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A
brief study of the weapons of our warfare.
Here
are seven good reasons why you should be a successful evangelist. They are found
in Ephesians 6:10 - 20
1.Loincloth
of TRUTH,
2.Breastplate
of RIGHTEOUSNESS,
3.Boots
of the GOSPEL,
4.Shield
of FAITH,
5.Helmet
of SALVATION,
6.Sword
of the SPIRIT,
7.Secret
weapon of PRAYER.
We
are talking about SPIRITUAL WARFARE. The verses give not just defensive armor,
but two very powerful aggressive weapons, namely the Sword, and prayer.
The defensive armor is for aggressive
defense, and there is such a thing, rather than just standing still and
letting the enemy have a go at you. By the word "stand" the Bible
means "wrestle against", not simply "stand and wait".
And by "the whole armor" the Bible means mean all of it, all intact,
all on.
When
a soldier is given a heap of weapons for the first time, he may not know quite
what to do with them. He may start cleaning them, and admiring them, or he may
store them away because he didn't know how to put them on. Do you want to be a
fighting Christian? or do you prefer to leave that part of being a Christian to
others? Some Christians seem to think that following Jesus Christ is a picnic -
all fun and games - but there are others who know it is something quite
different to a picnic, and have the scars to prove it.
The
following is a detailed scriptural examination of the seven weapons given to
Christians by God. It is your privilege to wear them, and your privilege to
fight in them.
Eph.6:10
"Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His
might"
Being strong, or having strength, is a positive,
aggressive
statement. It is used in 1 Chron.26:8 for the
"able
men for strength for the service" who were chosen
to
be porters in the temple which Solomon was to build.
Here,
in Ephesians, we have a similar calling, given to
Christians,
who are chosen for "service", within the
Church,
the "temple" of God.
Again,
in chapter nine, we are told of "very able men for the work of the service
of the house of God". Chosen for service - as are Christians.
David
said of God : "Both riches and honour come of thee, and You reign over all;
and in Your hand is power and might; and in Your hand it is to make great, and
to give strength unto all".1 Chron.29:12
An
enlightening verse in Psalm 8:2 says: "Out of the mouths of babes and
sucklings have You ordained strength because of Your enemies, that You might
still the enemy and avenger". Babes are children. Jesus quoted from this
verse when He saw and heard some children in the temple as they shouted out
praise to God. They did this to the great annoyance of the priests - who were
the enemies of Christ. Christians today can expect the same sort of reaction
when they shout out the truth. Ps.27:1
"The Lord is (now) my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord
is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" It is not
something
to be asked for, but something which has already been given. David ends with two
conditions - wait on the Lord, and, be of good courage – with the reward of:
"he shall strengthen your heart ; wait, I say, on the Lord. The attitude is
to be positive and aggressive, and it all depends on the Lord. If, after that,
you need strength, TAKE IT - YOU HAVE IT.
"The
way of the Lord is strength to the upright" Pr.10:20
When a Christian is walking obediently in the way of the Lord day by day,
he will have the strength to be upright.
Isa.26:4.
The positive activity of trusting "in the Lord Jehovah" brings the
reward of "everlasting strength". There is no shortage of strength for
the Christian.
Ps.59:9.
Here is a two-way interaction between Christians and the Lord. The first is the
fact that we wait on Him because we need to learn of Him and be strong in the
knowledge of Him. The second is the reverse “Because of His strength will I
wait upon You: for God is my defense".
As
a Christian continues to be obedient to the conditions, the Lord continues to
bring His promises to pass. This is why we read that "Saul INCREASED THE
MORE IN STRENGTH..." as he preached. Acts 9:22.
2
Cor.12:9. A Christian must use everything he can to witness, and not let any
disability stop him. God can work just as well through a cripple, as through
someone who "has everything". Whatever you are - He can use it. And
what ever you are not, God can use you.
Isa.40:28-51.
Christians who "wait upon the Lord" are continually restrengthened.
They that wait upon the Lord find the inner spiritual energy welling up inside,
enabling them to "fly...run .and walk" where other people would
normally collapse.
1
Pet.5:10. All Christians ought to be being perfected, established, settled and
strengthened as they grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
The
power of God is Spiritual, inner, and there for definite reasons. This is what
God wants to give to you if you are prepared to follow Him faithfully:
"That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be
strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man". Eph.3:16
Col.1:11.
It is the Lord's will that all Christians should be "strengthened with all
might, according to His glorious power", the result being three things:
patience, longsuffering, and joyfulness.
Phil.4:15.
"I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me". Here is the
power of God, present in any Christian who takes action - who GOES, to DO ALL
THINGS. At any time, under any circumstances, anywhere.
So
BEING STRONG in the Lord, is involved with taking action in His name, in a
forward movement AGAINST the enemy and FOE of the faith. The Christian, strong
in the Lord and in the power of His might, is told in Eph.6:11 to PUT ON the
whole armour of God, and then to STAND AGAINST the wiles of the devil.
2
Cor. 6:7. Paul proved himself to be
a minister of God by proclaiming "the word of truth, by the power of
God,
by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left" and by
many other things. He saw the
righteousness
as essential to his Christian warfare as he came under fire from the right hand
and from the
left.
The Jews preferred the righteousness of keeping the Law, and the Gentiles
preferred the righteousness
of
good works. Both traits are with us today as religion preaches its brands of
bondage, and worldliness preaches salvation by your own efforts. Paul held up
salvation by GRACF, the free gift, to all he met (Eph.2:8)
What
do we mean by the "wiles of the devil"? It refers to his constant
efforts to disprove or discredit the Word of God. "Has God said?" is
his constant question - not as obvious as that of course - but its there. If you
dig down to the bottom of all the many doubts and excuses which unbelievers
express, you'll find it. Such questions as:
Are
you sure you're a Christian?
Surely
you're biased, and only believe things which support your argument?
The
Bible is a book written by man isn't it?
Most
of the Bible was handed on by word of mouth wasn't it?
There
are hundreds and hundreds of them. They appeal to logic, to reason, to rational
thinking, to philosophical ideas, to emotions, and always they are palatable
to those who are spiritually unaware of their basic counsel. The wiles of the
devil are more blatantly obvious in spiritualism and religion, but more
difficult to see when they come through temptations to the flesh, or from the
world. But in every case it is a choice between what the Bible says and what
someone else thinks.
Eph.6:12."For
we wrestle (war, fight, contend) not with flesh and blood". We ARE
contending with people, but we are fighting the concepts, philosophies, ideas,
imaginations, lies and false reasoning which other people believe in. We are
fighting the despotisms - the would-be rulers and spiritual tyrants - against
the powers, against the master spirits who are behind the world's leaders
whether they are aware of it or not, and against the spirit forces of wickedness
in the heavenly places or the supernatural sphere. Evolutionary, long-ages, man
from monkeys is a particularly virulent virus of this kind.
The
most deadly attack a Christian can make on Satan's world control, is to preach
the full gospel of salvation. The gospel is God's answer to the world’s
slavery which Satan would try to enforce. To preach the gospel, a Christian must
be fully armed and standing in the power of the Holy Spirit if he is to be
successful. Evangelism is War.
1.
Eph.6:14."Stand therefore having your loins girt about with truth..."
What does it mean to have your loins girt? Peter suggests: "gird up the
loins of your mind, be sober..." 1 Pet.1:5. So it has to do with mental
activity, positive attitude, expectation of progress, self control, readiness
for work, and so on.
Luke
records what Jesus said to His disciples: "Let your loins be girded about,
and your lights burning...watch...be ye ready also..." Luke 12:55. By
linking the loins girded and the lights burning, we have a picture of a
Christian out and about, radiating positively his faith, and, with the idea
after that of the watching servant, we cannot help but think of evangelism, and
of constant witnessing to those around us.
Jeremiah
solves the meaning for us of what girding up the loins is all about, because he
was told: "Gird up your loins, and arise, and speak to them all that I
command you" Jer.1:7 So when it says in Ephesians to have the loins girt
about with truth, it is saying, go and preach the truth, or be active in
propagating the truth. Evangelism is the Christian's work – nobody else wants
to do it anyway.
2. Eph.6:14. "and having on the breastplate of righteousness;"
In Isa.59:17, God puts on a breastplate of righteousness as one of
several pieces of armour, as He prepares to punish wicked people. Why does He
wear righteousness? Firstly, because He is righteous. God is absolutely
righteous. He will not let the unrepentant sinner go unpunished. Secondly, He
hates unrighteousness, and will certainly punish the unrighteous except they
repent.
Because
all who accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour are saved by Grace, they RECEIVE
righteousness as a gift. It means that although they are still sinners, they are
covered by the blood of Jesus Christ, and thereby avoid the punishment for
sin, namely death. In Isaiah God is looking for righteousness but cannot find
it, therefore He exercises His own righteousness, in judgment.
1Thess.
5:8 There is another reference to a breastplate in Thessalonians, called the
"breastplate of faith and love". The fruit of the Spirit includes
love, and of course the Christian soldier is filled with the Spirit. If we think
of the shield of faith and the breastplate of righteousness, held together by
the love (agape) of God, we have a mighty defense. Our righteousness is taken
by us as we receive it by faith, and as w do this, the love of God is shed
abroad in our hearts. (Rom.5:5).
Not that we are free to sin and be unrighteous after we are saved - rather - we
are to bring forth good works, based on obedience to God's commands, as we are
led by ^he Spirit.
3.Eph.6:15.
"And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;".
Three things are clear in this verse: "feet shod", "THE
gospel", and "peace".
2Chron.28:15.
Israel and Judah were both lapsing into unfaithfulness, so God used Israel to
punish Judah to the tune of 120,000 dead in one day, plus captives. How great
was God's mercy after that though, for He would not let Israel keep the
captives. He sent Obed with the commandment to send them back to Jerusalem. So
Israel: "took the captives, and with the spoil clothed all that were naked
among them, and arrayed them, and SHOD them, and gave them to eat and to drink,
and anointed them, and carried all the feeble of them upon asses, and brought
them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brethren". In this case,
being shod was part of an act of mercy by God to show how ready He was to
forgive the people of Judah. When He shod the captives, He was telling them
their time of chastisement was over for the time being.
Ez.16:10.
Jerusalem is the next thing shod. God shows blessings to this city to an
incredible degree, treating it as He would a beautiful woman, BUT the result is
whoredom and harlotry, so God condemns her. The words He speaks to the city can
just as readily be applied to many people in the church: "Now when I passed
by you, and looked upon you, behold, your time was the time of love; and I
spread My skirt over you, and covered your nakedness; yea, I promised to you,
and entered into a covenant with you... and you became Mine. Then I washed you
with water; yea, I thoroughly washed away your blood from you, and I anointed
you with oil.
"I
clothed you with broidered work, and shod you with badgers' skin, and I girded
you about with fine linen, and I covered you with silk.
"I decked you also with ornaments, and I put bracelets on your
hands, and a chain on your neck. And I put a jewel in your forehead, and
earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown upon
your head.
"Thus
were you decked with gold and silver; and your raiment was of fine linen, and
silk, and broidered work; you did eat fine flour, and honey, and oil; and you
were exceeding beautiful, and you did prosper into a kingdom.
"And
your renown went forth among the heathen for your beauty: for it was perfect
through thy comeliness, which I had put upon you, says the Lord God."
When
Christians have their feet shod with the gospel, they WEAR that gospel. It is a
wonderful gift from God, It is given to us by God, It is to be a normal garment
- who would go to fight in bare feet? - naturally, it is absolutely essential to
be shod with the gospel.
Just
as God provided shoes for the captives, God provides footwear for the
Christians. Both return to their brethren with news of God's mercy, and the
message that He is prepared to spare all who repent and to bless all who turn to
righteousness. Both return clothed and anointed, fed and supported, and both
go with the message of reconciliation. There are many today, whom God has
spared, who have consequently become Christians, and thereupon have returned to
their brethren to tell them about God’s great mercy.
Isa.52:7.
Here comes the preacher, the evangelist, and the true Christian witness, with
his "feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace":
"How
beautiful upon the mountains (cities and towns) are the feet of him that brings
good tidings, (Anglo-Saxon "godspel” meaning "good tidings" or
"god-story"), that publishes (preaches) peace; that brings good
tidings of good, that publishes salvation;..."
The
third part of the verse in Ephesians, that of the "gospel of peace",
needs to be looked into. 'Peace’ is quite a dynamic word, especially when one
is fighting with it, but what sort of "peace" does the gospel preach?
Peace with God. This peace is the only true peace which man can have. There is
no other way of finding lasting peace on earth than through being reconciled to
God. God has provided the only way to that peace - although the devil says otherwise,
and man likes to think otherwise - and that is through the shed blood of Jesus
Christ on the cross. Making war with this kind of "peace" is sure to
provoke hostility and create quite a battle, but it is the work of Christians,
so they must not retreat from the fight.
Romans
10 has a lot to say about preaching. "So then, faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God". Paul quotes from Isaiah 52:7, slightly
changing the words (by the guidance of the Holy Spirit) for his own specific
context: "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of
peace..." When we GO OUT with our LOINS GIRDED to PREACH the gospel of
PFACE, we are on the ATTACK. This is why Jesus says 'Think not that I am come to
bring peace on earth, I came not to send peace, but a sword" Mat11:55. The
gospel forces people to make up their minds which side they're on, it divides
people, it sorts out their allegiances, it creates friction and stirs up
emotions. Those who go about preaching the gospel of peace are actually hitting
hard at the very central area of the devil's domain, which is probably why the
next piece of armour in the list is labeled "above all".
4.
Eph.6:16. "Above all taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able
to quench all (ALL – not just some) the fiery darts of the wicked (one)".
So
the Christian is out preaching, and someone in the crowd or in the room, or at
the bus stop. or whatever, says something which could be summarized down to:
"Has God said?". The normal reaction is to be offended by the
scepticism, or to resent the lack of belief in the other person, to turn away in
despair - but no - the Christian is warned: "Be NOT dismayed at their
faces, (their manner) lest I confound you before them... they shall fight
against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, says the
Lord, to deliver you". Instead of fighting with an emotional outburst, or
an emotion-driven response, the Christian fights with Scripture. 2Tim.3:16
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God..." The person in the
crowd says he doesn't believe the Scriptures? SO WHAT! The Christian DOES, and
that's what counts. It is the fact that the everlasting, perfect, living God
wrote the Scriptures which matters. The unbeliever has no case at all - he's in
the courtroom, handcuffed, in the dock without a defense. He has no position of
authority from which to question God’s Word. He has probably never studied it,
or examined the excellent material in its defense. He is in rags. He, the
condemned, is being tried for sin, he is not the guest speaker. And remember, if
we question the truth of the Scriptures ourselves, we are in fact questioning
the One who wrote them, which means we are doubting His character, which is
nearly the same thing as accusing Him of being a liar.
The
fiery darts of the wicked one are quenched by God Himself'. "Every word of
God is pure: HE is a shield to them that put their trust in Him" Ps.50:5 So
when we say "the shield of faith", we
are saying, in fact, "Jesus Christ", because the Christian's
faith is in his Lord, and his Lord's Word. The two are inseparably linked.
Ps.84:11
"For the Lord God is a sun and shield..."
2Sam.22:3
"And he (David) said, The Lord is my rock and my fortress, and my deliverer
... He is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, and my refuge, my
Saviour;"
Ps.5:5,
"But thou, 0 Lord, art a shield for me; my glory and the lifter of mine
head". Notice that it is God Himself who is the shield.
When
we take the shield of faith, we are taking the name of the Lord as our banner,
we are identifying with Jesus Christ (Christian = people of Christ), and when we
meet a "Has God said?" we reply "YES God HAS SAID! We are not
just believing in a book, we are speaking IN Christ, we are speaking from the
point of view of having a working relationship with Him, we are not trying to
push an argument, or a philosophy, we are representing a Person. And that Person
is speaking through us.
One
of the most common fiery darts is the comment that there are people in the world
who are good, so "good" in fact, that they are surely better (‘gooder’)
than Christians. To our shame, there are people like this, but the
scriptures are quite clear that "except a man be BORN AGAIN he cannot see
the kingdom of God" John 3;5, and, "He that believes and is baptized,
shall be saved, but he that believes not shall be damned" Mark 16:16,and,
"He that believes on the Son has everlasting life; and he that believes not
the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him" John 5;36.
All people must be judged, and punished or rewarded in proportion to their
beliefs, words and works. Only a belief in Jesus Christ as Saviour will be
sufficient to escape eternal death, since works are of no value at all in
deciding the ULTIMATE fate of the person. The judgment will be fair and just.
More the Christian dare not say, since it is not his responsibility to judge
anyone. One thing is absolutely certain: "Every one of us must give account
of himself to God" Rom.14:12. When this kind of question is asked, it is
prudent to get back to square one. Ask the questioner to stop looking at
problems which have nothing to do with him. Face the questioner with the facts
about himself. Has he or she heard the gospel? Has he or she understood that
Jesus died for him or her? What has he or she done with the gospel message? Face
the fiery darts by bringing Jesus Christ into the conversation, and hold Him up,
giving Him the preeminence.
5.
Eph.6:17 "And take the helmet of salvation," Isaiah mentions a helmet
of salvation, which God puts on as He prepares to destroy the wicked.
(Isa.59:I7) The whole chapter has to do with God saving His people, for His Holy
Name's sake, and His destruction of the peoples around them. The meanings of the
word "salvation" are two: general and particular. In general it means
release from difficulty, danger, loss or damage. In particular it means
deliverance from sin and its consequences, and the coming to peace and
reconciliation with God. When a Christian puts on the helmet of salvation, he is
taking on the full scope of activity which Jesus performed - he is to be a
friend to the friendless, a helper of all and sundry, a comforter and
supporter to the weak, a strengthener and teacher to those who need help, plus
one with the message of salvation to the searcher for forgiveness and peace with
God.
The
helmet protects the head, which holds the brain. The brain is the central
control for the whole body, but more especially it is the part which processes
the senses. Sight, sound, feel, taste, smell. Spiritually, the truth of the
gospel is kept safe under the helmet of salvation, carried in the brain.
Salvation in its fullest sense is full and complete sanity, and it makes sense
of life when it is understood by the Christian. If the devil can get at the
intellect, he can pervert the gospel, and upset the Christian's whole sense of
balance. What use is a soldier in a dangerous battle if he has no head
protection? He may keep going indefinitely with his body damaged or with an arm
or a leg off, but if a well aimed blow sinks into his head that's it. Paul said:
"And the peace of God...keep your hearts and MINDS through Christ
Jesus" Phil.4:7. The fiery darts of the wicked one are often aimed at this
helmet. Some of the "darts" are misquoted scriptures, comments by
people of other religions, assertions by intellectuals, mockery from skeptics,
reasoning by the natural mind, suggestions by other misinformed Christians,
comments by social ‘do-gooders' who have made good works their idol, man-made
proverbs, witty but erroneous words by people considered wise, and even the
sympathies of close and dear friends. Be on the watch from every angle. The
helmet of salvation is a clear awareness of PRIORITIES: "that you might be
filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
that you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in
every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God".Col.1:10,11
Paul
mentions, in 1Thess.5;8, the helmet of "the hope of salvation", a
thought very much like that in Phil.1:6: "Being confident of this very
thing, that He which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day
of Jesus Christ". The ongoing, day by day experience of being saved is also
part of salvation, and gives meaning to the "hope of salvation",
because although a Christian is saved for eternity, he has yet to be perfected.
6.
Eph.6:17 "...and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:"
Undoubtedly the word of God is the most powerful aggressive weapon on earth.
Atom bombs and the like are pathetic little puffs of smoke compared to the
immeasurable power of the Spirit of God as He works through God's word in men's
hearts.
The
sword, in scripture, is often used for war. Gen.27:40, Lev.26:55.
"And
I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and
your land will be desolate..." Sword is figuratively put for power and
authority. Rom.15:4 "For he is the minister of God to you for good. But if
you do that which is evil be afraid; for he bears not the sword in vain; for he
is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath on him that does evil".
Isaiah's
prophecy in chapter 49:2 has three clear interpretations. First, it can be
descriptive of the Lord Jesus, secondly, of the servant nation, thirdly, of all
Christians who work faithfully. "He has made my mouth like a sharp
sword".
Heb.4:12
"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged
sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the
joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the
heart".
Rev.1:16.The
resurrected Jesus is seen in vision: "0ut of His mouth went a sharp two
edged sword:"
Mark
4. In the parable of the sower, the sword of the Spirit is demonstrated as
each seed sown responds in one of four different ways. God sends the Christian
out to sow the seed. The seed is the word (logos - spoken word), and the Holy
Spirit works on the seed. In every case the seed germinates and begins to grow,
but in only one case does it spring up to maturity. The parable of course is
spiritual, and shows how those who preach the gospel are doing what is
required of them, and how God works on the hearers of the gospel in an attempt
to draw them to Him through conviction of sin, or the realization of His love
for them.
When
Paul asks, in Gal.5:2: "Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law,
or by the hearing of faith?" he is referring to the effect the word of God
has on people, for we know that :"faith comes by hearing and hearing by the
word of God" (Rom.10:17), and it is through the administering of the word
of God that spiritual enlightenment begins.
What
does this mean to the soldier of Ephesians six? It means that by taking the
sword of the Spirit, he can hold a weapon of such power and authority as to
change the course of history. By becoming familiar with the many different
movements of the sword - jabs, thrusts, sweepings, swingings, open arcs,
rakings, decisive cuts - he can meet the enemy head on and decapitate him with
confidence.
Even better, he can deliberately and knowingly quote the scriptures,
knowing that he is doing precise work,
and
specific work, which can make the work of the Holy Spirit much more efficient
and productive. Preaching the gospel is a veritable INVASION of the SWORD.
7.
Eph.6:18. "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,
and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all
saints;" OK: Pray at all times, on every occasion, in every season, in the
Spirit, with all manner of prayer and entreaty.
There
is a whole host of different kinds of prayer which a Christian can make, but
here are just a few types to whet your imagination:
Diligent
seeking
for something, reminding God of what He has promised, intercession
on behalf of nations, a highly profitable thing to do, speaking directly
to God, something which can be done at any time, asking for specific
guidance when the Bible is not specific enough, the Christian's method of
overcoming all personal abuse, special pleading, and the moment by moment
communion with God.
Mat.17:12.
To gain victory over the toughest of demons, a Christian is expected to turn on
it with prayers
and
with fasting, in a spiritual act of aggression. (Mark 9:2)
Acts
6:4. Evangelists, apostles and preachers are expected to be always praying and
ministering the word, since prayer makes the word effective through the Spirit.
Acts
12:5. When Peter was put into prison "prayer was made without ceasing of
the church to God for him", and great things happened to Peter.
2Cor.1:11
When Paul spoke of God's deliverances of him and other preachers, he attributed
the work to God, but said "you also helping together by prayer for us"
which certainly indicates the effective power of prayer.
Phil.4:6.
"Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God". Here is a very
exact definition of what prayer is for. The Christian can first of all identify
his problem, then he can decide what sort of prayer he is going to use, then he
can come into the holy of holies in the Spirit, and lay the problem or
difficulty out before the Lord, then he can apply pressure by using his
authority as a son or daughter of God, and after that, he can expect the Lord to
act according to His own methods and prerogative.
Prayer
is a very aggressive weapon. It is international. You've heard of ICBMs? well
how about sending off
some
ICBMs (Intercontinental Believer's Prayers). A Christian in New Zealand can
affect the course of
human
activity anywhere in the world through prayer. Through intercession revivals
have begun, cities have
been
preserved, armies have been defeated, souls have been saved, disasters have been
averted... the
Bible
is full of examples and today there are many books containing modern day
examples.
James
5:15,16 Praying has a lot to do with healing. "The prayer of faith shall
save the sick... the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails
much". All Christians can pray for the sick, and all can join to pray for
many other things as they see the need.
Mat.
2.1:22."And all things, whatsoever you shall ask in prayer,
believing, you shall receive" Jesus also explains that "if two of you
shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done
for them of my Father..." Mat.18:19. And, "Ask, and it shall be given
you;" Mat.7:7. And, "What things you desire, when you pray, believe
that you receive them, and you shall have them". Mark 11:24. These are all
promises by Jesus to His close followers. It isn't something which those not
following Him are expected to understand, but Christians are supposed to be
familiar with their Lord, and should know what He wants for them, so their
prayers should be according to His will.
One
good clear example of praying within God's will is in Romans 10:1, where Paul
says: “My HEART'S DESIRE and PRAYER to God for Israel is, that they might be
saved". It is God's clear intention and revealed will that "Israel
shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation: "Isa.45:17 so
Paul's prayer on this matter, and our prayer too, is absolutely sure to prosper.
Very
often God WANTS to do something but is prevented from acting because of the
ABSENSE of prayers. Take for example Isaiah 59:16, where it says that God
"wondered that there was no intercessor", and because there was no
intercessor praying to Him, He came in fury and judgment. (Nevertheless He
remembered His former oaths to His people and left a remnant).
In
Daniel 9:23, we are told that this man was another faithful Christian who saw a
promise which God had made earlier on to Jeremiah (29:10) and immediately set to
pray about it. He asked God to bring His promises to pass.
Today,
the Christian can go in prayer and remind the Lord of such promises as Mark
l6:17,18, and then GO out to preach, knowing that the promises are as reliable
as the God who made them.
Stand
therefore, Christian, in the power of the Lord, as He uses your strengths and
your weaknesses, and Go Christian, as you are expected to go, preaching the
gospel, trusting in. the Person of Jesus Christ. Speak, Christian, the message
of reconciliation to all you meet, and Fight, Christian, as you stir up abuse
and hostility, and always turn to your Bible for your answers as often as you
can - trusting in the Person, who gave it to you. March, Christian, in the right
footwear, always ready to explain salvation to any who will listen, and quote
the scriptures carefully, planting them in people's hearts, and Pray, Christian,
in a specific way, expecting to see conversions and answers and provisions.
These are the conditions and the weapons. Your part is to fulfill the conditions
and take up the weapons - that way the Lord can PROSPER you.
I
hope this study has brought out the fact that Christians are expected to be
aggressive in their faith, not passive and on defense. It is the world of
unbelievers which must defend its lack of faith.
The arming of the Christian with the weapons is a preparation for war,
and the success which so many Christians expect comes with obedient use of the
weapons.
Prosperity always follows obedience.