Hebrews 12:1
So now the stage is set for us: all these faith-heroes cheer us on, as it were, like a great multitude of spectators in the amphitheater. This is our moment. As with an athlete who is determined to win, it would be silly to carry any baggage of the old law-system that would weigh one down. Make sure you do not get your feet clogged up with sin-consciousness. Become absolutely streamlined in faith. Run the race of your spiritual life with total persuasion. (Mirror Bible)
Are you asking the Father to teach your hands to war?
Do you ever stop to think about your life and make sense of all you have experienced? Did you realize you are in a war? However difficult it may be to grasp, it is still true. Whether or not you are asking God, He is still teaching you to war effectively. He spells it out in scripture.
- He is teaching you who you are at war with, not people.
Ephesians 6:12 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. (KJV)
- He is teaching you what the enemy uses against you, your own desires.
1 John 2:16 Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. (Message Bible MSG)
- He is teaching you when you should be ready. Not after being attacked, you should be ready always.
1 Peter 5:8 Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. (Amplified Bible Classic Edition AMPC)
- He is teaching you where the battle is. It is in your understanding of who God is and what He says.
Genesis 3:1, 4-5 Now the serpent was more crafty (subtle, skilled in deceit) than any living creature of the field which the Lord God had made. And the serpent (Satan) said to the woman, “Can it really be that God has said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You certainly will not die! 5 For God knows that on the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened [that is, you will have greater awareness], and you will be like God, knowing [the difference between] good and evil.” (Amplified Bible AMP)
- He is teaching you how
Ephesians 6:13-18 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour 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; (KJV)
The enemy’s job is to steal what God has for you; kill your faith; and destroy all your hopes to receive God’s promises for your life. Your job is to understand where the battle is, and fight with the weapons God has provided. Engage! Live a life that sets someone else free.
Please agree with me as I pray:
Father, in the name of Jesus, I come before You thanking You for making me aware of my responsibilities. I ask You to reorder my life, my thoughts and my actions so I can engage in the war for my soul and the souls of others. My desire is for You to get the glory out of my life and a dying world might be saved…
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Ask the Lord what He wants to say to you about today’s devotional and journal His response as described here.