Rebecca Spir. War. Ch. 10,11&12 Assign. for Nov./Week5
Spiritual Warfare assignment Ch. 10,11&12 Nov.Week5 Name: Rebecca Michael GBIS Instructor:Dr. Ezekiel Edumoh Date:Oct. 30/06 Chapter 10 Mobilization: Offensive and Defensive Warfare Objectives: Define Defensive Warfare Define Offensive Warfare Identify Common Factors to both Summarize the Role of the Holy Spirit in both Use natural example of Wrestling to explain both Introduction There are two types of Spiritual Warfare as in the natural: Defensive and Offensive warfare as summarized below. Defensive Warfare Defensive territory is a reactive response to defend territory that is being attacked by an enemy force. The battle is initiated and waged by the enemy and the defense position is to wait until stricken before there is a counterattack. The enemy has the advantage of making the first decisions and move and by taking control. The defense is at a disadvantage by the fact that the enemy has the control of the decision-making. Offensive Warfare The strategy here is to aggressively gains territory rather than defend it. It is a strategy that takes the initiative and the control in the decision-making rather than to wait upon the decisions of the enemy. This is the only time of Spiritual Warfare that will reach the lost for Christ in evangelistic worldwide efforts- essentially this is aggressive warfare on the devil and those in his power.Evangelists , Ministers, all believers of God must advance in to enemy territory in a world they no longer belong to- to seek and save the lost under satan's dominion. The devil does all he can to keep- and even take our territory given to us by Christ Jesus- if we let him. He is an opportunist and a predator. Common Factors Both defensive and offensive war strategies have the following points in common: * both types involve personal action by the believer * we are to employ both strategies which are in the Word * the Lord fights with and for us but we are responsible to take up the fight * we do battle with either strategy and overcome in Jesus Name- our Authority * the Holy Spirit gives us gifts and power to help enable us and He intercedes for us We must all do the following from the example of II Kings 13: 14-19: 1) Demonstrate our intention to fight by declaring war on satan and sin 2) Put our hands on our weapon, with God's Hand over ours 3) Open the Windows to face and expose the enemy 4) shoot: use the weapon 5) Know the Objective is total victory-not partial- so do not stop until all are done in 6) Win the battle with God first in the Secret Chamber of prayer and communion with Him Devices and nature of satan et al Know the enemy by the Word of god which is also our Spiritual Warfare Manual. we must first know his nature, attributes, wiles, heirarchies, strategies etc. so that we are on to him as he is crafty and hides- disguises himself, veils his intentions etc.. No war has ever been decively won without this preparation and wisdom first. Ministry of the Holy Spirit He intercedes for and empowers us to claim enemy territory and to do battle wisely. He knows satan's strategies and gives us warfare revelations gifts such as Word of Wisdom/ Knowledge or discernment etc. as needed to win. Wrestling: A Natural Parellel of Spiritual Truth in Warfare The word wrestle means to ”struggle for power over an opponent”. It is an apt analogy then to use in terms of our spiritual warfare as Christians with the devil et al. Here are some of what they both have in common related to warfare objectives for winning. 1) Preparation and Training: This is where it all starts. Wrestling requires intensive and strict training and preparation to win increasingly skilled opponents in the ring. Otherwise pain and defeat is a certainty.Wrestlers spend diligent and consistent time learning the skills that go with this type of fighting and so it is with spiritual warfare. we must spend alot of time in study and training with God and skilled others in His Kingdom in order to advance as champion fighters- something the devil et al take note of and flee! This is done by studying God's word, praying, worship/ communion with God, obeying His guidance from within, going to Church to join with other believers etc. the purpose of this training in the Kingdom of God ways and fight is to maximize peak fitness/ efficiency and minimize tiredness and fatiguability so we can “ stay in the ring” and wear the devil out. 2) Nature of the struggle Like wrestling, spiritual warfare is an individual sport- rather than a team one- where our enemy is up close and personal trying to pin us down or knock us out of the ring altogether. So we have to be always vigilant and never let down our guard as he is wily.We are responsible for learning the skills and fighting our own demons- in the power of his might- but- we must fight...and stand. 3) Strategies We are to aggressively wrestle for the enemy's territory- lost souls- and not stall or avoid confrontation with the enemy. 4) Upset balance In wrestling both opponents go for the element of surprize through trick moves etc. all in an effort to knock the enemy off balance so they can be taken out. It is the same with believers- we must try to keep ourselves and our lives in a steady and balanced state. Once balance is upset then this person is now in a state of having to regain it and is more vulnerable to further attacks that will come. Distraction is another tactic the enemy uses to knock us off balance-the Lord tells us to be focussed on our aims with singleness of mind and heart. 5) Anticipation This is the ability to predict the enemies next move/s and so come up with a counterblock or attack to throw him off balance and defeat him. 6) Attack and Counterattack This is the idea that all of the enemy moves and attacks can set you up with winning moves of your own. 7) Mobility Mobility in the enemy in wrestling is seen as a danger and so the aim is to pin him down and take him out. Satan is mobile running to and fro over the earth and our aim is to bind him and his activities so we can take him out- and bring in the Kingdom of God. Similarly- satan sees our mobility as a threat and tries to hinder and thwart it as much as he can so he can take us out and carry on with his evil plans of annihilation to all on this earth to spite God. 8) Baiting Here the enemy uses ploys through temptations and such situations to try and weaken us and our self-control within so that he can then attack us while we are in this fragile state. 9) Recovery When we stumble or fall because of the enemy- like wrestling- we need to learn how to get back up quickly and how to use our pinned position to our advantage and as leverage to help us get back up to win this fight.The example of Joseph being sold in to slavery by his own brothers and how his obedience to God eventually turned all this around to become a King.The Bible speaks of escapes and reversals in order to do so in prevailing over such situations rather than being overtaken or defeated by them. we are to aggressively take the enemy from behind by force- drag, pull, pin or cast him down. 10) the Objective The aim of both natural and spiritual wrestling is to destroy the foes winning points and lay him TKO'ed and prostrate. This is done via strategic moves designed to wear the opponent out or felling and pinning him. So the devil seeks to weaken and tire us to take us out and we must stay fit in all ways to keep up our fighting form and skills. 11) Scoring Scoring is done by Judges in wrestling. Satan lost all his winning points and he was defeated by our Saviour King Jesus at Calvary who bought us with His own blood from this evil dominion- and gave us His own Kingdom of God.since Jesus has already purchased the victory for us we need only resist the enemy steadfastly and by faith in God. 12) Mental Attitude This is extremely important as the devils chief strategy is to battle for the mind. A study on wrestling mentioned in this course which also correlate positively with our warfare with satan is that there were found to be 4 attitudes necessary for Champion Wrestlers as follows: 1) a burning, all-consuming, passionate desire to win much stronger than wishing or wanting 2) Persistence, sustained effort, will not accept defeat and 3) Purpose- a will to win this goal and to struggle to master this situation. Spiritual Warfare Assignment Chapter 11 for Nov./06 Week 1 Name: Rebecca Michael GBIS Instructor Name: Dr. Ezekiel Edumoh Date:Oct.31/06 Chapter 11 Defensive Weapons Objectives: Describe Spiritual Defensive Weapons List Armour of God Identify each Piece of Armour Explain the function of each Piece of armour Introduction In addition to God's Six-Point Battle Plan ( mentioned previously in Chapter 9 ) we also have an arsenal of spiritual weapons. Defensive Strategies As listed in the text there are several defensive strategies that the Christian must learn to apply and appropriate to all life situations as follows: 1) Submit and Resist: We are to submit and accept unconditionally- by faith, hope and trust- to the Will of God in our lives and we are to resist the devil and all his ways in all of our thought life and actions. we must do this in this order- submit to god no matter what it looks like and resist the opportunistic enemy and all his ways...giving NO place to the devil et al. We do not do this independently but in an attitude of humble thanksgiving, absolute trusting dependence and praise to God in All things. This often takes great courage, determination and faith in God because we may be doing so in great adversity- but God is Good and He is far greater and He already has prevailed in His Triumphant Glory. It is we who have not yet caught up but it will unfold because Jesus has already won the Victory and overcome the world, sin, satan and death for us at Calvary and given to His own the resurrection Life which will swallow up the rest in total victory in due time as Our God promises us in many place throughout His word to us. He would not have said it otherwise. 2) Resist Steadfastly in Faith: This means to resist the devil by believing God and God's Word and Promises to us for Victory and Authority of the enemy. He and his evil works is history since Calvary!PTL! 3) Neither give place to the devil et al: Be wary to live out God's Word from our inner man to our outer actions. the devil has been defeated but he is an opportunist and a predator looking for easy prey. Keep the gates of your soul closed and deadbolted to him! 4) Recover yourself out of the devil's snares asap if you stumble. This is where careful self-examination of our inner life and actions come in. Keep the devil and his defeatist thoughts out!Stay in the blessings, thanksgiving and praiseworthiness of God! (Read Phillipians) 5) Abstain from fleshly lusts which war against your soul. Abstain from all appearances of evil. 6) Shun evil. Turn away and avoid all evil ie: profane and vain babblings, ungodliness in talk or action, all that the Holy Spirit of God would find offensive and leave- avoid such. There is only one exception that I can think for this and that may be if you need to suffer such to go in after a lamb or lost sheep ensnared by such. But, be very careful for your own self in doing so- ensure you have a lifeline of other saints who can pull you out if need be- and be even more sure that this is God sending you in to enemy territory! 7) Stand! Throughout the Word of god regarding spiritual warfare is this one little word- usually accompanied with the word resist- which is Stand! Stand! Stand! This means to stand on the Word of God and his Promises to us in resistance to the lying enemy who will try to come in with the weeds/ tares of doubt in our thoughts- doubting God...this is the devil's whole game plan- deception and doubts of God/ Word. We are hIs warriors and are to resist the devil and Stand for God- no matter how bad it gets or what it looks like- the devil is an opportunistic liar and we must be vigilant to not entertain his defeatist thoughts or lies- and we must help each other stay sober, vigilant and alert to Stand for God by believing and obeying only Him as our Lord!This does take courage, self-discipline and loving support from the saints to keep hopeful in the Lord and keep pressing on for the Victory is already ours in Jesus Name because He said so! 8) Beware of Sin/ Error/ Lies: The devil et al is right there for the spoils when we are down or wounded so we need to protect and build each other up as Ministers of God...and Stand on God' Word if we have no help for a time. God will provide. 9) Try the Spirits: We know the devils wily, lying ways and traps from God's Word - also our War Manual so we have a standard of truth by which to discern the spirits whether they be false or true. False teachers will use a truth and twist it their way. God will always be true to His own Word- and his whole Word is His Whole Counsel as one- called 'sola scriptura' in theological terms. We test the spirits by His Word in the Whole Counsel of God- which is not arbitrary or relativistic as false or misguided spirits would have us believe. 10) Shun false teachers: False teachers are those that bend the truth in God's Word to their advantage usually for self-gain or to avoid loss. They may do so by taking such a truth from scripture out of context and twisting it- this is a satanic ploy from way back in the Garden- or from the Wilderness temptations/ ploys that Jesus endured. The thing to remember- is that satan et al have evil motives for selfish gain and at your expense. Listen and obey- Stand!- only God's voice in the Wholeness of his Counsel- even if it means repentance and going the other way!We must only listen to the voice of the One True Shepherd- and He does not just tickle our ears but tells us the soul-saving truth of God- His Word. 11) Lay Aside Heavy Burdens not of God: This does not just mean sin, worldliness and busyness with distractions from God and His Kingdom. It also means set aside all burdens and heaviness that weigh us down and are not of God. We are to cast our cares upon Him- for He has said truly that His yoke is easy and that His burdens are light. Now if this is not so- then we need to unburden ourselves of all the extra cargo, freight and baggage that satan has laid upon us in our ignorance- if we let him. Plainly, in God's Word- we may take on much but if it is of God we will experience it as blessing and a heart's desire anyway- and will not feel laden- even under a heavy workload it is light if of God. We must be wary of the devils attempts to tell us differently by staying in the blessings and praiseworthiness of God. ( Read Phillipians ) 12) Put off all evil: This is from the inward thoughts to the outward actions and is clear in the Word of God. If a thought or feeling is not of God then it is evil and harmful- and sin-eventually it will cause defeat and death once it is fully grown. we need to be vigilant about being transformed by the renewal of our minds in God's Word and Promises. we are not to entertain the devil whatsoever- no matter how sympathetic he may sound to us- he is the enemy of our souls and of our Good and Glorious Saviour-King who also warns us to listen and obey Only His Voice and Words. The rest are from sin, the world and satan-and we are told by the Lord that we are then to quite literally Cast him Down in Warfare- from within and without- absolutely pulverize satan et al! 13) Put on the whole armour of God: ( Ephesians 6:10-17 ) We must put on the Whole arour of God in order to stand and keep standing. If we stumble- we should check our Armour and ensure that it is all on- as we must daily- put it on. This means that it can and will fall off- and expose us to demonic attack. We need only to put it back on...and the Mind of Christ as well. Following is a brief summary of these armour pieces: A) The belt of Truth: This truth is the Whole Counsel of God's Word and the indwelling Holy Spirit of Truth that guides and leads us as His own in to all truth. This is crucial to us for our direction and staying on the narrow, strait path of God. Also- it is the piece that holds all the other armour pieces together as like a girdle. This is the place satan attacks with his guile and lies- the truth. If satan et al can get us to stray from God's Word/ Spirit then he has got us wandering lost and blind in darkness- vulnerable and easy prey for this devouring predator/s. We are to stay on this narrow, strait path and listen ONLY to the True Shepherd's voice- Jesus Christ is the Living Word and so the whole Counsel of god is the true voice- although it may be also hard- it will be true and lead to victory and His Life. B) The breastplate of Righteousness: There are 2 levels of Righteousness at work in the believer. Jesus has given us His Righteousness in this piece of Armour at our spiritual birth in to His Kingdom- called Justification. The second level of Righteousness at work in all true believers is that of Sanctification by the Power of the indwelling Holy Spirit- leading, teaching, convicting, reproofing, correcting, exhorting, rebuking us 24/7 in to all Truth in the whole Counsel of God and His Word. This is where the believer advances in glory, victory, maturity, Christlikeness, and perfection in the Lord. However it is dependent by his/ her own meritorious efforts and works in co-operation/ obedience to the Spirit of God at work 24/7 within. This is what Paul spoke of when he spoke of the rewards- or loss of- to come by god when He judges the works of His servants- us. Some will receive greater honour, rewards and blessings than others as God's Kingdom is a heirarchal one with the greatest being those who have been the most faithful and obedient to Him on earth. This is very much within our choices and control and we will be rewarded - or not- accordingly. C) The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace: We use shoes to walk in and we walk by the light of God's Word if believers on the strait and narrow path as His ministers of the Gospel. We are to advance in to enemy territory worldwide with this message of the gospel as His soldiers of evangelism in a bid for the lost souls of this world many whom are presently unwitting devil fodder for all satan et al cares. We have the message and the love and power of God to save these souls if God chooses to grant them repentance and life in Christ- we do not know who this is and so are to sow the gospel seeds and charitable works liberally and generously for those that will hear, see and thus receive this Life in Christ. D) The Shield of Faith:This is the defensive type of faith and it means that we protect ourselves and our entire body by receiving messages only from Christ, His Holy Spirit and god's Whole Counsel in His Word. We are Not to receive the enemy's thoughts, messages and fiery darts of fear, hate, lust, rejection, false guilt/shame, etc. If we have been wounded by allowing such in our former ignorance of truth in God's Word- we must now repent and cast it out as a philthy lie- and not of God- but of our enemy who comes only to kill, steal and destroy us and our good works for God and His Kingdom here on earth. We must then replace this with God's Word and Promises to us from the Bible so that these new truths/ seeds will grow up to mature in to God's Kingdom being established here on earth visibly for all to see through us. We must be patient in this for all seeds take time and nurture to grow and show their results in the fruits/actions of the Kingdom. Let's just be sure that we are planted with the right seeds- so that we will eventually reap the right harvest at maturity- wheat and not tares!This requires a constant, daily application of God's Word within and to all our life's issues. Faith in the unseen- not facts nor feelings in the present- is the essential ingredient here and increases by hearing and hearkening only to the Word of God. This then will become to new facts and feelings as God rewards our faith with an increase which is our confirmation- to more faith for us to invest and sow...The enemy knows this and works exactly the same way as the imitator he is. So watch the thought seeds...which Kingdom- we serve only God's Kingdom and so His Words/ seeds and He has already won the Victory for us through Christ at calvary- so this is what He has given us- Overcoming Victory- any other beliefs etc. is lies and must be renouned and replanted God's Words/ gospel seeds. We do not have to do this alone- God provides and will help us if we seek Him and His Kingdom of Love and Righteousness! He Loves us! ( see Psalms 91:4 and 18:35 for blessing to you!I know I was blessed by this message! PTL! I will post this message for UCFM Winddancer facing brain surgery very soon...The Lord led me to do this. ) E) The Helmet of Salvation: Satan t al fights for the mind. He wants to sow as much discord and discouragement etc. in to us as he can. He is not allowed to force us to destroy our own souls- so he just deceives us and gets us to plant his destructive words/ messages/ evil seeds / lies in our thoughts and defeat ourselves- albeit unwittingly if we do not know better!We are still accountable for the harvest of weeds since we do have free will AND we have the Word of God as our Counsel and instruction on this very topic. We also have the indwelling holy Spirit and Jesus tells us that HIS Sheep will not listen to any other voice but His. And what is his voice but the Living Word of God- the bible. So- we must know the Word or we will be growing up a mixed harvest- and one cancels out the other- the devil knows this. If he can get us sowing and growing his weed seeds and thoughts from his voice-the voice of doubt and discouragement itself- then he knows that this will harvest a crop of weeds or tares- which will then do what weeds do- choke out all the surrounding crops of God- the edifying, nutritious wheat crops- by invasively leaching the good soil of the heart.Now i know this all must be a message for someone/s from god because I did not figure it out and it is being channelled in and through me- a messenger only- from god Himself...so best to pay attention if this quickens to your heart at all. Listen only to God- and cast out the rest- and wait patiently for His harvest to mature to see the results...and then reinvest the new increase of faith...The mind and our choices are pivotal- both god and the devil knows it- the devil seeks only to eventually destroy our witness, Ministries and credibility- and he is a liar anyway so do not listen or entertain his doubts etc.No one says it will be easy but will take courage, discipline, effort, faith, hope, love and patience...this is the voice of the true Shepherd. The Helmet of hope is the hope we have as believers in salvation from our past, present and future sins/ death and the eternity of love, life and righteousness awaiting us soon enough in His Kingdom. F) The Sword of the Spirit: this is the offensive and defensive weapon of the soul-saving truth in Word of God- in the Whole Counsel of God- the Bible.We defend ourselves and save others by rightly dividing this Word of truth by the power of the Holy Spirit helping us to appropriate this in to all areas of our lives and to Counsel this by His leading for others in the same way. 14) Prayer Prayer takes many forms as noted in an earlier Chapter and can be used accordingly. Basically, it is Communion with god and is essential as a spiritual weapon to receive guidance from the Lord 24/7 for our and others lives. This is our communication channel to God. 15) The Downward Spiral I thought the text was so interesting with this concept on how we fall by neglecting to keep our spiritual armour in place daily so I thought it deserves mention- with some of my own ideas added. According to the course text our downward spiral and fall occurs in the following downward progression starting from the departure from the belt of Truth....to the final fall from truth/ grace in to apostasy (from seeds to crop maturity) with the Sword of truth. truth belt/girdle start of fall/departure from God's Word (enter lies/weeds) + breastplate righteousness next step down/ departure from right ideas/ actions + ( Christ's not self ) ( enter sin ) shoes of Gospel of Peace next step down/ wrong walk/ leave narrow, hard path + ( enter broad wide way, now lost/dark and confused ) Shield of Faith next step down ( enter unbelief/ hardness of heart ) + & seared consciense Helmet of Salvation next step down ( enter grown harvest of weeds& + spiritual bondage/ addictions etc.) Sword of Spirit final step of fall/ apostasy ( heretical, false teachings ) Spiritual Warfare Assignment Chapter 12 for Nov./06 Week 1 Name: Rebecca Michael GBIS Instructor: Dr. Ezekiel Edumoh Date: Nov.1/06 Chapter 12 Spiritual Weapons Objectives: Identify spiritual weapons Introduction We are to intelligently advance and gain souls for God's Kingdom through planned strategies of warfare through knowledgable use of spiritual weapons. Offensive strategies There are several offensive strategies offered in this very short chapter as summarized below: 1) Prayer: Prayer is a powerful weapon used for intercessory warfare for our Leaders, Nations and others- for pulling down strongholds. Praise and Worship are also powerful forms of warfare as they bring the powerful Presense of God and all evil flees as God sends “ambushments in the spirit”!some believers are gifted for this form of warfare but all believers are called to do this in order to be effective for it is our very lines of communication with Our Commander-in Chief God who then fights and wins the battle for and with us. 2) Sword of the Spirit: This is the offensive weapon of Word of God and the right division and appropriation of this truth in our lives is done by the guidance of the indwelling Holy Spirit of Truth's also leading us. There are 2 kinds of Words to us: the logos ( whole Counsel of God's Word ) and the rhema ( the Spirit of truth appropriates the logos to our special circumstances ). We need to know the logos in order for apply the rhema word to our present day battles as the Word of God commands that we study and know it- otherwise we perish in battle with satan et al who have the advantage of knowing and using this. ) 3) Put on the Mind of Christ: This is something we must do by studying and obeying the Word of God and thus being transformed in to Christlikeness by the renewal of our minds. this changes our character and conduct and destroys the works of satan and sets the captives free ( the lost who come to Christ because they see Him shine through us and our lives by example ). 4) Pulling and Casting Down enemy strongholds: We attack satan at the level of beliefs by pulling down strongholds ,uprooting lies and smashing idols- challenging false beliefs and lies, replacing them with God's Words and Jesus Christ as Saviour-King and Lord of All. This is purposive and takes effort and an attack on the enemies camps by the Word and illuminating, empowering Spirit of God.We are winning souls back from the darkness for the kingdom of light/God. 5) Binding/ Loosing: We have been given the delegated power and authority by Jesus Christ to bind evil and loose good on the earth. Binding and loosing must be done together as it works together. ie: We must first bind the spirit of lying to then loose the spirit of truth. 6) The Blood of Jesus Christ: Jesus has freed us from the power of sin and death on the cross and given us access and eternal life in God instead. “ they overcame satan by the blood of the Lamb.” ( Rev.12:11 ) 7) Your testimony: Testifying as legal witnesses now gives evidense to satan's lost unbelievers of the power of God working in our transformational lives- as nothing else explains it...especially if one prevails through severe adversities and hardships!It must be based on the Word of god- but is a powerful death blow to satan's unbeliefism and works at work in the world. 8) The Name of Jesus Christ: Jesus has many Names in the Bible all which attest to His various functions and roles. His Name is the Name above every Name in Heaven and on earth. His Name is powerful because it bears His authority- it casts out demons, heals the sick, raises the dead etc. according to the Will of God as expressed in His Word.In order to use His Name in any way for power- we must have His Divine permission and all his true disciples and ministers most certainly do! If one uses His Name outside of this permission he may be torn apart by mocking demons as was the case of one false disciple who tried to make a name for himself by casting out demons in a lustful quest for power and ego.
Spiritual Warfare assignment Ch. 10,11&12 Nov.Week5 Name: Rebecca Michael GBIS Instructor:Dr. Ezekiel Edumoh Date:Oct. 30/06 Chapter 10 Mobilization: Offensive and Defensive Warfare Objectives: Define Defensive Warfare Define Offensive Warfare Identify Common Factors to both Summarize the Role of the Holy Spirit in both Use natural example of Wrestling to explain both Introduction There are two types of Spiritual Warfare as in the natural: Defensive and Offensive warfare as summarized below. Defensive Warfare Defensive territory is a reactive response to defend territory that is being attacked by an enemy force. The battle is initiated and waged by the enemy and the defense position is to wait until stricken before there is a counterattack. The enemy has the advantage of making the first decisions and move and by taking control. The defense is at a disadvantage by the fact that the enemy has the control of the decision-making. Offensive Warfare The strategy here is to aggressively gains territory rather than defend it. It is a strategy that takes the initiative and the control in the decision-making rather than to wait upon the decisions of the enemy. This is the only time of Spiritual Warfare that will reach the lost for Christ in evangelistic worldwide efforts- essentially this is aggressive warfare on the devil and those in his power.Evangelists , Ministers, all believers of God must advance in to enemy territory in a world they no longer belong to- to seek and save the lost under satan's dominion. The devil does all he can to keep- and even take our territory given to us by Christ Jesus- if we let him. He is an opportunist and a predator. Common Factors Both defensive and offensive war strategies have the following points in common: * both types involve personal action by the believer * we are to employ both strategies which are in the Word * the Lord fights with and for us but we are responsible to take up the fight * we do battle with either strategy and overcome in Jesus Name- our Authority * the Holy Spirit gives us gifts and power to help enable us and He intercedes for us We must all do the following from the example of II Kings 13: 14-19: 1) Demonstrate our intention to fight by declaring war on satan and sin 2) Put our hands on our weapon, with God's Hand over ours 3) Open the Windows to face and expose the enemy 4) shoot: use the weapon 5) Know the Objective is total victory-not partial- so do not stop until all are done in 6) Win the battle with God first in the Secret Chamber of prayer and communion with Him Devices and nature of satan et al Know the enemy by the Word of god which is also our Spiritual Warfare Manual. we must first know his nature, attributes, wiles, heirarchies, strategies etc. so that we are on to him as he is crafty and hides- disguises himself, veils his intentions etc.. No war has ever been decively won without this preparation and wisdom first. Ministry of the Holy Spirit He intercedes for and empowers us to claim enemy territory and to do battle wisely. He knows satan's strategies and gives us warfare revelations gifts such as Word of Wisdom/ Knowledge or discernment etc. as needed to win. Wrestling: A Natural Parellel of Spiritual Truth in Warfare The word wrestle means to ”struggle for power over an opponent”. It is an apt analogy then to use in terms of our spiritual warfare as Christians with the devil et al. Here are some of what they both have in common related to warfare objectives for winning. 1) Preparation and Training: This is where it all starts. Wrestling requires intensive and strict training and preparation to win increasingly skilled opponents in the ring. Otherwise pain and defeat is a certainty.Wrestlers spend diligent and consistent time learning the skills that go with this type of fighting and so it is with spiritual warfare. we must spend alot of time in study and training with God and skilled others in His Kingdom in order to advance as champion fighters- something the devil et al take note of and flee! This is done by studying God's word, praying, worship/ communion with God, obeying His guidance from within, going to Church to join with other believers etc. the purpose of this training in the Kingdom of God ways and fight is to maximize peak fitness/ efficiency and minimize tiredness and fatiguability so we can “ stay in the ring” and wear the devil out. 2) Nature of the struggle Like wrestling, spiritual warfare is an individual sport- rather than a team one- where our enemy is up close and personal trying to pin us down or knock us out of the ring altogether. So we have to be always vigilant and never let down our guard as he is wily.We are responsible for learning the skills and fighting our own demons- in the power of his might- but- we must fight...and stand. 3) Strategies We are to aggressively wrestle for the enemy's territory- lost souls- and not stall or avoid confrontation with the enemy. 4) Upset balance In wrestling both opponents go for the element of surprize through trick moves etc. all in an effort to knock the enemy off balance so they can be taken out. It is the same with believers- we must try to keep ourselves and our lives in a steady and balanced state. Once balance is upset then this person is now in a state of having to regain it and is more vulnerable to further attacks that will come. Distraction is another tactic the enemy uses to knock us off balance-the Lord tells us to be focussed on our aims with singleness of mind and heart. 5) Anticipation This is the ability to predict the enemies next move/s and so come up with a counterblock or attack to throw him off balance and defeat him. 6) Attack and Counterattack This is the idea that all of the enemy moves and attacks can set you up with winning moves of your own. 7) Mobility Mobility in the enemy in wrestling is seen as a danger and so the aim is to pin him down and take him out. Satan is mobile running to and fro over the earth and our aim is to bind him and his activities so we can take him out- and bring in the Kingdom of God. Similarly- satan sees our mobility as a threat and tries to hinder and thwart it as much as he can so he can take us out and carry on with his evil plans of annihilation to all on this earth to spite God. 8) Baiting Here the enemy uses ploys through temptations and such situations to try and weaken us and our self-control within so that he can then attack us while we are in this fragile state. 9) Recovery When we stumble or fall because of the enemy- like wrestling- we need to learn how to get back up quickly and how to use our pinned position to our advantage and as leverage to help us get back up to win this fight.The example of Joseph being sold in to slavery by his own brothers and how his obedience to God eventually turned all this around to become a King.The Bible speaks of escapes and reversals in order to do so in prevailing over such situations rather than being overtaken or defeated by them. we are to aggressively take the enemy from behind by force- drag, pull, pin or cast him down. 10) the Objective The aim of both natural and spiritual wrestling is to destroy the foes winning points and lay him TKO'ed and prostrate. This is done via strategic moves designed to wear the opponent out or felling and pinning him. So the devil seeks to weaken and tire us to take us out and we must stay fit in all ways to keep up our fighting form and skills. 11) Scoring Scoring is done by Judges in wrestling. Satan lost all his winning points and he was defeated by our Saviour King Jesus at Calvary who bought us with His own blood from this evil dominion- and gave us His own Kingdom of God.since Jesus has already purchased the victory for us we need only resist the enemy steadfastly and by faith in God. 12) Mental Attitude This is extremely important as the devils chief strategy is to battle for the mind. A study on wrestling mentioned in this course which also correlate positively with our warfare with satan is that there were found to be 4 attitudes necessary for Champion Wrestlers as follows: 1) a burning, all-consuming, passionate desire to win much stronger than wishing or wanting 2) Persistence, sustained effort, will not accept defeat and 3) Purpose- a will to win this goal and to struggle to master this situation. Spiritual Warfare Assignment Chapter 11 for Nov./06 Week 1 Name: Rebecca Michael GBIS Instructor Name: Dr. Ezekiel Edumoh Date:Oct.31/06 Chapter 11 Defensive Weapons Objectives: Describe Spiritual Defensive Weapons List Armour of God Identify each Piece of Armour Explain the function of each Piece of armour Introduction In addition to God's Six-Point Battle Plan ( mentioned previously in Chapter 9 ) we also have an arsenal of spiritual weapons. Defensive Strategies As listed in the text there are several defensive strategies that the Christian must learn to apply and appropriate to all life situations as follows: 1) Submit and Resist: We are to submit and accept unconditionally- by faith, hope and trust- to the Will of God in our lives and we are to resist the devil and all his ways in all of our thought life and actions. we must do this in this order- submit to god no matter what it looks like and resist the opportunistic enemy and all his ways...giving NO place to the devil et al. We do not do this independently but in an attitude of humble thanksgiving, absolute trusting dependence and praise to God in All things. This often takes great courage, determination and faith in God because we may be doing so in great adversity- but God is Good and He is far greater and He already has prevailed in His Triumphant Glory. It is we who have not yet caught up but it will unfold because Jesus has already won the Victory and overcome the world, sin, satan and death for us at Calvary and given to His own the resurrection Life which will swallow up the rest in total victory in due time as Our God promises us in many place throughout His word to us. He would not have said it otherwise. 2) Resist Steadfastly in Faith: This means to resist the devil by believing God and God's Word and Promises to us for Victory and Authority of the enemy. He and his evil works is history since Calvary!PTL! 3) Neither give place to the devil et al: Be wary to live out God's Word from our inner man to our outer actions. the devil has been defeated but he is an opportunist and a predator looking for easy prey. Keep the gates of your soul closed and deadbolted to him! 4) Recover yourself out of the devil's snares asap if you stumble. This is where careful self-examination of our inner life and actions come in. Keep the devil and his defeatist thoughts out!Stay in the blessings, thanksgiving and praiseworthiness of God! (Read Phillipians) 5) Abstain from fleshly lusts which war against your soul. Abstain from all appearances of evil. 6) Shun evil. Turn away and avoid all evil ie: profane and vain babblings, ungodliness in talk or action, all that the Holy Spirit of God would find offensive and leave- avoid such. There is only one exception that I can think for this and that may be if you need to suffer such to go in after a lamb or lost sheep ensnared by such. But, be very careful for your own self in doing so- ensure you have a lifeline of other saints who can pull you out if need be- and be even more sure that this is God sending you in to enemy territory! 7) Stand! Throughout the Word of god regarding spiritual warfare is this one little word- usually accompanied with the word resist- which is Stand! Stand! Stand! This means to stand on the Word of God and his Promises to us in resistance to the lying enemy who will try to come in with the weeds/ tares of doubt in our thoughts- doubting God...this is the devil's whole game plan- deception and doubts of God/ Word. We are hIs warriors and are to resist the devil and Stand for God- no matter how bad it gets or what it looks like- the devil is an opportunistic liar and we must be vigilant to not entertain his defeatist thoughts or lies- and we must help each other stay sober, vigilant and alert to Stand for God by believing and obeying only Him as our Lord!This does take courage, self-discipline and loving support from the saints to keep hopeful in the Lord and keep pressing on for the Victory is already ours in Jesus Name because He said so! 8) Beware of Sin/ Error/ Lies: The devil et al is right there for the spoils when we are down or wounded so we need to protect and build each other up as Ministers of God...and Stand on God' Word if we have no help for a time. God will provide. 9) Try the Spirits: We know the devils wily, lying ways and traps from God's Word - also our War Manual so we have a standard of truth by which to discern the spirits whether they be false or true. False teachers will use a truth and twist it their way. God will always be true to His own Word- and his whole Word is His Whole Counsel as one- called 'sola scriptura' in theological terms. We test the spirits by His Word in the Whole Counsel of God- which is not arbitrary or relativistic as false or misguided spirits would have us believe. 10) Shun false teachers: False teachers are those that bend the truth in God's Word to their advantage usually for self-gain or to avoid loss. They may do so by taking such a truth from scripture out of context and twisting it- this is a satanic ploy from way back in the Garden- or from the Wilderness temptations/ ploys that Jesus endured. The thing to remember- is that satan et al have evil motives for selfish gain and at your expense. Listen and obey- Stand!- only God's voice in the Wholeness of his Counsel- even if it means repentance and going the other way!We must only listen to the voice of the One True Shepherd- and He does not just tickle our ears but tells us the soul-saving truth of God- His Word. 11) Lay Aside Heavy Burdens not of God: This does not just mean sin, worldliness and busyness with distractions from God and His Kingdom. It also means set aside all burdens and heaviness that weigh us down and are not of God. We are to cast our cares upon Him- for He has said truly that His yoke is easy and that His burdens are light. Now if this is not so- then we need to unburden ourselves of all the extra cargo, freight and baggage that satan has laid upon us in our ignorance- if we let him. Plainly, in God's Word- we may take on much but if it is of God we will experience it as blessing and a heart's desire anyway- and will not feel laden- even under a heavy workload it is light if of God. We must be wary of the devils attempts to tell us differently by staying in the blessings and praiseworthiness of God. ( Read Phillipians ) 12) Put off all evil: This is from the inward thoughts to the outward actions and is clear in the Word of God. If a thought or feeling is not of God then it is evil and harmful- and sin-eventually it will cause defeat and death once it is fully grown. we need to be vigilant about being transformed by the renewal of our minds in God's Word and Promises. we are not to entertain the devil whatsoever- no matter how sympathetic he may sound to us- he is the enemy of our souls and of our Good and Glorious Saviour-King who also warns us to listen and obey Only His Voice and Words. The rest are from sin, the world and satan-and we are told by the Lord that we are then to quite literally Cast him Down in Warfare- from within and without- absolutely pulverize satan et al! 13) Put on the whole armour of God: ( Ephesians 6:10-17 ) We must put on the Whole arour of God in order to stand and keep standing. If we stumble- we should check our Armour and ensure that it is all on- as we must daily- put it on. This means that it can and will fall off- and expose us to demonic attack. We need only to put it back on...and the Mind of Christ as well. Following is a brief summary of these armour pieces: A) The belt of Truth: This truth is the Whole Counsel of God's Word and the indwelling Holy Spirit of Truth that guides and leads us as His own in to all truth. This is crucial to us for our direction and staying on the narrow, strait path of God. Also- it is the piece that holds all the other armour pieces together as like a girdle. This is the place satan attacks with his guile and lies- the truth. If satan et al can get us to stray from God's Word/ Spirit then he has got us wandering lost and blind in darkness- vulnerable and easy prey for this devouring predator/s. We are to stay on this narrow, strait path and listen ONLY to the True Shepherd's voice- Jesus Christ is the Living Word and so the whole Counsel of god is the true voice- although it may be also hard- it will be true and lead to victory and His Life. B) The breastplate of Righteousness: There are 2 levels of Righteousness at work in the believer. Jesus has given us His Righteousness in this piece of Armour at our spiritual birth in to His Kingdom- called Justification. The second level of Righteousness at work in all true believers is that of Sanctification by the Power of the indwelling Holy Spirit- leading, teaching, convicting, reproofing, correcting, exhorting, rebuking us 24/7 in to all Truth in the whole Counsel of God and His Word. This is where the believer advances in glory, victory, maturity, Christlikeness, and perfection in the Lord. However it is dependent by his/ her own meritorious efforts and works in co-operation/ obedience to the Spirit of God at work 24/7 within. This is what Paul spoke of when he spoke of the rewards- or loss of- to come by god when He judges the works of His servants- us. Some will receive greater honour, rewards and blessings than others as God's Kingdom is a heirarchal one with the greatest being those who have been the most faithful and obedient to Him on earth. This is very much within our choices and control and we will be rewarded - or not- accordingly. C) The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace: We use shoes to walk in and we walk by the light of God's Word if believers on the strait and narrow path as His ministers of the Gospel. We are to advance in to enemy territory worldwide with this message of the gospel as His soldiers of evangelism in a bid for the lost souls of this world many whom are presently unwitting devil fodder for all satan et al cares. We have the message and the love and power of God to save these souls if God chooses to grant them repentance and life in Christ- we do not know who this is and so are to sow the gospel seeds and charitable works liberally and generously for those that will hear, see and thus receive this Life in Christ. D) The Shield of Faith:This is the defensive type of faith and it means that we protect ourselves and our entire body by receiving messages only from Christ, His Holy Spirit and god's Whole Counsel in His Word. We are Not to receive the enemy's thoughts, messages and fiery darts of fear, hate, lust, rejection, false guilt/shame, etc. If we have been wounded by allowing such in our former ignorance of truth in God's Word- we must now repent and cast it out as a philthy lie- and not of God- but of our enemy who comes only to kill, steal and destroy us and our good works for God and His Kingdom here on earth. We must then replace this with God's Word and Promises to us from the Bible so that these new truths/ seeds will grow up to mature in to God's Kingdom being established here on earth visibly for all to see through us. We must be patient in this for all seeds take time and nurture to grow and show their results in the fruits/actions of the Kingdom. Let's just be sure that we are planted with the right seeds- so that we will eventually reap the right harvest at maturity- wheat and not tares!This requires a constant, daily application of God's Word within and to all our life's issues. Faith in the unseen- not facts nor feelings in the present- is the essential ingredient here and increases by hearing and hearkening only to the Word of God. This then will become to new facts and feelings as God rewards our faith with an increase which is our confirmation- to more faith for us to invest and sow...The enemy knows this and works exactly the same way as the imitator he is. So watch the thought seeds...which Kingdom- we serve only God's Kingdom and so His Words/ seeds and He has already won the Victory for us through Christ at calvary- so this is what He has given us- Overcoming Victory- any other beliefs etc. is lies and must be renouned and replanted God's Words/ gospel seeds. We do not have to do this alone- God provides and will help us if we seek Him and His Kingdom of Love and Righteousness! He Loves us! ( see Psalms 91:4 and 18:35 for blessing to you!I know I was blessed by this message! PTL! I will post this message for UCFM Winddancer facing brain surgery very soon...The Lord led me to do this. ) E) The Helmet of Salvation: Satan t al fights for the mind. He wants to sow as much discord and discouragement etc. in to us as he can. He is not allowed to force us to destroy our own souls- so he just deceives us and gets us to plant his destructive words/ messages/ evil seeds / lies in our thoughts and defeat ourselves- albeit unwittingly if we do not know better!We are still accountable for the harvest of weeds since we do have free will AND we have the Word of God as our Counsel and instruction on this very topic. We also have the indwelling holy Spirit and Jesus tells us that HIS Sheep will not listen to any other voice but His. And what is his voice but the Living Word of God- the bible. So- we must know the Word or we will be growing up a mixed harvest- and one cancels out the other- the devil knows this. If he can get us sowing and growing his weed seeds and thoughts from his voice-the voice of doubt and discouragement itself- then he knows that this will harvest a crop of weeds or tares- which will then do what weeds do- choke out all the surrounding crops of God- the edifying, nutritious wheat crops- by invasively leaching the good soil of the heart.Now i know this all must be a message for someone/s from god because I did not figure it out and it is being channelled in and through me- a messenger only- from god Himself...so best to pay attention if this quickens to your heart at all. Listen only to God- and cast out the rest- and wait patiently for His harvest to mature to see the results...and then reinvest the new increase of faith...The mind and our choices are pivotal- both god and the devil knows it- the devil seeks only to eventually destroy our witness, Ministries and credibility- and he is a liar anyway so do not listen or entertain his doubts etc.No one says it will be easy but will take courage, discipline, effort, faith, hope, love and patience...this is the voice of the true Shepherd. The Helmet of hope is the hope we have as believers in salvation from our past, present and future sins/ death and the eternity of love, life and righteousness awaiting us soon enough in His Kingdom. F) The Sword of the Spirit: this is the offensive and defensive weapon of the soul-saving truth in Word of God- in the Whole Counsel of God- the Bible.We defend ourselves and save others by rightly dividing this Word of truth by the power of the Holy Spirit helping us to appropriate this in to all areas of our lives and to Counsel this by His leading for others in the same way. 14) Prayer Prayer takes many forms as noted in an earlier Chapter and can be used accordingly. Basically, it is Communion with god and is essential as a spiritual weapon to receive guidance from the Lord 24/7 for our and others lives. This is our communication channel to God. 15) The Downward Spiral I thought the text was so interesting with this concept on how we fall by neglecting to keep our spiritual armour in place daily so I thought it deserves mention- with some of my own ideas added. According to the course text our downward spiral and fall occurs in the following downward progression starting from the departure from the belt of Truth....to the final fall from truth/ grace in to apostasy (from seeds to crop maturity) with the Sword of truth. truth belt/girdle start of fall/departure from God's Word (enter lies/weeds) + breastplate righteousness next step down/ departure from right ideas/ actions + ( Christ's not self ) ( enter sin ) shoes of Gospel of Peace next step down/ wrong walk/ leave narrow, hard path + ( enter broad wide way, now lost/dark and confused ) Shield of Faith next step down ( enter unbelief/ hardness of heart ) + & seared consciense Helmet of Salvation next step down ( enter grown harvest of weeds& + spiritual bondage/ addictions etc.) Sword of Spirit final step of fall/ apostasy ( heretical, false teachings ) Spiritual Warfare Assignment Chapter 12 for Nov./06 Week 1 Name: Rebecca Michael GBIS Instructor: Dr. Ezekiel Edumoh Date: Nov.1/06 Chapter 12 Spiritual Weapons Objectives: Identify spiritual weapons Introduction We are to intelligently advance and gain souls for God's Kingdom through planned strategies of warfare through knowledgable use of spiritual weapons. Offensive strategies There are several offensive strategies offered in this very short chapter as summarized below: 1) Prayer: Prayer is a powerful weapon used for intercessory warfare for our Leaders, Nations and others- for pulling down strongholds. Praise and Worship are also powerful forms of warfare as they bring the powerful Presense of God and all evil flees as God sends “ambushments in the spirit”!some believers are gifted for this form of warfare but all believers are called to do this in order to be effective for it is our very lines of communication with Our Commander-in Chief God who then fights and wins the battle for and with us. 2) Sword of the Spirit: This is the offensive weapon of Word of God and the right division and appropriation of this truth in our lives is done by the guidance of the indwelling Holy Spirit of Truth's also leading us. There are 2 kinds of Words to us: the logos ( whole Counsel of God's Word ) and the rhema ( the Spirit of truth appropriates the logos to our special circumstances ). We need to know the logos in order for apply the rhema word to our present day battles as the Word of God commands that we study and know it- otherwise we perish in battle with satan et al who have the advantage of knowing and using this. ) 3) Put on the Mind of Christ: This is something we must do by studying and obeying the Word of God and thus being transformed in to Christlikeness by the renewal of our minds. this changes our character and conduct and destroys the works of satan and sets the captives free ( the lost who come to Christ because they see Him shine through us and our lives by example ). 4) Pulling and Casting Down enemy strongholds: We attack satan at the level of beliefs by pulling down strongholds ,uprooting lies and smashing idols- challenging false beliefs and lies, replacing them with God's Words and Jesus Christ as Saviour-King and Lord of All. This is purposive and takes effort and an attack on the enemies camps by the Word and illuminating, empowering Spirit of God.We are winning souls back from the darkness for the kingdom of light/God. 5) Binding/ Loosing: We have been given the delegated power and authority by Jesus Christ to bind evil and loose good on the earth. Binding and loosing must be done together as it works together. ie: We must first bind the spirit of lying to then loose the spirit of truth. 6) The Blood of Jesus Christ: Jesus has freed us from the power of sin and death on the cross and given us access and eternal life in God instead. “ they overcame satan by the blood of the Lamb.” ( Rev.12:11 ) 7) Your testimony: Testifying as legal witnesses now gives evidense to satan's lost unbelievers of the power of God working in our transformational lives- as nothing else explains it...especially if one prevails through severe adversities and hardships!It must be based on the Word of god- but is a powerful death blow to satan's unbeliefism and works at work in the world. 8) The Name of Jesus Christ: Jesus has many Names in the Bible all which attest to His various functions and roles. His Name is the Name above every Name in Heaven and on earth. His Name is powerful because it bears His authority- it casts out demons, heals the sick, raises the dead etc. according to the Will of God as expressed in His Word.In order to use His Name in any way for power- we must have His Divine permission and all his true disciples and ministers most certainly do! If one uses His Name outside of this permission he may be torn apart by mocking demons as was the case of one false disciple who tried to make a name for himself by casting out demons in a lustful quest for power and ego.