Salvation Comes From God!

Salvation Comes From God

Life or Death is in the power of the choice!

There are two eternal destinies to which the eternal souls of mankind choose to spend their eternity by either choosing life or death.  We are able to live physically without choosing God, but we will be making choices to destroy ourselves physically.  The reality is if we are choosing not to choose God we are choosing Satan and his wages...his payment for being his minion is death.  Though you may be alive presently, you can not live on his wages and you will begin to die physically and of course you are already dead spiritually.

We all start out in this life as babies who carry the bent toward sin and death.  We will all carry this to our grave unless … unless there is a Savior, a Redeemer who is willing to take our punishment for the sins we have committed.  We do, and his name is Jesus, He is our Savior.  He is God, come in the flesh to take our punishment of death and save us from our sins and from the penalty of our sins.

As a means to clarify my previous statement, we are not punished for having the bent toward evil, but because of that bent we should choose evil.  That is what we will be punished for.

Salvation begins, only after you have reached an understanding that you are doomed, and that there is a Savior waiting on your acceptance of Him.  Though the purchase price has been paid; it is an advance payment waiting on you to claim it. As it begins to dawn on you that there is hope, that life doesn’t have to be meaningless; and you make your choice to accept the sacrifice Jesus made in your behalf, you begin to live!  

Life will take on new meaning, life will be something to look forward to, and life will now be eternal instead of being over at the grave.

Genesis chapter 15 lays out the covenant God made with Abraham for atonement for sin.  God appears to Abraham in a vision and gives him a message.  

God said, “I am your shield” and “I am your great reward”.  If we were to break this done a bit, it would look like this … I am your protection and your treasure.  What difference did this make to Abraham to have this declaration of God?  First of all, when the Word of the Lord comes to someone; it is to be shared.  Abraham, as the messenger of God, was a prophet of God.  Secondly, Abraham was a part of mankind; and this entire chapter deals with the sin nature of mankind and the redemption process that God had planned.  

Abraham showed his humanity by thinking of passing the blessings on to his household, but God had a much bigger plan in store for him.  God plainly showed Abraham, who was to benefit from this declaration that was given to him.  It was to be his children.  God began to tell Abraham all that He had done for him.  God said, “I have separated you from your land and your people, and brought you to a new place and given to you as an inheritance”.  This land was to be a place where Abraham’s children could serve the Lord without the influences of the wicked neighbors.  (Some of the details needed worked out and would be in God’s own good time!)

The meat of this passage now follows as Abraham, following God’s instructions, takes different kinds of animals and divides them laying them in an organized fashion.  This most certainly would have created a trail of blood as the life-blood flowed from the animals and mingled in a pool.

This was a sight that Abraham was never going to forget because of its significance, and while he waited on God to make the next step; Abraham maintained the purity of the sacrifice by not allowing any external contaminations to take away from the pure sacrifice.  Abraham had birds swooping to get their own piece of that tasty meat which he chased away while he waited.  These birds could be compared to the devil as he tried in vain to get between the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the Father making it impure and thus ineffective.

The sun began to go down, and Abraham in his humanity began to become sleepy as God began to reveal Himself in this new and remarkable way.  It was as if the wickedness of the world had overtaken the light and extinguished it altogether as an unnatural darkness swept across him.

As God began His discourse with Abraham, He prophetically spoke of Abraham’s children being servants in a strange land and being set free when the time was right.  He spoke of the people of that land being judged for their sins, and Abraham’s children inheriting that land from the hand of God.

The smoking furnace that Abraham saw was representative of the suffering Abraham’s descendants would face, while the burning lamp would portray the great deliverance by which they would be delivered.  This has a two-fold meaning, one as in the children of Israel being delivered from Egypt, and two as in we who have been grafted into Abraham’s lineage have lived for many years in bondage to the prince of this world and have received our freedom through Jesus Christ.  This type of covenant could only be broken through one party not going through with his or her end of the covenant, which would require his/her death as the perpetrator of this broken promise.  

Abraham is considered the prophet of the Lord and the father of all who have faith.  Through this kind of representation we see from him we can understand that he is representing both God and mankind.  In a nutshell, this covenant states that if God doesn’t keep up His end of this covenant, He will die as part of that agreement; on the other hand, God is saying, that because no amount of mankind will ever be “good enough” as a sacrifice of death for failing in this agreement, He (God) would die for that scenario as well.

This covenant was fulfilled in Jesus Christ who is God and man both, and because man failed in his part of the agreement, offered up Himself as God on behalf of mankind.  It is critical that we recognize both the humanity and the divinity of Jesus and understand just what He came to do, for how can we appreciate His sacrifice on our behalf unless we understand the workings of this covenant and what was required for sin.

The only way to atone for the sin of humanity was for a holy God to offer Himself as a holy sacrifice for an unholy people.  It is clear, mankind had nothing to offer for its own redemption.  As this plays out in our lives, we have salvation by our faith in the grace of God which is available through Jesus Christ because of His offering.

Genesis 15:1-21

Romans 4:16

Romans 5:1,2

Romans 6:23

Where Does The Capacity To Reason Come From?

The Capacity to Reason Comes From God!

The social push today is to have reason with no faith in an outside deity.  Their cry is to be left alone and not have their lives dictated by what they call an abstract god.  Their definitions of God have been a mockery to who He really is, because He isn’t an abstract dictator who really doesn’t care about them.  Reason, they say is to live a life that is lived in the here and now, with no thought for what you cannot see.

What if all Americans lived that way.  Just because you cannot see the government doesn’t mean that it’s non-existent.  Rather if we just open our eyes, we shall see the evidences of the government which resides in another part of the country.  Belief in God is a lot like that many of us can see the evidences of His presence, many of us can feel His presence; so come now and reason it out...look at the facts, the evidence, the truth and reason will no longer be ignorance, but will be reality.

When God implanted the seed of life into soul of man part of that included the ability to reason.  Without the ability to reason, there is no choice and we become robots following our instincts.  Genesis chapter 1 says that mankind was made in the image of God.  That means they had a spirit, a soul, and a body; all of which enabled them to make their own choices and carry them out.  As early on as Genesis Chapter 3 we see that capability acted on; which was the downfall of the world.

Reason is not always evil, but is a God given ability which He intended for us to use to choose Righteousness, but when we allow a humanistic approach govern our reasoning we will choose evil.

Humanity, as created by God, are highly spiritual beings so the idea that you can have freedom from religion is inaccurate, misleading, and is predicated on Humanism (the worship of humanity and their thought processes) and Atheism (the refusal to acknowledge a higher power) which is also a form of Humanism.  It is because of our wicked heart that we are able to rationalize wickedness and is possible due to a disconnect in our spirit.  When this happens we are making choices in our soul and the choices are based on feeling and not reality.  Even if we choose to disconnect our spirituality from our souls, inevitably we, either in this generation or in the following generations will revert to being spiritual again. Usually this will end up with the antithesis of Christianity and be outright devil worship.

Throughout the entire Word of God, there is a distinct call to look at the truth laid before you and reason or think it through.  Isaiah 1:18 Come Let us Reason together.  Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.  Joshua said, “Choose you this day whom you will serve”.

The ability to reason things out comes with a great responsibility to guard our hearts from what we cannot see.  Usually as humans, we tend to look at the here and now to base our judgments on, and our reasoning becomes flawed, skewed, and lop-sided because we haven’t taken into account the whole picture.  

There is a choice that each of us will make.  We will either choose to look at life through God’s eyes or we will look at life through the eyes of the god of this world.  When we choose to look at our lives through the eyes of God, we will become enlightened and our understanding will become enhanced; while if we choose to look at life through the eyes of the god of this world our understanding will become darkened.  When the path isn’t clear, we need light.

Can a person make an intelligent choice when all the facts whether seen or unseen are not taken into consideration? Determine in your own heart what evidence you may be missing.

Luke 20:9-18/Matthew 21:33-46/Mark 12:1-12

Luke 20:1-8

Ephesians 4:17-32

Psalm 119:105

The Wayward Heart

I shall never look at my heart the same again!  

Truth shall abound from an Almighty God who has declared that my heart is desperately wicked and exceeding sinful.  Though with great pains He created the heart of man as a perfect place of communion and natural integration of our spirit and His Spirit; we, as children of our ancestors, have inherited a nature that is devoid of love for God and has a natural bent toward a debased behavior.

• The Rebellious nature of our heart

One doesn’t have to look very far to see the effects of the sinful nature so generously bestowed upon us by the sins of our ancestors.  Personal weaknesses and struggles usually get handed down, not necessarily genetically, but spiritually (Exodus 34:6,7).  As Adam’s descendants (Genesis 1-3), his choice to hand authority in his life over to Satan has affected us in one way or another.  Life is now a struggle to take back that authority and give it back to God who is the real owner of authority anyway.  For some reason, by default Satan seems to always receive from us what should be God’s.

The carnality of the heart desires wickedness so when a person follows after wickedness, his focus has left God and has turned to following carnal things.  Even if we are not living in full rebellion we have been deceived and need to repent, otherwise we will be living off one deception after another.  The Word of God makes it clear; if it isn’t of God, it is of the devil and you will be following the devil making him your illegitimate father, which is sin.

The nature of our heart is selfish, yet because we are relational to one degree or another, we create the appearance of service toward others in hopes of getting something in return.  In other words, we are still selfish.  In many cases we desire approval of man, so we offer “approval” to them in order to gain it from them.  In reality, we are worshipping their opinions in order to receive their worship.  The only approval we really should need is God’s approval.  In other words, we are idolaters and have made ourselves gods.  We also deal with personal pride believing we deserve better than what we are getting.  When this happens, we have an over-rated opinion of ourselves and have made ourselves a god.  Pride is usually driven by selfishness, as is adultery, drunkenness, gluttony, etc.

God has shown us through the written text of His Word that though the Old Testament people experienced a promised blessing if they remained true to Him, it was not enough for them to remain true.  The wicked nature of the heart always seemed to show itself sooner or later and sometimes in very pronounced ways.  What was accomplished then by the promise of success for choosing to believe God?  We now have a clearer picture of the state of the heart of man.  Man could try to fit into God’s Plan and receive the success that was promised to them, but with an unregenerate heart the heart is still carnal and no amount of promises of success from God can take that away.

Romans 1:18-32

For some reason or other mankind has resorted to disregarding the evidence of the existence of God, and has chosen to take its own way and worship the created world over the Creator.  Even if we are sinning through deception, we are effectively transferring authority from God to Satan and Satan as a master will destroy us.  God has said that sin can only go so far before He will turn us over to a reprobate mind.  As we continue to transfer authority over to Satan, he becomes the way we think and we end up in complete disregard for the truth.  When this happens, our lives no longer have any room for truth and we become mockers and truth inhibitors.  Once we have a complete disregard for truth God can no longer speak to us and we become a destructive part of society (A minion of Satan if you will).

We are to blame for allowing our culture to desensitize us, for we are responsible to maintain a high alert against the sinful nature we possess.  It is as if the father of deception has set forth to deceive the very elect of God through incremental deceptions leaving us numb and ill equipped to fight for our souls.  Are we going to wake up before we drift away into eternal destruction?

Today, the promise of success has been removed, but God has a plan which involves Redeeming the heart through Salvation and Sanctification.

The Rebellious Son/The Prodigal Son

The Rebellious Son/The Prodigal Son 



The Story of The Prodigal Son displays the merciful nature of the father, not unlike the mercy of the Heavenly Father.

    Luke 15:11 Jesus also told them another story: Once a man had two sons. 12 The younger son said to his father, “Give me my share of the ...

Prayer ~ A Part of the Armor of God That is Often Overlooked

Prayer comes from the heart, and is as if it were to a friend. You can be saying the same words, but it would not really be prayer.
Why is it when we talk about the armor of God, we usually stop before the part of Prayer? I believe prayer is overlooked as part of the spiritual armory because Satan realizes that is where the practical power is for the rest of the armor.
Prayer is only possible by having faith in a power that is stronger than yourself that you believe will answer life’s questions/problem for you! (without Faith it is impossible to please God!). Faith is what initiates the armor and is often played out in prayer.
Prayer is such an integral part of the Armor of God. Communication with God through the avenue of prayer is a means of connecting your spirit with The Spirit of God who then will carry your message to the throne of the Father in the Name of Jesus.
Praying to the Father does something to help us to recognize our dependence on Him. If God is an impersonal God, then Prayer has no value, on the other hand if God cares about you personally; then prayer is beneficial.
God has cared about us personally, which is why He came to you with the message of Salvation. Prayer is really one way of telling God that you are recognizing that He cares for you.

Ephesians 6:18-20
There is no value in the Armor of God unless it is accompanied by prayer. Prayer is the means by which we take up the armor and personally apply it. Prayer is also the means by which we intercede for the spiritual well-being of others. Prayer is the means for communication with God. God, as our commander-in-chief is giving us orders which we will only receive if we have an open line of communication with Him. I am not trying to set up prayer as the only way God speaks, but it is a notable way if you pray in the Spirit. When your spirit connects with the Spirit of God, the communication line is open and you can then converse with God much in the same way Adam did before the fall into sin, or Enoch, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, or any of the patriarchs.
Our Faith is realized in Prayer, and it is through prayer our shield of Faith is capable of stopping the fiery darts of Satan.
We tend to limit the voice of God to His Word and though it is one way He speaks, God wants a personal relationship with you and wants to speak to you personally. The Word of God and the voice of God that you hear will always agree with each other.
There has been a lot of talk about what prayer is, and many people have come up with varying conclusions. The first discussion I want to address is, What is the right method of Prayer?
We hear a lot of specifics, like it needs to be an hour long process.
-God is not so concerned about a regimented time of prayer, but wants it to be from the heart. He wants you to enjoy being with Him and talking with Him. God is a personal God.
We hear that wording matters.
-The wording of your prayers do matter in some ways, but in other ways the words you pray can be simple yet sincere and meaningful. A prayer that is focused on one’s self is not a prayer at all. It is just one’s selfish rant, unless you are recognizing your need. Luke 18:13 Prayer does not always have to include words; so when your heart is heavy, The Holy Spirit can interpret your silence or groans that are there because words fail you.
So, does wording matter? Yes, but it’s not what you think. This prayer model that Jesus taught to his disciples can be broken down something like this:
Recognize who God is. He is Holy!
Recognize what His Kingdom is. Salvation/Righteousness
Recognize that you need help even supplying life’s basic needs
Recognize that your forgiveness depends on how you forgive.
Recognize His power over the Devil!

The publican said, “God be merciful to me a sinner”. His prayer was short, to the point, yet sincere. He went to his house justified.

We hear position matters.
-Kneeling, Standing, or Flat out on the floor are various positions in prayer, and each have their place in prayer. God does love for you to approach Him as a son or daughter so any position of prayer that allows you to connect with Him is appropriate. What really matters is whether your heart is bowed in adoration to God.
Should we pray out loud or silently?
-There is nothing wrong with a silent prayer and in some cases may be appropriate, but praying out loud gives us a power that enables us to have victory. Satan cannot read thoughts, he merely puts them there; so praying out loud will give him a heads up that you are serious about obtaining victory from the Lord. This actually may increase the fight, but by fastening your grip onto the power of God through prayer, Satan’s grip will shrink back. No battle against Satan should be fought without prayer.

What is Supplication/Intercession?
-There are many needs in this world that belong to many people other than yourself. Supplication or intercession is taking the needs of others before the only one who can meet those needs. When we truly believe that life is more than just ourselves, we will intercede on behalf of other people. Interceding can take on several dimensions. It can be for the spiritual welfare of others or for the basic needs of others. God wants us to take the initiative and fight for those around us on our “Knees”. True intercession is standing in between the person you are praying for and the devil.
What is praying in the Spirit?
-Praying in the Spirit is nothing more or less than praying in a manner that allows your spirit to connect with the Spirit of God, much in the same way that two buddies connect, but on a spiritual level. Praying in the Spirit can move your emotions, because you have just connected with the God of the Universe.
A house of Prayer or Den of Thieves?
Your soul is meant to be a place of communion with God (otherwise known as a house/place of prayer). We often find ourselves hosting barbaric characteristics in our soul, due to being human with a bent toward evil. Have you ever wondered why life seems so hard sometimes. Wonder no further! While God does not bring hard times (every good gift is from above), He allows them to come for our eternal good. That may mean He is bringing us to a place of prayer in our soul, so our spirit can commune with Him.
Prayer is not for selfish reasons
Praying for selfish reasons is, well, selfish. If we are trying to twist God’s arm by our prayers, that is paramount to placing ourselves and our desires above what God wants. Satan got kicked out of heaven, and Adam and Eve got kicked out of the Garden of Eden for that. God does want to hear your needs, but not as in do this for me! We need to remember, this is more about who he is than who we are.
Coming to prayer on your terms rather than God’s
Striking a bargain with God will never work. God will never be on the same level you are, which is what is necessary for a true bargain. People who bargain have to recognize the equality in each other before they will even want to bargain. Again, God wants to hear your needs, but your needs must be left with Him.
What is Prayer all about?
Prayer truly is about recognizing who God is (Holy, Righteous, Powerful…), and who we are (sinners, weak, insignificant...). When we really recognize who God is; we will revere Him, He will be our Lord, and we will Love Him!

The Sword of The Lord ~ The Armor of God

    -Hebrews 4:12

   -Ephesians 6:17

   -John 1:1

   -Psalm 119:105

   Stand Strong.

   With  Stand.

   Take up the Sword of the Lord

   Why has God given us the Sword of the Lord?

   The enemy of our souls has launched an attack on Mankind.  Satan is not content to just pick at us...he is going for blood (spiritual).  Satan is going for death (ours), and the sooner we realize that, the closer we can be to understanding the gravity of the situation.  “Quit ye like men, be strong”

   The Word of God is alive, it is Spirit breathed, it is full of enlightenment, it is a revelation of who God is.  The Word of God is able to divide out the darkness in our soul and produce life where there was none.  The God of Creation (which is the only God there is) has the power to speak and produce results.  Genesis 1 displays the reality of the power of God through the work of Creation.  God has given mankind the power to choose whether they want to obey Him or not but all other venues must immediately spring into action at His voice.

   As Christians, when we are under attack from Satan (at least as far as an attack on our minds); when we speak the Words of God, Satan has no choice but to leave the threshold of our minds.  The folly of the battle is, we often try to battle Satan in our own strength, which really only amounts to reformation without change of heart, and without a change of heart we are only trying to gain a personal advantage or physical advantage over Satan.  The idea that we can gain an advantage over Satan through our own strength is one of Satan’s tricks that he uses to gain an even stronger hold on our lives.  This can be broken by the Word of God.

   Standing on the rock of our Salvation through faith in our Savior and Lord, we take up the Sword of the Lord and brandish it toward the foe of darkness.  The Sword of Enlightenment (Truth, and Light) will dispel the the enveloping darkness in which Satan tries to envelope us.  God has seen to it that we are properly equipped to fight, not just to protect ourselves but to counter-attack.  The Sword of the Lord is light for our feet, Truth to stand on, and Life to live on.  You can not truly drive the devil away without using the Sword of the Lord.  Satan will not be driven back unless we resist him and to do that we must get aggressive using the Word of God as a Sword to divide the Light from the darkness, Truth from a lie, and Victory from defeat.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

2 Timothy 3:16-17

   When was the last time you studied the Word of God with the thought in mind that you were studying for a clearer battle plan?  We cannot just be familiar with the Word of God (our sword) just because we heard someone else talk about it, but we must be familiar with it because we have practiced with it, studied it and know full well how to use it.  A man or woman who is not used to his/her sword will end up hurting himself/herself with it.  Being in tune with God will allow you to fight the devil using His equipment and His Strength.  The Sword of the Lord is also to be used in any battle described as “in service of the King”.  This may indicate that we are not necessarily protecting ourselves with it but maybe a fellow brother or sister.

   Quite possibly, we may need to stand in for a new convert.  Satan, having lost a subject, will not give up without a fight, and as a new convert; he/she may not have mastered the art of wielding the Sword of the Lord. I propose that we as fellow Christians stand in for them, seeing to the strength of their armor and ability to fight Satan, thus protecting them from spiritual ruin before they get established.

   We need to become experts at handling the Word of God, being able to divide/interpret it bringing it into relevancy for our everyday lives.  The idea is not to become superheroes (they rely on their strength), but Godly men/women who know how to use what God has given them in Spiritual Warfare.

   Do not feel as if you are alone, Satan has gone for every person on the planet trying to destroy eternally the soul that our Creator made in His image.  Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, was also a target of Satanic temptation; and Jesus, though He is God and had all weapons at His disposal, chose to use the Word of God (the revelation of Himself to mankind) which really is the most effective weapon anyway.  This using of the Word of God is so effective, pricks so thoroughly, that Satan will often use it in rebuttal to an attack; hoping to align truth with a lie so as to cause us to become sleepy and therefore no threat to his dominion.

John 14:25-27

   The declaration of Jesus to His disciples was that He would send a Comforter, or one to stand beside them; and this would be the Holy Spirit which would declare to all disciples the things that Jesus had taught them while He was yet here.

Revelation 1-5

   The Holy Spirit is seen as Spirit with seven facets and when He works as such, there will be a change.  These various aspects of the Holy Spirit are: Creator, Sustainer, Comforter, Warrior, Compeller, Protector, and Instructor.  The work of the Holy Spirit in our lives compels us to be more like Himself changing our humanity into a holy, godlike image which is seen as in the mirror of The Word of God.  This does not mean, however, that we will become a ‘god’, but that we will exhibit His Character.

   We need to recognize the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and the lives of others. Judges 7:14 Gideon had been called by God to lead the fight against a wicked nation who was gathered against the Children of Israel.  As a means of verifying the call, Gideon snuck down to the camp of the opposing warriors and spied on them when he heard the discourse between two enemy soldiers that gave him the courage to fight.  When Gideon addressed his men later on, he gave recognition to the Holy Spirit in the battle.  Though this piece of history occurs in the Bible, it is found in the Old Testament.  The New Testament Teaches, however, that Christians, God’s people of the new covenant live peaceful lives, by not seeking to take another human being’s life.  Every time another person is formed, he/she is created in God’s image with an eternal soul, and all recognition should be given to the life of God within that person.

   There are times that Satan attacks us through other people. Satan will use friends, relatives, pastors, or whoever he can get his hands on to destroy them and you.  This does not mean that they intended to be a part of hurting you, but because of who Satan is, and their lack of spiritual discipline, they have become an attacking machine for Satan.  Many times these people mean well and do not realize the damage their words carry.  Cases like these, often become a battle in our mind, while Satan plays out his treacherous intentions in our mind.  Satan will subtly give birth to the idea in your mind that you are no good, not worth anything, nobody likes you; but these are all lies and need to be fended off with Truth (the Word of God).

   God has declared; you are precious, you are loved, and  I have given my life for you!

   Something we need to think about is; we need to recognize what we are compare ourselves with.  The Bible refers to itself as a mirror and says that man will look into it to see his reflection and then when he walks away will immediately forget what the mirror showed about himself.  It seems as though Satan has great ability to pull a veil over our eyes.

   The Sword of the Lord is really our only hope for victory over Satan.  Our armor will only do so much if we cannot fight, and God has designed the sword to be double edged (full of truth and light).  The enemy will try to knock the truth out of our grasp so we will not realize when he gives us a half-truth.  We need to be like the man in the bible who fought so hard that his hands cramped around his sword and could not be gotten loose.

The Helmet of Salvation ~The Armor of God

   Do you feel like you are drowning in sin/circumstances? This is an indication that you are in need of a Savior.

   Salvation means nothing unless you recognize that you need mercy.

-Psalm 18

-1 Kings 1:50

   Solomon’s brother had been set up as the king of Israel, but God had other plans.  Adonijah went down to the tabernacle and held onto the horns of the altar.  Desperation is a precursor to salvation.  

-Matthew 11:28

   Jesus words are “Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  It seems as though, many times we come to Christ, not because we are burdened down, but because it seems to be the thing to do.  When the weight of the world is pressing in on us, that is when we truly need a Savior.

-Psalm 95:1

-Psalm 102:19-22

   The Helmet of Salvation is there to protect the mind.  Once you have been saved your way of thinking will be changed...your mind will be renewed in Christ your desires will be for God.  Everything may not be in place immediately but that is why we battle for our mind. In this Spiritual Warfare, our battlefield is our mind.  Every giant we face is either real or perceived and our mind must be protected by wearing the Helmet of Salvation to place all our thoughts in their proper perspective.  The enemy of our souls works with great vigor to disrupt the thought processes of all humans as a means of destroying any semblance of God’s work in their lives.  Satan is not content to let God appear like He is (has) won the battle and wants to win the battle for your soul.

   There are certain ideas which need to be dealt with if we are to maintain the stability of our mind and become warriors of truth.  Again, this battle is not physical, but spiritual. Ephesians 6

   The Old Testament brought up the idea time and time again of the need for a Savior.  The structure of the Israelite kingdom gave the words Redeemer/Savior a meaning that carries over to set the stage for our Redeemer/Savior.  The Israelites, when they fell on hard times, they would leave their properties and sometimes even sell themselves as slaves to get through the rough times.  There was a provision though, for a close relative to redeem the situation and he would buy the properties and in some cases marry the widow who was left (as in the story of Ruth).  

   “This day is Salvation come to your house”... What do those words mean?

   Salvation means that you were set for destruction, but someone or something has reached out as your rescuer/redeemer and has saved you from the impending destruction.

What is a horn of salvation?~this refers to the horns of the altar which when hung onto you could be spared but as soon as you let go you were fair game.

---

-You must protect your mind-

Philippians 4:8 Think only on good things.  When we dwell on wickedness, and discouraging things; our peace will be destroyed and our soul will become heavy and we will sink into the depths of hopelessness.

-You must know you are saved-

    If you cannot give God credit for Saving you...You must come to the place where you can because that is an affront to God’s character.  You are living in doubt, may be living in fear; which will only bring you down as a Christian.  Jesus paid the price for you  and wants you to recognize what he has done for you.

-You must know who God is-

    It is time to recognize who God is.  God, as an all-powerful king must and will have subjects either willing or unwilling. Will you be one of the willing subjects?  He has declared that every knee will bow at a given specific time, thus the unwilling subject.

-You must Know the way-

    Jesus said, “I am the Way”.  Do you know Him?  Do you understand His Message?  His way of operating?  His core character?  As a Christian, we are supposed to be “little Christs”; which means, we will be like Him, living like Him, exhibiting His character.

-You must know the enemy-

    Satan is an avowed enemy of God and all Christians.  Do you know how he operates.  Do you understand that this battle is not just about you...but is about making the plan of Salvation of no effect.  Satan has tried to destroy the work of God among humanity for thousands of years and now is no different.

-You must know your comrades-

    God has given you comrades to fight Satan alongside.  Do you know who they are?  Sometimes when we get unfocused, we become disillusioned and get confused as to who our fighting buddies are.  If we can stay focused on Jesus, our comradeship with other valiant soldiers of Christ will always be a reality.

-You must know your equipment-

    God has given each Christian a spiritual armor.  Know what it is.  This armor is not anything we can dream up (such as rehabilitation, etc…); but is a complete gift of God because He loves you!  As we begin fighting the devil and using our armor we will become accustomed to it and will be able to fight Satan efficiently.  The Helmet of Salvation is probably one of the greatest pieces of the armor; for without it, you are not just vulnerable, but lost; and you will not know who the enemy is.

-Your equipment must be properly installed-

    You cannot be haphazard about installing your armor.  Too many of us are lazy when it comes to preparing for battle (which is against Satan).  The Helmet of Salvation must be on securely, The Belt of Truth must be tightly buckled so it won’t fall off, The Breastplate of righteousness must be tied securely in the back (usually this piece was installed by a fellow soldier, which denotes discipleship), The Sword of the Spirit must be sharpened by allowing The Holy Spirit to work in your own life first of all and then you will be in tune to use this Sword in an offensive manner.  The ability to spread True Peace which really is the Gospel of Christ must be carefully checked out for any tears or deformities so nonbelievers are not given something untrue.  The shield of Faith must be held out front, so when the battle comes; you can stand behind your faith.  Intercession for yourself and others is part of the armor and is a way of keeping the armor of God tuned up.  The last thing and yet a very important thing is that we need to watch.  It will not do us any good to be sitting around in our armor, but yet not really alert and ready to fight.

-You must drill regularly-

    Discourse is good.  When physical soldiers train; they will build up strength, and they will do scenario (mock) battles.  One reason why Christians have such a hard time fighting against Satan is they really have no idea what it means to drill.  Different methods of drilling are:  Praying, Reading the Word of God, Meditating, and Getting involved in a discussion.

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   If we are constantly living in fear…Fear is controlling you. The Saving power of God will motivate you to the fight, but tactics and and advantages may need to be taught/learned or you may give up on account of being overwhelmed.  This is all part of putting on the armor of God.

   My kingdom is not of this world, if it were then my servants would fight in physical battles.  Jesus could have gotten Himself out of the mess in which He found Himself, but He was fighting a spiritual battle for you.  This was the method that had to be taken to align mankind with God and give them the edge over Satan.

Salvation is important!