Our Redemption “in Christ” Detailed to the Ephesians Volume 69

Paul Entreats or Requests the Ephesian Believers to Pray for him

Ephesians 6:19-20 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the Gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. KJV

Paul has now concluded his instruction to the Ephesian believers and we believers today on our spiritual armor including the two weapons of our warfare, but now before he ends this letter he has a personal request from these believers and that is their prayers for him in the very same spiritual battlefield. Paul had on many occasions spoken boldly the Gospel of Grace, example number one shortly after his conversion on the Damascus road as documented for us by Dr. Luke here, “And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the Apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.” (Acts 9:26-27). Example number two during the violent conflict at Antioch as again documented for us by Dr. Luke, “On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the Word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, ‘It was necessary that the Word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.’” (Acts 13:44-46).

There were other documented examples of Paul’s boldness in declaring the Gospel of Christ, yet he requested here the prayers from these Ephesian believers that God the Father would grant him even more boldness or strengthen his current boldness and courage to declare the truth of the Gospel despite his current imprisonment at Philippi. Paul is very aware of the weakness in his old man and old nature to cower from the assaults both upon his person and his sincerity to Christ and His Gospel, especially by the Jews seeing that he was a former high ranking Jewish leader that his fellow Jews would not accept his about face from Judaism into Christianity, therefore, even this bold preacher of Christ needed the prayers of other believers, even new believers like these Ephesians because Paul knew and understood the power in prayer to God the Father. Paul never ever wanted to fall into depending on his natural abilities that he acquired during his many years of studying Judaism, but he knew that he at all times needed a fresh touch from God the Holy Spirit to empower him to continue to be bold in the midst of great opposition and constant violent attacks that landed him in prison for preaching the Gospel of Christ many times as he declared with these words written during one of his prison stays to the Philippian believers exalting the Triune God for what only He could have done, “But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the Gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.” (Philippians 1:12-14).

The Apostle Paul was constantly beseeching other believers to pray for him and for others understanding that the human instruments that came against him was only the representatives of the evil one, therefore, he wanted our Heavenly Father to always hear prayer petitions and supplications coming constantly up to Him on his behalf as he also expressed to the believers in Thessalonica at the end of his letter to them with these words, “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the Word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.” (2 Thessalonians 3:1-3).

Paul wanted at all times the ability to speak or declare the Gospel of Christ rightly, so that God the Holy Spirit would do His work of convicting unbelievers of sin, righteousness, and judgement. Paul knew this was important having come out of Judaism knowing the organized structure of the Jews in their religion (as he was before the Damascus road), and that they would never be persuaded by intelligent human speech, but only by the Power of God through declaring the Gospel of Christ rightly as Dr. John Gill declared with these words speaking about the mysteries of the Gospel of Christ, “The mysterious doctrines of it, such as the doctrines of a trinity of persons, of the union of the two natures in Christ, justification by His righteousness, regeneration by His Spirit and grace, the saints’ union to Christ, and communion with Him, the resurrection of the dead, etc. which are called mysteries, because they were hid until revealed; and though revealed, the ‘modus’ and ‘ratio’ of them are not to be accounted for. Now the Apostle’s work was to make known these mysteries, to prove the truth of them from the Word of God, and to defend them against the opposers of them; and that he might be able to do this he entreats the prayers of the saints.”

Paul recognizes that he is the ambassador of Christ or His representative here on the earth as he declared that we all are such when he wrote this to the Corinthian believers, “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). Therefore, with this truth in Paul’s understanding, he knows that this is the reason for his bonds and that he wants these Ephesian believer’s prayers that he would not become sidetracked by negative human emotions that would cause him to lose sight of his mission, so he wants their prayers for him to speak as he ought or should despite his bonds.

“He was persecuted and imprisoned for preaching the Gospel; though, notwithstanding, he continued in the embassy committed to him by Christ, and persisted in preaching it. Observe, 1. It is no new thing for Christ’s ministers to be in bonds. 2. It is a hard thing for them to speak boldly when that is their case. 3. The best and most eminent ministers have need of, and may receive advantage by, the prayers of good Christians; and therefore should earnestly desire them.” Matthew Henry

“This shows the great humility of the Apostle, and the sense he had of the greatness of the work of the ministry; and that it is the duty of people to pray for their ministers; and that no man is perfect in this life; and that the more superior members need the assistance of the inferior ones; for this request is made by the Apostle not in deceit, or as feigning humility and modesty; but in the sincerity of his heart, and from a real sense of his need of fresh supplies of gifts and grace, to fit him for the work and service of Christ.” Dr. John Gill

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Redemption “in Christ” Detailed to the Ephesians Volume 68

Paul Instructs the Ephesian Believers on Spiritual Warfare Part 9: The Pieces of our Armor

Ephesians 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; KJV

Some Bible Commentators of the past and present tend to think or believe that the Apostle Paul has concluded his discourse, detail, and description of the believer’s armor with Ephesians 6:17, but I happen to agree with Dr. John Gill that prayer is the second (2^nd) piece of our offensive armor that we must employ against the devil and his demons in the many spiritual battles we engage them in over the course of our sojourn and pilgrimage while we are still on the earth. The word “always” Paul uses at the beginning of this text is translated by the Greek word kairos which means on every occasion, that is, set or proper time: - always, opportunity, (convenient, due) season. The Apostle Paul has in mind here a disposition or in other words the natural or acquired habit or characteristic or tendency to pray on all occasions whether the spiritual battles are raging or whether there is a lull in spiritual warfare, we are to have a mind and heart to persist in prayer as we learned from our Lord Jesus Christ as recorded for us by Dr. Luke here, “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: ‘There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’’ Then the Lord said, ‘Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?’” (Luke 18:1-8).

The Apostle Paul is saying that our weapon prayer is to be with us, on us, and in us at all times just as an Army, Marine, Air Force, or Navy soldier would never go out on the battle field without every piece of his gear and weaponry down to the smallest item. Just as the enemies of the United States tremble at the arsenal of bombs this nation has at its deployment, so does the devil and his demons tremble at the meanest or weakest saint or child of God on their knees or face in prayer to our Heavenly Father as the great Psalmist King David wrote here, “Give ear to my words, O LORD, Consider my meditation. Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray.” (Psalm 5:1-2). When the Apostle Paul says to these Ephesian believers and we believers today “with all prayer” he means every method of prayer like silent or inward, public or group, thanksgiving, in the Church or privately at home, etc. The English word supplication Paul uses here of prayer is translated by the Greek word deesis which means to implore or beg or beseech as binding oneself to God the Father; to petition God the Father making specific request for a specific material or spiritual need or for strength in the spiritual battle against the enemy as it was recorded of the Prophet Daniel in prayer with these words, “Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, ‘O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision:’” (Daniel 9:20-23).

It is our spirit in prayer being energized and empowered by God the Holy Spirit to petition and request those things that He hears from God the Father and God the Son that is implanted in us to pray for i.e. requesting certain blessings, preventing evil attacks from the enemy and his principalities and powers as well as the human instruments he would us to attack us, and making groaning’s for us in prayer when we know not what we should request as the Apostle Paul declares with these words written to the Roman believers, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groaning’s which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27). The Apostle Paul tells these Ephesian believers and we believers today that we must be alert and on our guard at all times understanding that our enemy is constantly plotting and strategizing how he would defeat us in the individual spiritual battles as we make our way to our Heavenly home. We must not only be in prayer for ourselves, but also for our fellow saints who are in harm’s way just as we are as documented by these words written by the Apostle Peter, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 5:8-11). Our weapon of prayer is to be always at the ready to be wielded with violent intentions at the enemy.   

“Prayer must buckle on all the other parts of our Christian armour. We must join prayer with all these graces, for our defence against these spiritual enemies, imploring help and assistance of God, as the case requires: and we must pray always. Not as though we were to do nothing else but pray, for there are other duties of religion and of our respective stations in the world that are to be done in their place and season; but we should keep up constant times of prayer, and be constant to them. We must pray upon all occasions, and as often as our own and others' necessities call us to it.” Matthew Henry

“To the Christian soldier, however, it is indispensable. Prayer crowns all lawful efforts with success and gives a victory when nothing else would. No matter how complete the armor; no matter how skilled we may be in the science of war; no matter how courageous we may be, we may be certain that without prayer we shall be defeated. God alone can give the victory; and when the Christian soldier goes forth armed completely for the spiritual conflict, if he looks to God by prayer, he may be sure of a triumph. This prayer is not to be intermitted. It is to be always. In every temptation and spiritual conflict we are to pray.” Albert Barnes

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Redemption “in Christ” Detailed to the Ephesians Volume 67

Paul Instructs the Ephesian Believers on Spiritual Warfare Part 8: The Pieces of our Armor

Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: KJV

The Roman soldiers head was the most vulnerable part of him. Paul surely observed these Roman soldiers guarding him wait until they had all of their other covering pieces of armor on before they would put on their helmet. The Apostle Paul now tells these Ephesian believers and we believers today to “take the helmet of salvation” (Ephesians 6:17). In the same since as the Roman soldier Paul observed, he wanted everyone of these Ephesian believers and us to put on spiritually our salvation “in Christ” and in His Blood shed for us on Calvary. Paul referred to our salvation in this manner to the Thessalonian believers when he said, “But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Therefore, comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:8-11).

The English word “hope” Paul used here in writing to the Thessalonians is not a good English translation, because it does not mean what we have defined it as to wish something to be possible, but instead the Greek word is elpis which means a confident sure expectation; (to anticipate, usually with pleasure). In other words, this part of our armor being the last of the covering or defensive pieces assures us of our eternal future and destiny keeping us from falling for a false Gospel of works salvation or works righteousness and places all of our confidence solely and only on what Christ Jesus our Lord has done for us making us certain of our redemption through His Blood. Note: Here is what John Wesley said about this piece of our armor, “The lowest degree of this hope is a confidence that God will work the whole work of faith in us; the highest is a full assurance of future glory, added to the experimental knowledge of pardoning love.” Having on at all times our helmet of salvation will squash/crush everyone of Satan’s accusations against us trying to bring us into despair which is the state when all hope is lost or absent giving us a feeling of desperation, doubt, and disappointment, but instead with our helmet/hope of salvation we can say these words written by the Psalmist and rest in them, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalm 18:2).

Paul now directs these Ephesian believers and us today now to the first of the only two (2) offensive weapons we are to yield in our warfare with the enemy and that is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). The steel sword was what the Roman soldiers used to attack their enemy and kill them when they were close to them in hand to hand combat (‘Game of Thrones’ enthusiast can attest to this). The Roman soldier would thrust or push the sword forcefully into the flesh of his enemy to incapacitate and ultimately kill the enemy during the battles. In the spiritual sense, we are to attack the devil and all his principalities and powers by speaking the Word of God to them which they cannot guard themselves against. Although, we cannot kill them by speaking the Word of God, we can make them flee from the battle as did our Lord Jesus Christ give us an example when He defeated the devil in the wilderness as recorded for us by Dr. Luke, “And Jesus replied to him, ‘[The Scripture] says, you shall not tempt (try, test exceedingly) the Lord your God.’ And when the devil had ended every [the complete cycle of] temptation, he [temporarily] left Him [that is, stood off from Him] until another more opportune {and} favorable time.” (Luke 4:12-13).

The capacity and power of the Word of God is beyond any understanding for it is what God used to create all that is seen by us visibly here on the earth and throughout the vast innumerable galaxies and universes there are in outer space as recorded for us by Moses with these words, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.” (Genesis 1:1-3). God said and the thing and things appeared just as He said solely by the Power of His Word. This is why we must not try and attack the enemy with anything but the Word of God. The Sword of the Spirit is our Lord Jesus Christ Himself as the Apostle John declared Him with these words written in his Gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” (John 1:1-3). These words written by the Apostle John are a mirror of what Moses wrote in Genesis 1:1-3 as we documented above.

“It has already been observed, in the description of the Grecian armor, that on the crest and other parts of the helmet were a great variety of emblematical figures, and that it is very likely the Apostle refers to helmets which had on them an emblematical representation of hope; viz. that the person should be safe who wore it, that he should be prosperous in all his engagements, and ever escape safe from battle. So the hope of conquering every adversary and surmounting every difficulty, through the Blood of the Lamb, is as a helmet that protects the head; an impenetrable one, that the blow of the battle-axe cannot cleave. The hope of continual safety and protection, built on the promises of God, to which the upright follower of Christ feels he has a Divine right, protects the understanding from being darkened, and the judgment from being confused by any temptations of Satan, or subtle arguments of the sophistical ungodly. He who carries Christ in his heart cannot be cheated out of the hope of his heaven.” Adam Clarke

“Before all Christian warfare must come the possession of the Christian armor, and the commandment that here lies at the beginning of all Paul’s description of it is ‘Take.’ Our fitness for the conflict all depends on our receiving God’s gift, and that reception is no mere passive thing, as if God’s grace could be poured into a human spirit as water is into a bucket. Hence, the translation of this commandment of Paul’s by ‘take’ is better than that by ‘receive,’ inasmuch as it brings into prominence man’s activity, though it gives too exclusive importance to that, to the detriment of the far deeper and more essential element of the divine action. The two words are, in fact, both needed to cover the whole ground of what takes place when the giving God and the taking man concur in the great act by which the Spirit of God takes up its abode in a human spirit. God’s gift is to be received as purely His gift, undeserved, unearned by us. But undeserved and unearned as it is, and given ‘without money and without price,’ it is not ours unless our hand is stretched out to take, and our fingers closed tightly over the free gift of God. There is a dead lift of effort in the reception; there is a still greater effort needed for the continued possession, and there is a life-long discipline and effort needed for the effective use in the struggle of daily life of the Sword of the Spirit.” Alexander MacLaren

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

 

 

 

 

Our Redemption “in Christ” Detailed to the Ephesians Volume 66

Paul Instructs the Ephesian Believers on Spiritual Warfare Part 7: The Pieces of our Armor

Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. KJV

We see now the Apostle Paul declaring to these Ephesian believers and we believers today the most important piece of our armor telling them and us that “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” (Ephesians 6:16). The fact that Paul declares faith to be our shield and to be the most important piece of our armor tells us two (2) things: 1) We are not able to fight spiritual warfare against the devil and his demons successfully if we are always in a state of doubting the promises of God the Father to us “in Christ” and primarily whether or not Christ has truly redeemed us from all of our sins past, present, and future. 2) Our faith and trust in Christ is the rock and anchor point of us waging war in the spiritual battles against the enemy of our souls as the Apostle Paul wrote to the Hebrew believers with these words, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1). Our faith in Christ must give us the confidence and assurance that despite our own personal failures and the accusations hurled against us by the enemy, that we are already seen by God the Father as His eternally glorified sons and daughters as put so strongly, surely, and soundly by these words written by this same Apostle Paul to the Roman believers when he said, “Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” (Romans 8:30). When we fight against the enemy with these words written by Paul always brought to our remembrance, then we can fight to win. When we fight the spiritual battles with the enemy it is our shield of faith we must get behind to protect us from the devil’s fiery darts hurled at our minds in order to bring us into despair, desperation, and doubt.

The Roman soldiers Paul observed for the two (2) years they guarded him under house arrest in Rome carried with them at all times at ready for any battle a large oblong oval door-like shield that was four feet long by two and a half feet wide; this enabled the Roman soldier to place his whole body behind the shield to protect himself from the flaming arrows that many enemies would shoot at them in battle. In like manner, in the spiritual sense we are to at all times get behind our shield of faith in our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ so that we are protected from the fiery darts of accusatory assaults against our sins as he the devil does to God the Father about us night and day as the Apostle John declared it with these words, “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.’” (Revelation 12:10). It is our faith that conquers our enemy the evil one and we are to stand firm in our faith in Christ as the Apostle Peter declared with these words, “Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” (1 Peter 5:9). The shield of faith is not of our own manufacturing, making, or manifesting, but instead it is the gift of God to us through and by the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ Jesus our Lord for our sins. Christ being God is our shield as the Psalmist declared with these words, “But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head.” (Psalm 3:3) and also the Psalmist words here, “For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.” (Psalm 5:12) and lastly as the wisdom of Agur declares, “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.” (Proverbs 30:5).

As believers in Christ we are embraced and covered by His unchanging love and care for His sheep, His power, His truth, and His faithfulness as Paul describes our Lord Jesus’ faithfulness with these words written to Brother Timothy, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13). Christ and His Blood is our security and protection from all the accusations of the devil against us and from the wrath of God to come upon unbelievers as Paul wrote with these words to the Colossian believers, “God has rescued us from the power of darkness and has brought us into the kingdom of His Son, whom He loves. His Son paid the price to free us, which means that our sins are forgiven.” (Colossians 1:13-14). If we have done nothing to get this faith, but instead it has been given to us as a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9) from God because of what Christ has done, then we must simply take up faith as our shield every day knowing that Christ Jesus our Lord gave it to us to use in the spiritual battles and remembering always these words written by Paul to the Hebrew believers, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2).  

“Faith, in this place, must mean that evidence of things unseen which every genuine believer has, that God, for Christ’s sake, has blotted out his sins, and by which he is enabled to call God his Father, and feel him to be his portion. It is such an appropriating faith as this which can quench any dart of the devil.” Adam Clarke

“And then Paul comes speaking of ‘the shield of faith.’ What has become of the other one? The answer is plain enough. My faith is nothing except for what it puts in front of me, and it is God who is truly my shield; my faith is only called a shield, because it brings me behind the bosses of the Almighty’s buckler, against which no man can run a tilt, or into which no man can strike his lance, nor any devil either. God is a defense; and my trust, which is nothing in itself, is everything because of that with which it brings me into connection. Faith is the condition, and the only condition, of God’s power flowing into me, and working in me. And when that power flows into me, and works in me, then I can laugh at the fiery darts, because ‘greater is He that is with us than all they that are with them.’” Alexander MacLaren

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

 

 

 

 

Our Redemption “in Christ” Detailed to the Ephesians Volume 65

Paul Instructs the Ephesian Believers on Spiritual Warfare Part 6: The Pieces of our Armor

Ephesians 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace; KJV

The next piece of armor the Apostle Paul details to these Ephesian believers and we believers “in Christ” today is that we have our “feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15). The Roman soldiers would put on each of their legs before a battle what is called “greaves” which was an armor plate that protects legs below the knee and the top of the foot because many of their enemies would cover the ground with sharp prickly sticks to prevent the Roman army from marching into enemy territory. Therefore, the Apostle Paul seeing with his spiritual eyes the enemy placing his principalities and powers before us to prevent us from marching forward declaring the Gospel of Christ and His Grace & Blood that will save any sinner from their sin eternally. It was this very same Apostle that wrote these words to the converted believers in Rome, “So, for my part, I am willing {and} eagerly ready to preach the Gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the Gospel (good news) {of Christ,} for it is God’s power working unto salvation [for deliverance from eternal death] to everyone who believes {with} a personal trust {and} a confident surrender {and} firm reliance, to the Jew first and also to the Greek, for in the Gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith [disclosed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith]. As it is written, the man who through faith is just {and} upright shall live {and} shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:15-17).

The Gospel is to be adhered to firmly just like those grieves were placed tightly around the lower leg and top of the feet to keep us from the spiritual error and lies the devil and his principalities and powers go about the earth spreading as the Apostle Paul warned Brother Timothy with these words, “But the [Holy] Spirit distinctly {and} expressly declares that in latter times some will turn away from the faith, giving attention to deluding {and} seducing spirits and doctrines that demons teach, Through the hypocrisy {and} pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared (cauterized)” (1 Timothy 4:1-2). The Gospel when received in the inner man or inner woman brings about peace with God as Paul wrote to the Roman believers, “Therefore, since we are justified (acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us [grasp the fact that we] have [the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).” (Romans 5:1) and we have the peace of God ruling within us when we at all times put this part of our armor on as Paul wrote with these words to the Colossian believers, “And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always].” (Colossian 3:15).

Arming ourselves with the Gospel of peace always reminds us that we must live a life of repentance and faith “in Christ” being guided and directed by Him and His Gospel as the Apostle Paul declared with these words to the Colossian believers, “As you have therefore received Christ, [even] Jesus the Lord, [so] walk (regulate your lives and conduct yourselves) in union with {and} conformity to Him. Have the roots [of your being] firmly {and} deeply planted [in Him, fixed and founded in Him], being continually built up in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed {and} established in the faith, just as you were taught, and abounding {and} overflowing in it with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 2:6-7). Consequently, this will protect us from the error and lies that are taught by demons through men and women pretending to be followers of Christ as Paul declared with these words to the Corinthian believers, “For such men are false apostles [spurious, counterfeits], deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles (special messengers) of Christ (the Messiah). And it is no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light; So it is not surprising if his servants also masquerade as ministers of righteousness. [But] their end will correspond with their deeds.” (2 Corinthians 11:11-13). Note: This is what a Brother “in Christ” Dr. Daniel Whitby (1638-1726) said long ago of this piece of our armor, “That you may be ready for the combat, be shod with the Gospel of Peace, endeavor after that peaceable and quiet mind which the Gospel calls for. Be not easily provoked, nor prone to quarrel: but show all gentleness and all long-suffering to all men, and this will certainly preserve you from many great temptations and persecutions, as did those shoes of brass the soldiers from those gall-traps.”

“Here it designs a firm and solid knowledge of the Gospel, as it publishes peace by Jesus Christ, which yields a sure foundation for the Christian soldier to set his foot upon, and stand fast on; it being that to him, as the shoe is to the foot, its base or foundation: and for the feet to be ‘shod with’ it, does not mean the outward conversation being agreeably to the Gospel, though such a walk and conversation is very beautiful and safe, and such may walk and war with intrepidity: but it designs the constant and firm standing of believers in the faith of the Gospel, and so striving and contending for it, without being moved from it, that it may continue with them. Shoes or boots, which were sometimes of iron, and sometimes of brass, are reckoned among the armor of soldiers.” Dr. John Gill

“In ancient warfare battles were lost or won very largely according to the weight of the masses of men that were hurled against each other; and the heavier men, with the firmer footing, were likely to be the victors. Our modern scientific way of fighting is different from that. But in the old time the one thing needful was that a man should stand firm and resist the shock of the enemies as they rushed upon him. Unless our footing is good we shall be tumbled over by the onset of some unexpected antagonist. And for good footing there are two things necessary. One is a good, solid piece of ground to stand on, that is not slippery nor muddy, and the other is a good, strong pair of soldier’s boots, that will take hold on the ground and help the wearer to steady himself. Christ has set our feet on the rock, and so the first requisite is secured. If we, for our part, will keep near to that Gospel which brings peace into our hearts, the peace that it brings will make us able to stand and bear unmoved any force that may be hurled against us. If we are to be ‘steadfast, unmovable,’ we can only be so when our feet are shod with the preparedness of the Gospel of peace.” Alexander MacLaren

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

 

 

Our Redemption “in Christ” Detailed to the Ephesians Volume 64

Paul Instructs the Ephesian Believers on Spiritual Warfare Part 5: The Pieces of our Armor

Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; KJV

Paul has warned these Ephesian believers and we believers today of the powerful invisible evil beings that we are at war with at all times, but now he turns to us and reminds us of the greater and more powerful weapons we have been given by our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ to stand firm against the devil and his armies attacks. Note: “We must stand firm our spiritual ground in this war never retreating, yielding, or fleeing from the fight, but instead we must have a readiness of mind for the warfare at all times as this same Apostle Paul wrote to Brother Timothy to remind and encourage him to stand firm with these words, “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.” (2 Timothy 2:3-4).”

The first of our defense weapons or armor we are to employ in our spiritual battle is the “having your loins girt about with truth” (Ephesians 6:14). The expression Paul uses here comes from his witness of the Roman soldier after having put on all of his armor, then he would cinch up or fasten up his belt around the waist to hold everything into place securely just as people today place a stable gear around a horse’s belly that holds the saddle in place. Paul list this armor of truth first because like the Roman soldier’s armor or the horse’s saddle the child of God has to believe the truth, put on the truth always, walk in the truth, and love the truth in order to fight this spiritual war and be victorious by being sanctified or set apart by the truth as our Lord Jesus declared with these words praying to God the Father before He went to the Cross, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.” (John 17:17-19) and with these words, “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning;” (Luke 12:35).

The English phrase “girt about” the Apostle Paul uses here is translated by one Greek word perizonnumi meaning to gird all around, that is, (middle or passive voice) to fasten on one’s belt (literally or figuratively): - gird (about, self). This is just how the truth and sincerity is to be spiritually fastened into our inner man or inner woman by God the Holy Spirit as our Lord Jesus Christ said He would with these words, “However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” (John 16:13). Note: God the Holy Spirit is the restrainer of evil in this world having a full free rein to go to an infinite limit, but more importantly to each one of us redeemed, regenerated, and resurrected followers of Jesus Christ, God the Holy Spirit within us is a restrainer to our old man or old nature continuing its free rein of sin without check or without repentance as we were before His intervention of grace just as the Apostle Paul has already informed these Ephesian believers and us today with these words at the beginning of this letter, “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14). Paul is saying that without being grounded and rooted in the armor of truth of the Gospel and the entire Word of God, then there will be certain defeat in the spiritual battles that occur. It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ that is the Truth of God and anything added to this, opposed to this, or that takes away from this is error and a lie from the enemy.

The next piece of armor Paul tells these Ephesian believers and we believers today “having on the breastplate of righteousness” (Ephesians 6:14). Again the Apostle Paul in his witness of the Roman soldiers assigned to guard him for the two (2) years he was in house arrest in Rome (Acts 28:31) saw them put on this thick piece of armor to cover their chest protecting them from arrows, swords, and spears thrust at their hearts. In like manner (in the spiritual sense) we are to put on our breastplate of righteousness that we have freely received from our Lord Jesus Christ (Isaiah 59:17). It is the imparted righteousness of Jesus Christ that makes us acceptable to God the Father as the Apostle Paul wrote to the Roman believers with these words, “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:21-25).

“The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the truth of God; unless this be known and conscientiously believed no man can enter the spiritual warfare with any advantage or prospect of success. By this alone we discover who our enemies are, and how they come on to attack us; and by this we know where our strength lies; and, as the truth is great, and must prevail, we are to gird ourselves with this against all false religion, and the various winds of doctrine by which cunning men and insidious devils lie in wait to deceive. Truth may be taken here for sincerity; for if a man be not conscious to himself that his heart is right before God, and that he makes no false pretenses to religion, in vain does he enter the spiritual lists.” Adam Clarke

“That existent righteousness is to be put on. Other places of Scripture figure it as the robe of righteousness; here it is conceived of as the breastplate, but the idea of assumption is the same. It is to be put on, primarily, by faith. It is given in Christ to simple belief. He that hath faith thereby has the righteousness which is through faith in Christ, for in his faith he has the one formative principle of reliance on God, which will gradually refine character and mould conduct into whatsoever things are lovely and of good report. That righteousness which faith receives is no mere forensic treating of the unjust as just, but whilst it does bring with it pardon and oblivion from past transgressions, it makes a man in the depths of his being righteous, however slowly it may afterwards transform his conduct. The faith which is a departure from all reliance on works of righteousness which we have done, and is a single-eyed reliance on the work of Jesus Christ, opens the heart in which it is planted to all the influences of that life which was in Jesus, that from Him it may be in us. If Christ be in us (and if He is not, we are none of His), ‘the spirit is life because of righteousness,’ however the body may still be ‘dead because of sin.’” Alexander MacLaren

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

 

 

 

 

 

Our Redemption “in Christ” Detailed to the Ephesians Volume 63

Paul Instructs the Ephesian Believers on Spiritual Warfare Part 4: Standing in our Armor (Christ Jesus our Lord)

Ephesians 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. KJV

Paul now repeats, restates, and retells these Ephesian believers and we believers today that since we have all of these powerful invisible enemies going about continuously to do us physical and spiritual harassment, hurt, and harm, then we are to be certain and sure to, “take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13). It is Paul doing what he was so often very fond of doing and that is repeating over and over again a subject or topic because of its great importance to his brethren he was writing to instruct and inform. Paul uses the English phrase in verse 11 “to stand” or the Greek word histemi meaning to abide, continue, and hold up. However, here in verse 13 Paul uses the English word “withstand” translated by the Greek word anthistemi which has an even stronger meaning to stand against, that is, oppose: - resist, withstand. It is Paul’s desire to make these Ephesian believers and us today to understand that our armor “in Christ” gives us the power to actively oppose the devil and his principalities and powers in high places and defeat them only in and by Christ Power working in us and for us. However, it is solely our responsibility to take up the whole armor of God and put each piece on “in Christ” spiritually seeing that our battle and warfare is a spiritual one against evil spiritual beings.

It was the devil who used the Apostle Peter to try to stop our Lord Jesus from going to the Cross as recorded for us by the Gospel writer Mark, “And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.’” (Mark 8:31-33). Likewise, when the devil worked to get David to the number the people of Israel right after David had a great victory over the Philistines (1 Chronicles 20), he then disobeyed the Lord as documented in 1 Chronicles 21. These are just a couple of examples of how the enemy is relentless in his attacks and assaults against the people of God. The “evil day” Paul speaks of here is not exactly clear to me, but we do know that our war against the devil is at all times and in all places on going, however, Paul here may be speaking of the special days of wicked assault the devil and his demons come against every saint of God or child of God such as attacking a father and mother’s children with overdosing on drugs or using a human instrument to kidnap and murder a child (namely, the Jon Benet Ramsey case for instance) and there are many other things I could list but you get the point.

Paul wants these Ephesian believers and all we believers of every generation to be actively waging war against the enemy, so that when these horrific attacks come we can still stand firmly “in Christ” and His Word knowing that He will always love us, keep us, and protect us no matter what battle grounds the devil gains an advantage in, but we must remember always that we hold the key to our victory or defeat in our lives and in the lives of our family if we do as the Apostle James declares with these words, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7). Note: “This English word ‘resist’ the Apostle James uses here is the exact same Greek word anthistemi Paul uses above in Ephesians 6:13.” The Word of God is where these Ephesian believers and we believers today will get much of our assaults from the enemy hurled against us by using his principalities and powers to influence, invoke, and even inhabit human instruments to persecute us severely for standing firm in the truth of the Word. Our Lord Jesus even declared in His parable of the sower sowing seed (the seed being the Word of God) that some would seem or appear to be true believers, but will be proven to in actuality be false believers when He said this as again recorded for us by the Gospel writer Mark, “These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the Word’s sake, immediately they stumble.” (Mark 4:16-17). This English word stumble here in verse 17 is translated by the Greek word skandalizo which is where we get our English word scandal and scandalize it means apostasy or falling away or the active state of rejecting the truth of the Gospel of Grace and then believing in the opposite which can then only be a Gospel of Good Works to get to God and receive His approval.

We see then that his warfare is not only aimed at the believer’s physical person (although it surely is), but his attacks also come against the core of who we are as redeemed children of God and that is will we believe God. We see that his very first attack on humanity (Adam and Eve) was this very one as documented for us by the Hebrew Moses with these words, “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?’ And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’” (Genesis 3:1-5). We can stand as conquers and victors over the devil and his demons by waging warfare purposely, properly, and persistently as the Apostle Paul instructed Brother Timothy with these words, “This charge {and} admonition I commit in trust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with prophetic intimations which I formerly received concerning you, so that inspired {and} aided by them you may wage the good warfare, Holding fast to faith (that leaning of the entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence) and having a good (clear) conscience. By rejecting {and} thrusting from them [their conscience], some individuals have made shipwreck of their faith.” (1 Timothy 1:18-19).

“Many would be strong, but fail because they forget that they can be effectively so only ‘in the Lord, and in the strength of His might.’ Paul had a very vivid conception of the powerful forces that are arrayed against the Church. He is not dealing here especially with our personal temptations, but with those hosts of wicked spirits that lie behind the evil of the world. It is probable that the vast systems which oppose the Gospel-the philosophies, temples, and priests of false religions; the trade in strong drink, impurity, and like evils; and such iniquitous institutions as the system of indentured slavery-are directly promoted and furthered by the agency of evil spirits in arms against God.” F. B. Meyer

“Most of us feel but little the stern reality underlying the metaphor, that the whole Christian life is warfare, but that in that warfare there are crises, seasons of special danger. The interpretation which makes the ‘evil day’ co-extensive with the time of life destroys the whole emphasis of the passage: whilst all days are days of warfare, there will be, as in some prolonged siege, periods of comparative quiet; and again, days when all the cannon belch at once, and scaling ladders are reared on every side of the fortress. In a long winter there are days sunny and calm followed, as they were preceded, by days when all the winds are let loose at once. For us, such times of special danger to Christian character may arise from temporal vicissitudes. Joy and prosperity are as sure to occasion them as are sorrows, for to Paul the ‘evil day’ is that which especially threatens moral and spiritual character, and these may be as much damaged by the bright sunshine of prosperity as by the midwinter of adversity, just as fierce sunshine may be as fatal as killing frost. They may also arise, without any such change in circumstances, from some temptation coming with more than ordinary force, and directed with terrible accuracy to our weakest point.” Alexander MacLaren

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Redemption “in Christ” Detailed to the Ephesians Volume 62

Paul Instructs the Ephesian Believers on Spiritual Warfare Part 3: The Army We Fight Against

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. KJV

The devil is one created being by God the Father and is not omnipotent, omniscient, or omnipresent like our Father in Heaven, therefore, he cannot be everywhere at the same time to attempt to wreak havoc in the life of followers of Christ. Paul now explains to these Ephesian believers and we believers today how the devil is able to execute his wiles, schemes, and plots of evil against the believer. Paul calls the conflict a wrestling which constitutes a fierce struggle, fight, and battle. Anyone who has wrestled in high school or college knows how hard and engaging and exhausting every contest is and how it saps out of your body every ounce of energy and strength you have within you to come out victorious. This is the same way the Apostle Paul sees our daily fight in the spiritual realm.

Paul describes our conflict as not primarily with our old man or old nature (although we do have this struggle or battle going on in our inner man) nor against other human beings, but instead we are at all times in hand to hand combat with first principalities and powers. This English word principalities the Apostle Paul uses here is translated by the Greek word arche meaning chief ranking demon in order. Let us remember that when the devil rebelled, he convinced one third of the angels to rebel with him and they all were thrown out of Heaven. Now that they are loose in the universe, the devil has rule over them as the highest ranking General in an earthly army would rule and rank over all of the soldiers in that army. The principalities and powers no doubt are the devils highest ranking soldiers and this is perhaps due to their rank and power they had in Heaven before they rebelled or it may be that these principalities and powers have proven themselves to the devil to be more wicked than others.

Note: “Spiritual wickedness is constituted as active wickedness; hence the devil is called the wicked one because he is always and only actively purposing to do that which is vile and evil.” Let us always remember the description our Lord Jesus Christ gave us of the devil and the contrast between our Lord Jesus and him when He said, “The thief (the devil) comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have {and} enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” (John 10:10). Those demons that the Apostle Paul describes as the “rulers of the darkness of this world” are perhaps the lower ranking demons that are over certain darkness that the devil wants to keep in order and under his control such as gambling, liquor, kidnapping young girls into prostitution, drug sales and distribution legal and illegal, anger and violence, gangs and the mafia, and terrorist are under the watch of these rulers to make sure wickedness continues and increases in these areas of spiritual darkness.

The people in Ephesus before Paul came to them with the Gospel of Christ practiced sorcery, wizardry, and witchcraft as their normal way of life, but many turned away from these things of spiritual darkness when they were made alive by God the Holy Spirit upon hearing the Gospel of Grace as recorded for us with these words written by Dr. Luke, “This became known to all who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, and alarm {and} terror fell upon them all; and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled {and} magnified. Many also of those who were now believers came making full confession {and} thoroughly exposing their [former deceptive and evil] practices. And many of those who had practiced curious, magical arts collected their books and [throwing them, book after book, on the pile] burned them in the sight of everybody. When they counted the value of them, they found it amounted to 50,000 pieces of silver (about $9,300). Thus the Word of the Lord [concerning the attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God] grew {and} spread {and} intensified, prevailing mightily.” (Acts 19:17-20). This reality is perhaps why the Apostle Paul chose to disclose who our primary enemies are to these Ephesian believers rather than in any of the other letters to the saints.  The spiritual wickedness in high places is just a summing up by the Apostle Paul of all that these invisible enemies of we saints come against us with by harassing us and provoking us into spiritual sins such as pride, envy, jealousy, anger, and un-forgiveness just to name a few.

“Our enemies strive to prevent our ascent to heaven, to deprive us of heavenly blessings and to obstruct our communion with heaven. They assault us in the things that belong to our souls, and labor to deface the heavenly image in our hearts; and therefore we have need to be upon our guard against them. We have need of faith in our Christian warfare, because we have spiritual enemies to grapple with, as well as of faith in our Christian work, because we have spiritual strength to fetch in. Thus you see your danger.” Matthew Henry

“The Apostle does not mean to say that Christians had no enemies among men that opposed them, for they were exposed often to fiery persecution; nor that they had nothing to contend with in the carnal and corrupt propensities of their nature, which was true of them then as it is now; but that their main controversy was with the invisible spirits of wickedness that sought to destroy them. They were the source and origin of all their spiritual conflicts, and with them the warfare was to be maintained.” Albert Barnes

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…