As I mentioned in the first letter, when you pray for guidance and knowledge, God will answer your prayers and in my case, he isn’t wasting any time. You may be wondering whether I have, in fact, gone off the deep end and you may also be wondering why I am sending another letter to you. In this respect, nothing has changed over the past 3 weeks – God is leading me where I need to go and what I need to do. It’s that simple. He has given me additional knowledge and He has also asked that I give this information to each of you. You are probably wondering how God is communicating to me (and rightfully so). I have said before that I believe God communicates to all of us through the circumstances of our lives if we would only listen. I have been listening as well as I know how (with some help from local Pastors) and have discovered something that is truly amazing to me. He knows our strengths and our talents and uses these for not only His will on Earth when we choose to follow Him, but He also uses our strengths to further His communication with us. In my case, God is using His Word, His inner voice, numbers, circumstances and my interest in solving problems to give me information that I need to know. I have gained greater knowledge as I have solved the problems that He has presented to me. I realize that this may sound strange to some of you, others may know much more about this than I do. I can only say that it is a wonderful feeling when you realize that God is talking directly to you through the Holy Spirit and using you and your talents for His will. Another question that you are probably pondering is ‘Why is He giving this information to John?’ Believe me, I have prayed for an answer to this question. The answer is simple. When we choose to follow God’s plan for our lives, He will use the talents and abilities given to us for His will. When I chose to turn my life over to him, He began to give me my true purpose in this life. I have realized in recent weeks that He has been leading me to where I am my entire life. I’m only now understanding this, which I will explain later in this letter. I will also say that other people are getting the same message that I am. Where will this lead my family and me? I honestly don’t know. I will say that while I know we are about to face some difficult times, it is very exciting to know that we are now on the path that God has planned for us. For Karen, our family, and myself the adventure has only just started. He has a plan for all of us; it’s up to each of us to choose to accept His offer of salvation through his Son, obey Him and follow His will for us.
Here’s where I need to give you another warning about the contents you are about to read. We (Americans) are about to face the most difficult times our nation has ever encountered. Since we need to stay grounded in the Word of God, please remember the following scriptures as you read the remainder of this letter:
‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, “We will not walk in it.” –Jeremiah 6:16
‘I appointed watchmen over you and said, “Listen to the sound of the trumpet!” But you said, “We will not listen.” –Jeremiah 6:17
‘The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, speak to your countrymen and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head. Since he heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had taken warning, he would have saved himself. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.’ – Ezekiel 33:1-6
I was neither a prophet nor a prophet’s son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, “Go, prophesy to my people.” – Amos 7:14-15
I believe that God is giving me a warning to give to you and anyone who will listen. He has shown our nation mercy in recent decades, but I believe that His protection of our nation has ended. What happens when a nation falls away from God? God removes his protection and the powers of Satan have free reign. Could 9/11 and recent climate/weather changes be signals to us that He is removing his protection in an effort to get our nation to repent? Is it a coincidence that our weather seems to be more unpredictable and definitely more intense? You may be thinking to yourself, ‘But we’re the good guys! There are millions of good people in this country!’ If you use this world’s idea of good and evil as your baseline, you would be able to make an argument that we’re living in a good nation. If you look at the U.S. through God’s eyes, you see our nation from a much different perspective.
I don’t believe anyone would disagree that our nation’s Godliness and moral standards are declining. Since 1973, it is estimated that the U.S. has performed over 47 million abortions. Think about that number for a minute. 47,000,000. 47 million Americans who never got a chance in this life. 47 million of God’s children who never got a chance to do His will in this world. We are slowly removing God from our government, our schools and the offices where we work (there is now a movement to remove God from our money) all in the name of ‘political correctness’ or to prevent people from being ‘offended’. Pornagraphy is now a $10 billion dollar business in this country and continues to grow. If it’s not right in God’s eyes, it shouldn’t be right in ours. I now view the world and the issues in it by God’s word and His word alone. It doesn’t matter how you phrase it, if it goes against God’s word, it goes against God’s word. We haven’t learned from the history lessons in the Bible that tell us what happens to nations that do not follow God’s word. We talk a good talk in America, but as a nation, we are ignoring His will for us. Casinos and lotteries have been built and implemented in many states. Studies have shown repeatedly that the poorest people in our country play lotteries. We recently implemented a state lottery in Tennessee after churches fought against it. The CEO of the TN lottery is a multi-millionaire. The next time you’re in a convenience store, take note of the people who are funding her salary. Jesus warned us against taking advantage of the poor. We are the wealthiest nation on Earth and many of us live in luxury, yet we strive for more power and wealth while billions of people across the globe would be happy simply to know that they were going to have something to eat each day. What was the number one topic Jesus spoke of in His gospels? Money.
This all leads me to this. I believe that the ‘terrorist’ event I mentioned in my first letter will occur on November 11th of this year. I believe that it will involve multiple cities, and I strongly believe that Las Vegas will be one of the cities affected by this event [a few weeks later I felt that the Lord also communicated that San Francisco, Washington D.C., New York and Atlanta would also be affected]. Why do I believe that November 11th is the day? It’s been an interesting journey. I realize this requires a large amount of faith, so hang in there with me. For the past 15 years I have seen 11:11 everywhere and often. I initially began to see it on digital clocks and thought I was subconsciously looking at clocks at that time in the afternoon or at night. I then began seeing it on trip mileage, phone numbers, billboards, ID’s, etc. After the first few years of seeing it over and over, I began to experience some apprehension each year as November 11th approached. I had no reason to believe that the date was related to what I was experiencing, but I felt as though I was being sent a message, but could not understand it. Karen and I met with our neighbor Krista (who was our physician’s assistant for our OB/GYN) early last year to learn the due date of our son Jake. As Krista was calculating the date, I half jokingly said, ‘It better not be November 11.’ Her response after finishing her calculation was ‘How did you know?’
When the Internet was created, I discovered that 11:11 is a worldwide phenomenon. Thousands (if not millions) of people around the globe have experienced the same thing. There are websites dedicated to this and they’re even making a movie about it this year. So, seeing 11:11 became part of my life and while I would mention it to people on occasion, I stopped thinking that it was a message. That is, I stopped thinking about it until I started researching the Illuminati earlier this year. When I discovered that the Illuminati used the number 11 in events to communicate to its members, I suddenly became very interested again in 11:11. If you question this, research the number 11 and 9/11/01. I believe you will be amazed at what you find. There is some very interesting math involved with November 11 of this year. 9/11/2001 has one 11 in the date. 3/11/2004 (Madrid bombings) has two eleven’s (3+1+1+2+4 = 11). 11/11/2005 has 3 eleven’s (1+1+1+1+2+5 = 11). There are 911 days between 9/11/2001 and 3/11/2004. There are 611 days between 3/11/2004 and 11/11/2005. The difference between previous years and this year? Never in our lives has the month, day and year on November 11th added up to 11. Earlier this year my brother Charlie and I were discussing these things. At the end of the conversation he asked ‘Do you ever see the number 11:11?’. It turns out that we both started seeing it in the early 90’s. The difference was that until this conversation, he only saw 11:11 on digital clocks. After telling him that I see it everywhere in addition to digital clocks, he paused for a few seconds and asked me if I was watching the British Open (golf). When I told him that I had it on, he told me to look at the leader board. I turned around and saw that Tiger Woods was eleven under par on the eleventh hole. In July, Karen and I both started seeing 5:42 and 5:24 on digital clocks as well as 11:11. I can understand if you are skeptical. I realize it sounds unbelievable. If you haven’t taken the time to research the Illuminati, doing so will remove some of your doubt. I have had the thought for some time that if I ever figured out what 11:11 meant, I would stop seeing it. I can honestly say I haven’t seen it in over a month. Could I be wrong? Absolutely. It is entirely possible that I could be misinterpreting God’s message for me. It is also very possible through prayer, that we can delay or stop what is happening in our world. When evil attacks us, we should always pray to God for assistance and intervention. I pray that we will be protected from what is to come, but I will also say that I am making plans in the event something does happen.
Why Vegas? One night the power went out in our home and the alarm clock in our bedroom needed to be reset. I left my watch downstairs, so I opened the top drawer of my dresser to get the time off another watch. As I was reaching into the drawer, I noticed a luggage tag next to my watch…..for some reason I flipped it over. It was from a company trip in 2003 to Las Vegas. I wasn’t sure why I flipped it over…then realized that I had been praying for greater knowledge of coming events. Could this be an answer? I laid on my bed thinking about this for a few minutes and again, without really thinking about it, turned my head and looked directly at a photo on my end table of the same trip. It was a photo of me, Karen and Olivia (2 months old) on the Gondola ride in the Venetian. I have to admit; at this point I was thinking coincidence all the way. I studied the photo for a few minutes, and not seeing anything significant, started to place the photo back on the table when something told me to take the photo out of the frame. I did so. In the bottom left-hand corner of the photo was the date of the photo and a photo number: 3/12/2003 11-3.jpg. Add up the numbers in the date. Coincidence?
Even if you don’t quite believe what I’m saying about God and the information he has given me, take a moment and look at our nation from an economist’s point of view. Our country has a national debt approaching 8 trillion dollars. That’s Trillion with a T. The average American household has over $12,000 in credit card and other revolving credit debt. Housing prices have increased dramatically in the past 5 years (doubled in many areas) leading many Americans to use the equity in their homes to finance spending while losing site of the fact that our houses are only worth something when they sell. The world economy simply cannot sustain itself unless the U.S. stops spending and starts saving and the rest of the world does the reverse. If our economy tanks, the world economy is going to suffer greatly. Foreign countries now own over 45% of our national debt. If they stop buying our treasuries, the party’s over for us. No more cheap credit. If you read the news closely, many economists are saying that America’s debt is now something to be concerned about over time, but as long as we don’t have another major hurricane disaster or ‘terrorist’ event, the economy will continue to grow. There are an increasing number of articles and publications warning about America’s debt. The warning signs are all around us. I recently read in the Wall Street Journal where a well known economist uses 10 metrics to determine if a country’s economy is on a ‘bubble’ and at risk for a significant ‘correction’. The author said that America’s economy qualifies as being on a ‘bubble’ on 8 of them. The problem is that we continue to wrongly believe that the good life will continue regardless of the signs around us and our nation’s separation from God. I realize this seems like a lot of gloom and doom, but I feel as though we are asleep at the wheel and need to be awakened! There are many Christian writers who are sounding the alarm, but are not loud enough. We are being quieted by ‘political correctness’ and a lack of conviction.
I mentioned in the first letter what Karen and I are doing in preparation for coming events. Here are a few more details. I realize that a large amount of faith is required to do what I’m doing. I’ve prayed about what to do and these were my answers. I ask that you pray for guidance as well.
1. I am getting out of the stock market completely. There are no ‘safe’ stocks during times of crisis. Simply get out of the market altogether.
2. Since my 401(k) plan does not offer anything other than stocks and a few bond funds, I’m taking the money out, paying the tax penalty and putting the money in something safe (not spending it!). If your 401(k) has investments that are not stock/bond related and carries no risk (guaranteed interest investments), I suppose that would be fine. If you aren’t changing jobs and can’t take your money out and you don’t have safe options, I would suggest that you take a 401(k) loan for the maximum amount allowable and move it to something safe. Better to have the money in something safe and pay yourself back each month, than lose a significant amount of your savings when the stock market falls.
3. Instead of stocks, I’m in a fund that tracks the price of Gold. If you’re interested the fund is ISHARES COMEX GOLD TR. Symbol – IAU (It’s up $14/share since I bought it last year). I’m sure there are others. Be aware that many ‘funds’ include Gold, but many other investments as well. Be sure that you know everything that a fund invests in.
4. Similar to most areas, home values in Knoxville have skyrocketed in the past 2 years. If you are comfortable with your mortgage, I see no reason to sell your home unless you need the equity to get free of debt. As always, this is something to pray about. Many Americans have taken out multiple mortgages or ‘interest-only’ loans to finance spending and other things…with the hope that housing prices continue to rise. If you’re in a similar situation, now would be a great time to sell and downsize or rent. Use the funds to pay down your debt or invest in something that is much less risky. It’s also a great time to lock in a fixed rate mortgage if you have any type of an adjustable rate mortgage or ARM.
5. Have more cash on hand than usual.
6. Make sacrifices now to get out of debt. Everyone’s goal should be to become debt free (other than a mortgage) as soon as possible. Not only does debt place stress on you and your family (Satan loves to place stress and uncertainty in your life); it prevents you from doing everything God asks you to do. There have been many times in my life where my Church needed additional funds for the general budget, to help a family, to support a new mission….and I couldn’t contribute due to my spending and debt. This world tells you that you need a new car (Employee discount!), that you need a bigger home (Interest only mortgages!); go shopping (low credit card rates! – free T-Shirt!) and that you deserve all of these things. God tells us that we need clothing, a roof over our head and food to eat. He will take care of everything for us when we give our lives and finances over to him. Dave Ramsey provides excellent guidance for setting a budget and getting out of debt. If you need help, he is a great source for financial planning.
7. I’m going to stock up on the basics – water, non-perishable food, fuel, etc.
Another topic that I feel I need to reference relates to spiritual warfare. The best way for me to communicate this is through my own experiences. Before I was a Christian, Satan for the most part left me alone. He tempted me with wealth, pursuit of money, new stuff to keep me in debt, etc. to keep my focus on things other than my own salvation and to keep me off God’s plan for my life, but he did not aggressively attack me. Once we become Christians, we have chosen God and chosen to fight Satan and his evil purposes in this world. As many of you know, this is the greatest experience up to this point in your life! Although this is truly a wonderful, life changing event in our lives, we must never forget that once we have chosen to serve God and are saved, we become a target of Satan and evil in this world. I believe that Satan takes a special interest in new Christians. We haven’t matured spiritually yet, so we are vulnerable to attack. Satan knows that as we become more mature both in our spiritual relationship with God, His word, the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ, the more protected and prepared we are when faced with Satan’s temptations and attacks. The final piece of this is that once a Christian begins to follow God’s plan and begins attacking evil and spreading God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ, Satan does not take our aggression lying down, evil fights back. How do I know this? Because I have experienced all of these things over the past year. I have had doubts placed in my mind about the things that I’m doing. Are you sure God wants you to do this? What if you’re wrong? No one wants to hear these things! People want good news, not bad, so go back to the sidelines and get out of the game! Wasn’t your life easier before you began getting involved with these things? Why bother? Are you sure you’re saved? Would you be having these thoughts if you were saved? You’re using Scripture, are you sure that you are using it correctly? The Bible was written by men, how do you know that the Bible was inspired by God? Anything and everything has been thrown at me in an attempt to separate me from Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father. Only through the Holy Spirit can we hope to resist these attacks. At first, unbeknownst to me, God began preparing me for this. He has guided me to a local ministry that is focused on the intensifying spiritual warfare being waged in our world. Their Pastor (Mike McClung) has created a series of CD’s on spiritual warfare that I listen to everyday (www.lionheartministries.org). If you want to learn more about God’s word, the Christian faith and spiritual warfare, I highly recommend that you order his CD’s.
I mentioned that God has used the circumstances in my life to communicate to me and to place me in positions where He needed me. The other side of this is that Satan has used non-believers to try to prevent me from doing what God has asked me to do. As I continue to do God’s work through my job, I have noticed that something, very quietly (for now) is objecting. Here’s an example. I’m a General Manager of a broadband company in Knoxville. On our cable systems throughout the Southeast, we provide the Playboy channel among other ‘Adult’ channels. The Playboy Channel recently sent our Ad Sales department in Knoxville a 30 second promotional commercial for their ‘Adult’ content. It just so happens that this is the first year that I have had control over the advertising shown on my system in Knoxville. I refused to broadcast the promotion. I believe my exact words were ‘drive over the tape with your car.’ Our marketing department objected. I refused. I was then told ‘we have a contractual obligation, every other division is showing it, it’s ‘tastefully’ done, we’re showing it after 10pm, etc, etc’. I refused. More reasons were thrown at me. I finally told them that as long as I was running this division, we were never going to promote pornography again….and that’s exactly what we were doing – promoting pornography. This must have made the point more clearly, because I was never contacted again.
Two weeks later our marketing department sent direct mail to every one of our digital customers explaining how to set parental controls on their digital boxes to prevent anyone other than adults from viewing ‘adult’ films. This is a good example of how spiritual warfare is waged. Stand up for God and He will make great things happen through you. Once you have done the little things for Him, He will give you much bigger things to do. I met with our CEO and Vice Presidents on Friday of last week to discuss removing ‘adult’ content from not only our system in Knoxville, but all of our systems in the Southeast. We discussed this for over an hour before they promised me that they are going to give the decision serious thought. What will our CEO decide? If he listens to God, we will remove this programming from our systems….and how nice would it be for a cable company to actually move in the right direction when it comes to this content. If we remove it and customers choose us instead of our competition because of it, will it put pressure on our much larger competitors to do the same? Here’s a summary of the thoughts running through my mind at the moment I was going to initiate this conversation with our CEO….Don’t do it! Lost revenue! Lost customers! You can’t force your values on other adults! …and I almost didn’t say anything. In the end, I asked myself ‘What would Jesus Christ do in this situation?’ The answer is that Jesus attacked evil at every opportunity…so I asked Jesus to help me and give me the courage I needed. The doubt and questions ran away and I initiated the conversation. We’re not asked to fight alone. In fact, God warns us against it. These things may seem like coincidences, I assure you they are not. Spiritual warfare can be very quiet, hardly noticeable. Other times it can be very obvious. On Monday of this week I received an email from our marketing department that we are increasing the price of our Adult movies. More revenue! The battle continues.
As I have started to do more and more for God through my job and our community, I began to think that it wouldn’t surprise me if Satan tried to take me out of my organization. I was now using my position of influence to rebel against the flow of this world and do what God was asking me to do. After thinking about this for awhile, I realized that evil already tried to take me out. A few months ago I planned to promote a very good, dedicated employee to a supervisor position. He has always worked very hard and deserved the promotion. Before I offered him the position, unbeknownst to me, he received a speeding ticket. Instead of paying the ticket and moving on, he decided to contact a powerful political figure in Knoxville (who I knew personally) to fix it for him. This person said sure, he’d take care of it for him…he knew the judge. To show his gratitude, my employee took this person out to dinner…a very expensive dinner (as much or more than the cost of the ticket). A couple of weeks after the ticket was ‘taken care of’, the political figure called to tell me he heard that I was considering this person for the supervisor position. He then proceeded to tell me that this employee had him fix a DUI ticket that he received in a company truck and that under no circumstances should the employee receive the promotion (he probably had someone else in mind). I told him that I appreciated the information and I would talk to the employee about it. After talking to the employee and determining that it was simply a speeding ticket in his own vehicle, I called the political figure and told him that the employee would receive the promotion since it was only a speeding ticket. This person went ballistic and demanded that I not promote him. I refused and promoted him anyway. This person then spoke to a Vice President of our company and demanded that they fire me and two of my managers due to the poor performance of our division (we perform very well). Three executives initially agreed that there could be a problem and something should probably be done. Our VP of Operations, after being informed of this, rebuked all of them in front of our CEO….adamantly. Our CEO sided with him and has banned one of the executives from ever returning to Knoxville and any contact with the politician. This is a very good example of how Satan works. He didn’t ask our CEO to fire me; he simply placed a thought in an employee’s mind…’it’s only a speeding ticket, no one will ever know.’ A short term gain (that’s not really a gain at all) turns into something much worse. Satan will never tell you the long term consequences of your actions. Evil does the same thing with alcohol, drugs, embezzlement, etc. It almost always starts small and then mushrooms out of control. Enron and WorldCom come to mind. ‘You’ll be rich and no one will ever know.’ Ask Bernie Ebbers how that turned out for him. He’s going to die in jail. I didn’t understand why other managers were included at the time. I do now. Both are moving in the right direction spiritually and are being prepared by our Father for greater things. The other side knows this. It wasn’t our time to leave our company, so we stayed. Never forget that God is in complete control. When it’s time for us to leave, it will be God’s will.
God works in our lives everyday. The difference for me is that I can see it now. In my position, many charities ask me for company donations. In the past, as with most corporations, I have only donated to charities where my company received something in return….sponsorship, publicity, etc. Over the past 4 years, a local charity has asked me many times for a donation and each time I have refused because I didn’t feel that our company received anything for the donation (cold – but that’s life in corporate America). A few weeks ago I received another letter from this charity (SMA - Families with Spinal Muscular Atrophy). For once, I decided to actually read the letter. I learned that this is a life threatening disease that affects children. Many children die from the disease before the age of 5. I decided that it was time to send a check. So, I sent them some money and thought nothing more about it. Three days later I received a voicemail message from the director of the charity. I could tell she had been crying, she said ‘Mr. Gilmore, I just wanted to let you know how much we appreciate your donation. We received a letter today from a poor family in Knoxville who just lost their 4 year old daughter to this disease. They needed some financial help with the funeral and we had none to give. In the same stack of mail we received their letter, we received your donation that allowed us to help them. It was a miracle. God bless you.’ In the same stack of mail. I had to close my office door for awhile to compose myself. I cannot imagine the anguish that these people felt losing a child. God knows and provided for them. He has taught me much over the past 2 months. Sometimes the lessons are easy, other times they are very difficult. In this case it was this….you don’t need to gain ANYTHING for yourself to help others. Jesus taught us that if we’re asked for something, give it. Selfishness will destroy us spiritually if we let it.
One last story. A few weeks ago our General Manager in Columbus, GA (a good friend of mine) and I were discussing how God was working in our lives. He mentioned that he was made aware of a little girl who had a terminal disease and did not have long to live. He was told that she loved a certain country singer (not one of the top artists). Through his contacts he was able to get a guitar signed by this artist and give it to the little girl. He went on with his life and didn’t think much more about it. The guitar and the autograph were not worth much and he was glad to help. She died a few weeks later. My friend later found out that she loved the guitar so much, she asked that it be placed next to her coffin at the funeral. We don’t know how our actions truly affect others, but God knows. He loves each and every one of us. Through my friend, He gave the little girl much happiness before she left this world to be with Him.
The important thing is that God has opened my eyes to this ongoing warfare. We need the Holy Spirit in order to see it and discern what is right. It has not been easy to get the strength to write about these things and then send it to everyone I know. There is one reason that I have been able to overcome all of my doubt. That reason is God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. We are human beings. The Bible teaches us that we cannot take on Satan alone. We will fail without God’s power on our side. Have you ever given in to temptation, only to have that decision cause you pain? With His power, we can overcome everything that the devil throws at us. Without Him, we are vulnerable to evil and will ultimately fail to resist. Satan does not want me sending these letters and he doesn’t want you to read them. Since he has failed to stop me, he will create doubt in your minds. Don’t listen, Gilmore’s losing his mind, the stock market will remain stable, Homeland Security will protect us…I can hear it all now. Evil would much prefer that you are kept in the dark and will therefore, be fearful and alone when faced with what’s coming. I recently purchased a very good book on our adversary and what he is capable of doing. I have listed it below if you are interested. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard ‘If I’m just a good person I’ll be in Heaven some day’ or ‘I believe in God, but I’m not so sure about Jesus Christ’. We all have evil thoughts at times and they are the work of our adversary. The devil is relentless in his attack on our relationship with God and Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ sealed the devil’s fate…..so the devil will do whatever he can to separate us from Christ. It’s very important that we learn how to fight back.
What does all this mean? From my own experiences, I can see this warfare intensifying and it’s going to continue to intensify. If you’ve been in the battle, I commend you. If you’re like me up until a few months ago, it’s time to get in the game. It’s time to place God #1 in your life. I know what it’s like to place God #4 on my list of priorities versus #1! If you want to find true happiness, love and satisfaction in this life, move Him to #1. I will be glad to help you in any way I can.
You probably noticed that I haven’t written much about 9/11 conspiracies or the Illuminati in this letter. The reason is that now they simply don’t concern me as much. I am more concerned with following God’s plan for me and my family. He will take care of the rest. The important thing is that we are prepared spiritually for what’s coming through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I continue to pray for our country and for all of you.
I always recommend a good study Bible to those that ask me for reading material, but if you’re interested in a couple of good books outside of the Bible relating to what I’m writing about, here are a couple:
‘The American Prophecies’ by Michael D. Evans
‘When the Enemy Strikes’ by Charles Stanley
‘A Modern Prophesy’ by John Tunstall
God Bless.
John
Showing posts with label spiritual warfare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spiritual warfare. Show all posts
Monday, October 25, 2010
Thursday, September 21, 2006
A Servant of the Lord - Isaiah 49
Anyone who serves the Lord goes through tough times. Hardship is not something that should surprise us in this world. If you’re going to do great things for God – you’re going to go through great trials. This is how you become a ‘polished arrow’ in the verses below. This is how God molds you into His image – this is how He instills His character in you. This is how He prepares you to face our enemy and all of his schemes.
There have been times over the past 4 years where I became so tired and frustrated with my circumstances – I wanted to give up. I was tired of being broke and struggling to pay bills. I was tired of not being able to do all of the things I wanted to do. To be honest – I was tired of being tested – tired of the trials – tired of having the burden of knowing what was coming for us – tired of battling our enemy.
I wanted to walk away.
I argued with God.
Why is this happening to me? I’ve done what you’ve asked and it has led me to financial ruin!
I felt like God was asking me to run the race – with a broken leg.
I wanted to stop analyzing the world’s economic system and what the global elite are doing to the world. Most of the people in the world worship the world and the things in it – let them reap what they have sown. I’m tired of telling people the truth – when they aren’t interested. They are doomed – and I want out of here.
I felt like Job wrapped in sackcloth - sitting on a pile of ashes - wondering why this was happening to me – if I’m one of the good guys.
I think every person who ever served the Lord – has had similar thoughts and feelings about their circumstances and what they have been asked to do. I also think that the Lord let’s us vent at times. This world is hard – which is why our trials are tough – which is why the ‘narrow path’ is the most difficult path to take in this world – which is why few choose to follow Jesus. It’s not easy – and it never will be.
Although I have struggled financially – I’ve somehow always managed to get by. When I thought that no one was listening – I would get an email from someone who was encouraged by what I’ve written.
I rarely received what I wanted – but I have always received what I needed. Remember this.
There have been times when I simply needed something to lift me up. I needed a word from my Creator to let me know I was still on the right path.
Today – he gave me Isaiah 49. (Summer 2009)
______________________________________
Isaiah 49
The Servant of the LORD
1 Listen to me, you islands;
hear this, you distant nations:
Before I was born the LORD called me;
from my birth he has made mention of my name.
2 He made my mouth like a sharpened sword,
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me into a polished arrow
and concealed me in his quiver.
3 He said to me, "You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will display my splendor."
4 But I said, "I have labored to no purpose;
I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing.
Yet what is due me is in the LORD's hand,
and my reward is with my God."
5 And now the LORD says—
he who formed me in the womb to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
and gather Israel to himself,
for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD
and my God has been my strength-
6 he says:
"It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth."
7 This is what the LORD says—
the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel—
to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation,
to the servant of rulers:
"Kings will see you and rise up,
princes will see and bow down,
because of the LORD, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."
There have been times over the past 4 years where I became so tired and frustrated with my circumstances – I wanted to give up. I was tired of being broke and struggling to pay bills. I was tired of not being able to do all of the things I wanted to do. To be honest – I was tired of being tested – tired of the trials – tired of having the burden of knowing what was coming for us – tired of battling our enemy.
I wanted to walk away.
I argued with God.
Why is this happening to me? I’ve done what you’ve asked and it has led me to financial ruin!
I felt like God was asking me to run the race – with a broken leg.
I wanted to stop analyzing the world’s economic system and what the global elite are doing to the world. Most of the people in the world worship the world and the things in it – let them reap what they have sown. I’m tired of telling people the truth – when they aren’t interested. They are doomed – and I want out of here.
I felt like Job wrapped in sackcloth - sitting on a pile of ashes - wondering why this was happening to me – if I’m one of the good guys.
I think every person who ever served the Lord – has had similar thoughts and feelings about their circumstances and what they have been asked to do. I also think that the Lord let’s us vent at times. This world is hard – which is why our trials are tough – which is why the ‘narrow path’ is the most difficult path to take in this world – which is why few choose to follow Jesus. It’s not easy – and it never will be.
Although I have struggled financially – I’ve somehow always managed to get by. When I thought that no one was listening – I would get an email from someone who was encouraged by what I’ve written.
I rarely received what I wanted – but I have always received what I needed. Remember this.
There have been times when I simply needed something to lift me up. I needed a word from my Creator to let me know I was still on the right path.
Today – he gave me Isaiah 49. (Summer 2009)
______________________________________
Isaiah 49
The Servant of the LORD
1 Listen to me, you islands;
hear this, you distant nations:
Before I was born the LORD called me;
from my birth he has made mention of my name.
2 He made my mouth like a sharpened sword,
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me into a polished arrow
and concealed me in his quiver.
3 He said to me, "You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will display my splendor."
4 But I said, "I have labored to no purpose;
I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing.
Yet what is due me is in the LORD's hand,
and my reward is with my God."
5 And now the LORD says—
he who formed me in the womb to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
and gather Israel to himself,
for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD
and my God has been my strength-
6 he says:
"It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth."
7 This is what the LORD says—
the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel—
to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation,
to the servant of rulers:
"Kings will see you and rise up,
princes will see and bow down,
because of the LORD, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."
Monday, September 11, 2006
The Armor of God
After reading this blog, at some point you may have wondered what the ‘armor’ of God actually is. Since this is a spiritual reference to physical armor, let’s spend some time discussing what armor is and what it does. In our physical world, armor is a protective covering made of metal that is used in combat to protect soldiers. Armor is built into all types of military hardware - tanks, planes, ships, bulletproof vests, etc. - in order to protect soldiers against an enemy’s offensive weapons. Any military commander will tell you that armor is necessary because regardless of how good your training is, regardless of how good your planning is, regardless of how good your offensive weapons are, at some point the enemy is going to get a few shots at you. You must be prepared to withstand an offensive campaign by the enemy. So, armor is created for protection. If your armor gets hit and protects you, you will continue fighting the battle. If you get hit without armor, chances are that you’ll be taken out of battle – and your enemy will move closer to winning the fight. Therefore, engaging in battle without armor is obviously unwise.
Does this apply to our spiritual battles? Certainly. The truth is that most of us today (including most of us in Church) are fighting the greatest battle of all (the spiritual war between God and Satan) – wearing absolutely nothing. We are standing on the spiritual battlefield completely naked with a blindfold on – and we believe that we are fully prepared to take on the enemy. This is a very powerful weapon of our enemy – deception. We believe the lie that we are ready for battle, when we’re not even close.
Let’s review what the Apostle Paul tells us about God’s armor:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 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.
Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” (Ephesians 6:10-20)
The first verse tells us to ‘be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power’. We are being told here to rely on the Lord for strength and power – not ourselves. This is not our battle, but God’s battle - we are servants fighting the enemy according to His will. Alone we will not be able to stand against our enemy’s schemes. We are then told that our fight is not against ‘flesh and blood’. What does this mean? It means that you and I are not fighting people (as the world tells us). Our battle is not against people (regardless of how they might come against us), but against Satan and demonic powers. I won’t lie, it does sound a little scary. We’re asked to fight demons? Yes. The question is – how? The world tells us that metal armor, guns, swords, tanks, etc are required to fight against our enemies. The Bible tells us that these things are worthless against our true enemy. We are fighting a spiritual enemy and therefore, need spiritual weapons. Worldly weapons will not help you when ‘the day of evil comes’. The underlying message here is that every one of us will face evil during this life. There are no exceptions. If you begin to follow the Lord and put on His armor, you will see the enemy’s schemes and you will be able to stand against him, regardless of what the world throws at you.
Let’s take a look at what these spiritual weapons are and what they do for us. The first weapon mentioned is truth. As I’ve mentioned many times before, the world is full of deception. We are bombarded with lies upon lies and told that these lies are the truth. If you are focused on the world, then you will believe all of the lies you are told. You will trust that our government, our media, our leaders, etc. are all telling you the truth and you will forget (or never learn) that there is only one, incorruptible truth in the world – God’s Word. If you accept His offer of salvation, read and study the Lord’s Word and pray to Him for knowledge and wisdom, then you will begin to understand the true nature of the world. You will begin to understand what the truth really is and what it means for the world. You will not be deceived by the enemy’s lies, because you know the truth. You know God’s ways and His laws and you will see how the devil tries to tempt you away from the Lord. Above all else, you will know the true path to salvation:
“Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32)
So, truth is a powerful spiritual weapon and our enemy hates it because it exposes his lies. The truth will set you free from the many worries of this world because you know what lies beyond this fallen world. Truth is a defensive weapon to refute lies thrown at you and an offensive weapon to show the world the truth of Jesus Christ and His Word.
…and always remember that the Lord wants you to know the truth and live by the truth:
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (3 John 1:4)
The next piece of spiritual armor mentioned is righteousness. How is righteousness considered a weapon? If you are a righteous person walking in the Lord’s ways, then you will resist the devil’s temptations. You will always seek the Lord first and not allow yourself to be tempted by the things in the world…things that could take the place of God. You will never allow anything to come between you and the Lord. You will continually seek His righteousness, and in so doing, show the world His true character. People will look to you as a righteous, spiritual leader and you will lead others to Him:
“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Mathew 5:16)
The next piece of armor is the shield of faith. To me, nothing is more important than faith. Why is faith referred to as a shield? In our world, a shield is a defensive weapon that defends against our enemy’s offensive weapons. In the same way, a strong faith allows us to stay strong spiritually and never allow the devil to draw us away from the Lord and His will for us. We’re even told here that a strong faith will ‘extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one’. This verse makes it clear that our spiritual enemy will continually try to destroy us. The ‘flaming arrows’ will continue to fly until we leave this world. What are the flaming arrows mentioned here? They are all of the temptations, all of the evil thoughts and actions that the devil uses in an attempt to keep you from the Lord and His plan for you. If you are a born again Christian, then our enemy will continue to tempt you and attack you in an attempt to bring your focus back on the world and away from God. Never forget, we’re told that the devil is here to ‘kill, steal and destroy’. The Lord has offered us salvation, love and peace in His perfect will. Our enemy wants to destroy you in any way he can. Faith is the shield that protects you against our spiritual enemy. When the world tempts you and tries to take you away from God’s plan, a strong faith will allow you to stay close to the Lord and resist the world and our enemy.
I recently watched the movie ‘300’. This is a movie based on the battle of Thermopylae when 300 Greek soldiers fought a much larger Persian army. In one scene, the Persians fired so many arrows at the Greeks that the sky was darkened. What did the Greeks do? They used their shields to protect themselves until the Persians had to reload. The Greeks then stood up, used their swords to knock the arrows from their shields and stared at the Persians as if to say ‘arrows will not destroy us, we’re still here – ready to fight’. A strong faith will allow you to stay in this spiritual war regardless of how the enemy comes against you. I realize that if you are new to Christianity this can all seem very strange to what you have been taught your entire life. I assure you that this is the truth.
As I have followed the Lord over the past 2 years, I became aware (very early on) of a darkness that has opposed this plan for me. It has come against me in the form of mental pressure, spiritual doubts, evil thoughts and from people who have questioned everything I have done to this point. As I have matured spiritually, the Lord has shown me who my enemy is and how our enemy has tried to scheme against me. Just as the Bible tells us, I can now see the enemy and his schemes. He never stops trying to oppose God’s plan for me, he never stops trying to get in the way and prevent me from delivering the message I have been given, he never stops trying to get his tentacles back into me. There have been times when I wanted to give up and get back to my ‘normal’ life in this world, but that wasn’t God whispering in my ear. Each time this happened, I would pray for help and guidance and the Lord would reassure me and keep me where I needed to be. As you fight your spiritual battles, always rely on Him and His ways…not your own.
What does the Lord tell us about faith?
“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:6-9)
Faith is worth more to us than gold. When gold is refined by fire it melts, but when faith is refined by fire it is strengthened. This is why we are told repeatedly that we will need to endure all kinds of trials and tribulations. We don’t like it when we are asked to go through them, but the Lord will use each trial to strengthen our faith. Even though our faith strengthens and protects us during this life, the ultimate goal of our faith is salvation in eternity. Never forget this. We are running a marathon in this life, not a sprint.
Jesus also mentions this ‘refinement by fire’ in Revelation 3:18:
“I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.”
Jesus is telling us that we must have our faith refined by Him. Come to Him with a little faith (small as a mustard seed) and if you continue to follow Him, He will give you faith to move mountains. It won’t happen overnight. You will be ‘refined’ by trials in this life until you reach maturity. Once you reach spiritual maturity, the trials no longer matter, the enemy no longer matters, the world and the things in the world will no longer matter - you will be focused on the Lord and His plan and you will be secure in your salvation…nothing in this world will move you.
At some point in the future, people will ask – ‘How did John know these things? How could he see them coming?’ The answer is that I was willing to give up the world – job, money, worldly security to follow our Lord. I laid it all at His feet and asked Him what He would have me do. Not surprisingly, the first order of business was being ‘refined’. Before God can use you, you must allow Him to change your character. I was asked to leave my job, give up my savings and my worldly security. This was a 15 month ‘refinement by fire’. What happened at the end of this trial when the Lord began to give back to me? A true faith that cannot be moved by the world. As I progressed spiritually, I was given a spiritual eye to see the world as the Lord sees the world, to love what He loves and to hate what He hates (sin). If you were given a message to deliver that you knew no one would believe, that would be viewed as crazy by many, that would cost you friends and your worldly security – could you still deliver the message? Each of us must mature spiritually before we are given greater authority.
Let’s finish our discussion on spiritual armor. What is the helmet of Salvation? This verse is referring to the knowledge of our salvation. As true children of God, we know that we are citizens of heaven – not this world. We are alien to the world and the world hates us for our devotion to Jesus Christ. We know that our time on earth is temporary and that our true life begins when we leave this world to be with our Father. Our true life doesn’t end when we die, it begins. So, when the world tries to instill fear in us, we do not fear our enemy or the things in the world. We know that our enemy can hurt or destroy our physical bodies, but he can’t touch our souls. Why should we fear death? Jesus conquered death and sin for us. As a result, when the Lord asks us to do what may be viewed as dangerous by the world, we will not fear because we know He who protects us has also prepared a place in heaven for us. If we are someday given a choice between death and denying Jesus Christ, we will always choose to stand with the Lord. Death has no power over us. Remember, almost all of the original Apostles were martyred. They did not run away when the world pressured them nor did they deny Jesus, they knew what awaited them after this life. They were secure in their salvation.
The final piece of armor mentioned in these verses is the sword of the Spirit. This is God’s Word. This sword is His Word written in the Holy Bible and it can be a prophetic revelation given to someone. God’s Word is both a defensive and offensive spiritual weapon. We use it for spiritual guidance, spiritual knowledge and correction and we use it to fight our enemy by exposing lies. If God gives us a message about the future and that message comes true, it will certainly lead people to Him. Remember, even though there are many evil people in the world, God loves them and desires for them to come to Him. If we continue to read His Word and pray, we will continue to mature spiritually into the warriors He meant for us to be.
Never forget that this is a war. In a war, each side will look for weaknesses to exploit. Our enemy is no different. Think about your weaknesses. Are you prone to gambling, alcohol, drugs or pornography? Do you sometimes have an uncontrollable anger that leads you to do things you later regret? Ever tried to overcome these things on your own? It’s not easy…in fact, the Bible tells us that without God, we will ultimately fail to overcome our weaknesses. Why? Because we try to take on satan alone. We think we can somehow overcome something far more powerful than ourselves. The truth is we can’t take on our spiritual enemy alone. Our enemy wants to destroy you and he knows he will be successful as long as you are apart from God. If you come to the Lord and allow Him to change you, the tables will be turned. You will then become a righteous warrior of our Lord. Our enemy will then fear what the Lord is doing through you. Why? Because you will begin to tear down the devil’s strongholds and destroying his works in this world.
“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
Does the Lord use our enemy’s weaknesses against him? Certainly. The rulers of this world who are following our enemy think that they are highly intelligent, powerful and have us all deceived. They think that everything is moving along in this world, just as they planned. They are full of pride. What comes before a fall?
“Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil with the proud.” (Proverbs 16:18-19)
What else does the Lord have to say about wicked people and their evil plans?
“Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will go free.” (Proverbs 11:21)
“But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.” (Proverbs 4:19)
“The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.” (Proverbs 10:3)
“When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.” (Proverbs 10:25)
“The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.” (Proverbs 15:3)
“The LORD works out everything for his own ends — even the wicked for a day of disaster.” (Proverbs 16:4)
We also have the comfort of knowing how all of this ends. Regardless of the trials that come our way or how bad things may become on earth, our true home awaits us.
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:1-3)
It’s never too late to begin putting on His armor. If you haven’t started down the Lord’s path for you yet, my hope is that you will start on your journey today. Ask Him for forgiveness and His path for you. I know from experience, you won’t be disappointed.
Does this apply to our spiritual battles? Certainly. The truth is that most of us today (including most of us in Church) are fighting the greatest battle of all (the spiritual war between God and Satan) – wearing absolutely nothing. We are standing on the spiritual battlefield completely naked with a blindfold on – and we believe that we are fully prepared to take on the enemy. This is a very powerful weapon of our enemy – deception. We believe the lie that we are ready for battle, when we’re not even close.
Let’s review what the Apostle Paul tells us about God’s armor:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 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.
Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” (Ephesians 6:10-20)
The first verse tells us to ‘be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power’. We are being told here to rely on the Lord for strength and power – not ourselves. This is not our battle, but God’s battle - we are servants fighting the enemy according to His will. Alone we will not be able to stand against our enemy’s schemes. We are then told that our fight is not against ‘flesh and blood’. What does this mean? It means that you and I are not fighting people (as the world tells us). Our battle is not against people (regardless of how they might come against us), but against Satan and demonic powers. I won’t lie, it does sound a little scary. We’re asked to fight demons? Yes. The question is – how? The world tells us that metal armor, guns, swords, tanks, etc are required to fight against our enemies. The Bible tells us that these things are worthless against our true enemy. We are fighting a spiritual enemy and therefore, need spiritual weapons. Worldly weapons will not help you when ‘the day of evil comes’. The underlying message here is that every one of us will face evil during this life. There are no exceptions. If you begin to follow the Lord and put on His armor, you will see the enemy’s schemes and you will be able to stand against him, regardless of what the world throws at you.
Let’s take a look at what these spiritual weapons are and what they do for us. The first weapon mentioned is truth. As I’ve mentioned many times before, the world is full of deception. We are bombarded with lies upon lies and told that these lies are the truth. If you are focused on the world, then you will believe all of the lies you are told. You will trust that our government, our media, our leaders, etc. are all telling you the truth and you will forget (or never learn) that there is only one, incorruptible truth in the world – God’s Word. If you accept His offer of salvation, read and study the Lord’s Word and pray to Him for knowledge and wisdom, then you will begin to understand the true nature of the world. You will begin to understand what the truth really is and what it means for the world. You will not be deceived by the enemy’s lies, because you know the truth. You know God’s ways and His laws and you will see how the devil tries to tempt you away from the Lord. Above all else, you will know the true path to salvation:
“Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32)
So, truth is a powerful spiritual weapon and our enemy hates it because it exposes his lies. The truth will set you free from the many worries of this world because you know what lies beyond this fallen world. Truth is a defensive weapon to refute lies thrown at you and an offensive weapon to show the world the truth of Jesus Christ and His Word.
…and always remember that the Lord wants you to know the truth and live by the truth:
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (3 John 1:4)
The next piece of spiritual armor mentioned is righteousness. How is righteousness considered a weapon? If you are a righteous person walking in the Lord’s ways, then you will resist the devil’s temptations. You will always seek the Lord first and not allow yourself to be tempted by the things in the world…things that could take the place of God. You will never allow anything to come between you and the Lord. You will continually seek His righteousness, and in so doing, show the world His true character. People will look to you as a righteous, spiritual leader and you will lead others to Him:
“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Mathew 5:16)
The next piece of armor is the shield of faith. To me, nothing is more important than faith. Why is faith referred to as a shield? In our world, a shield is a defensive weapon that defends against our enemy’s offensive weapons. In the same way, a strong faith allows us to stay strong spiritually and never allow the devil to draw us away from the Lord and His will for us. We’re even told here that a strong faith will ‘extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one’. This verse makes it clear that our spiritual enemy will continually try to destroy us. The ‘flaming arrows’ will continue to fly until we leave this world. What are the flaming arrows mentioned here? They are all of the temptations, all of the evil thoughts and actions that the devil uses in an attempt to keep you from the Lord and His plan for you. If you are a born again Christian, then our enemy will continue to tempt you and attack you in an attempt to bring your focus back on the world and away from God. Never forget, we’re told that the devil is here to ‘kill, steal and destroy’. The Lord has offered us salvation, love and peace in His perfect will. Our enemy wants to destroy you in any way he can. Faith is the shield that protects you against our spiritual enemy. When the world tempts you and tries to take you away from God’s plan, a strong faith will allow you to stay close to the Lord and resist the world and our enemy.
I recently watched the movie ‘300’. This is a movie based on the battle of Thermopylae when 300 Greek soldiers fought a much larger Persian army. In one scene, the Persians fired so many arrows at the Greeks that the sky was darkened. What did the Greeks do? They used their shields to protect themselves until the Persians had to reload. The Greeks then stood up, used their swords to knock the arrows from their shields and stared at the Persians as if to say ‘arrows will not destroy us, we’re still here – ready to fight’. A strong faith will allow you to stay in this spiritual war regardless of how the enemy comes against you. I realize that if you are new to Christianity this can all seem very strange to what you have been taught your entire life. I assure you that this is the truth.
As I have followed the Lord over the past 2 years, I became aware (very early on) of a darkness that has opposed this plan for me. It has come against me in the form of mental pressure, spiritual doubts, evil thoughts and from people who have questioned everything I have done to this point. As I have matured spiritually, the Lord has shown me who my enemy is and how our enemy has tried to scheme against me. Just as the Bible tells us, I can now see the enemy and his schemes. He never stops trying to oppose God’s plan for me, he never stops trying to get in the way and prevent me from delivering the message I have been given, he never stops trying to get his tentacles back into me. There have been times when I wanted to give up and get back to my ‘normal’ life in this world, but that wasn’t God whispering in my ear. Each time this happened, I would pray for help and guidance and the Lord would reassure me and keep me where I needed to be. As you fight your spiritual battles, always rely on Him and His ways…not your own.
What does the Lord tell us about faith?
“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:6-9)
Faith is worth more to us than gold. When gold is refined by fire it melts, but when faith is refined by fire it is strengthened. This is why we are told repeatedly that we will need to endure all kinds of trials and tribulations. We don’t like it when we are asked to go through them, but the Lord will use each trial to strengthen our faith. Even though our faith strengthens and protects us during this life, the ultimate goal of our faith is salvation in eternity. Never forget this. We are running a marathon in this life, not a sprint.
Jesus also mentions this ‘refinement by fire’ in Revelation 3:18:
“I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.”
Jesus is telling us that we must have our faith refined by Him. Come to Him with a little faith (small as a mustard seed) and if you continue to follow Him, He will give you faith to move mountains. It won’t happen overnight. You will be ‘refined’ by trials in this life until you reach maturity. Once you reach spiritual maturity, the trials no longer matter, the enemy no longer matters, the world and the things in the world will no longer matter - you will be focused on the Lord and His plan and you will be secure in your salvation…nothing in this world will move you.
At some point in the future, people will ask – ‘How did John know these things? How could he see them coming?’ The answer is that I was willing to give up the world – job, money, worldly security to follow our Lord. I laid it all at His feet and asked Him what He would have me do. Not surprisingly, the first order of business was being ‘refined’. Before God can use you, you must allow Him to change your character. I was asked to leave my job, give up my savings and my worldly security. This was a 15 month ‘refinement by fire’. What happened at the end of this trial when the Lord began to give back to me? A true faith that cannot be moved by the world. As I progressed spiritually, I was given a spiritual eye to see the world as the Lord sees the world, to love what He loves and to hate what He hates (sin). If you were given a message to deliver that you knew no one would believe, that would be viewed as crazy by many, that would cost you friends and your worldly security – could you still deliver the message? Each of us must mature spiritually before we are given greater authority.
Let’s finish our discussion on spiritual armor. What is the helmet of Salvation? This verse is referring to the knowledge of our salvation. As true children of God, we know that we are citizens of heaven – not this world. We are alien to the world and the world hates us for our devotion to Jesus Christ. We know that our time on earth is temporary and that our true life begins when we leave this world to be with our Father. Our true life doesn’t end when we die, it begins. So, when the world tries to instill fear in us, we do not fear our enemy or the things in the world. We know that our enemy can hurt or destroy our physical bodies, but he can’t touch our souls. Why should we fear death? Jesus conquered death and sin for us. As a result, when the Lord asks us to do what may be viewed as dangerous by the world, we will not fear because we know He who protects us has also prepared a place in heaven for us. If we are someday given a choice between death and denying Jesus Christ, we will always choose to stand with the Lord. Death has no power over us. Remember, almost all of the original Apostles were martyred. They did not run away when the world pressured them nor did they deny Jesus, they knew what awaited them after this life. They were secure in their salvation.
The final piece of armor mentioned in these verses is the sword of the Spirit. This is God’s Word. This sword is His Word written in the Holy Bible and it can be a prophetic revelation given to someone. God’s Word is both a defensive and offensive spiritual weapon. We use it for spiritual guidance, spiritual knowledge and correction and we use it to fight our enemy by exposing lies. If God gives us a message about the future and that message comes true, it will certainly lead people to Him. Remember, even though there are many evil people in the world, God loves them and desires for them to come to Him. If we continue to read His Word and pray, we will continue to mature spiritually into the warriors He meant for us to be.
Never forget that this is a war. In a war, each side will look for weaknesses to exploit. Our enemy is no different. Think about your weaknesses. Are you prone to gambling, alcohol, drugs or pornography? Do you sometimes have an uncontrollable anger that leads you to do things you later regret? Ever tried to overcome these things on your own? It’s not easy…in fact, the Bible tells us that without God, we will ultimately fail to overcome our weaknesses. Why? Because we try to take on satan alone. We think we can somehow overcome something far more powerful than ourselves. The truth is we can’t take on our spiritual enemy alone. Our enemy wants to destroy you and he knows he will be successful as long as you are apart from God. If you come to the Lord and allow Him to change you, the tables will be turned. You will then become a righteous warrior of our Lord. Our enemy will then fear what the Lord is doing through you. Why? Because you will begin to tear down the devil’s strongholds and destroying his works in this world.
“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
Does the Lord use our enemy’s weaknesses against him? Certainly. The rulers of this world who are following our enemy think that they are highly intelligent, powerful and have us all deceived. They think that everything is moving along in this world, just as they planned. They are full of pride. What comes before a fall?
“Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil with the proud.” (Proverbs 16:18-19)
What else does the Lord have to say about wicked people and their evil plans?
“Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will go free.” (Proverbs 11:21)
“But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.” (Proverbs 4:19)
“The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.” (Proverbs 10:3)
“When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.” (Proverbs 10:25)
“The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.” (Proverbs 15:3)
“The LORD works out everything for his own ends — even the wicked for a day of disaster.” (Proverbs 16:4)
We also have the comfort of knowing how all of this ends. Regardless of the trials that come our way or how bad things may become on earth, our true home awaits us.
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:1-3)
It’s never too late to begin putting on His armor. If you haven’t started down the Lord’s path for you yet, my hope is that you will start on your journey today. Ask Him for forgiveness and His path for you. I know from experience, you won’t be disappointed.
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