Ephesians 6:17-24

Ephesians 6:17–24 ESV

17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying 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 words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. 21 So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything. 22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts. 23 Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.

Intro:

In warfare.. the foot-soldier only had to worry about one thing..

That was:

Taking orders..

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Those orders usually pertained to one of two things..

Defending the attacks FROM the enemy..

Offending an attack.. UPON the enemy.. ++

Of course.. there’s so much more to it.. than that..

There’s the supply chain..

There’s the medical..

There’s the strategy..

There’s the communication..

There’s the “intel”

There’s the financing..

And so on.. ++

Warfare.. is a big deal..

But the foot-soldier.. out there on the front lines..

He didn’t have to worry about that other stuff..

He knew.. it was being taken care of.. ++

He knew.. that he had two responsibilities before him..

To defend… OR… to attack.. ++

Now.. as we study through the Bible..

We do find a supply chain.. There is a team in place for this…

By the H.S., we are given a supply of wisdom through the Word..

And also… the power to go forward in ministry.. ++

We do have a strategy.. and we have intelligence..

Again, the Word describes the methods and the intents of our enemy.. It gives us top secret intel into the spiritual world, of those who are opposing us. ++

We are given detailed instruction on how to defend the wiles of the Devil..

And.. we are also given intelligence.. through the gift of knowledge and discernment.. ++

We also have communication..

Through the avenue of prayer.. we talk to God, and He talks to us..

He speaks through His Word.. and He speaks through the words of our fellow believers.. ++

We also have.. the ever necessary, financial backing..

For our God has promised.. to supply all our needs, according to His riches.. in Glory.. ++

It’s all there..

And, having an understanding of these back-line elements of warfare..

.. will give us confidence.. as we, day by day..

Worry about our call.. to stand against the things which come against us..

And.. as we drive forward.. to defeat the foes which stand in our path.. ++

We’ve already talked about a few of these pieces of armor..

We’ve talked about:

The Belt of Truth..

The part.. which holds everything else together..

Without truth.. every other part of the armor.. is faulty.. frail, and dangerous.. ++

The Breastplate of Righteousness.

The part that guards our heart..

The part that deflects the attacks…

The attacks that tell us.. that we are worthless.. unworthy.. unwanted.. disqualified… a waste of time… and wrong. ++

The breastplate of righteousness.. is the righteousness of Christ extended to us..

And we need to be armed with that truth.. ++

We talked about our footwear..

We need shoes for our feet… having put on the readiness given by the good news of peace. ++

This is our call of attack.. in spiritual warfare..

Go out there.. and share the good news of Christ..

Witness.. share your testimony.. exemplify the love of Jesus..

This is how we march into battle.. ++

And.. we talked about the Shield of Faith..

We stand upon a knowledge of God’s truth, and God’s faithfulness..

Even as we are attacked with the fiery accusations that might cause us to doubt God..

By faith, those accusations are quenched.. ++

Today.. we need to consider two more parts of our armor..

The Helmet of Salvation..

The Sword of the Spirit.. ++

Eph 6:17a - And take the helmet of salvation

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The action.. is being displayed here w/the word “take”

“take the helmet of salvation”

The idea of the word.. is not: “go get it for yourself”

The idea is “take, what is being handed to you” ++

This word is more commonly interpreted as “receive”

It’s being brought to you.. with you in mind..

It’s being offered to you.. handed to you..

It’s being delivered.. from one location… to the very location that you are at.. ++

It’s being passed from God’s hand, into your hand… so take it. ++

When we consider the helmet of salvation..

we need to consider it in two ways..

One, in the way you put it on.. the very first time..

Two: in the way you put it on.. every day forward, for the rest of your life.. ++

This helmet.. has been handed to us..

This salvation.. has been offered to us..

God brought it to us.. with us in mind.. ++

Maybe we thought it was the end result of us searching… we were discontent… we were struggling… we felt lost… so we went on a journey for truth… for answers..

… We did research… we talked to a lot of people… and in the end, we found what we were looking for, and we embraced the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

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It probably felt like a search. It probably felt like a journey… but in reality, that process was simply a matter of us, coming to terms with the reality, that God was bring conviction and truth to our hearts… and He was handing us an incredible gift of salvation.

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We already know, salvation is not something we earn. We don’t work for it. It’s not a matter of us performing a task or fulfilling a list of requirements.. ++

God stretched out His hands.. extending.. salvation to us..

It was delivered.. from eternity past.. to us, individually..

The Bible says, that we have been pre-destined..

According to His purpose.. in Eph 1:11

According to His will.. in Eph 1:5

According to His foreknowledge.. in Rom 8:29

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It also says in:

2 Peter 3:9 ESV

9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

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God does not intend for any to perish..

His desire.. His plan, is for all to come to repentance..

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Now, this puts us in a quandary… because we know… that according the much of what we read in the Bible, especially in Revelation… that many will perish… and many will not come to repentance. - How do we come to terms with this?

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there’s a lot of talk in the Bible about a book of life…

Exodus 32:33 ESV

33 But the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book.

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Other passages include Daniel 12:1, Malachi 3, and a bunch of them in Revelation..

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The common warning we see written… in many of these passages… is that someone’s name might be blotted out of God’s book of life.

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Other passages, like Revelation 13:8 and Rev. 17:8… speak of names, ‘not written in the book of life’… before or from ‘the foundation of the world’

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So, God has a record of those who are His… some names are written… some names are blotted out… and some names are not written from the foundation of the world.

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What does all this mean? It means, we don’t fully understand how God’s book of life works… It we think too hard about it, it will challenge our theology, so what most people do, is they work these scriptures, so they fit into, and support, their pre-established theology.

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The Bible teaches that God is not willing that any perish… the Bible teaches predestination… the Bible teaches election… the Bible also tells us that names can be blotted out… and maybe, the term, ‘NOT WRITTEN’ speaks also, of a blotted out name.

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Combine this with passages like Hebrews 6 where it speaks of people who willfully reject God to such an extreme, that it would be impossible to renew again to repentance…

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… well.. then.. … there comes a point where our tight grip on the fine points of our theology… gets a little slippery.

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If I bring my limited ability for logic, into the all knowing wisdom of God’s economy… I see things that don’t always make sense… and this would be one of those areas. If you try to nail down election into a theological statement, you are going to have to twist some scriptures to explain apparent contradictions…

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But here’s what I do know. God is not willing that any should perish… This is His ultimate desire for humanity. It was His will that Adam and Eve would go into the world and be fruitful and multiply...

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but what happened? Everyone in the world became exceedingly wicked… so… the Flood..

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Then, it was God’s will that Noah’s family go into the world and be fruitful and multiply...

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But what happened? The fall at Babel… where again, everyone became exceedingly wicked… and they were confused, divided and dispersed.

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When God gives free will to His created beings… both spiritual beings in the heavenly realm, and physical beings like us… He gives them the opportunity to do things that are outside of His will.

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The Bible gives us a record… of both angels, and humans… doing what God has not willed.

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It’s God’s will that none should perish… - But, both angels and humans… have historically proven… that they will not always do what God wills…

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Remember in Gen. 15.. when God told Abraham that the land before him.. belonged to his descendents..

But, at that time, it was inhabited..

God knew.. that the people in Canaan were destined for utter debauchery..

And yet.. he waited for 400 years.. till He drove them out.. He waited till they actually reached that state of utter debauchery.

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Why? It said, in Gen 15:16.. that the “iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete” - That’s why God waited.

God gave them 400 years, to get to a place of utter, irreversible depravity..

Even though He knew.. the outcome beforehand… He still waited.

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He does the same for us..

He is not willing, that any should perish..

And yet.. people do perish..

People do.. forsake the gift of eternal life in the presence of God..

And God has to go to His Book of Life.. and..look that person’s name up.. with his blotting pen in His hand.

Revelation 3:5 ESV

5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.

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The implication being made here, and in other verses.. is: “there are names.. that do get blotted out of the book of life”

God has made an offer..

He has presented mankind with the opportunity.. to “take up the helmet of salvation”

He has done all the work, and offered a gift to humanity..

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It is a gift, that humanity could never create or muster up on its own..

Humanity has been divided.. away from the presence of God..

But God devised a plan to bring them back..

And He offers it freely as a gift…

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We can receive it..

If we do.. we will gain a restored relationship w/God..

A relationship, that is eternal… and in that moment.. that helmet.. is handed over.

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Then.. from there on out.. for the believer...

we keep on receiving that helmet.. we keep on taking it up.. we keep on strapping it on..

For perpetually.. we are cleansed..

Perpetually.. we are reckoned pure and holy in His sight..

We know.. by faith, it’s our helmet of salvation.. we possess it.. we wear it.. and it is, w/o a doubt.. really there..

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Now.. go with me to:

2 Corinthians 11:2–4 ESV

2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.

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What does a helmet protect?

It protects your head.. your brain.. your mind..

When we do dangerous things.. we wear a helmet..

Motorcycle.. skateboarding.. rock climbing..

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Helmet- a device that is protecting a part of us that is both vital.. and vulnerable..

On a spiritual level.. it’s the same way..

God wants us to protect our minds..

Our minds.. can be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ..

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2 Cor 11 warns us… that if we do not take our helmet, diligent and daily… then, when others proclaim something that is different than the truth… we might accept it… we might put up with it.

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Colossians 3:1–4 ESV

1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

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How do we keep our minds from corruption?

By keeping them focused.. on who we really are.. in Christ..

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This is especially a timely challenge. Now, is a time when many are isolating themselves in their homes… a time when many are probably pumping a lot of different things into their minds…

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It’s not uncommon, to see people who were firm in their convictions, after some time of isolation… after a time of pumping other thoughts and ideas into their lives… start to put up with different ideas… they start to tolerate a different idea of the ‘good news’…

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We are challenged to set our minds on the things that are above… because doing so.. does not come natural. putting on that helmet of salvation every day… does not come natural… clinging to a truth that is contrary to the flood of information that is coming against us on our computer and phone screens… is not easy.

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God calls us.. to reckon ourselves..

Not as fleshly being..

But as spiritual beings..

Setting our minds.. on things above.

Realizing.. that our citizenship.. isn’t this world around us..

But rather.. it’s the world.. that is yet to come..

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If we become too familiar with this world.. and the ways of this world..

.. if our minds find identification and comfort.. in the things of this world..

Then our minds.. are at risk..

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I think Philippians says it best..

Philippians 2:5 ESV

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

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There’s our example..

Jesus had His sights set on eternity..

He was here to do a job.. and that’s what He remained focused on..

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May we not get so ingrained in our lives.. that we forget..

.. we’re just passing through..

We’re just.. visiting this planet..

.. we’re only here for a moment..

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Eph 6:17b - “and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,”

What else are we called to take?

The sword of the Sprit..

What’s that?

The Word of God..

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It’s here, where we need to go back to the Belt of truth..

For it’s to the belt.. that the Sword is attached..

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Folks.. the Word of God can be a destructive force in the wrong hands..

The Word of God.. can reap devastation in people’s lives..

If it’s not.. fastened tightly.. to the belt of truth..

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Whatever your agenda… you can abuse the Word of God… out of context.. and use it for your own gain..

If you’re good enough, you can use the Word of God manipulate people..

If you’re good enough.. you can use the Word of God to gain riches..

If you’re good enough.. you can use the Word of God to gain power and prestige..

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If you’re good enough.. you can use the Word of God.. to destroy people’s lives..

There is so much instruction in there..

That it would be very easy.. to take different ideas.. different concepts.. different statements.. different phrases..

…line them all up, and create for yourself a convincing argument..

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This Word, if interpreted in harmony with itself..

Is solid..

If we are not interpreting it.. in truth..

We will be ill prepared.. for battle..

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Now.. this is interesting..

Two items.. so far, are offensive..

Two items.. fall under the order to “charge!”

The shoes.. and the sword..

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Sharing the gospel..

That’s offensive warfare

And.. sharing.. and living.. the Word of God..

That too, is offensive warfare..

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Jesus even exemplified this.. when, for 40 days and 40 nights.. He went out into the wilderness..

And was tempted on all ends.. by the Devil..

How did Jesus attack that Devil?

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By screaming? By speaking in tongues? By shouting at Him? By kicking His foot into the air? By shaking His fist? By telling the Devil to be bound?

No.. Jesus charged forth in battle, against Satan Himself.. – by simply letting him know.. what the Word of God said..

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If we are not speaking and living the Word of God.. in truth.. then, we will be using the Devil’s own moves.. on the Devil..

For, when he tempted Jesus.. he too misused the Word..

If we go at the Devil.. w/faulty warfare.. that Devil’s just gonna step aside and let us go… for a slightly distorted truth.. is often times.. way more powerful… than a flat-out lie..

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The gospel.. and the Word.. those are our weapons of attack..

Everything else.. is there for our defense..

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Now.. something to take note of..

Breastplate..

It’s not called, the “back plate”

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Shield..

Do you think it would be easy to hold that shield behind your back?

Folks.. there’s not much covering the back..

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The salvation part is covered..

You can turn your back on the battle.. back-slide a little..

And your salvation.. it’s still good..

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The back of you head and kneck.. are covered..

The belt is there too.. for God’s truth is still there for ya.. even as you turn away..

The truth of His grace.. remains.. and it’s always ready to grab you and turn you back around..

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But.. when you walk away.. your heart is vulnerable..

And your faith.. – well, that guard is down.. and you’re wide open to the fiery darts..

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God did not intend for us to walk away.. God did not intend for us to turn our back on threats… to let our defences down…

When we do.. it’s not easy..

We think.. “Oh, I can just take a break from this Christianity thing”

But it’s not .. the way God intended it..

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And when we do this.. slack off.. fall away..

It’s not.. a vacation..

No way..

It’s an arrow in the back..

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Once you’re down.. it’s hard to get back up again..

Why?

Because you start doubting yourself..

You start thinking.. “I’m no good”..

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Why do you think you’re no good?

Your breastplate of righteousness.. is pointing the wrong way..

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You start to falter in your faith..

Why?

Because faith, pointed the wrong way.. does not help you. Turning your back to the opposition, because you think it will be easier… will not help you.

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It’s God’s design.. that we follow this advice from Philippians..

Philippians 3:13–14 ESV

13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

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Ephesians 6:18–20 ESV

18 praying 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 words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

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Pray… and ‘keep alert’

How?

w/all perseverance..

In ancient warfare.. the generals would stand on high ground.. way to the back of the battle.. – somewhere where they could get the big picture..

and they would watch.. and see what was going on..

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based on the events of the battle.. they were constantly sending out orders..

these orders were delivered to the soldiers on the battlefield.. either in word.. in a drum cadence.. or in a trumpet blast..

It was in the soldier’s best interest.. to be in communication with the ones who saw the big picture..

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God wants us.. in communication w/Him.. - God has the big picture in view.

We need to be in touch.. with the one who sees the big picture..

This letter ends with some final greetings… from verse 21 on down to 24… and that brings us to the end, of the letter to Ephesus..

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Where we have been told, with great detail, how we stand, positionally, in the grace of God..

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And with this knowledge… we have been encouraged to walk accordingly… in the every day stuff… in fellowship.. walk in community… walk in family life… as a husband and wife… as a parent, as a child, as one leads, as one who serves…

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And finally… as one who is engaged in spiritual warfare.

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God has not designed us to be passive in our faith. He has designed us, to thrive in our faith, because we are aware of the battle, and we are facing it… protecting our heart with righteousness… with faith… with salvation… and taking it head on… with the Good news of the Word of God.

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Don’t fear the battle..

Instead… fear the side lines… fear the quiet place where you away from the battle… fear the isolation that takes you way from your fellow soldiers… fear the isolation that leads to a toleration of contrary belief..

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There is no spiritual armor, for our back.

May we be those… who press on… forward… actively… serving Jesus.