* Belt of truth
* Breastplate of righteousness
* Feet fitted with the gospel of peace
* Shield of faith
* Helmet of salvation
* Sword of the spirit—the word of God
* Praying always in the spirit
The battle between good vs. evil has heated up.
But you will see for yourself that...
God Has Equipped You For Victory
God's Word reveals that...
God empowers his superheroes to deal with the occult. He wants you to stand up for truth, justice and the biblical way of life. The real meaning of life is not sickness, suffering and defeat. No, God wants you to WIN in life!
God has given you the armor of God to shield you from Satan’s attacks…
On the day of Pentecost Christ poured out the “power from on high” (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8).
And God’s Word instructs you to “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11).
Did you hear that? God says you can stand against the occult forces in this world! How's that for positive motivation!
But first, in order to stand against the devil’s “wiles” or schemes you will have to grasp this simple truth: “The whole world lies in the power of THE EVIL ONE”
(1 John 5:19).
That's a sobering thought, isn't it. And…
You may have never noticed that verse, because…
The book of 1 John is tucked away toward the end of your Bible. But it doesn’t belong there. In the original Greek manuscripts of the Scriptures, first John and the other “general epistles” precede Paul’s writings. But the Catholic translator, Jerome, shoved the general epistles back toward the end of the Bible and our modern translations have not restored the original order of the books (We will discuss this in our Super Heart Living DVD series).
So this verse, 1 John 5:19, was moved toward the back of the Bible and it is often missed by believers. Hmmm... wonder if that was part of Satan's plan.
Let’s read it this simple truth again…
“The whole world lies in the power of THE EVIL ONE”
(1 John 5:19).
God wants you to really understand this great truth. That’s why he reveals it in one of the first epistles! God wants you to really get a hold of the fact that the evil one, not God, is controlling things in this world!
Hey, have you ever wondered why Planet Earth is plagued by rapes, murders, slanders, wars and terrorists? Well, the Bible, again, minces no words: “Your adversary THE DEVIL walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (I Peter 5:8).
Is the Bible true? Does it mean what it says? Then you must face reality: you have an adversary, a spiritual enemy.
Like it or not, you are engaged in a spiritual battle! God tells us we are wrestling against “wicked spirits,” and the ”schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11-12).
That is why you need the armor of God. That is why Scripture says “the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the throwing down of strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4).
Now let’s take a look at…
What The Armor of God Is
The armor of God is...
God’s spiritual power protecting and empowering you against your enemy, the devil.
God’s armor is God's Word operating in your heart and life.
You see, God’s Word in your heart makes you strong in the Lord. Strong like Jesus Christ. Why? So you can live abundantly, do the same works he did and become “fully trained” (John 10:10; 14:12; Luke 6:40).
That’s what we call Super Heart Living!
Living life to the max with a heart for God and his Word.
Taking a stand against the devil’s schemes and the forces of evil in this world.
And if you doubt the reality of the spirit world, just try doing something for God. You’ll find out immediately that you have an enemy.
Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil and hounded throughout his ministry by those who were “of their father, the devil” (John 8:44). They conspired against him, plotted to kill him and had him crucified (Luke 19:47, 23:13-23).
The Apostle Paul was constantly harassed by the devil and his people (2 Corinthians 11:23-27; 12:7; 1 Thessalonians 2:18, etc.).
You, too, will discover you have a very real enemy. That is why you need the armor of God. You need to know your true identity, the healing scriptures, the truth of God's Word.
When we began filming the first DVD of Super Heart Living we suddenly encountered a barrage of problems, glitches and setbacks. Weird things began happening...
For example, one day we started to print out our production sheets for The Self-Esteem of Sonship. Suddenly, all three documents VANISHED out of the computer memory. Everything else was intact.
You explain it.
You and I have an enemy. We are engaged in spiritual warfare. Like it or not, believe it or not.
But as you trust God and believe his Word the armor of God keeps you protected and progressing as you go about doing God’s will. God's armor makes you a “super-conqueror” in life (Romans 8:37).
By the way, we finished our first episode of the Super Heart Living series. We didn't let anything stop us (1 Corinthians 15:58). And The Self-Esteem of Sonship is now being sold world-wide through our international distributor.
We are super-conquerors!
Now let’s take a look at…
The Components of God’s Armor
God’s Word compares your armor to that of a Roman soldier.
Here are the components:
Let’s consider each one…
Truth.
Unless you learn the truth from God’s Word, you will always be deceived in life. Satan is this world’s god and he will keep you “blind” (2 Corinthians 4:4). God’s Word is vital. Jesus says we live by every word that comes out of God’s mouth (Matthew 4:4).
Righteousness.
Your “right standing with God” is your breastplate and protects your heart. Otherwise Satan will constantly put you down and condemn you (Revelation 12:10). But there is no condemnation for believers in Christ (Romans 8:1). You have an awesome standing with God, and can come to him with boldness and confidence (Ephesians 3:12). He says so!
Peace.
You now have peace with God and can live at peace with all believers! (Ephesians 1:2; 2:15, 4:3) But Satan will try to stir up things with strife, jealousies, etc. (Galatians 5:20). Armor-plate your mind with the Word and stop him.
Faith.
What is faith? Believing God’s Word! And this snuffs out all of Satan’s attacks (Ephesians 6:16). The Bible says you are guarded by God's power through faith (1 Peter 1:5). Faith is your shield. See Proverbs 21:23; Psalm 91.
Salvation.
The Greek word for “salvation” means wholeness. Whole thoughts from God’s Word protect your mind. We are to renew our minds to the Word and be transformed (Romans 12:2). And this Word builds our faith, which is our shield!
Word of God.
The original Greek text for “word” here is rhema, which means utterance. Our spiritual “sword” is the rhema of God, the uttered SPOKEN Word of God! You attack the devil offensively by SPEAKING God’s Word. Just as Jesus Christ did when he rebuked the devil with "It is written!"
(Matthew 4:4)
Praying…in the spirit.
The Greek text reads, “praying…by spirit.” God’s Word defines “praying by spirit” as praying in tongues… (Acts 2:4) which is further defined as blessing with the spirit and giving thanks well” (1 Corinthians 14:14,16,17). This "praying by spirit" is the SEVENTH, perfecting part of the armor of God we use to stand against our enemy. That's why the devil hates for you to pray by spirit. He mocked tongues on the day of Pentecost, and still mocks it today (Acts 2:13).
So, the same Bible that says God sent Christ into the world to save you...
Also instructs you to “put on the armor of God" and stand against the devil’s schemes (John 3:16; Ephesians 6:11).
Spiritual warfare is a reality.
And so is your equipment...
You have the armor of God! When you ask yourself "Who am I in Christ" you should shout "I am a Super-Conqueror with God's armor!" This is not a fantasy or pipe-dream, it is a reality.
Now, let's see...
How To Put On The Armor of God
Drive God’s Word into your heart, meditate on it, speak it boldly. Get an understanding of the Word. Understanding the Word will keep Satan from stealing it away and will cause the Word to produce fruit in you (Matthew 13:19, 23).
You will learn more about “God’s armor” and power in our new DVD series. The first episode of Super Heart Living,
The Self-Esteem of Sonship, describes who you really are as a believer. The answer to your question, "Who am I in Christ?" is your “breastplate of righteousness!” You can view an exciting demo of this special DVD here.
Put on the armor of God and take your stand as one of God's superheroes. Live victoriously, don't settle for anything less!
Experience...
Super Heart Living!
How The Armor of God Will
Transform Your Life
In The 21st Century
The people sitting in the movie theater were horrified...
Some began to scream. Others vomited and fainted. One filmgoer fainted, broke his jaw and later sued Warner Brothers. The movie’s leading actress had to be protected by bodyguards during the next six months...
This film, The Exorcist, was part of the 1970s occult explosion. And since then, the world has been flooded with horror films, books on the supernatural and New Age paraphernalia.
"We must jettison all the junk and get back to God's Word."
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Rick Josey
“It’s hard to fight an enemy who has an outpost in your head.”
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Sally Kempton
“A man does what he must—in spite of obstacles, dangers, and pressures—and that’s the basis of all human morality.”
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John F. Kennedy
“If we don’t stand for something we’ll fall for anything.”
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Ann Landers
"Written in Chinese, the word crisis, is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represent opportunity."
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Kennedy, John F.
"There is nothing noble about being superior to some other man. The true nobility is in being superior to your previous self."-
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Hindu Proverb
"He who despises himself nevertheless esteems himself as a self-despiser "
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Nietzsche, Friedrich
1844-1900 German Philosopher
“Christians who have computers will now have access to information that was kept from the sheep in the past”
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Author Unknown (Internet posting)
"Make your own recovery the first priority in your life."
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Robin Norwood
"We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now."
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Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win."
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Sun-tzu (~400 BC), The Art of War.
"Justice is a contract of expediency, entered upon to prevent men harming or being harmed."
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Epicurus
(341 BC - 270 BC)
"The best and fastest way to learn a sport is to watch and imitate a champion."
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Killy, Jean Claude
French Alpine Skier
"The secrets of making dreams come true.. are curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy."
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Walt Disney
US movie producer
"Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so."
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Belva Davis, Award-Winning Journalist
"Every new day begins with possibilities. It's up to us to fill it with the things that move us toward progress and peace."
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Ronald Reagan, Former President of the United States
"We can secure other people's approval, if we do it right and try hard; but our own is worth a hundred of it."
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Mark Twain
"Whatever God's dream about man may be, it seems certain it cannot come true unless man cooperates."
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Stella Terrill Mann
"If you think you can win, you can win. Faith is necessary to victory."
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William Hazlitt (1778 - 1830)
"Genius hath electric power which earth can never tame."
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Lydia M. Child
"What can you say about a society that says that God is dead and Elvis is alive?"
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Irv Kupcinet
"Let me tell you they are out there—those of confounding selflessness and seeming immunity to fear."
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Admiral James Stockdale,
On Heroes and Heroism
"A hero is 'he who hangs on for one minute more.'”
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Russian proverb
"The only thing wrong with immortality is that it tends to go on forever."
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Herb Caen
"Justice is the constant and perpetual will to allot to every man his due."
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Domitus Ulpian (100 AD - 228 AD)
By Rick Josey
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