Included within these pages are the keys necessary to know how to engage in eternal living, as a child of God, when you are on the spiritual battlefield and especially how to be vigilant when you approach the home stretch in your season. The scripture verses studied include John 7:39 (A Look at Belief) and Ephesians 6:10-18 (A Look at the Whole Armor of God). The format of the entire study includes conversations between myself and God as I studied these passages, along with the actual study and the truths God revealed to me to help me grow spiritually and stand firm during attacks of the enemy.
A Look at Belief
John 7:39 (New Living Translation)
(When he said, “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)
Looking at John 7:39, it says “the Spirit would be given to everyone believing in him”; so it truly is all about your belief. Your belief activates the process. Your belief fuels your growth and transformation. Your belief gives you the ability to express the power of God through eternal living. That is why the devil fights so hard to get you to doubt.
First, he tries to distract you with problems, so that you do not even consider looking to the truth and believing in God. Then, he tries to plant seeds of doubt to keep you from believing once you have been exposed to the truth of the Gospel. Moreover, once you have accepted the truth, believed and received the Holy Spirit; the devil will try to get you to doubt God’s love for you and God’s perspective about how valuable you are to Him. The devil will also try to make you doubt that you can hear from God, understand and especially interpret what God is saying to you.
The devil will fight you every step of the way on your journey. However, if you resolve to trust in God’s words, depend on His love and provision, and believe you hear Him and can interpret what He is saying to you and apply it to your life personally; then you will become an impenetrable force for God. This will cause the enemy to tremble, because he knows there is nothing else he can do to stop you. This is where God desires us to be. It is essential that you spend time with God and let Him transform you and renew your mind, so you can experience eternal living here on earth and be a mighty force for God and express who God is, LOVE, to everyone you encounter.
My Daughter,
Yes, this is exactly the way the enemy likes to work and since you now know this, you can avoid his traps. From this, you know if you start getting distracted and focused on the problems, you can overcome by shifting the focus from your situation onto who I AM, my love for you and my track record of provision and faithfulness in your life. You also know that if you begin to doubt in any way, that the devil is trying to steal life from you. So, since he is trying to steal it, shift your focus again onto my words that are life and remember who I AM, what I have done for you and what I have been teaching you, and you will reject the seed of doubt that the enemy is trying to plant in you. As you do this your faith will grow and you will not succumb to his trap of deception.
This truth is the key to staying on track with me. If you will always remember this truth and do what I have told you when you recognize that you are focused on the problems, or that you are beginning to feel doubt; you will become this great vessel that I can use to make a powerful impact in the world, just like Jesus did – AND THAT IS THE TRUTH. See how freeing that is. When you know the truth and you know where the traps are, you can easily avoid them and avoid destruction. Victory will then be yours, and you will experience power beyond anything imaginable. This is simple and the truth does not have to be complicated. Keep this word straight and hold it over your heart. Speak the power of this word and see it manifest great results for you. Be encouraged today and know that this truth you have discovered will be your saving grace.
Love Always, Your Father God
A Look at The Whole Armor of God
Papa,
I thank you that today is a new day, with new mercies. Thank you for the grace that you give me to endure and for the strength to keep pressing forward. Thank you for helping me to see what’s been happening and why I keep ruminating over things. I did take what happened personally and I should not have, because the enemy was behind it. In all my pain and distress, I failed to see that and I allowed myself to get very hurt. I should not be allowing myself to be affected by things like this, because you have taught me to see beyond the surface to what is really going on and to forgive. Please forgive me for not seeing that sooner.
I’m amazed at what that taught me about the power of being hurt and how it can keep you on the ground, focusing on every aspect of the problem, instead of looking up and flying above these burdens and challenging circumstances. Thank you for helping me to see that the attack caught my “spiritual wings”, so I wasn’t able to fly and rise above the situation to a place where I am completely focused on you and trusting in your goodness and mercy. That hurt took me to a place of self-pity and fear about the future and that is not where you want me to be. I’m grateful that you’ve helped me to see the truth and now get my focus back where it belongs, on you, so that I can experience healing and the freedom to fly again, above the problems and the unknown.
Thank you for your goodness to me and for helping me to see these truths. Thank you for what you have taught me about hurt and how it can keep me bound if I don’t open my eyes and see the truth about what is going on. Please continue to guide me and help me to recognize it sooner, so that I don’t get caught like that again. I can see I’m still adjusting to these “glasses of mercy”, which I should have on all the time. Help me to use them appropriately and see beyond the surface, to the truth of what’s really going on.
Thank you for your goodness and your loving kindness. I love you Lord and I’m grateful for what you are teaching me. Thank you for your forgiveness and for showing me the truth, that has set me free. Thank you also for helping me to see the importance of staying calm in every situation. If I stay calm, I can avoid escalating a situation to a place that only leads to strife and grief. Continue to help me to do that and grant me the wisdom I need to always operate calmly and rationally.
Thank you for your faithfulness and your grace to me today. Thank you for helping me to remember the things you’ve taught me, and for the power of applying those truths. Lord, please be with me today as I work on typing up some of the newer things you’ve been teaching me, so I can start to review them every day and get those words deep inside me. Thank you for showing me the importance of recognizing the changes within a season and the need for more vigilance as I come down this home stretch. Continue to guide me and work in me. Help me to be careful about what I allow into my mind in these last few weeks of this trial. Thank you for your mercy, compassion and forgiveness. Thank you also for your love and patience through this challenge. Thank you for the way you are strengthening me and preparing me for your purposes. I love you Lord, and I am so grateful for all you’ve done for me and for the healing and restoration you’ve given me this morning. Have your way in me today and keep me from falling into any traps of the enemy. May your will me done in my life and may you receive all the glory.
In Jesus’ Name, AMEN
My Daughter,
I’m proud of you for recognizing what you were experiencing and for using what I’ve taught you to come through it. There’s something very important I want you to understand about what the enemy is doing and how you can overcome it. The enemy will use the people closest to you, and plan attacks to do things to try to hurt you. But, you have a very important weapon against that attack and it’s in the way you choose to love, despite what is being done to you. If you will make up your mind to love and keep expressing that love, no matter what, the enemy’s tactics will not work and he will eventually release the hold he has on those he is using to harm you. So, if you will submit to what I am teaching you and choose to use those “glasses of mercy” and always respond with love and quickly forgive; knowing that the person who’s attacking you has no idea what they are really doing (because they are being used by the enemy), that will break the hold the enemy has over them.
Lily, love is so powerful and unfortunately my people don’t see the importance of it enough, because they are so busy focusing on their own problems and their own hurt, instead of just trusting me to take care of them and heal them. I want my people to see that if they will trust me, keep their eyes on me through a challenge and allow me to show them what’s going on beyond the surface; they can begin to overcome by responding with love, compassion, mercy and forgiveness. These are the four things that will help you to overcome the attacks of the enemy. You fight with faith and my word, but these are the underlying tools that work to break the hold of the enemy and his power in an attack.
I want you to take your time this morning and study the passage on the armor you use when fighting a spiritual battle. It’s time for you to understand the truths here and begin to use all that is at your disposal to defeat the enemy. Trust in me and know that I’m with you and I will continue to show you the truth. Let that be your focus today and over the next few days. I want you to be prepared for the battle ahead. And, remember not to fear because as I’ve told you, I’ve already overcome and your responsibility in the battle is to keep your eyes on me, keep trusting me and use what I’ve taught you; submitting to my word, and you will always make it through. Continue to trust me and know that I am always with you.
Love Always, Your Father God
Ephesians 6: 10-18 (New Living Translation)
A final word: Be strong with the Lord’s mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in heavenly realms.
Use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will be standing firm.
Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.
For shoes, put on peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared.
In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan.
Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.
Study of Ephesians 6: 10-18
-The strength we get must come from God. He teaches us and shows us that He is with us and that He has already overcome. So, as we believe in God’s words about these truths, we are strengthened and more prepared for the battle.
-We must make use of every piece of armor that God has put at our disposal and that armor is powerful, once you know what it’s for and how to use it. When you understand that the armor is for a battle that you cannot see with your natural eye, you are more prepared to depend on God, who is in the spirit realm where the battle takes place, to show you what you need to see. This way, you can fight the attack by resisting the enemy (James 4:7). The armor is for the resistance.
-When you’re in a battle that you cannot see with your natural eye, you’ve got to learn to work with God, who will teach you, develop you and help you to have the perspective that you need to see the enemy’s attack. God will teach you how to see the spiritual battle, but you must first learn what tools are in your arsenal and how to use them.
-It’s important that you see who your enemy is in the battle and how he tries to attack you. Your enemy is always Satan, not people; however, he will use people all the time to try to get to you. This is where you will need the guidance and wisdom from God to show you when you are under attack and how that attack is happening. If you don’t know you are in a spiritual battle, you will find yourself getting hurt or injured inside and you won’t know why it’s happening, where it’s coming from and what’s causing those feelings. And you will begin to respond (or fight back) in a way that will only escalate things, instead of doing what is necessary to break the back of the attack against you.
-Our goal in overcoming the battle is to stand firm, so that we can continue to be about the purpose God created us for and to represent Him in the earth. We represent Him best by showing mercy, compassion, forgiveness and love to others.
*The purpose of the armor is to give you the ability to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. It’s important to understand that the Devil will use many different tactics to get you to fall in the battle. His goal is to get you to fall down until you reach the point where you fall away from God completely. But, the one who stands firm and is victorious in the battle is the one who can admit their complete dependence on God and spend regular time with Him, in order to be transformed and prepared for the battle. This person can then use the tools in their arsenal the way God shows them to.
As you stay humble, wholly dependent on God, and remain in constant communication with Him, He will show you how to fight off every different tactic that the enemy tries to use against you. You must keep an attitude of vigilance, staying alert and prepared for the battle, by staying connected to God, remaining in Him and walking around with His peace. That peace comes as you trust completely in Him, casting all your cares, worries and problems on Him; knowing that He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7) and is able to do all that you will ever need Him to do. This frees you up to focus on your destiny and do the very thing that God created you to do in the world.
The enemy will use every strategy and trick he can to deceive you into thinking that you are alone, unloved, no one is concerned about you and you have to make it on your own if you want to survive. He will whisper those words into your ear, but if you’ve been with God and you’ve heard His words and you can hold onto His words to you, then you can defeat that kind of attack. Once you’ve learned how to defeat the enemy in this way, he will try other methods, maybe more subtle way to get to you. He may use friends or family or even people in the church to send you that same kind of message by how they treat you or the words they say to you. But, if you learn to stay connected to God and remember the things He’s taught you and allow Him to remind you about the very truth you need to combat that attack; you won’t fall prey to these strategies either and you will continue to stand firm, strong in God.
Allow God to be your constant companion and never allow yourself to stray from Him or stop trusting Him. Believe in His love for you and His goodness, mercy, grace and faithfulness and hang on tightly to those things that you know to be true. And, if you trying that and you still feel like you’re getting stuck, you may have gotten snagged by one of the Devil’s arrows and you may need to let God show you where the hurt is that’s keeping you down. This way, you can see the truth, have compassion, extend mercy, forgive, choose to love and move on. When you do this, you break the back of the enemy’s attack or his hold on whoever he’s using to try to harm you.
So, what’s in your arsenal for the battle?
Truth (Belt)
God’s Righteousness (Body Armor)
Peace (Shoes)
Faith (Shield)
Salvation (Helmet)
Word of God (Sword)
Prayer -> holds all your armor together
What is the function/benefit of each piece of armor:
Truth & God’s Righteousness are the anchors that you need to help you stand your ground. No matter what the enemy throws at you, if you can hold onto the truths from God’s word and what personal truths He reveals to you about yourself and the life He’s given you, you won’t be thrown off balance. As you depend on Him, He will show you the truth in any given situation, so you can see beyond the surface to what’s really going on, and you can see the enemy behind it. If you always walk in God’s righteousness, adopting His right way of living eternally; keeping the perspective that you are a spiritual being (God’s child), and the life you’re meant to live is a spiritual one expressed through your physical body, then you will remain anchored in God. Your identity is then completely secure in Him and nothing and no one can shake you from that understanding.
Peace that comes from knowing the Good News of eternal life, which God has promised to those who believe, will change you and put you in a state where you are always prepared to tell others about this wonderful gift from God. As you walk through your journey with this peace, people will be drawn to you and want to know how it is that you’re able to have such peace. It is then that you can share with them the Good News of the gift of eternal life through belief in Jesus and the power that is available to you to live eternally, wholly dependent on God. Also, it is in this way that you do damage to the enemy’s camp. Walking around with peace and being prepared to share the truth of this Good News is a very powerful weapon, and when you share this Good News, it is like planting a bomb or setting up a grenade that will blow up in the enemy’s camp when someone hears and receives the Good News.
*The Gospel shared in peace is most effective and does the most damage to the enemy’s camp.
Salvation is the helmet that protects your mind from the attacks of the enemy. When you know that you have been saved by grace and nothing that you’ve done, it puts you at ease. You have nothing to prove. God saved you purely because He loves you and He chose to spare you and save you from sin and eternal death. Your response is simple, to believe and receive His love and let Him transform you so you can express God’s love to others. As God transforms you and renews your mind, you develop a desire to love others. The more time you spend with God, the more that desire grows, until love is no longer just what you do; it becomes a part of who you are.
Faith & the Word of God are a winning combination on the spiritual battlefield. Faith, as the shield, is your defensive weapon and the Word of God, as the sword of the Spirit, is your offensive weapon. These two weapons work together to block attacks and to do some damage to the enemy’s camp. As you spend time with God, getting to know Him, your faith grows and you learn how to hear Him better and hold onto the words that He shows you in Scripture and the words that He speaks to you personally. Both words from God are effective in fighting the battle and as you hold onto those words and confess them when the enemy attacks; you are using your faith in the confession, so your shield is lifted and your sword comes out at the enemy.
The more you get in the habit of spending time with God and studying His word, the easier it will be to access those words in your spirit and confess them by faith. The more you learn to use these weapons in the attack, the more effective you will be and the faster and easier it will be for you to pull out exactly what truths you need from God’s word to hold onto by faith and defeat the enemy.
Prayer is the secret weapon that holds all your armor together. Simply talking to God and always keeping the lines of communication open, will do tremendous things for you. The more you get to know Him intimately and depend on Him, the more you will talk to Him throughout your day; asking Him for wisdom and guidance as you encounter different situations. This allows you to develop a deep trust in God, which will keep you casting all your cares on Him and will keep you focused on fulfilling your destiny.
The more intimate your relationship is with God, the more you will advance and grow, and get the get the attention of the enemy. However, since you’ve learned from God how to fight the battle, you can use your weapons and continue to be driven by love, compassion, mercy and forgiveness, which is what Jesus did and it’s what God desires from you. As you grow spiritually, you will be more vigilant and effective in resisting the enemy. You will also get into the habit of praying for other believers because you know the attack is real and challenging, and it can only be won through dependence on God.
The following was God’s response to me after finishing this study:
My Daughter,
I’m pleased to see that you have pressed through and taken the time today to study this passage the way I instructed you to. Now you have learned some very valuable truths that will help you to be even more effective in the coming days ahead, and further into the future. I hope you will take the time and review these truths that you’ve learned, so that you can use them and be effective. Allow what you have learned to penetrate your heart, so you can have easy access to it later. Remember that I am here for you and I will continue to guide you and strengthen you.
Love Always, Your Father God
The following was what God said to me regarding His word, after having reviewed this study of Ephesians 6:10-18 a few times:
My Daughter,
I’m glad to see that as you continue to review this study of Ephesians 6, you’re beginning to realize that there’s something very important about having my word as a weapon. The combination of your faith and my word is very powerful in defeating the enemy; however, in order for my word to be in your arsenal of weapons, you’ve got to get it on the inside of you. My word has to become very real to you, so you learn it, know it and hide it deep in your heart, then you can access it when you need it.
My words have got to make its way from the page, into your spirit; otherwise, when you go to reach for that sword, it won’t be there because you didn’t get the word inside you. That is why I continue to stress to you the importance of reviewing what I’m showing you in my word (scripture) and reviewing the personal words I’m giving you, because I want them to get deep inside of you. Once the word is deep inside you, the enemy cannot steal it from you, and then you’ll have full access to it when he comes against you.
Part of what I want you to understand is that, just reading the word or hearing the word will not get it inside you. It will remain on the surface of your spirit and the enemy can easily take it from you. Then you will have no recollection of what you’ve heard, so you won’t be able to use it to your advantage. But, if you study my word, meditate on it, keep reviewing it and let me give you more revelation about it, my words will begin to penetrate your heart and sink deeper and deeper into your spirit. The more of my word that you study, the more you will have in your arsenal. This way you can pull out the right word for the right attack.
The other part of what I want you to understand about my word is that it becomes real to you as you are tested in it. So, when I teach you something from my word or I speak a personal word to you, it must then be tested to see if you got what I taught you. This means you will go through things that will require you to use the words I just gave you. The more familiar you are with my words, because of the review that you’ve done, the easier it will be to remember it for the test. Then, when you’re out in the battlefield, those tests that you’ve had will come in handy and you’ll be prepared and know just what to do to overcome the attack and stand firm. Remember that I am always with you and I will be here to help you through your tests and on the battlefield. Continue to trust in me to reveal more to you as your review this study.
Love Always, Your Father God
The following was what God said to me regarding pain and the spiritual drivers (love, compassion, mercy and forgiveness) after another review of this study of Ephesians 6:10-18:
My Daughter,
I know what’s getting at you as you review this study of the Whole Armor. You recognize that the reality of being in any battle, spiritual or physical, is that there will be pain involved. Yes, it’s true, when you’re in a battle you will experience pain. Jesus had to do it and so will you. But, I want you to see that the more you work with me and let me teach you how to fight in the battle, the stronger and more skilled you will become and the less you will get hit by the arrows and blows of the enemy. The less you get hit, the less pain you will experience. However, you must know that pain is a very important part of living. Pain is very much like struggle; it’s necessary for this time, but later on, after pain has served it’s full purpose, I will have no more use for it and my people won’t experience it any longer.
What I want you to see are two things. As you come to me when you experience pain, I will heal your wounds and make you better off than if you had never been through that pain to begin with. So, always stay connected to me and know that I will heal and restore you. The second thing I want you to understand is how you get more skilled, so that you can reduce the number of arrows that snag you.
I know you’ve been wondering more about these spiritual drivers I keep talking about; love & compassion, mercy & forgiveness. They are paired this way for a reason and I will continue to reveal more to you about it. But, for now I want you to see the connection that as you begin to allow yourself to be driven by love & compassion and extend mercy & forgiveness, you will develop the ability to see more sharply in the spiritual battle and your skin will be more like Teflon. So, most of what will come at you will not be allowed to penetrate your heart and cause the extent of the damage it normally would.
For now, you need to know that the more time you spend with me, the more I will teach you about allowing these spiritual drivers to have their work in you. Just be patient. I know you want it now, so you can avoid more pain, but it will take time and more revelation to get you to the place where you are ready to let these drivers work in you completely. Trust me, in time you will have them, but right now there is more I need to teach you before you are ready for that work to be done in you. Remember that I’m always with you and I will continue to teach you, guide you, protect you and heal you.
Finally, I want you to see that in the midst of your pain I will never turn my back on you. Jesus endured that, so you wouldn’t have to. All the sins of the world were placed on him and in the midst of the greatest physical pain anyone could ever endure (being on the cross); Jesus also had to experience the pain & weight of all that sin on him and I had to turn my back on him because I couldn’t look on all that sin. He endured a break in our relationship that he had never experienced before and that’s what finally killed him.
He endured that because it was the only way for you and all people to ever have a chance to be restored to a true and real relationship with me. Jesus paid the ultimate price and endured a separation from me that he didn’t deserve, all so true life and balance could be restored. Be grateful, and understand that because of what he endured, you never have to endure separation from me when you’re going through painful experiences. You always have me, so lean on me and I will bring you through in the midst of your pain and suffering. I am always here for you.
Love Always, Your Father God
This was my response…
Jesus,
Thank you for what you did, for the tremendous sacrifice, all because of the love you had for us and more importantly for your Father. You paid the ultimate price and endured pain unimaginable, just because it’s what your Father wanted you to do. I can’t imagine what it must have felt like to endure such physical pain and the agony of the separation from your Father that you experienced. What that must have done to your mind, body and spirit, I may never know, but you endured it because of love.
I want you to know that I am humbled and forever grateful for what you did and I will dedicate my life to learning what I need to learn in order to experience the life you died for me to have. I want to experience all that you, the Father and the Holy Spirit intended for me here on this earth and in the fullness of eternity. I look forward to all the more there is to learn as I continue to work with the Holy Spirit and study your life on earth.
I am grateful to have such a Savior and a Brother. I love you Jesus and I always will. Thank you for paying the ultimate price for me and all mankind. I’m grateful and I know that it’s because of what you’ve done that I have access to your Father. It’s great to be part of your family. There is no other like it. I give you glory today and I praise you for saving me.
AMEN
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