WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:07.240 This is how you put on the armor. This is how you put on the armor. It's a heart 00:07.240 --> 00:16.220 thing like Mary said. You have to take the statement, apply it to your life in 00:16.960 --> 00:23.940 prayer, in the direction of change me. Verse 11 says put on the whole armor of 00:23.940 --> 00:31.840 God. Verse 13, therefore take up the whole armor of God so we can go slow on 00:31.840 --> 00:34.780 this or we can go fast. This morning we don't have a lot of time. You're gonna 00:34.780 --> 00:40.680 have to take the base out of this mic if you want the feedback to stop. So we 00:40.680 --> 00:48.760 will, I will pray through and you follow and apply it to yourself. The first 00:48.760 --> 00:55.640 thing is in verse number 14, stand therefore having girded your waist with 00:55.640 --> 01:02.820 truth. Lord I pray in the name of Jesus show us where we lie. Show us where we're 01:02.820 --> 01:08.580 in deceit. Show us where we are not truthful. We are not honest. We do not 01:08.580 --> 01:12.940 say it exactly the way it is. We paint the picture to make ourselves look 01:12.940 --> 01:19.420 better. And in the end it's not exactly the way it happened. It's a coloring, 01:19.840 --> 01:25.360 it's a changing of the facts. We're not truthful. We're asking Lord, convict us 01:25.360 --> 01:31.140 and show us where we're off. And then we will be quick to obey and stop 01:31.140 --> 01:37.680 deceiving, stop lying, stop changing facts and figures and so forth to make 01:37.680 --> 01:44.740 ourselves look better. We choose this morning. We choose truth. We choose 01:44.740 --> 01:52.940 truth. We choose truth. We make no excuses for white lies. We make no 01:52.940 --> 01:58.080 excuses for half truths. We make no excuses for things that are not 01:58.080 --> 02:06.020 accurate and correct. We choose truth and we repent of any ways that we 02:06.020 --> 02:14.440 have. We will repent of anything that we have that is not truth. We refuse to 02:14.440 --> 02:20.820 succumb to culture which at this point statistically basically just lives in 02:20.820 --> 02:31.080 lies. We refuse. We refuse to participate in the deception, the 02:31.080 --> 02:37.920 deceit. You never know if what you're seeing or hearing is actually true. That's 02:37.920 --> 02:45.080 our culture now, Father, and we choose to follow Jesus who is the truth. We 02:45.080 --> 02:51.640 choose to become truthful and follow in with that. We also put on the breast 02:51.640 --> 02:57.180 plate of righteousness. Show us, according to John 16, the reason your 02:57.180 --> 03:02.580 Holy Spirit came, Jesus, is to convict us of what's wrong or show us what's wrong, to 03:02.580 --> 03:09.320 convince us of what is right. Show us what's right. So we ask, Holy Spirit, 03:09.600 --> 03:15.860 that's your job. Show us where we're wrong so we can become right. We want to 03:15.860 --> 03:21.700 put on the breast plate which covers our heart and it has to be grounded 03:21.700 --> 03:28.340 in righteousness or what is right before God. Show us what is the right 03:28.340 --> 03:34.400 decision we need to make about things we're deciding on. Show us the right 03:34.400 --> 03:39.520 job or career that we're supposed to pursue. Show us the right place we're 03:39.520 --> 03:43.720 supposed to live. Show us the right gift of the Spirit or gifts of the 03:43.720 --> 03:49.560 Spirit that we're supposed to pursue and flow in. Show us where we are 03:49.560 --> 03:53.920 supposed to take a stand against culture and against society and against 03:53.920 --> 03:59.240 lawlessness and against the evil of our day. Show us, even though it may be 03:59.240 --> 04:03.500 uncomfortable to say things to certain people, to take a stand in certain 04:03.500 --> 04:11.100 situations, we choose to put on what's right. And we don't compromise with 04:11.100 --> 04:16.200 what's wrong. We're not going to placate people. We're not going to 04:16.200 --> 04:22.020 placate feelings or emotions by doing and going into what's wrong. We are 04:22.020 --> 04:30.920 going to choose to be in the right with you. And Lord, that we know is 04:30.920 --> 04:39.290 putting on the breastplate of righteousness. Convict us of where we 04:39.290 --> 04:43.670 actually make choices that we could say, yeah, probably not the right 04:43.670 --> 04:49.810 choice. But for whatever reason, we're going to make that. Show us where 04:49.810 --> 04:54.990 we're doing that because when we do that, we are not putting on the breastplate 04:54.990 --> 04:59.850 of righteousness. Our heart is exposed. We are now open. We are now open 04:59.850 --> 05:04.690 to deception. We are now open to being misled. When we know what is 05:04.690 --> 05:12.730 right, we must choose it and do it. Drive that into our hearts, Lord, 05:12.730 --> 05:19.070 so that we understand righteousness and making that choice. And Lord, 05:19.190 --> 05:29.850 having our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Our feet 05:29.850 --> 05:40.210 shod with the preparation for the gospel of peace. Our feet shod with 05:40.670 --> 05:49.710 the preparation for peace. Lord, show us where we're stubborn. We're cantankerous. 05:49.990 --> 05:54.550 We say things we shouldn't say. Everything that follows us, we're not 05:54.550 --> 06:02.850 preparing for peace. We are doing things and saying things that 06:02.850 --> 06:08.470 literally prepare for gossip, that prepare for strife, that prepare for 06:08.470 --> 06:15.430 division. We're doing things that are not preparing because the gospel 06:15.430 --> 06:21.630 moves forward in peace. Show us where we are actually paralyzing or 06:21.630 --> 06:27.150 handicapping ourselves because we're not preparing for peace. Therefore, 06:27.290 --> 06:30.930 the gospel is not shared through us. Therefore, the gospel has no 06:30.930 --> 06:35.990 effect through us. People look at us and it does nothing for them 06:35.990 --> 06:43.410 because our gospel is a gospel of criticism, a gospel of judgment, a gospel of 06:43.410 --> 06:49.670 strife, a gospel of hate, a gospel of unforgiveness. There's nothing 06:49.670 --> 06:57.650 preparing for peace. Show us where we are off because where we walk, 06:57.650 --> 07:05.190 the preparations should be being made so the gospel can go forth in peace. 07:05.830 --> 07:12.610 That's what should follow where we walk because our feet are shod with the 07:12.610 --> 07:23.170 preparation for the gospel of peace. So, yes, get us to a position we are 07:23.170 --> 07:27.950 walking in peace. Get us in a position where we're paying 07:27.950 --> 07:32.210 attention to what kind of effect we're having on people. 07:32.850 --> 07:37.830 Is it preparing them for peace or is it preparing them for some other thing 07:38.430 --> 07:46.050 that is not you? Show us, change us. Folks, this is how you put on the 07:46.050 --> 07:49.590 armor. This is how you put on the armor. 07:50.450 --> 07:58.810 It's a heart thing, like Mary said. You have to take the statement, apply it to 07:58.810 --> 08:07.790 your life in prayer, in the direction of change me, work in me, 08:07.990 --> 08:12.490 clothe me. So, that's what we're doing right now. 08:13.410 --> 08:17.390 Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you are able to quench the 08:17.390 --> 08:23.250 fiery darts of the wicked one. Lord, I renounce and I rebuke that 08:23.250 --> 08:26.830 Christian saying that says, the devil has been after me. 08:27.230 --> 08:31.970 The enemy has been at work. And all that little phrases that we use 08:31.970 --> 08:36.490 to make excuses for why we're failing in our Christian life. 08:36.610 --> 08:39.850 Because the devil's so big and God is so little 08:39.850 --> 08:45.290 and the enemy's been after me all week. Lord, help us to learn how to walk 08:45.290 --> 08:50.990 in faith. Take up that shield of faith and anything he throws at us 08:50.990 --> 08:55.690 does not hit us. It hits the shield. It hits the faith. 08:56.210 --> 09:02.470 Show us where we're out of faith. Show us where we're not walking in the 09:02.470 --> 09:06.350 faith of Almighty God. Because again, that's where we're open. We're vulnerable. 09:07.050 --> 09:10.490 Show us where we're walking in unbelief. Show us where we're actually 09:10.490 --> 09:13.930 expecting bad things to happen or negative things to happen. 09:13.930 --> 09:17.470 Show us where we're waiting for the other shoe to drop. 09:17.670 --> 09:20.690 Because it never turns out good for me in the long run anyway. 09:21.050 --> 09:25.070 Show us where we're out of faith. Teach us faith. 09:26.170 --> 09:29.470 Teach us how to step in to the realms of faith. 09:29.750 --> 09:32.550 To operate in faith. To think faith. 09:33.130 --> 09:40.170 To speak faith. To hear your word spoken to us so we can have 09:40.170 --> 09:49.430 faith. Help us take up the shield of faith so that we have a defense. 09:50.070 --> 09:56.110 We have a protection from the one who walks around as a roaring line trying to devour us. 09:57.130 --> 10:03.590 Help us get the shield up into position. Get the shield up into place so we can quench 10:03.590 --> 10:08.930 everything that gets thrown at us. Because as long as we're living on this earth, 10:08.930 --> 10:16.230 there's going to be fiery darts thrown at us and the only repellent or protection 10:16.750 --> 10:21.390 we have for those attacks of the darts is faith. 10:23.210 --> 10:26.450 Otherwise all kinds of questions will stick into us. 10:26.650 --> 10:29.010 All kinds of unbelief will stick into us. 10:29.150 --> 10:32.370 We will wander from the truth that will stick into us. 10:32.710 --> 10:37.510 All kinds of things stick into us and begin poisoning us and taking us down 10:37.510 --> 10:45.110 because we're not walking in faith. So I say again, Lord, grow us in our faith to another level of 10:45.110 --> 10:54.530 glory. Grow us in our faith to another realm where you can operate through us because we are 10:54.530 --> 11:02.530 a people of faith. And no matter what the demonic throws at us, we answer with faith. 11:02.530 --> 11:09.230 Like Jesus did in Matthew chapter 4. No matter what Satan said to him, Jesus answered by the word 11:09.230 --> 11:17.990 because he was solid in his face in the Word. So his faith became the shield and he repelled 11:17.990 --> 11:25.250 them back with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Lord, we need to learn your 11:25.250 --> 11:37.970 Word. We need to study it. We need to read it. Don't let us rest without growing more 11:37.970 --> 11:47.450 and more and more in your Word. And then, Lord, not just having it dropped into our heart 11:47.450 --> 11:56.490 by Ramah, not just studying it and it goes to the inside of us, but teach us how to use your Word 11:56.490 --> 12:06.130 as a sword, which your Spirit wields through us. So Holy Spirit, we're totally dependent on you 12:06.130 --> 12:13.210 now to be able to wield the Word through us. Show us what we need to say in every situation. 12:13.930 --> 12:20.270 We've got the shield of faith up and now we're going to go on the offensive and we're not going to 12:21.470 --> 12:31.030 wage war as the world does. We're going to let the Holy Spirit wield the Word through us 12:31.450 --> 12:38.150 as an offensive weapon. Something that doesn't destroy people, but something that reaches in 12:38.150 --> 12:49.430 to divide the bones from the marrow, divide the soul and the Spirit. Lord, help us to realize 12:49.430 --> 12:56.430 sometimes we use the Word to kill people. That's not the Holy Spirit wielding it through us. 12:58.450 --> 13:07.310 The Holy Spirit will separate things out as we work with the Word so they can see it. 13:08.150 --> 13:15.270 They can understand it so they can repent and a change can happen in their heart. 13:15.950 --> 13:22.830 Show us how to wield the Word in a way that helps people. Show us how to wield the Word when 13:22.830 --> 13:28.390 we're dealing with the demonic realm like Jesus did. Giving no room for deception, 13:28.870 --> 13:34.090 giving no room to make the wrong choices, but just taking the Word and putting it out there 13:34.090 --> 13:40.310 and saying, this is what God says. This is what I'm doing. This is what I will obey. And you'd have 13:40.310 --> 13:47.530 nothing to say in it. You can't affect me in it. We're not going to do it. Praying always with 13:47.530 --> 13:53.530 all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. Lord, teach us how to pray in the Spirit. 13:54.570 --> 13:58.470 Show us where we're not in the Spirit when we pray. It's coming out of our head. 13:58.670 --> 14:02.250 It's coming out of our reasoning. It's coming out of someone else's idea. 14:02.250 --> 14:08.110 It's coming out of religion. It's coming out of tradition. It's just a prayer we recite. 14:08.410 --> 14:17.390 It has really no power, no meaning to it. It's just words we say. Lord, show us how to pray 14:17.930 --> 14:27.690 and make supplication, which is a form of intercession, in the Spirit, or in other words, 14:27.690 --> 14:33.590 led by the Spirit. Praying always with all prayer. There's all kinds of prayer 14:34.170 --> 14:41.190 and supplication or forms of intercession in the Spirit. Lord, not what we think, 14:41.490 --> 14:51.450 not what we want, but speaking and interceding as the Spirit leads us, as the Spirit guides us, 14:51.450 --> 14:58.470 dealing with situations, dealing with things, as the Spirit sees they need to be dealt with. 14:58.770 --> 15:05.950 Teach us how to do that. And for those of us that are growing in that, grow us more. 15:06.550 --> 15:12.610 Grow us more through visions, through dreams, through your leading, the 15:12.610 --> 15:19.130 rainbow words being spoken to us, through your input, through the inward witness. 15:19.130 --> 15:28.430 There's many ways to be led. Holy Spirit, lead us how to pray and intercede that it's 15:30.850 --> 15:40.330 you doing it. And Lord, help us to be watchful to this end. The end being putting on the armor, 15:40.330 --> 15:46.210 praying by the Spirit, with all perseverance and supplication 15:47.850 --> 15:55.490 for all the saints. Teach us how to persevere for each other, not just for ourselves. 15:56.330 --> 16:04.810 Help us grow past the selfishness of the last age. In the last days, terrible times will be. 16:05.520 --> 16:14.450 Paul said, people will be lovers of themselves. Lord, teach us how to get beyond praying for us, 16:14.950 --> 16:23.210 our need, our life. Teach us how to pray in supplication, intercession for others, 16:23.530 --> 16:29.190 and persevere doing it. Stay with it. Stay focused on it. 16:29.830 --> 16:37.110 Cause things to come into being, because now we are clothed in our heart, in our being, 16:37.330 --> 16:44.870 with the armor of Almighty God. Now we're ready for battle for others also. 16:45.510 --> 16:50.230 Teach us this, grow us in this, in Jesus' name. Amen.