier hungry and we have the food they need
but instead we lay the food down and we think someone else will pick it up and
feed them and the food sits there and spoils and the soldier dies of hunger.
Have you been that soldier that laid the food down?
In
battle soldiers get wounded and another soldier comes along and picks up the soldier
and throws the soldier over his shoulder and takes the wounded soldier to
safety. That is what we have to do sometimes we have to pick up a wounded
soldier and carry them to safety.
Are you there for your brother?
In
a few cases, and even in this last war a soldier ambushed his own troops. He
looked and acted just liked the rest of the troops but he was no soldier. We
have to be careful sometimes there may seem to be a spiritual soldier but he is
really the enemy ready to turn us over to the enemy camp or to kill us. Or on
the other hand don't be the one to ambush your own troop (church or the body of
Christ) or fellow soldier. We can ambush with our tongue. Life and death is in
the power of the tongue. Do you talk about your church or a fellow Christian in
a way you shouldn't? When we talk against our church or one another, we have
ambushed and wounded a soldier or our camp (church)..
When
the fiery darts of the enemy comes we need to stand and fight. Remember what
the Lord said if all you can do is stand, stand. And when our fellow soldiers
are being bombarded with arrows we need to fight with them not against
them. If we fight one against another
we will never win the battle we just
Kill
our own men.
Some
soldiers get wounded and even lose parts of their body and they have to be
doctored and then sometimes released to go home or put back on the battle
lines. I remember the last war they
showed soldiers wounded and some were still shooting and keeping guard how
doctors were working on their leg wounds and some soldiers were laying on cots
and still shooting and some couldn't wait until they could get back out there
to help their buddies. And then you always have some that want sent home and
when they get home all they do is complain about the battle and complain that
they got wounded, complain about the ones that was over them or helped to
protect them. I want to be a soldier that when i get wounded I am still
shooting not giving up the battle. The
Lord needs soldiers that fight until the battle is WON!
REMEMBER
THE MIND IS THE BATTLEFIELD!
Please write and let me know if this information was
helpful in your studies, or if you have any questions please contact me:
Robin Farley