GOD'S VOICE 8: THE WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE

Your Spiritual armor is primarily for defensive purposes, however you do have offensive weapons which you can use to strike the enemy with. Spiritual weapons fall into two categories: Warheads and rockets.


As the names imply spiritual warheads are the explosives that do the damage and spiritual rockets are the mode of transport.

SPIRITUAL WARHEADS

A spiritual warhead is responsible for creating the damage on the works of the enemy. There are three different warheads that you can use during spiritual warfare.

I. The name of Jesus.

Philippians 2:10 says "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth." The primary purpose of using the name of Jesus in spiritual warfare is to bring deliverance from the power of the enemy. Satan cannot resist the name of Jesus in anyway, he has to submit to it. You can experience total deliverance and freedom in Christ by speaking out the name of "Jesus".

2. The blood of Jesus.

Revelation 12:11 says "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death." The primary purpose of using the blood of Jesus in spiritual warfare is to bring protection from the power of the enemy. The blood of Jesus forms a barrier of protection which  demonic forces cannot penetrate. You can prevent the enemy harming or touching someone by praying for the protection of the blood of Jesus over them.

3. The word of God.

Ephesians 6:17 says "Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." The primary purpose of using the word of God in spiritual warfare is to expose the enemy's lies. The devil has no answer to the word of God. You can reveal the enemy's lies and deceit by speaking out scripture.

SPIRITUAL ROCKETS

A spiritual rocket is responsible for moving or carrying the warheads to their destination. There are four different types of rockets which you can use:

I. Prayer

Ephesians 6:18 "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." Prayer is communicating with God and is a means of engaging in spiritual warfare. During prayer you can target the enemy and cast him down. Here are some guidelines for engaging in battle in prayer.

Pray in tongues.

Begin by praying in tongues. This will help you to focus your mind onto God. When you pray in tongues you will build up and strengthen your spirit to get the job done.

Pray in line with God's will.

Find out what outcome the Lord wants and pray for that to come to pass. One of the keys to answered prayer is to spend time listening to God first to find out what he is saying.

Be specific.

When you enter into warfare through prayer be specific about what you are asking for. Don't be vague in your requests to God and don't waffle! God does not hear us for our many words.

2. Preaching 

2 Timothy 4:2 says "Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season." You and I must be ready to preach at all times. Preaching is essentially communicating God's word to others. This may involve standing up in front of an audience and telling them the message which God has given you or it may be on a one to one basis. The main thing in every day life as well as public speaking is to be right with God. If you are in close communion with the Holy Spirit and submitted to God, you will hear from him what he wants you to say each step of the way. Here are some guidelines for preaching when it is in front of an audience and you have time to prepare.

Prepare your message.

Preparation is vital for a dynamic message. Spend time researching your subject. Use a concordance to find out all the relevant scriptures then construct your mess age in a clear orderly way. This will help you remember the key points. Keep it simple and don't use jargon and words that people don't understand.

Rehearse your message.

Practice makes perfect. Every time you preach it will be different but there is nothing wrong in practicing what you want to say.

Live your message.

Be sure to know that if you don't live out what you preach the people will not listen to you. Living what you preach will add power to your message.

Be yourself and don't give up

When preaching don't try to imitate the evangelist you've seen on Christian TV. More people will listen to what you have to say if you just be yourself. Use every preach as a stepping stone to the next. Don't give up if you make a mistake, learn from it and put it right the next time.

3. Testimony. 

Revelation 12:11 says "They overcome him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony". A testimony is a personal account of what you have seen, heard or experienced. Sharing your testimony simply involves telling someone else about what you have seen God doing in either your own or someone else's life. Here are some guidelines for giving a testimony.

Don't exaggerate.

You don't have to add to your testimony to make it more powerful. Just tell how it is.

Don't dwell on the past.

If you have been save from a 'bad background' you don't have to go into all the details. Too many people end up just talking to about what they have done or what they used to be. All you have to do is give a brief summary and description, the most important bit is what God has done since then.

Be bold.

Sharing a testimony with non-Christians can be intimidating and takes courage. Like other things the first time is always the most difficult. You will find more courage to testify the more you do it.

Give God the glory.

A well presented testimony will always magnify Jesus. Again too many people concentrate on 'me', 'myself' and 'I'. Concentrate on Jesus and what he has done instead.

4. Praise and worship

2 Chronicles 20:22 says "As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. " When you enter into a time of praise and worship God sends out his angels to fight on your behalf. They will set traps and ambushes for the enemy so that you will be protected from them. Here are some guidelines for praise and worship.

Focus on Jesus. 

When you begin to sing to God close you eyes and concentrate on him. This will prevent you from being distracted by what to others are doing around you.

Don't be ashamed.

People admire honesty. It something has impressed you or excited you admit it. There is nothing to be embarrassed about singing out loud God.

Sing with all your heart. 

Praise and worship will be more effective when you sing with all of your heart. Don't be half hearted, sing 'loud and proud'.

CONCLUSION

By combining spiritual warheads with the spiritual rockets you can create powerful, mighty weapons that will tear down and destroy all the works of the enemy.

PRAY

"Lord Jesus, teach me how to use my spiritual weapons"

END 

God's Voice 7 RESISTING THE ENEMY

If you want to get the devil off your back then you are going to have to do two things. Submit and resist! When you submit to God and his order you enable him to take charge of the battle for you. If you are rebelling against God in any area of your life then it will be impossible for you to resist the enemy's attacks. Once you have submitted to God you then have to be strong and courageous and resist the enemy. 


God has given you several pieces of spiritual armor that you can put on which will enable you to resist anything that the enemy throws at you. However, the armor of God will only work for you if it is properly worn.

THE ARMOR OF GOD

Ephesians 6:11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 

When writing these words to the Ephesians the Apostle Paul was paralleling the spiritual armor we have to that of a Roman soldier. In the same way that each piece of natural armor protects a certain part of the body, each piece of our spiritual armor protects a certain part of your spirit.

The belt of truth.

Ephesians 6:  14 "Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist," The primary purpose of the belt of truth is to illuminate and expose the lies of the enemy and therefore set you free from any influence those lies have had over you. The three key ways in which you can actively wear the 'belt of truth' are obeying God's word, speaking the truth and living in the light. James 1:22 "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." The word of God (logos and rhema) is truth. Walking in the truth and wearing the belt of truth involves being obedient to everything God tells you to do. You will never experience total freedom if you act independently from God or walk in any other teachings other than bible's in Ephesians 4:15 It says" 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." Speaking the truth in every conversation you have will ensure that you  avoid any snare that the enemy has set to trap you with. At times it may be tempting to tell a lie to avoid embarrassment, humiliation or a telling off, but it is always better to tell the truth. Lies always lead to more lies, more deceit, distrust and it also damages your relationships with others, not to mention your relationship with God. The devil is the father of all lies but Jesus is the truth! Speaking the truth in love will bring respect, freedom and life in all it's fullness. I John 1: 6 "If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth." Speaking the truth is one thing but living in the light is another. This involves allowing God's light to come into any areas of darkness, including hidden sin and theft and living open honest lives.

The breastplate of righteousness

Ephesians 6: 14 "with the breastplate of righteousness in place," The primary purpose of the breastplate of righteousness is to protect your relationships with other people. The word 'righteous' means to be in a right position or relationship. When you are saved, God restores you into a right relationship with him and declares you to be righteous. The one key way in which you can wear righteousness each day is through forgiveness. Galatians 2:21 "I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"  We are made righteous by God not by doing what is good or right but by Jesus Christ. It is by grace (undeserved favor) we are saved by faith and not by our works (Ephesian 2:8) Through Jesus, God the Father is able to forgive you of every act of sin you have committed. In Matthew 6:14 it says "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. " You righteousness with God depends upon your forgiveness of other people. When you forgive others you clear away anything that was in the way of your relationship with them and you declare them to be righteous with you. You have a responsibility to be righteous in all your relationships.

The sandals of peace.

Ephesians 6:15 "and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. " The primary purpose of the sandals of peace is to protect you from any attack that comes against your service to God. A person who is at peace is ready and able to do the work or ministry that God is asking them to do. A person who is not at peace may be worried and anxious and unable to give themselves fully to the Lord's work. The one key way in which you can wear the sandals of peace is by praying in faith, Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." When you pray, pass all your problems, anxiety and stress onto God and he will give you peace. The bible also says in I Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." By submitting everything to God in prayer, he will take control of your circumstances and will work them out for you. You will walk in peace when you know that God is in control.

The shield of faith

Ephesians 6:16 "In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. "  The primary purpose of the shield of faith is to protect you from any attack that comes against your promises from God. Whenever God promises something to his people the enemy will always attack with doubt and unbelief. The two key ways in which you can quench this doubt and unbelief is through thanksgiving and reading the bible. In Philippians 4: 6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present our requests to God. " Doubt and unbelief cause you to take your eyes off God and fix them on to your problems instead. When this happens you move out of a position faith and will not receive anything from God. Thanksgiving will focus our eyes back onto the Lord and your problems will look minute compared to him. Every believer should keep a record of everything that God has done for them. This will help you remember what God has done for you so you can thank him for it, especially if you are being attack in any way. This will restore you back into a position of faith. Romans 10:17 "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." When your faith is under an attack you need to get into reading scripture. Just hearing the words as you read them to yourself will strengthen your faith to believe in what God has said to you.

The helmet of salvation.

Ephesians 6:17 "Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." The primary purpose of the helmet of salvation is to protect you from any attack that comes against your spiritual growth as a Christian. new believers are most susceptible to being convinced that they are not saved. As long as they believe this they will not be able to mature spiritually. The helmet of salvation gives you an assurance of your salvation. The one key way in which you can daily wear the helmet of salvation is by believing the word of God. Romans 10: 9 "That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Salvation is not a feeling but a fact. If you have done what Romans 10:9 says, then you are saved - end of story. You just have to believe it!

CONCLUSION 

It is essential that you never take off your spiritual armor once you have put it on. By keeping it on you will not give the enemy any place or foothold into any area of your life.

PRAY

"Lord Jesus, help me to wear my spiritual armor everyday"

God's Voice 6 CONFRONTING THE ENEMY

Whether you like it or not when you became a Christian you entered into a war! You are now a soldier in the army of God. Heaven is your head quarter, Jesus is your General, his praise is your battle cry, you march in the Spirit, you fight the good fight of faith and the devil is your enemy. The devil has declared war on you because you pose a threat to his rule on earth. He is after one thing, your faith.


If he can kill, steal, or destroy your faith by one way or another then he can minimize your effectiveness for God and continue ruling this world. There are five main reasons why the devil is at war for your faith.


I. Salvation.


Ephesians 2:. 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through FAITH—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— The first reason why the devil wants your faith is for your salvation. The devil's final destination is hell and he wants to take as many people with him as he can. If he can stop you receiving faith in God then he can prevent your salvation.


2. Obedience.


Romans 14:23But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin. The second reason why the devil want your faith is to prevent you being obedient to God. Sin is disobedience to God. You cannot obey God's commands unless you have faith in him! If the devil destroys your faith then he will also prevent you from being obedient which will in turn prevent God's Kingdom being established.


3. God's pleasure.


Hebrews 11: 6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.The third reason why the devil wants your faith is to steal God's pleasure. The devil does not want God or you to experience pleasure while you are a Christian. If the Devil can successfully steal your faith he will also steal God's pleasure from him.


4. Answered prayer.


Matthew 21: 22If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” The fourth reason why the devil wants your faith is to make your prayers ineffective. As a believer your prayers are powerful and effective. In James 5:5 it says that the prayer offered in faith will heal the sick. If the Devil can prevent you from walking in faith then he will also prevent your prayers being answered.


5. Success.


Matthew 17:20He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”  The fifth reason why the devil wants your faith is to destroy your success potential and make cause you to fail. The more successful you are as a Christian the less successful he is. If you have faith and do not doubt then you can command any obstacle that comes your way to be removed.

RECOGNIZE AN ATTACK

2 Corinthians 2:11"in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes."

Although the bible instructs you not to concentrate our studies on demons it is of a primary importance for you to know his tactics and strategy in warfare. If know the way in which the enemy manoeuvres you can take the necessary precautions to avoid his attacks. The first thing we need to do  in order to put a stop to his attack is to get to know God. It will be far easier for you to detect and destroy the enemy if you really know God and how he operates. The devil uses two methods of warfare against Christians: Temptation and schemes.

James 1:13When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.

The enemy uses temptation and schemes to try and get you to disobey God. Their purpose is to abort the will of God being established in your life and to harden your heart towards the Holy Spirit. The devil knows that if he can get you to do something that God has commanded you not to do you will live a discouraged and defeated life. James 1:13 tells us that temptation does not come from God but from our own 'evil desires' or 'lusts' is basically wanting something that you shouldn't have. The enemy will exploit any 'lust' from your past or any weakness that you have to tempt you into sin. Temptations and schemes are plans that the enemy devises to take you 'Off course'. They can be very subtle and cunning so you need to be on your guard at all times against them.

OVERCOMING AN ATTACK

When you are under attack by temptations or schemes there are 4 things you must do:

I. Wear your armor.

Ephesians 6: 11 "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes." God has given us spiritual armor that will defend us from any attack from penetrate it. Your spiritual armor should never be taken off. However at the first sign of an attack it is the first thing you need to check to see if it is in place properly.

2. Remember the word of the Lord.

Joshua 1:8 "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. " In the Garden of Eden, Eve paid the price for forgetting what the Lord had said. If when the serpent first spoke to her she had remembered what God had said about the fruit then she would not have sinned. God knew that Joshua would face some major attacks and give him the command to 'not let the book of law depart from his mouth' so that he would never forget what the Lord had said to him. When you do this the enemy has nowhere to hide. 

3. Meditate on who God is.

Psalm 103:2 "Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." The devil will try to deceive you into believing that you will find happiness and satisfaction in sin. However as you meditate on who God is you will be reminded of all the benefits of obedience and serving him. You will be less likely to disobey God when you know what all this benefits are.

4. Live by the Spirit. 

Galatians 5:16 "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature." Living by the Spirit involves obeying the leading of the Holy Spirit. If you make sure that you do what the Holy Spirit says whenever you face a decision you will not fall into temptation or into any traps that the enemy has laid for you.

CONCLUSION

2 Timothy 4:18The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

One thing that we must never forget is that God's is on our side. The battle we face is not ours but the Lord's, he will fight with us and for us. Whenever we find ourselves in a confrontation with the enemy we call upon God to help us out.

PRAY

"Lord Jesus, help me fight the fight of faith and win"

God's Voice 5 IDENTIFYING THE ENEMY

As an individual you are responsible to test every teaching, prophetic word or voice that comes your way. In other words do not automatically believe that every prophecy you hear is from God, and do not believe that every teaching you hear is biblical.


Here are some questions you can ask yourself which will help you identify if the enemy is at work.


Q I. Does word, teaching or voice line up with the bible?


If what you have heard cannot be backed up by scripture then that word is not from God. God will not say or do anything that contradictory to what is already written in the bible.


Q 2. Does the word, teaching or voice edify?


God speaks to build up and strengthen you. He will not speak anything that will weaken you or tear you down. These type of words come straight from the enemy, so don't believe them.


Q 3. Does the word, teaching or voice exhort?


God speaks to encourage you. The enemy brings discouragement not God. God will not say anything to you that will discourage you except to discourage you from sinning. There is  a big difference between disciplining and discouraging.


Q 4. Does the word, teaching or voice bring comfort?


God speaks to heal the hurting. It is the enemy who speak to bring pain or suffering into your life, not God.


Q 5. Can you submit the word, teaching or voice to your leadership?


If someone tells you something and then they tell you not to submit it to your leaders then that word isn't from God. God has set order and leadership in the church for a purpose. If you can't submit to your leaders you will be acting in independence and that is disobedience to God.


Q 6. Can you relate the word, teaching or voice to God?


Is what you have heard something that Jesus would say or do? If not, then it's not from God.


Q 7. Can you relate the word, teaching or voice to yourself?


If for example you have had ten prophetic words all saying that are going to be a missionary in Africa, then someone tells you that they have had a word saying that you are not to go to Africa. The chances are that that word is probably not from God. Be very careful in receiving a word that goes directly against what God has already spoken to you. Another way you can test a word, teaching or voice is by the 'witness of the Spirit'. This is when you may feel really excited when the word is spoken to you and it confirms to you what God has already said.


Q 8. Can you relate the word, teaching or voice to the enemy? 


If what you have heard is something that the enemy would do then it is definitely not from God.

IDENTIFYING SPIRITS

I John 4:1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Not every spirit that you come across will be from God. If an angel or other spirit appeared right in front of you now how would you know if it is good or bad? 2 Corinthians 11: 14"And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light."

You will not be able to identify the enemy on appearance alone as he has the ability to disguise himself as someone who is good and is on our side. Here are 3 ways you can test angels and spirits to see if they are from God or not:

I. Acknowledge Jesus.

I John 4: 2"This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God". In Mark 5, a demon by the name of Legion calls Jesus "Son of the most high God." This proves to us that the enemy knows who Jesus is. However the demon did not say that Jesus was his Lord! You should be able to identify an angel or a spirit by whether they acknowledge Jesus as their Lord. If they do then they are probably from God. NB You can refer to this website too: http://www.christcenteredmall.com/teachings/gifts/discernment.htm

2. Receives worship.


Revelation 19: 10At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” No angel or spirit that is sent by God will receive praise and worship for themselves. They will always point you to Jesus and tell you to worship him instead. Any angel or spirit that tells you to worship himself is not from God.


3 Selfish ambition.


James 3: 16"For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice." Any angel or spirit that comes seeking after their own ambitions is not from God. Angels come to promote Jesus and seek to establish God's kingdom here on earth not their own.

IDENTIFYING FALSE TEACHERS AND FALSE PROPHETS

I John 4:1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

If someone brings you an incorrect teaching or prophetic word, it doesn't necessarily mean that they are a false teacher or false prophet sent from the enemy. We all make mistakes sometimes. There four characteristics common to false teachers and false prophets. Knowing these characteristics will help you to identify them.

I. They follows other gods.

Not only will false teachers and false prophets follow Christianity they will also follow other beliefs and religions as well.

2. They preach a compromised gospel.

As they are following other beliefs they have to compromise the gospel. This means that they do not believe or teach the whole truth of the bible perhaps teaching that Jesus is not the only way to salvation.

3. They live unstable lives.

People who follow more than one belief or religion are not building their live upon the rock. This means that they live unstable lives.

4. They receive money for prophecy.

The gift of prophecy is a free gift from God. Anyone who charges to give you a 'word from God' is not walking in the truth. Do not go to people who expect to be paid for prophecy or predictions of the future.

CONCLUSION

Although you can do all these things mentioned in this objective to test and identify the enemy, you need to ask God for the gift of discernment on a regular basis. It is a supernatural ability to instantly recognize good from evil. You can have this gift, all you have to do is ask for it.

PRAY

"Lord Jesus, help identify when the enemy is at work"