With five smooth stones and a sling, he approached the giant and said: “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a shield; but I come to you, in the name of the Lord” (1 Sam. Don’t let them absorb you so that the things of God take second place. He is Satan, our adversary, our opposer. That’s the bravery and confidence with which we can stand in battle despite the cannons of Satan’s artillery on every side. God has provided it but you have to be prepared by putting it on. But Jesus said of himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me” (Jn. Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. “Are you a Christian?” he asked. Father, protect us and help us to be one with other believers, just as you are one with Jesus. “For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance,” Paul says in 1 Thess. Our helmet is the “hope of salvation” (1 Thess. Ask them to accept him into their lives as I did.’. If you’re a Christian, the devil is your accuser. New Living Translation Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart. Notice it isn’t the proclamation of the gospel of peace but the preparation. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. Victory is assured when we wield the sword of God’s Word in the power of God’s Spirit. Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. He says, “Look at him / her! For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. They were so dumbfounded that they forgot to put the hoods over the men’s faces! E ‣ You’ll be unprepared and vulnerable. God wants his word to comfort us in hard times and encourage our faith when we feel despair. But after two days of hiding, Kim uncovered himself. They were handcuffed and their feet were chained. The theme of my last article on Eph. Roman soldiers wore a loose outer tunic, a large square piece of material with holes cut out for the head and arms. Stand therefore…having put on the breastplate of righteousness (14b). he accuses you to others; he accuses others to you; He tempted the Lord Jesus in the wilderness, He tempts Christians into sin and away from God, He deceived Adam and Eve and he continues to deceive human beings the same way today. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. If he is so good, how come he allows sorrow and death? Are you the person about whom they say: “I would trust him / her with my life”? He always does what is right, never acting contrary to his own standard and character, nor to what he has said or promised. Take up the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. ‣ Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? Our theme for this passage is: “In order to stand for God, we must be prepared with all the armour of God.”, Just as armour is essential for success in physical battle, so spiritual armour is essential for success in spiritual battles. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. (Hand the child one small stick that can easily be broken.) We know that God has rescued us from the tyranny of Satan and given us liberty in Christ. I used to be a Sunday school teacher before the war. A fellow worker called 911. That’s when you need the helmet of salvation. Let me build a business alone. He encourages you to despair of God, to give up on him. It’s “the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left”, Paul says in 2 Cor. Someone has said, he loves weapons of mass distraction. 3. S You won’t be able to stand for long. Their faces were all alight with an unmistakable glow and radiance. John 17:11 (NIV), I am looking for someone who is very strong to help me this morning. Satan attacks you through the problems of life. ‣ He deceived Adam and Eve and he continues to deceive human beings the same way today. The sticks in this bundle are just like the stick that was so easily broken. You don’t how you’re going to deal with financial stresses, health worries, marriage difficulties, and the like. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. Yet when they are bound together, they are much stronger than they are when they are by themselves. 2. That’s when we need to make sure the whole armour of God is strapped on tight. Trust Christ to preserve you in the joy of your salvation. We know that the Holy Spirit indwells us and has sealed our salvation for eternity. 1, in Christianity Today, Since 2001, Roger has been the President of the Institute for Biblical Preaching (IBP), Cambridge, ON, whose mission is to “strengthen the church in biblical preaching and leadership.” The gospel of peace assures us that God is for us, “And if God be for us, who can be against us?…In all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us…Nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom.