When there's Nothing Left to Do, Stand

 When There’s Nothing Left to Do, Stand

                  Hello and welcome to My Little House of Prayer. I am so glad that you could join me today. I am your host Dayla Smith. Today we are looking at Ephesians 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  If I could only begin to explain to you all the warfare the enemy has been putting in my way, due to this series. But, Christians are like the cream in the milk. The more you stir  the milk, the more the cream that rises to the top. So it is with His people, children of God. The more His Spirit stirs us up together, the more we just keep rising to the top. That is the reason for this series. To help us, in these last days, to rise to the top at all times. The apostle Paul says it best right here.  Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. We have to walk in His strength and power.That is the reason for assembling together. Especially in Church. You see Satan does not want us to gather together. Why, because there is power in numbers.  And, if we pray in one accord together, He is immediately defeated. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12  9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.11 Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?12 And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day appropaching. See that? Everything I just said. 

                 Satan will do everything in His power to keep the people of God divided. When we are fellowshiping with fellow believers, we need to be prayed up. So that we can hear correctly. So that we can respond to each other correctly. And most importantly, recognize when the enemy is at work. This is not the topic. But, I felt the Lord say we need this information. Too many of my Christian brother’s and sister’s are falling away because of getting injured in the church. They get offended by people, but people are being puppeteered by the enemy. Remember, hurting people hurt people. Just because we are saved by Christ, does not mean we are always walking Christ-like. None of us have arrived. So, forgive. Yes. I said forgive. Because right now, you are holding unforgiveness. How can I say this? Because you are letting that person change who you are and how you behave. Forgiveness will keep you from God. Is it really worth your salvation? 

                          So, back to the topic at hand. So far, we have discussed Ephesians 6:10 Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. We have to know to whom we are and to whom we belong. We have to know where all power and might comes from. That our strength is in the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Have you ever been believing in the Lord for so long, that you become exacerbated? Frustrated? I know that I have. I believe this is what the apostle Paul is talking about. Even Daniel had this moment. He prayed for 21 days before he got his answer.  Daniel 10:13-21  13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.14 Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.15 And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb.16 And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength.17 For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me.18 Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me,19 And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.20 Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.21 But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.                          

                   Then, we looked at Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. We must be prepared for war. How? By putting on our spiritual armor. Why? To defend ourselves against the cunningness of our enemy, Satan. I believe that the only best way to stay alert is to live a life of prayer and fasting. Isaiah 58:6-7 6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

   Matthew 17: 14-21 14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.You see, fasting improves your spiritual senses. It takes faith to fast and pray. Fasting helps remove fear, doubt and unbelief. 

                      Next, we looked at 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 spritual wickedness in high place. We need to know where the battle lies. What the battle is about. How to discern the battle correctly. We can’t fight if you don’t know what the fight is about. We can’t fight if you don’t know who you are fighting. We can’t fight properly if you don’t know how our adversary is attacking us and from which direction.

                      Now, we are looking at Ephesians 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. First it says to take unto us the full armour of God. The definition of take from the Webster’s Dictionary is 1. To lay hold of.  2. To grasp or seize. 3. To gain or win. 4. To choose, select. 5. To adopt. 6 To understand. 7. To consume. 8. To accept or agree to. There are many more definitions, but these are the pertinent ones. When we look at these definitions, I believe it gives us a clear picture of what we are to do everyday all day. We are to:

• Lay hold of the full armor of God.

We are to lay hold of our armor for our protection.

• Grasp or seize the full armor of God.

We are to grasp or seize our armor of God. In other words reach for it avidly, with great zeal. Because it is our divine protection from the Lord.

• To gain and/or win the full armor of God.

How do we gain and/or win the full armor? Through Jesus Christ of Nazareth, our Lord and Savior. His ultimate, divine sacrifice fully paid for this.

• Choose or select the full armor of God.

This should always be the first choice we make as soon as our eyes open up to start our day. The Armor of God should be our first selection.

• Adopt the full armor of God. 

We should adopt all that our armor affords us. Which means we desperately need to search out the Word of God to learn in finite detail how to apply each piece to our lives. 

• Understand the full armor of God.

We need to understand what each piece is used for, and how to apply them in our lives.

• Consume the full armor of God.

The Word of God is our Spiritual food. The armor of God is in the Word of God. Therefore we are to digest what each piece is for in our lives.

• To accept or agree to the full armor of God.  

Then, we are to accept the full armor of God as our daily aparrell. And, agree to walk in it.

             Here is a picture of a soldier dressed in all of His armor. 

                    Paul says to take up all of the armor. Not some of it. If the soldier is missing even one piece, no matter how minor, it could mean him losing his life. So it is with us. We need to apply the full armor all day, every day. My pastor preached on the full armor of God a couple of Sundays before. I loved a picture he painted about the soldier. It was so powerful. I will discuss this in greater detail later. 

                     Knowing why we need the full armor of God is oh so important. It is our defense. You know, the Lord created bodies to defend itself. Our skin is our first defense. Our nerve endings are another defense. Then, we have our white and red blood cells to protect and heal us. I believe this speaks of the loving care of the Father to protect us at all costs. Psalm 107:20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. 139:14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. Fearfully and wonderfully made here means carefully knitted together. So, if our natural bodies are carefully knitted together, how much more so our spiritual bodies. Why am I talking about our bodies being carefully knitted together? Because, our armor should be knit together properly. The only way that can happen is that we are living a fasted and prayerful life. That we are allowing the Word of God to change and mold us all day every day. This is how we put on the full armor of God all day and every day.

                        So, why do we need the full armor of God? Why is it so vitally important that we reach for this, and apply it to our days immediately. Because our walk is based on faith. It takes faith to pray. It takes faith to believe in the power of God. It takes faith to believe in His Word. It takes faith to believe that everything you need is Him. Even more so as the evil days approach. And, as you can tell, they are not getting any better. The Lord promises us things will not get any better. Especially in a sin cursed world. We need all of God to withstand these days. To be able to endure to the end. In Revelations 1:17-3:22, the Lord says what  is good then, corrects. But after each correction, He finishes with he who endures to the end. Our walk is very personal. I can not walk your walk for you. Our pastor can not walk our walk for us. Only we can walk our walk. 

                   Then, Paul says, “and having done all, to stand.” When you have done all you know to do, stand in complete trust in the one who can do anything. Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Psalms 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. 

Isaiah 7:9 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.

                                You see we need to know to whom we are and to whom we belong. That can only happen if we live a life of fasting and prayer. That we search out His Word inside and out. That we apply His Word at every turn. The prophets of God literally ate the word of God. We are to do the same spiritually. Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Here is a spiritual picture for us. A cow has 4 stomachs. When he goes to graze, he lets it go down to the first stomach to digest. Then, he pulls the food back up to chew some more. This is called chewing the cud. The cow does this with his food 4 times. Well, like the cow we are to do the same thing with the Lord’s Word. We are to chew and digest His Word, our spiritual food until we have gotten all we can out of it. The great part about His Word is that you can never reach the end. It is enduring, everlasting. Because it proceeds from Him. And just like if we do not feed ourselves naturally, we can not grow and live; spiritually we can not grow and live. Ephesians 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:  2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: As you get understanding, wisdom, and knowledge to make prudent choices according to the Word of God, you will grow.

                     So now we see our need for the full armor of God. The many ways to take it up. That we are to emphatically take it up. We are to adopt its rules and regulations in our lives. To apply it in our walk with the Lord. It is left to us to choose whether we put it on or not. And, the importance of putting it on. 

                      If you do not know the Lord Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. Let me introduce you to Him. It is really simple. First you must acknowledge that you are a sinner in need of a savior. Ask Him for His forgiveness for all of your sins and call them out to Him. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Then, forgive those who have sinned or transgressed against you. Then, repent. Repent means to change your mind concerning sinful habits. Change your choice making. Let Him influence your choice making decisions as you get in His Holy Word. Ask Him to be Lord over your life. I want to pray this prayer with you. But, this is just another outline. The real work begins after I pray with you. 

                    Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and for answering my prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

                            Welcome to the family of God. Please let me know of your decision today so that I can continue to pray for you.  Thank you so much for joining me today at My Little House of Prayer Ministry. I sure hope you are enjoying these messages. Be sure to let me know by liking, sharing, and commenting. This encourages me. Be sure to tune in next week as we continue to discuss Ephesians 6:10-18 in detail.