Thought For The Day (July 25, 2012) – Eternal Truth Is Communicated In JESUS CHRIST

(I) Truth is communicated as a revelation of JESUS CHRIST …… through His Witness and Testimony …. perfected into our inward parts ….

2 Corinthians 4:6-7 (NKJV) reads:
6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

(II) We need to continuously pray for the revelation of JESUS CHRIST … in whom are hidden all the treasures of GOD the FATHER

Ephesians 1:17-19 (NASB) reads:
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.
18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might
20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,
23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

(III) All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in JESUS CHRIST …..

Colossians 2:2-3 (NKJV) reads:
2 that their (our) hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ,
3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

(IV) All that the FATHER has belongs to the LORD JESUS CHRIST …. and everything that is of the fullness of JESUS CHRIST is brought to life in us and through us – by the HOLY SPIRIT ….

John 16:15, 14-15 (NASB) reads …
15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.
14 He (the HOLY SPIRIT) will glorify Me (JESUS CHRIST), for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

(V) Pray by the HOLY SPIRIT for the Mystery of CHRIST to be energized and formed in you so that you will be growing to be an actual Epistle of CHRIST …. understand that, that which is not of the substance and witness of YESHUA will never be a communication of truth in the eternal and the abiding ….

Isaiah 28:9-11 (NASB) reads:
9 “To whom would He teach knowledge, And to whom would He interpret the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just taken from the breast?
10 “For He says, ‘Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there.'”
11 Indeed, He will speak to this people through stammering lips and a foreign tongue

1 Corinthians 14:2 (NASB) reads:
2 For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries.

1 Corinthians 2:9-11 (NASB) reads:
7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory;
9 but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”
10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.
11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,
13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

(VI) Pray by the SPIRIT to actualize the fullness of JESUS CHRIST predestined for us in the FATHER’s will

John 1:16-17 (NASB) reads:
16 For of His fullness (YESHUA’s fullness) we have all received, and grace upon grace.
17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.

Philippians 4:13 and 19-20 read:
13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
20 Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Thought For The Day (July 24, 2011) – The Sabbath, Law Versus Fulfillment

The Sabbath: Understanding The Demand Of The Law Versus Its Fulfillment ….

Exodus 31:12-18
12 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
13 “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.
14 You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people.
15 Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
16 Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.
17 It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’ “
18 And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.

The purpose of the Sabbath Day, including the sacrifices that commemorated the Sabbath celebration (see Num 28:9-10), was to point to a necessary day of sanctification that will be brought to fulfillment through the finished work of the Cross (hence the Sabbath sacrifices).

And, the intent of GOD was that He would use the Sabbath Day to sanctify His people. The Sabbath was a perpetual Covenant with YHWH-M’Kadddesh (the Sanctifier).

To be sanctified is to be made holy, so as to be set apart unto YHWH, so as to accomplish YHWH’s purposes.

And, the Law pointed to the need to be sanctified as an absolute necessity for the people of GOD; for without being sanctified they (and we too) would all die.

The Sabbath Law that proclaimed the death sentence for breaking the Sabbath foreshadowed this reality of death if the people of GOD did not find a sanctified state of rest in GOD by Blood Covenant.

YHWH pointed to this Blood Covenant, commemorated in a Shabbat-Shalom, being established through the two tablets of the Testimony, written by the Finger of GOD, being given to Moses (Ex 31:18). These two tablets were the work of GOD (Ex 32:16) pointing to the fact that actual fulfillment would only come through YHWH’s Righteousness being manifested into our inward parts (see Jer 31:33-34).

[In 2 Cor 3:3 (NKJV) the fulfillment of the Law, including the Sabbath Law is pointed to: < clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone (which were received by Moses) but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. > ]

Israel observed the Law of the Sabbath Day through most of their history (and they do so even today) and they have failed to be sanctified unto YHWH.

Centuries of observance of the Law of the Sabbath Day did not bless them for the simple reason that their righteousnesses were filthy rags (Isa 64:6, KJV).

Paul points to the spiritual reason of this failure in Romans 9:30-32, which reads: < What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. >

The key to the Sabbath Rest of Sanctification is CHRIST being formed in us (Gal 4:19; Phil 4:13) through faith, and our ability to function by the HOLY SPIRIT, in CHRIST JESUS (Rom 8:2; 8:1-4, KJV/NKJV); not the mere observance of a Sabbath Day.

Ps 46:10a describes the essential basis of this sanctified state of Rest: < Be still, and know that I am God … >

YESHUA says this about the Sabbath: < And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” > – Mark 2:27-28.

The ultimate aim of the Sabbath is to enable us to operate by the HOLY SPIRIT, in CHRIST JESUS, in a sanctified state of rest that is the “Shabbat-Shalom” of YHWH-M’Kaddesh and YHWH-Shalom manifested in a dwelling place that He has sanctified and consecrated for Himself – in us and amongst us, in fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.

In John 14:23-27 (NKJV), YESHUA explains:
23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.
25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

The writer to the Hebrews (4:9-10, NASB) explains the Sabbath fulfilled as a Rest we must enter into where we cease from our works and becomes instruments of GOD’s work: < So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. >

Our understanding of the Sabbath Rest is a prophetic foreshadowing of a functional state of rest in YHWH, by the SPIRIT, in CHRIST JESUS, so as to be set free from the Law of Sin and Death (Rom 8:2).

Hence the declaration in Colossians 2:16-17 (NASB) which reads as follows: < Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day– things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. >

2 Corinthians 4:6-7 (NKJV) describes the awesomeness of the Sabbath Rest as follows: < For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves. > Amen & GBU.

Thought For The Day (July 23, 2012) – The Power Of YHWH’s Salvation

Salvation unfolds a new creation …. in and of the fullness of CHRIST JESUS …. in a process of renewal and regeneration by the HOLY SPIRIT …. through a washing of the water of the (rhema) word.

Ephesians 2:10 (NASB) reads: < For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. >

2 Corinthians 5:17-18a (NASB) reads: < Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God …. >

John 1:16-17 (NASB) reads: < For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. >

2 Corinthians 4:16 (NASB) reads: < Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. >

Titus 3:5 (NASB) reads: < He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit … >

Ephesians 5:26-27 (NASB) reads: < Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. >

The washing of renewal and regeneration flows by the HOLY SPIRIT through the Rhema Word of GOD. The end-product of this creative work is a spotless, holy and blameless Bride.

Renewal by the HOLY SPIRIT, that unfolds through the Rhema Word, makes the old new; while regeneration by the HOLY SPIRIT makes what is dead in sin alive and, free from the Law of Sin and Death.

The entire creative process of salvation, through renewal and regeneration, is of the fullness of JESUS CHRIST – communicated into us in substance and witness.

We can pursue this reality of salvation, by praying the Word of GOD, by the HOLY SPIRIT.

Activate / Energize, by the HOLY SPIRIT, the faithful and true Witness of YESHUA (Rev 3:14b) that stands in your mouth and heart (Deut 30:14-15) – in Spirit, Water and Blood (1 John 5:10a, 7-8).

Understand that YESHUA upholds all things – for fulfillment – in the Rhema Word of His Power (Heb 1:3b; Eph 3:20).

Luke 24:44-45 reads: < Then He (YESHUA) said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. > Amen!

Thought For The Day (July 22, 2012) – The Memorial-Name

Thought For The Day (July 22, 2012)

The Memorial-Name

Exodus 3:13-15 (NASB) reads:
13 Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?”
14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.'”
15 God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.

John 17:6, 25-26 (NASB) reads:
6 “I (YESHUA) have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.
25 “O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me;
26 and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

2 Corinthians 3:3 (NKJV) reads:
3 clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.

1 Corinthians 4:1 (NKJV) reads:
1 Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Revelation 19:10c (NASB) reads:
< “…. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” >

2 Corinthians 1:20 (NASB) reads:
20 For as many as are the promises of God, in Him (in JESUS CHRIST) they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.

In Revelation 3:14b (NASB) YESHUA declares that He is:
< “… The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God … >

Thought For The Day (July 21, 2012) – Putting On CHRIST, By The HOLY SPIRIT

Understanding the importance of putting on CHRIST, by the HOLY SPIRIT …

Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) reads: < Now faith is the substance (GK: ‘hupostasis’) of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. >

1 John 3:2-3 (NASB) reads: < Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. >

When we set our hope for all things on YESHUA, [who is the Way, the Truth and the Life] then the substance of our hope will be of YESHUA.

The substance of our hope will be of His Fullness (John 1:16-17, NKJV/NASB): of His Character, His Nature, His Faith, His Love, His Spirit, His Life, His Witness, His Testimony etc. And, the substance of His Fullness stands in the fulfillment of the Law.

This is why Colossians 2:9-10a (NKJV) reads: < For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete (NASB: ‘have been made complete’) in Him. >

The substance of YESHUA justifies us because the substance of YESHUA communicates the actual fulfillment of the Law (Matt 5:17) into the fabric of our being.

So a Christian has to put on CHRIST to meet the demands of the Law. Nothing else will really work.

Ephesians 2:10 reads: < For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. >

Romans 13:14 reads: < But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. >

How?

Galatians 5:16 reads: < But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. >

Romans 8:1-4 (NKJV) summarizes the predestined will of the FATHER:
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free [NASB: ‘has set us free’] from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,
4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Our attempts to observe the Law in our strength will never work. Why?

Isaiah 64:6 (NKJV) reads: < But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. >

Romans 9:30-32; 10:2-4 (NASB), Paul clarifies what the Prophet wrote:
30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith;
31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.
32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. …
2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

So, we need to walk by the SPIRIT in CHRIST JESUS, so as to be set free from the Law of Sin and Death. GBU.

Functioning In Spiritual Warfare

Functioning In Spiritual Warfare
By James Niles

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NASB) reads:
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,
4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.
5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

We function in spiritual warfare through prayer and prophetic utterances (Deut 30:14-15; Rom 10:8; 1 Peter 4:11; Jer 1:11-12).

We function in spiritual warfare in the faithful and true Witness of JESUS CHRIST (Rev 3:14b; 1 John 5:10a) alive in us, by the HOLY SPIRIT (John 16:14), in Spirit, Water and Blood (1 John 5:8).

We can only function in the Witness of JESUS CHRIST – in Spirit, Water and Blood – by the HOLY SPIRIT (Rom 8:2; John 16:14).

[Functioning in our own spirit will lead to lawlessness because it is written that our righteousness is filthy rags (Isa 64:6; Matt 7:21-23).]

Spirit, Water and Blood is the faithful and true Witness of YESHUA. It is the Witness of the Cross (see John 19:30, 34) and this Witness operates in the reality of the finished work of the Cross.

In the Witness of JESUS CHRIST, satan has actually been defeated and disarmed by YHWH through YESHUA’s triumph on the Cross. This reality of satan being defeated and disarmed exists in the faithful and true Witness of YESHUA that operates in our inward parts.

Colossians 2:13-15 (NKJV) declares: < And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. >

When we pray by the SPIRIT, we are energizing the Witness of JESUS CHRIST by the HOLY SPIRIT. We are energizing, into a Rhema Witness, the Logos Testimony of JESUS (Rev 19:10c; Heb 1:3b).

We are in this energized Witness applying the victory of YESHUA to address specific issues in life and ministry.

In spiritual warfare it is of the utmost importance that we understand that we are functioning in the Witness of YESHUA.

The fundamental framework for spiritual warfare is the victory of YESHUA in which YESHUA declares (in Matt 28:18): < “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” >

When we function in the Witness of YESHUA (in any aspect of life and ministry) we must clearly understand that we are operating by the HOLY SPIRIT, under YESHUA’s Authority. The Witness enables us to operate as functioning members of the Body of MESSIAH (CHRIST).

o In this Witness we will see the Word of Healing and Deliverance flow (Psalm 107:20).

o In this Witness we will see the Finger of GOD unveil to bind the strong man.

o In this Witness the Rod Of Aaron will operate to strike the the gods of ‘Egypt’.

o In this Witness strong angels will be released to do warfare in the heavenlies according to the Voice of GOD’s Word (Psalm 103:20-21) energized in the Witness of YESHUA by the HOLY SPIRIT.

All forms of ministry should operate in YESHUA’s faithful and true Witness. Every function that constitutes our life can be developed in YESHUA’s Witness so that we do all things in thought, word, deed and relationship in YESHUA’s Witness. Amen!

Thought For The Day (July 20, 2012) – YHWH’s Righteousness Flows Through The Faith OF MESSIAH

(I) The Law identifies sin and imputes sin, but the Law has no capacity to justify us …

o Romans 3:19-20 (NASB) reads: < Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. >

(II) But now the Righteousness of GOD (that is able to justify and save and heal etrc.) has been manifested through the faith OF JESUS CHRIST …

o Romans 3:21-23 (KJV) reads: < But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets (see Matt 5:17-18); Even the righteousness of God which is by faith OF Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God >

(III) The faith OF JESUS CHRIST that justifies us is communicated into us as we choose to have faith IN Him ….

o Hebrews:12:1c-2a (NKJV) reads: < let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith >

o Galatians 2:16 (KJV) reads: < Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith OF Jesus Christ, even we have believed IN Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith OF Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. >

o Galatians 2:20 (KJV) reads: < I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith OF the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. >

(IV) Because of the faith OF JESUS CHRIST being implanted in us through the Seed of CHRIST, nothing will be impossible to us as the seed faith of YESHUA is watered …

o Matthew 17:20 (KJV) reads: < And Jesus said unto them, … verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. >

o Galatians 3:16, 22-28 (KJV) reads:
16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. …..
22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith OF Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith IN Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

(V) The reality of the faith OF JESUS CHRIST, manifested and developed in us, opens us to astonishing possibilities in YHWH.

o 2 Peter 1:19 (NASB) reads: < So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. >

Out of the faith of YESHUA the Morning Star arises in our heart.

o 2 Cor 1:20 (NASB) reads: < For as many as are the promises of God, in Him (in JESUS CHRIST) they are yes; therefore also through Him (JESUS CHRIST) is our Amen to the glory of God through us. > GBU!

Putting On The Armor Of GOD

Putting On The Armor Of GOD
By James Niles

The Armor of GOD is an armor of Light (see Rom 13:12c). GOD is Light and the Armor He equips us with is an Armor of His Light.

This Light YESHUA describes as the Light of Life. John 8:12 reads: < Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” >

How does the Light of Life take form as an Armor of Life? As we put on CHRIST (by the exercise of our faith) and choose to become actual disciples of JESUS CHRIST in our daily walk of life – expressed through our thoughts, our words, our deeds and our relationships.

The Light of Life is a revealed reality (see Mark 4:22) that needs to be perfected and completed into us as we “walk the talk”.

The Light of Life is the evidence of our faith in GOD (Heb 11:1), through JESUS CHRIST (John 14:6). The Light of Life emanates from a faith that is Authored and Finished by the LORD JESUS CHRIST (Heb 12:a).

The faith that is Authored and Finished by the LORD JESUS CHRIST forms the fabric of Covenant by which the Light of Life is established (hard-wired) in our inward parts.

This Light of Life is an expression of the strength (Gk: ‘ischus’] of YHWH’s Might [Gk: ‘kratos’]. How is this so? In the introduction to the Armor of GOD in Ephesians 6:10, Paul talks about being strong in the strength of His might.

In Ephesians 1:19c-20, it is written that YESHUA was raised through “the working of the strength of His (GOD’s) might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places”.

So the strength of YHWH’s Might unveils in resurrection power. Hence we see that the Armor of GOD, which is the Armor of Light, is energized in resurrection power – the power that works within us (see Eph 3:20c).

The Armor of GOD is an Armor of Light that has a structure.

Ephesians 6:10-17 reads:
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The components of the Armor of GOD are:

o The Light of Life is truth expressed. Hence ‘our loins’, which point to our spiritual capacities of function, must be governed by the truth.

o The Light of Life is righteousness expressed. Hence ‘our breastplate of righteousness’ is the Light of Life that protects our heart.

o The Light of Life is the Light of the Gospel of Peace. And, our pathways must be governed by the Light of the Gospel of Peace.

o The Light of Life also forms the shield of faith. Light is the evidence of true faith that destroys every projection of the father of lies.

o The Light of Life forms the Helmet of Salvation. The Light of our salvation governs our mind.

o The Light of Life forms the Sword of the SPIRIT. The Sword is a Sword of Light that has the capacity to destroy the strongholds of darkness through the utterance of the Rhema Word of GOD. Remember that the Rhema Word of GOD is in our mouth and in our heart.

We need to ensure that every component of the Armor of GOD is being developed in our life.

GBU.

Thought For The Day (July 19, 2012) – Fight The Good Fight

Don’t forget that we are a people at war. Fight the good fight ……

In John 16:33b (NKJV), YESHUA declares:
“… In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

1 Peter 5:8-11 (NASB) reads:
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.

1 Timothy 6:12a (NASB) reads: Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called …

Ephesians 6:10-18 (NASB) reads:
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints

Remember the victory has been won. The GOD of Peace will soon crush satan under your feet (Rom 16:20).

Functioning In Spiritual Warfare

Functioning In Spiritual Warfare
By James Niles

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NASB) reads:
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,
4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.
5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

We function in spiritual warfare through prayer and prophetic utterances (Deut 30:14-15; Rom 10:8; 1 Peter 4:11; Jer 1:11-12).

We function in spiritual warfare in the faithful and true Witness of JESUS CHRIST (Rev 3:14b; 1 John 5:10a) alive in us, by the HOLY SPIRIT (John 16:14), in Spirit, Water and Blood (1 John 5:8).

We can only function in the Witness of JESUS CHRIST – in Spirit, Water and Blood – by the HOLY SPIRIT (Rom 8:2; John 16:14).

[Functioning in our own spirit will lead to lawlessness because it is written that our righteousness is filthy rags (Isa 64:6; Matt 7:21-23).]

Spirit, Water and Blood is the faithful and true Witness of YESHUA. It is the Witness of the Cross (see John 19:30, 34) and this Witness operates in the reality of the finished work of the Cross.

In the Witness of JESUS CHRIST, satan has actually been defeated and disarmed by YHWH through YESHUA’s triumph on the Cross. This reality of satan being defeated and disarmed exists in the faithful and true Witness of YESHUA that operates in our inward parts.

Colossians 2:13-15 (NKJV) declares: < And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. >

When we pray by the SPIRIT, we are energizing the Witness of JESUS CHRIST by the HOLY SPIRIT. We are energizing, into a Rhema Witness, the Logos Testimony of JESUS (Rev 19:10c; Heb 1:3b).

We are in this energized Witness applying the victory of YESHUA to address specific issues in life and ministry.

In spiritual warfare it is of the utmost importance that we understand that we are functioning in the Witness of YESHUA.

The fundamental framework for spiritual warfare is the victory of YESHUA in which YESHUA declares (in Matt 28:18): < “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” >

When we function in the Witness of YESHUA (in any aspect of life and ministry) we must clearly understand that we are operating by the HOLY SPIRIT, under YESHUA’s Authority. The Witness enables us to operate as functioning members of the Body of MESSIAH (CHRIST).

o In this Witness we will see the Word of Healing and Deliverance flow (Psalm 107:20).

o In this Witness we will see the Finger of GOD unveil to bind the strong man.

o In this Witness the Rod Of Aaron will operate to strike the the gods of ‘Egypt’.

o In this Witness strong angels will be released to do warfare in the heavenlies according to the Voice of GOD’s Word (Psalm 103:20-21) energized in the Witness of YESHUA by the HOLY SPIRIT.

All forms of ministry should operate in YESHUA’s faithful and true Witness. Every function that constitutes our life can be developed in YESHUA’s Witness so that we do all things in thought, word, deed and relationship in YESHUA’s Witness. Amen!