Monday, January 19, 2009

Attack – The Best form of Defence

Ephesians 6:
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace;
16 besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
19 and also for me, that utterance may be given me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,



My last post included a quote from Noel Jones book “The Battle for the Mind” stating “the mind is the seat of all spiritual and carnal conflict”. I’ve been thinking a lot about my strategies to fighting this battle. Ephesians 6 clearly states we are fighting principalities and powers. Scary as it sounds. I believe this 100%. However, I noticed that I’ve always played a defensive strategy in this respect. I’ve let the let the wiles of the devil get to me and then start to mount my defence. By then, it’s normally too late.

However, I have come to realise that offence is the best form of defence. Rather than wait for the devil to turn up. I should take the battle to him. I need to go to his backyard and remind him who my daddy is. How he has no power over me and how I’ve got God watching my back. To be honest, I used to be scared of the devil. Didn’t want to disturb him so he wont disturb me. Like having an uneasy truce. But for me to advance in this xtian walk, I need arm myself with the full armour of God and join in the battle against the spirits of darkness. You cant do neutral Switzerland. There is no hiding place. If there is a calling of God on your life, you can expect the devil to be there to ensure that calling is not heeded. Our job is not just to fend him off but to take the battle to Him. The passage below, lets us know we can. Take care peeps.

Luke 10:19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

In Pursuit of Purity

Pastor Noel Jones preached at the 2nd service on the Sunday after The Experience and i felt inspired and was determined to catch up on his writings. I stumbled on a book he wrote called "The Battle for the Mind" at Laterna Ventures and it was a fantastic read. The 1st chapter was full of insights which i would like to share with everyone:

"The mind is the seat of all spiritual and carnal conflict"

"Whenever someone responds to the internal motivation of the Word and comes to God, while at the same time ceases to react to the external stimulus of the world, he will encounter resistance and turmoil"


"The only altar you can lay your troubles is the altar within you. If God is in you, then He is the one who introduces the conflict in order that when you meet God at the place of surrender (the altar),He can begin to replace those things that have always caused conflict between your carnal or sinful desires and the will of the spirit."

"It is important to understand that your battle is not with the devil; it is with God, for God has set you up, through the introduction of conflict into your life, in order to bring you to a place of maturity"


"...indeed, man's depravity make his helpless evil behaviour prerequisite for the grace of God. It is his powerlessness to change himself that qualifies him to receive empowering presence that we call grace"


My last post of 2008 spoke of my desire for purity. This is my desire for this year. To make significant progress in the battle between my spiritual and carnal self. I have already found out in the first few days of this year that this is not going to be a sissy fight but an all out war. Believe me. I now fully understand the verse "The Kingdom of God suffereth violence and the violent take it by force". My deliverance from my carnal self is not going to be easy. I have accepted this and have braced myself for what lies ahead.

I wish everyone a fantastic 2009.

Easy