Armor of God – Week One – Sizing Up The Enemy

Welcome to Boot Camp!  For the next seven weeks we will be training with our weapons (God’s Word and prayer) in preparation for the battle of our lives and the lives of others!  And we will be learning how to equip ourselves with the Armor of God.

Priscilla Shirer’s Armor of God Bible study is a MUST-DO for EVERY BIBLE STUDENT!  I don’t mean to shout, but I can’t emphasize this enough!!!  We are at war boys and girls.  And our enemy wants to keep us in the dark about that fact.  If he can convince us that he does not exist or that our God is not good or that we are not loved and treasured by the King and Creator of the Universe, he wins the battle.  But can I share something with you?  OUR ENEMY HAS ALREADY LOST THE WAR!!!!!  His time is short and he is grasping at anything we leave dangling in an attempt to drag us down.  So let’s not leave too much dangling.

My church begins the Armor of God study tonight (9/9/15).  I can’t wait!  We need to start implementing these strategies NOW.  There is no time to waste.  I will put these posts on the blog as soon as possible.  I’m targeting Mondays.

Video #1 is some of the most powerful teaching I’ve ever experienced in a Bible study class.  What I learned:

·         Prayer is powerful

·         I need to step back so I can see the battle

·         People are not my problem

·         The enemy is real

·         I need to quit playing whack-a-mole by dealing with circumstances and ATTACK THE REAL PROBLEM BEHIND THE CURTAIN

·         Because I am a believer, I am in the heavenly places right now with Christ

·         Prayer is how I access the heavenly places

·         My weapons aren’t physical

·         God has given me HIS OWN armor to wear

·         Prayer powers the armor

I loved my book work this week!  I told our study group last night that the workbook was a mentor, like Miss Clara from the movie “War Room,” with whom we can sit down and have a hot cup of coffee and receive one-on-one tutelage.  I sat down with Miss Priscilla and the Holy Spirit throughout the week.  Through the workbook, they mentored me in crafting prayer strategies to fight the real enemy.  Here’s what I’m learning in my time with Miss Priscilla and the Holy Spirit:

·         What I see with my eyes is a reflection of what’s happening in heavenly places

·         I am connected to more spiritual brawn than what is coming against me

·         I need the Lord to open my eyes to see the spiritual reinforcements at my disposal and working on my behalf

·         I am blessed richly in Christ with every spiritual blessing (redemption, forgiveness, wisdom, understanding, I’m marked with a seal, I have enlightenment, hope, a glorious inheritance and the power of God – Hallelujah!)

·         I need to undisguised, uncover, unveil, unmask the enemy

·         Satan’s calling card is deception

·         Because I’m a citizen of heaven (and I am in the heavenly places right now with Christ), I have the home court advantage

·         Satan can’t destroy me, but he can and will use any means to make me ineffective

·         I can’t be lazy – I must always be on my guard and alert because my enemy is prowling like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour

·         Satan may be tricky, but he’s not original or creative

This week’s bookwork included two “Digging Deeper” articles.  Digging Deeper I is called “What’s in a Name” and it exposed eight names used to describe our enemy.  These names reveal his character and opened my eyes to his nature.  Digging Deeper II focused on “The Enemy’s Strategies”.  This article showcased 10 strategies the enemy uses to entice us to live in defeat.  Each of the strategies corresponds to a chapter in Priscilla’s book “Fervent”, which is also about prayer and a read I highly recommend.  Both articles provided valuable insight into the battle we’re fighting.

Here is the prayer strategy I’ve crafted to use based on what I’ve learned:

Holy Father, my Defender, You are more powerful than my enemy.  I repent of fighting symptoms, being lazy and not putting on the full armor You’ve gifted to me.  I ask that You open my eyes to my spiritual resources and teach me how to use them.  Make me alert.  Give me awareness of my enemy’s unoriginal and uncreative trickery.  Help me to step back from situations so I can see the true battle and fight…not according to the flesh (2 Cor 10:3), but being alert and of sober mind because my enemy prowls like a roaring lion for someone to devour (1 Pet 5:8).  I am Your child, but not a child tossed here and there by doctrine, trickery of men or craftiness in deceitful scheming (Eph 4:14).  Train me to be a successful warrior in Jesus’ name.  Amen.