Sword of the Spirit

We are all in a constant battle. This battle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of darkness, against spiritual hosts of wickedness (Eph. 6:10 – 18). 

It is Spiritual Warfare. You can’t punch the devil in the face. You can’t shoot him with a gun, or knock his teeth out. He is an evil spirit and you have to fight him in the spirit.

God has given us armor and weapons to fight. With weapons we go after the enemy, and with armor we are protected from the enemy. We need to know how to use our weapons and make sure we are wearing our armor on a regular basis.

Spiritual warfare for spiritual people. How many of you have had it with the enemy and you are ready to win the war? Maybe you have been living in offensive mode. It is time we live on the defense and pray for strategies against the devil through prayer to overcome and attack our enemy. Our biggest defense weapon we have is the Sword of the Spirit.

Eph. 6:17b Amplified Bible

“And take… the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God.” (furnished by the Spirit, Who inspired the writers of the Word of God.)

Sword of the Spirit

1.  Speak The Word With Power? 

2 Cor. 10:3 – 5 Amplified Bible

“For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).”

“For the overthrow and destruction of strongholds.” This verse shows that strongholds start in our thought life. Use the Word and resist theories, imaginations, and reasonings.

The NKJV states that verse:

“Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, (II Corinthians 10:5 NKJV)”

We are to cast down any thought, argument or anything that tries to rise above who Christ is in your life! Using Your mouth as a weapon. Your words against the enemy are powerful because Jesus lives inside of each one of us. Jesus spoke with authority and power.

Luke 4:32 Amp

“And they were amazed at His teaching, for His word was with authority and ability and weight and power.”

The Word was in Jesus. He was the Word. He knew the authority He had and wasn’t afraid to use it. Far too often we as Christians are afraid to use our authority. We pull back when it comes to Spiritual warfare.

Listen, we have more power and authority in our little pinky then the devil thinks he has with all his legions of demons. We are the ones who give the enemy power and authority over us when we get fearful. Fear is a big factor in all of us. I know, because I struggle with it from time to time.

Don’t think of yourself as puny or unable to fight. We all can fight. We have to get the mindset that we are “In it to win it!” Retreat or giving up is not an option! Oh, the enemy speaks thoughts like, “You should just give up because you are not going to win.” We have to refuse to listen to his lies. It is a smoke screen. He is trying to give you all this drama of how things will unfold and he doesn’t even know because he is not God. He is not omnipresent. If he was, then he would be like God and he isn’t anything close to being like our Creator.

Wield your sword and speak God’s Word with power in you life. God’s word is powerful!

Hebrews 4:12  KJV

“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.”

The comparison of the Word of God to a sword is designed to show its power of penetrating the heart.

For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12 AMP)

Ecc. 12:11 GNT

“The sayings of the wise are like the sharp sticks that shepherds use to guide sheep, and collected proverbs are as lasting as firmly driven nails. They have been given by God, the one Shepherd of us all.” 

Isaiah prophesied that God has called Jesus from the womb and that God has made Christ’s mouth like a sharp sword and a polished shaft.

Isaiah 49:1 – 2 GNT

“Listen to Me, distant nations, you people who live far away! Before I was born, the LORD chose Me and appointed Me to be his servant. He made my words as sharp as a sword. With his own hand he protected Me. He made Me like an arrow, sharp and ready for use.”

We can also see this in many other verses in Revelations.

Rev. 1:16 NKJV

“He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.” 

Rev. 2:12 NKJV

“…These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword.”

Rev. 2:16 NKJV

“Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.”

Rev. 19:15 NKJV

“Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations…”

The idea is that of piercing, or penetrating; and the meaning here is, that the Word of God reaches the “heart” – the very center of action, and lays open the motives and feelings of the person.

It was common among the ancients to have a sword with two edges. The Roman sword was commonly made in this manner. The fact that it had two edges made it more easy to penetrate, as well as to cut with every way and direction.

Ever hear the saying, “Tongue lashing?” It expresses how the tongue can rebuke and hurt. The tongue is powerful. Who can tame the tongue? But in this case, the Sword of the Spirit is our tongue declaring the Word of God, which is empowered by the Holy Spirit, to cut like a two-edged sword to pierce deep and hard against the enemy.

2.  Fight against fear.

Fear is the devil’s biggest weapon he uses against us. If he can place fear in our hearts through thoughts in our mind, he knows it will paralyze us or even make us turn in retreat, or worse, give up all together.

Are you fearful? Are you afraid of failure? Afraid of what people think of you? Afraid of not measuring up? Afraid that you won’t have enough money to pay bills? Afraid of getting in trouble? We all have fears but we must remember fear ONLY comes from the devil.

2 Tim. 1:7 NKJV

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

This verse tells us that fear is a spirit and that God doesn’t give this spirit of fear to us. What does God give to us? He gives power and love and a sound mind. These are all good things God gives us and much more. Fear can paralyze us if we let it.

Some fears or sources of our fear:

-Anxiety

-Burdens

-Heaviness

-Horror movies

-Superstition

-Irrational concerns

-Phobias

-Worry

Fear: “a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid” (dictionary.com).

Courage: “the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.”

Fear is eliminated when we wield our sword of the Spirit! Use your weapons against the enemy because those weapons are constantly available for our use daily.

Fear is often False Evidence Appearing Real. Sometimes it is Real evidence appearing real. Either way we can’t be shaken by our fears. We have a Mighty Warrior fighting for us in this battle. We will do our part and He will for sure do His. Our part is to stand firm in the face of our fears and press forward. Learn how to encourage yourself in God and conquer your fears. Sometimes we do things afraid, but in essence we are conquering our fears and overcoming them!

3. Weapons of our warfare.

Along with the Sword of the Spirit we have many more weapons we can use agains the enemy. I want to list them quickly and briefly talk about each one.

Some Weapons of our Warfare

Sword of the Spirit – Word of God (Luke 4:1 – 13)

Praise – Silences the enemy (Psalm 8:2)

Blood of Jesus (Rev. 12:3)

Prayer – to not pray is to surrender to satan (James 5:6)

Your Testimony (Rev. 12:13)

Power of the Holy Spirit expressed through His gifts (Eph. 5:18, 1 Cor. 12:8 – 10)

a. Discernment of gifts

b. Word of knowledge

c. Word of wisdom

d. Faith

e. Miracles

f. Healings

g. Tongues

7. The name of Jesus (John 14:13 – 14, 1 Cor. 6:11, Acts 4:30)

8. Fasting (Mark 9:28-29, Matthew 17: 21)

9. Walking in love (1 Cor. 13, Prov. 10:12, 17:9, 1 Peter 4:8)

10. Forgiveness (Matt. 6:14-15,  Matt. 18:18-35, Matt. 20:28,  Matt. 26:28,  John 20:23, Eph. 1:7,  Col. 1:14, 1 Peter 1:19-23, 1 John 1:9)

4. Arsenal or Ammo to use against the devil.

This is the fun part; sharing some powerful Scriptures that will help in overcoming the devil and living a victorious life! I will put them in categories to help you at a quick glance.

Authority over the Enemy:

Isaiah 54:17 NKJV

“No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me, Says the Lord.”

Isaiah 55:11 NKJV

“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

Isaiah 59:19 NKJV

“So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.”

Matthew 10:8 NKJV

“Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”

Matthew 16:19 NKJV

“And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Mark 6:7 NKJV

“And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.”

Luke 10:19 NKJV

“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

Eph. 1:19 – 21 NKJV

“And what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.”

Eph. 6:10 – 18 (Armor of God)

Colossians 2:15 NKJV

“Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”

Rev. 1:18 NKJV

“I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.”

For Strength and declaration of victory:

1 Sam. 17:45 NKJV

“Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.’”

2 Sam. 22:33, 35,  and 40 NKJV

“God is my strength and power, and He makes my way perfect. He teaches my hands to make war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose against me.”

2 Kings 6:16 – 17 NKJV

“So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

Psalm 18:29 NKJV

“For by You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall.”

Psalm 149:6 – 9 NKJV

“Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand, To execute vengeance on the nations, and punishments on the peoples; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute on them the written judgment—This honor have all His saints.”

Isaiah 41:15 NKJV

“Behold, I will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth; You shall thresh the mountains and beat them small, and make the hills like chaff.”

Isaiah 50:7 NKJV

“For the Lord God will help Me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed.”

Jeremiah 23:29 NKJV

“Is not My word like a fire?” says the Lord, “And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?”

For those in Authority:

Psalm 37:23

Proverbs 21:1

1 Timothy 1:1, 2

For the nations:

Joshua 1:3

Psalms 2:8, 68:32 – 35, 108:1 – 5

Jeremiah 1:10, 15:19 – 21, 51:21

Daniel 12:3

Micah 4:13

For Guidance:

Psalms 34:19, 37:23 – 24, 123:1 – 2

Proverbs 3:5 – 6

Isaiah 30:21

2 Cor. 5:7

For Peace of mind:

Duet. 33:27

Psalm 31:24

Isaiah 26:3

John 14:27

1 Cor. 2:16b

2 Cor. 10:5

Eph. 2:14 – 15

Phil. 4:7 – 9

For protection:

Duet. 28:6 – 7

Isaiah 54:17

Psalm 5:11, 17:7 – 9, 91:1 – 7, 10

Proverbs 2:8

For restoration and security:

Joel 2:18 – 32

Psalms 31:8, 32:7

Proverbs 10:30, 12:3, 21,  18:10

For healing:

Exodus 15:26

Psalms 103:3

Proverbs 3:7 – 8, 4:20 – 22

Isaiah 53:5

Matthew 4:23, 9:28 – 29, 15:26 – 28

Luke 9:11

1 Peter 2:24

1 John 3:8

3 John 2

For dealing with an abusive husband:

Leviticus 26:3 – 13

Duet. 8:7 – 10

2 Chron. 15:7

Psalms 31:20 – 21, 32:7, 91, 144:11, 145:18

Ezekiel 28:24 – 26

For Sleeplessness:

Matthew 11:28 – 30

Job 11:18 – 19

Psalms 4:8, 127:2

Proverbs 3:24

Mark 4:37 – 39

For provision and finances:

Duet. 8:18

1 Kings 17:2 – 4, 8 – 9

2 Chron. 32:8

Prov. 3:2, 10:3, 11:23 and 25, 12:12, 13:21, 22, 25

Isaiah 54:5

Malachi 3:10 – 11

Matthew 6:25, 32

Luke 6:38

For a new job:

Deut. 28:3 – 14, 31:8

Joshua 1:3, 5 – 9

2 Chron. 15:7

Psalms 1:3

For weariness and depression:

Palms 28:7 – 9, 30:11 – 12, 42:5, 55:18

Isaiah 40:28 – 32, 41:10, 43:4, 18 – 19, 45:2 – 3

For children:

1 Kings 4:29

Psalms 127:3 – 5, 144:12

Isaiah 11:2, 43:5, 49:25, 54:13, 59:21

Jeremiah 29:11 – 14, 31:16 – 17

Daniel 1:9, 20

Eph. 1:17, 6:4

Phil. 4:19

Col. 1:9 – 12

James 1:2

For wayward family members:

Psalm 140:1 – 2, 4, 8

Isaiah 59:1

Jeremiah 33:26

2 Cor. 4:3 – 4

2 Tim. 2:25b – 26

To receive Jesus as Lord:

John 3:7 – 8, 16; 6:37, 10:10b, 14:6

Romans 3:23, 10:9 – 13

1 John 1:9

There are so many more scriptures for arsenal and weapons. One thing is for sure we, as the Army of God, are equipped, powerful, and well able to take the enemy because of Who we are in Christ.

Don’t be afraid to wield your sword. Be aggressive at the enemy. He is out to destroy you so don’t hesitate to use your weapons on him.

Your fellow comrade,

Pastor Kris Belfils

www.KrisBelfils.com

www.HopeFellowshipSpokane.com

www.krisbelfils.wordpress.com

Helmet of Salvation

Are you a strong person? Do you cringe and fall back under pressure? God wants to strengthen you and help you to be strong. God is strong and His character lives in us so we are strong. 

We have been studying the Armor of God and this week we are looking at the “Helmet of Salvation.” Let’s look at what the Bible says about the battle we are in by reading  Eph. 6:10 – 18 in the Message Bible.

Eph. 6:10 – 18 Message Bible

“10-12 And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. 13-18 Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.”

Eph. 6:17a NKJV

“And take the helmet of salvation…”

The Roman soldier helmet was designed obviously to protect the head. It was made of bronze, covered their head with a front piece coming down on the face to protect the eyes and nose. In using this illustration Paul is saying that salvation will protect the believer’s mind.

The helmet covers and protects the head. The helmet talks about your mind. YOUR MIND PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN YOUR VICTORY!

The majority of soldiers today, and in the time of Paul, died most often from injuries to the head.

Some Statistics about brain injuries:

▶Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death and disability in children and adults from ages 1 to 44.

▶Brain injuries are most often caused by motor vehicle crashes, sports injuries, or simple falls on the playground, at work or in the home.

▶Every year, approximately 52,000 deaths occur from traumatic brain injury.

▶An estimated 1.5 million head injuries occur every year in the United States emergency rooms.

▶An estimated 1.6 million to 3.8 million sports-related TBIs occur each year.

▶At least 5.3 million Americans, 2% of the U.S. population, currently live with disabilities resulting from TBI.

▶Moderate and severe head injury is associated with a 2.3 and 4.5 times increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

▶Males are about twice as likely as females to experience a TBI.

▶The leading causes of TBI are falls, motor vehicle crashes, ,struck by or against events, and assaults, respectively.

▶Exposures to blasts are a leading cause of TBI among active duty military personnel in war zones.

▶Veterans’ advocates believe that between 10 and 20% of Iraq veterans, or 150,000 and 300,000 service members have some level of TBI.

▶30% of soldiers admitted to Walter Reed Army Medical Center have been diagnosed as having had a TBI.

These stats are in the natural but we can apply them to our Spiritual life. Because our mind plays an important role in our victory, we have to be aware of what and how we think. We must have our mind renewed by that helmet of salvation to prevent any spiritual brain injury.

Spiritual Brain Injury prevention: Helmet of Salvation

1.  Where the mind goes the man will follow.

Whatever you believe is what you are going to live. Whatever you are thinking is what you’re going to live. Know what you believe. Pay attention to what you are thinking. If you don’t learn to think differently, you will never live differently. Our mind needs to be saved. It needs to be renewed and made right with Jesus.

Romans 12:2 Amplified Bible

“Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].”

Whatever you put into your mind is inevitably going to come out in your behavior and your beliefs. It weakens you and it weakens your values because you’ve become accustomed to it. When things don’t bother you any more that is a warning light. You’ve already passed the threshold in your mind and are walking in a lie. We have to guard against this.

Proverbs 23:7a NKJV

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”

Be on guard and protect your mind by controlling your thoughts. Don’t dwell on wrong thoughts. Wrong throughs are worse then bad friends. They lead you astray and you don’t even know it.

Actions will follow what we think. If you start thinking you would like a donut, and keep thinking about it, inevitably you will go and get yourself a donut if you have one in your kitchen. If you don’t have one in your kitchen, you might think of it long and hard enough and you will go to the donut shop or grocery store to get yourself one.

The second leading cause of death in military personal, who have come back from a battle, is committing suicide. In civilian life this is a leading cause of death too. Suicide only happens first in our minds. You start to think how bad your life is or thoughts of despair can flood our minds and lead us down a dark, self-destructing road. But, it starts in our mind first.

Where the mind goes the man will follow. Don’t let your thoughts go down that road of destruction. Find help! Talk to a friend. Talk to a Pastor. Realize the enemy is trying to kill you. Wear your Helmet of Salvation and fill your mind with the Word of God and good thoughts. Find something constructive to do instead of isolating yourself from others. Realize who you are in Christ and get that in your “knower,” your mind, and stand on it. Stop the destructive thought before it grows into something unmanageable.

2.  Have the mind of Christ.

If we think right we will live right! How do we think right? By having the mind of Christ.

Phil. 2:5 NKJV

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”

He lives in us when we have asked Him in our hearts as Savior.

1 Cor. 2:16 Amplified Bible

“For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart.”

We have His knowledge, His thoughts, His purposes for our life. There are times I will walk around in my day and say, “I have the mind of Christ in this matter.” “I will respond with the mind of Christ.” Reality is we need His guidance in everything. I believe as we give ourselves to Him, He gives Himself to us. He guides us and gives us wisdom in our everyday life. As we call on Him for direction, He gives it freely to us.

Jesus wasn’t captivated by bad thoughts. He didn’t allow His thoughts to go down a destructive path. Jesus took authority over the devil and the lies the enemy was feeding Him. He didn’t give any place to what the enemy tried to taunt Him with.

Looking at Matthew 4:1 – 11 we can learn a lot about Jesus and His mind as He responded to the devil with each temptation the enemy brought Him too.

Read Matthew 4:1 – 11 NKJV

Matthew 4:1 NKJV

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”

“To be tempted” – The word “tempt,” in the original, means to try, to endeavor, to attempt to do a thing; then, to try the nature of a thing, as metals by fire; then, to test moral qualities by trying them, to see how they will endure; then, to endeavor to draw people away from virtue by suggesting motives to evil.

Matthew 4:2 NKJV

“And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.”

Jesus was hungry. His body was weak without nourishment and the enemy knew it. Normal human response would be to feel down and depressed, maybe even be agitated. This is when the devil decided to tempt Jesus. He tempted Him with words or thoughts for Jesus to think about.

Matthew 4:3 NKJV

“Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 

The first temptation had to do with how Jesus’ body was feeling. He was hungry. It was Christ’s immediate need. “If you are the Son of God… command the stones to turn into bread.” You can hear the mocking in the enemies voice. “If You are the Son of God.”

Satan knew Jesus was the Son of God. He knew Jesus had power. But that is how someone taunts us or even criticizes us; by questioning our very existence. Not only that, but the enemy knew Jesus was hungry and the temptation was real because it would satisfy Christ’s hunger immediately. But Jesus’ defense move was to quote the Word of God, “It is written…” Jesus didn’t fall for the words the enemy was trying to make Him think. He didn’t listen to the lies that were trying to make Him take action. This is what we should do when we are tempted by the words of the enemy in our minds. Quote the Word of God right back at him.

Matthew 4:5 – 6 NKJV

“Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “it is written again, You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”

The devil came at Jesus with scripture, twisted though it may be, and tried to tempt Jesus. We have to be wise to the words of the enemy. He will take the Word of God and twist it to fit his temptation. Don’t fall for this scheme.

Jesus didn’t allow the enemy’s words to confuse Him. He stood strong, even being extremely hungry and bodily week, and came back at the devil with the Word of God.

Jesus could have fallen for this temptation. He is God and He is also human. His human body and mind could have fallen in their weakness, just like we can get at times. But, this was not the case with Christ. He pressed through the accusations and didn’t give the enemy any ground.

Matthew 4:8 – 11 NKJV

“Again, the devil took Him upon an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.” Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.”

How many of you need angels to come an minister to you when you have been tempted to respond to what you are hearing and possibly thinking? Me too. Jesus didn’t fall for it. He knew Who He was, and knew who the devil was. Jesus knew who He was to worship and it wasn’t the devil. The devil wants to be worshipped. We worship him by falling into temptation. We worship him by listening to his lies. We worship the devil by walking in the flesh.

We need our minds renewed and made right by Jesus, Amen!

3.  What you think; you are.

I want to revisit the verse in Proverbs.

Proverbs 23:7a NKJV

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”

That’s why we have to think right. We can’t have a defeated mind and a victorious life. We can’t have a dirty mind and a clean life. It doesn’t work that way. If you think defeated thoughts you will have a defeated life because we act on our thoughts. If you think dirty, not pleasing to God thoughts, we will have a dirty, not pleasing to God life because what you think, your actions will follow.

If we start thinking victoriously, then our mind and our life is going to line up. When we start thinking clean thoughts, a clean life will follow.

We have to have this helmet of salvation. We need the Lord to protect our minds in this crazy world where so much is accessible, where so much tries to penetrate our minds. We need that helmet of salvation to protect our minds minute by minute of each day.

Not only what we think, but the thoughts of those we hang around with can influence our actions. Their beliefs, views, and thoughts can become ours if we are not careful. That is why it is so important to hang around godly people who have the mind of Christ. If you are easily influenced, don’t even think you can hang around non-believers and not be influenced by them.

Wrong voices lead to wrong choices. The wrong crowd, wrong people, leads to wrong information and you will soak in what they are pouring out.

Pastor Kris Belfils

What have you been thinking lately? Think about what you are thinking about.

It is time we take inventory of our thought life. What are you spending your time thinking about? Are your thoughts doom and gloom? If a negative thought comes in your mind do you dwell on it and give it a place to live? We are to think and dwell on good things.

Phil. 4:8 NKJV

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.”

Meditate: “To reflect on: ponder, to plan or intend in the mind… to engage in contemplation, to care for, practice, attend to. (Webster and Vines Expository Dictionary).

The Bible presents a lot of detailed instruction on what kinds of things we are to think and meditate on. You can see from these various Scriptures that we are instructed to think on good things, things that will build us up and not tear us down.

Our thoughts certainly affect our attitudes and moods. Everything the Lord tells us is for our own good. He knows what will make us happy and what will make us miserable.

When a person is full of wrong thoughts he is miserable; when someone is miserable, he usually ends up making others miserable also.

You should take inventory of your thoughts on a regular basis and ask yourself, “What have I been thinking about?” Spend some time examining your thought life.

Thinking about what you’re thinking about is very valuable because Satan usually deceives people into thinking that the source of their misery or trouble is something other than what it really is. He wants them to think they are unhappy due to what is going on around them (their circumstances), but the misery is actually due to what is going on inside of them (their thoughts). The misery is usually his doing and our believing it.

You can try to ignore what is going on inside of you for so long and then it will either destroy you or push you to change. 

Pastor Kris Belfils

Putting the helmet of Salvation on daily is our fail safe plan for success and victory! Decide now that you will think good thoughts about yourself, your life, and your future. Don’t be distracted by hanging around the wrong people who are saying the wrong things.

Be encouraged by the Word of God and thinking about all the good in your life. When the enemy attacks you will already be wearing your helmet of salvation, and having the  mind of Christ which will protect your thoughts that affect your mind. Prevent Spiritual Brain Injury in advance then you are setting yourself up for success and victory. Amen!

Wear your helmet well,

Pastor Kris Belfils

www.krisbelfils.com

www.hopefellowshipspokane.com

www.krisbelfils.wordpress.com

Walking in Shoes of Peace

As a Christian, there is too much at stake to be careless about our spiritual armor. Every second of everyday we are in a spiritual battle. Your enemy is relentless in his attacks against you, so you have to be even more relentless and tenacious, and diligent in your role in this battle. God didn’t leave us defenseless. He has provided the needed weapons, and protection we need daily to overcome our enemy.

Eph. 6:10 – 13 NKJV

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

We have looked at standing in face of our fears, in the face of our enemy. Standing in the middle of a storm. Standing is a battle position. We are not giving ground. We are not giving up. We stand to face the battle and we stand after we have done all. We looked at having the Belt of Truth tightly girded around our waist and not be swayed by any one or anything. We put on our Breastplate of Righteousness and realized when we are in right standing with God we win the battle. When we have sinned it separates us from God and the enemy seems to be winning. We are trees of Righteousness standing tall for God’s glory and we don’t allow our emotions to rule us.

Today I want to look at the Shoes we wear in this battle.

Eph. 6:15 NKJV

“…and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;”

Peace is part of our armor. Peace is a weapon against the enemy. Keeping our peace at all costs will prevent turmoil, chaos and stress. This is what the enemy uses against us, one of his popular weapons, is to take our peace away.

It is interesting that the peace is on our feet. Every step we take we should be wearing God’s peace. Everything we do in life, everywhere we go, needs His peace.

Eph. 6:15 NKJV

“…and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;”

In the Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Definitions:

–Shod – to bind under one’s feet, that is, put on shoes or sandals.

–Preparation – prepare, provide, make ready.

–Gospel – to announce good news (“evangelize”) especially the gospel: – declare, bring (declare, show) glad (good) tidings, preach (the gospel).

–Peace – by implication prosperity: one, quietness, rest, + set at one again.

We are to bind to our spiritual feet, prepared ahead of time, the good news of the Gospel of Jesus, the Prince of peace. But there is more to it then that. I would like to look at a few angles of what this really means.

Walking in Shoes of Peace

1.  Be a voice for Good News.

Isaiah 52:7 NKJV

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, Your God reigns.”

It is a good thing to proclaim the goodness of God to all we meet. This verse expresses how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. God delights in our sharing and proclaiming His peace, and His salvation, and His reign to others.

It is not only a good thing, but it is a mandate that God has asked us to do.

Matthew 28:18 – 20 NKJV

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.”

Bringing the good news is for every believer to do. It is not just for ministers and pastors and evangelists. We are all ministering evangelists for God. Everywhere we go the atmosphere should be changed because of Who lives in us. We are carriers of God’s peace and presence.

People who don’t know God should see a difference in us compared to themselves. This difference, the Gospel of Peace, is what they need. We have the answer for any question about their life; Jesus! He has forgiven you, changed you, and set you free, surely you can share this with those who are bound, who are lost, and who have no hope. It’s a beautiful thing!

2.  Be at peace with God

1 Peter 3:10 – 11 Amplified Bible

“For let him who wants to enjoy life and see good days [good – whether apparent or not] keep his tongue free from evil and his lips from guile (treachery, deceit). Let him turn away from wickedness and shun it, and let him do right. Let him search for peace (harmony; undisturbedness from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts) and seek it eagerly. [Do not merely desire peaceful relations with God, with your fellowmen, and with yourself, but pursue, go after them!]”

Stop fighting God. If you are a believer, your job is to submit to God and His Word. This verse says that if you want to enjoy your life and see good days we are to keep our tongue free from evil; slander, profane talk, gossip, lying, being deceitful. Anything that we speak shows our character. It shows if you have submitted your life to God or not.

People have come up to me, and the moment they open their mouths, they show their character and relationship with God. What comes out of us is what we put into us.

Psalm 34:13 NKJV

“Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”

I could talk about our tongue for a long time. I think you understand how important it is to submit our tongues to God. Don’t allow your tongue to hurt people or damage your reputation. What we say can bring turmoil. Allow your tongue to be an agent of peace. Being obedient with our tongue keeps peace with God.

Keeping peace with God is also obeying His word. Doing all of it, not just a portion, or the things that we like, but all of it. Keeping peace with God is shunning evil and doing good.

3.  Be at peace with yourself.

1 Peter 3:11b Amplified Bible

“Do not merely desire peaceful relations with God, with your fellowmen, and with yourself, but pursue, go after them!]”

You don’t need more peace, you need to start using the peace you already have on the inside of you! We don’t need peace, we need to access peace!

Are you mad all the time? We would go much farther if we would just get over being mad. Strive to live in peace. Is there always an underlying feeling of frustration or anger in your heart? Why? Because you were mistreated? Because you didn’t get what you wanted? This is immaturity on your part. Growing in God, and in life, we realize we don’t always get what we want. Often the reason we don’t is because of our bad attitude. Our attitude can make or break us. Letting go of having to be right, or the first to know something, and letting everybody around you know you knew, is freeing. It brings peace.

When you are against yourself you are in for a hard ride. So many people don’t have peace with themselves.

How many of you have a little private war going on in you all the time? You don’t like yourself, and some even get into self-hatred. All you do is think about what you do wrong all the time. You don’t know how to encourage yourself.

Yes, we all have weaknesses, but we also have strengths. You don’t have to sit around and think about your weaknesses all the time, its time to think about your strengths! How many of you have some things u are good at? Why don’t u think about that instead of what you are bad at? Thats not pride to do that. You can thank God for everyone of your strengths.

Thank you God that I am a faithful person!

Thank you God that I am committed!

Thank you that I don’t give up easily.

Thank you that I am organized.

Thank you that I am a hard worker.

Thank you that I am a committed parent.

Thank God for the gifts that you are fully functioning in and God will make up for the weaknesses! God will take care of your weaknesses.

Don’t live in competition with anybody else. God did not call you to be somebody else, He called you to be you! You don’t have to be like anybody else! Say right now: “I am happy to be me!”

Believe that God loves you unconditionally! He loves you right now just as much as He will ever love you. Value yourself as God’s special and unique creation. You are unique!

I use to think, “There was something wrong with me because I liked to speak publicly and lead people to God’s throne in worship. I didn’t like cooking, or gardening, or scrapbooking, or house cleaning, or things ordinary women liked to do.” I would try to plant things and they would just die. I would try to be arts and crafty but anything I made looked terrible and I didn’t have the patience for it. My husband Ron would cook or bake something for the holidays and we would visit his family and He would let have credit for making it. Honestly I thought I was weird. Then I realized God made me to be me and I enjoyed loving and ministering to people. I enjoyed being with my family and seeing them succeed. Enjoyed helping others. Enjoyed putting sermons together (Term paper every week). I enjoy traveling and singing and writing. I realized I was unique, and unique things are very valuable.

Each one of you have a unique feature that makes you not like everyone else. Stop torturing yourself thinking you need to shove yourself into someone else’s mold. God created you purposely and He wants you to stand up boldly and be the person that you are!

Submit to Gods plan and stop having to know WHY about everything. Stop trying to reason everything out. Stop trying to find out all the answers to your questions. There will be times we don’t get answers to our questions. Don’t allow it to rob you of your peace. Remember Who lives in you and Who is Lord of your life. Ours is to not as much question God, but to trust Him.

I love to give surprises to my daughters. I even like to tell them I have a surprise for them so they will be expecting. They use to ask what it was or try and guess. Now, they just trust their Dad and I that we wouldn’t give them anything or do anything that would hurt them. They look forward to what the surprise is knowing it will come in due time. This is how we are to be with God. He will answer our prayers and does have blessings for us, we just need to trust Him with our unanswered questions. It is called faith and without faith it is impossible to please God.

4. Be at peace with others.

1 Peter 3:11b Amplified Bible

“Do not merely desire peaceful relations with God, with your fellowmen, and with yourself, but pursue, go after them!]”

Now thats the problem isn’t it! There is a saying amongst ministers; “Ministry would be so much easier if you didn’t have to deal with people!” This is so true, yet that is the very reason people go into the ministry: for people.

2 Timothy 2:23 Amplified Bible

“But refuse (shut your mind against, have nothing to do with) trifling (ill-informed, unedifying, stupid) controversies over ignorant questionings, for you know that they foster strife and breed quarrels.”

As soon as a thought comes in your mind that will create strife, or disharmony, or disunity, you need to shut your mind against it. Thats when we need to get violent and say, “NO! I am not going there.”

You can say,  “Well, I wish I didn’t have these thoughts!” “Well I just wish the devil would leave me alone!” “Pastor Kris would you pray that the devil would leave me alone?” I can pray that when the devil comes you will be so full of the Holy Spirit that instead of him running you off, you will run him off. You will rule him and he won’t rule you! Jesus didn’t mess with the devil. He said, “Get thee behind me satan!” Submit your self to God, resist the devil and he will flee!

Do you know that all this upset, and lack of shoes of peace, is something the devil provokes. The servant of the Lord must not strive.

2 Tim 2:24 Amplified Bible

“And the servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome (fighting and contending). Instead, he must be kindly to everyone and mild-tempered [preserving the bond of peace]; he must be a skilled and suitable teacher, patient and forbearing and willing to suffer wrong.”

Here is the word of the Lord for you today, “Be easy to get along with!”

Its not complicated. How many of you are high maintenance?….. Be low maintenance. Show up, do your job, don’t murmur or complain. Lets learn how to be easy to get along with. Be a person who is easy to be around. You know how you can have that? Stay flowing in the Holy Spirit. Spend time with God. Get that anointing stirred up. We need to be well oiled so we can slip in and out of sticky situations.

Isaiah 10:27 – its the anointing that destroys the yoke of bondage!

Just coming to church and sitting in the anointing of God during worship can break bondages off of you!

Amplified Bible the anointing is referred to as fatness. Which is very interesting, and its because of fatness the yoke is broken off of us. So this is one time when we can legally be fat. We can be fat with the anointing and the presence of the Holy Spirit. We need to be so fat with the Holy Ghost that there is no bondage big enough to fit around us. Amen! Lets be fat in the spirit.

Strive, strive, strive to be in peace. Don’t be in strife, but strive to be in peace. It’s what you pursue! Strive in the greek means “hard labor.” In other word if you are going to get along with people you are going to have to want to!

Maybe you are trying to get along with someone you are married to and contemplating on getting a divorce and starting over. Let me tell you something, the grass is usually not greener on the other side. You have to mow that grass too so maybe you just ought to stay and work things out.

Matt 5:9 NKJV

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

Amplified bible states:

Matt. 5:9 Amplified Bible

“Blessed (enjoying enviable happiness, spiritually prosperous – with life – joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the makers and maintainers of peace, for they shall be called the sons of God!”

Be the first to apologize. The first to say I was wrong. The first to admit you didn’t have all the information and responded too quickly. Be a peacemaker. Learn to defuse strife instead of bringing it!

Walking in shoes of peace is powerful. We can share the good news of the Gospel of peace. We will be at peace with God, ourself, and with others. We are pursuers of peace. Guard your peace constantly because the devil’s job is to take it away the next chance he gets.

Walking in shoes of peace,

Pastor Kris Belfils

www.krisbelfils.com

www.hopefellowshipspokane.com

www.krisbelfils.wordpress.com