001 HOW TO BE VICTORIOUS THROUGH TRIALS | Recognize Truth – The Armor of God
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Welcome to Faith Walk with Debbie. Today I’m going to share about how the enemy tries to deceive us with his lies when we go through rough circumstances and how to be victorious through trials. I need to give credit to Proverbs 31 Ministry’s Pod Cast on this topic. As I was studying, I listened to the pod cast and it really helped me to understand some things. Therefore, some of what I will be sharing will be what I learned from the pod cast.
First I want us to read what God’s word says in Ephesians 6:10-12 (NLT) “A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”
This scripture reminds us that we need to be strong in the Lord’s power. We do this by putting on the armor to stand against the devil. We need to recognize there is really a dark spiritual battle going on in the world.
One thing the pod cast helped me to realize is that we need to be careful not to give the devil credit for every circumstance we go through. Not everything is Satan’s fault. Sometimes circumstances come like hurricanes/disasters/sickness because we live in a fallen world. When bad things happen some times, we’ve caused them ourselves by making bad choices. When that happens, we need to go to the Lord and confess what we’ve done wrong and make it right. Sometimes “life just happens”. The devil has not necessarily caused it.
Here’s the important part to remember….the devil wants to come into our circumstances and turn them into a battle between Satan & God for our heart and mind. Satan will use our circumstances to lie to us and make our mind think things that are not necessarily true which then gets our emotions out of whack. When he does this, he tries to pull us off track with our walk with God and send us down that pit of despair and distraction.
For example, because I have had so many medical tests that the report has not come back like I prayed it would, the enemy tried to lie to me and put fear in me. When I have a new test, my mind whispers to me well the results are not going to be good, and I begin to imagine this bad thing or that bad thing happening to me. I must STOP and recognize those thoughts are lies from the devil. I must command those thoughts in the name of Jesus to leave me.
I need to focus my thoughts on the truth of what God’s word says. God’s word says he is the healer. Therefore, I need to believe that God will give me good test results. If I get bad test results, then I must rest in the fact that God is allowing this circumstance for some reason because He has a purpose. I have matured so much in this area over the last year. I know that whatever I go through He can use the circumstances to grow and mold my character to be more like him. I will be honest though. Even though I understand this so much better than I used to, that doesn’t make it easier. I’m human and fear constantly tries to drag me down through my circumstances.
We need to remember in 1 John 4:4 (NLT) it says “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.”
Did you hear that? VICTORY ALREADY IS OURS THROUGH JESUS!!!
If we want to successfully go through trying circumstances, there are a few things we need to do.
- We need to recognize “truth”.
Satan is our enemy and a liar. Those that are born again, children of God already are guaranteed victory.
John 10:10 (NLT) “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” So, by understanding and recognizing the truth that Satan’s purpose is to steal, kill and destroy us we can be more alert and aware. However, the truth also is that God’s purpose is to give us a rich and satisfying life.
John 8:44b (NLT) “…He has always hated the truth, because there is not truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.” We need to recognize the truth that Satan is a LIAR. We need to not allow our thoughts and emotions to get sucked into believing his lies. Satan uses many defective tools such as unforgiveness, despair, bitterness, shame, guilt etc. etc.
We need to recognize the “truth” of our role in the battle. If we know Jesus, then we know how the end of the battle turns out…..VICTORIOUS!!!
1 John 5:8 (NLT) “And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.”
Satan is our enemy and a liar. We need to recognize that he will do whatever he can to throw our thoughts off track to defeat us. We need to respect the battle and understand what he is trying to do. Along with that we need to recognize the truth that God is more powerful, and his purpose is good for our life.
We need to confess what lie we’ve succumbed to or let control us. We can pray and ask God to give us a rhema word regarding our situation. Pray in the Spirit. Speak the Word against the lie cause the word is powerful and it won’t return void. When God’s Word goes out, He does something with it.
Isaiah 55:11 (NLT) “It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
2.We need to Learn God’s Battle Plan against the enemy
We need to control our mind and how we think which affects our emotions. If a thought pops in our mind, first recognize if it is truth. If it’s not truth, then recognize it’s a lie which the devil is trying to defeat you with. Find a scripture that proves the lie is false and speak the scripture out. The more you hear God’s word your faith will be built up and stronger for battle. Also remember
James 4:8b-9 (NLT) ”Fix your thoughts on what is TRUE, and HONORABLE, and right and pure……think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise……..then the God of peace will be with you.”
When the lies attack, combat it with truth! Think on true and Godly things.
We need to put on the Armor of God.
Ephesians 6:14-17 (NLT) “Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
So, what does it really mean to put on the armor of God. I was involved in a bible study one time, and we had a discussion about this. A couple of us literally saw each part of the armor being applied to us. While the other people felt it was a state of mind. Either way, what each piece of the armor stands for is important.
- Belt of Truth
- This holds other equipment. Therefore, it’s one of the first pieces of the armor to put on. The Belt of truth basically is who we are in Christ. So if we know who we are in Christ, then we are armed with that truth and knowledge which can defeat the enemy.
- Breast Plate of Righteousness
- This is our position or right standing before God. It protected the vital organ which is the heart. So, if we are in right standing before God it can protect our heart from the blows from the enemy.
- Shoes of Gospel of Peace
- The shoes are the firm foundation as we walk. This basically is the Good news/Gospel of peace. We can stand firm in this foundation but we are also to move our “shoes” and share the foundation with others.
- Shield of Faith
- The shield is to fend off the fiery darts/arrows from the enemy. God gives us this shield with is our faith. The stronger our faith is the stronger our shield is. However, it’s important to remember to pick up the shield. We can have a lot of bible knowledge but unless we use it we don’t have the power that God has given us. So we need to speak out our faith against the enemy.
- Helmet of Salvation
- Helmet protects the soldier’s head. The helmet of Salvation protects our mind where thoughts and knowledge live. We have our salvation to know we are a saved child of God and covered by the blood. As a result, we have the mind of Christ to take thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (NLT) “We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God We capture their rebellious thought and teach them to obey Christ.”
- Sword of Spirit
- The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. This is the only offensive weapon. Our sword is the best weapon which is the truth of God’s Word. There is power in speaking and praying the Word of God. Satan’s only weapon is lies. We must speak the truth against the lies.
3.We need to use Jesus as the example of how we respond during the battle.
We can learn from how Jesus responded to Satan. When Jesus was tempted from Satan he did NOT engage in conversation. He would answer back IT IS WRITTEN and then quote God’s Word. So Jesus spoke the Word to counter Satan’s temptation and lies. In Hebrews 4:12 (NLT) “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” We need to speak and proclaim the Word.
4. We need to Victoriously Walk and Rejoice in the Lord. Ephesians 6:10 (NLT) says to be strong in the Lord. We need to remember when we are in battle that if we are a child of God, he gives us the armor to fight the battle and He gives us the power and provision to be victorious. Therefore, we must walk victoriously through the difficult trials and give praise to the Lord.
So the next time a difficult situation attacks your life remember if you are a child of God, born again believer you are already victorious and will win the battle in the end. Don’t allow the lies of the devil to throw you off track. Recognize what is “truth”. Put on the armor of God during the battle so that you have the weapons to fight against the enemy. Make sure the Word is in you so that your faith will grow and therefore your offensive weapon of the sword will be more powerful.
