OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - FRIDAY - 10/1/2014 - SPIRITUAL WARFARE I BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

SPIRITUAL WARFARE I

MEMORISE

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Ephesians 6:11

READ

Ephesians 6:10-13

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

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.

Ephesians 6:13 herefore 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.

MESSAGE

When we are told to put on the whole armour of God, one thing becomes clear instantly. This is the fact that there is a God. We cannot be talking of the armour of God if there is no God. Anyone who thinks that there is no God is a fool (Psalm 14:1). You have to pray that God would reveal Himself to you. The Bible in Daniel 11:32b says,

“.....but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.”

Little wonder, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ in Philippians 3:10 also said:

”That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”

These scriptures show that knowing God is a weapon of spiritual warfare! When you know your Maker, your battle is 90% won. From our Bible reading, we also realise that there is the armour of God. This armour is made up of several parts, otherwise we would not be told to put on the whole armour of God. The constituents of this armour are listed for us in Ephesians 6:14-17. The armour of God is not built into us by default as children of God. It is external, and we have to pick it up in order to be able to put it on. The reason many children of God are defeated in the battle of life is because of their failure to fortify themselves with the armour God has made available to them.

From today’s memory verse, it is also clear that there is a devil. The devil is alive and active. In Job 1:7, we read about the instability and unpredictability of his destination. This is one of his wiles. Through this corrupt wisdom, he gets people into trouble. The devil’s attacks are not always direct. They may not come from the direction which you expect. A good example is found in Joshua 7:1&12. Joshua had been victorious all the time; Jericho had just been taken and Joshua was beginning to feel confident. Then the enemy came from behind. He entered one man who stole what God said they should not take. Joshua thought God was still with him so he went against a small town called Ai. The Israelites had to flee from this small town. The enemy had used a new method. It was an indirect attack. Another classical example of an indirect attack of the devil is found in 1 Samuel 18:5-9. David did nothing wrong but the devil used wiles. He got women together and taught them a song: “Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands”. This turned Saul against David. I pray for you that the devil’s wiles against you will be exposed and defeated in Jesus’ Name. However, you must put on the whole armour of God.

PRAYER POINT

Father, arise and fight on my behalf and on the behalf of my loved ones in Jesus’ Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

1 Corinthians 14:26 - 1 Corinthians 16:24;

Psalm 10:12 - Psalm 11:7