Pillars (10)
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Live Differently
Live Differently
I want to deviate a little from this lists that we have been going through and describing the church pillars. Although it isn’t on a plaque understanding this truth will help us to live differently.
This week I struggled in a space between confrontation and living in fear of the past. For a long time this church has struggled with gossip, back biting, and lying. This beast seemed to have reared it’s ugly head again and as I began to unpack what this means for the church I am left with this truth that comes from a prayer prayed in
41 Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise;
42 then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me, for I trust in your word.
This is what God spoke:
While God is speaking, the enemy is also speaking.
The bible is very clear how we as a church handle those who gossip
10 As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him,
11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.
Understand we are going to have discussions with the few people who are involved in this gossip circle because Gossip is not welcome in this church and neither are those who entertain it.
However, this started an entirely different discussion and my wife asked a simple question “we are in war again aren’t we?”
My answer was plain and simple: Yes. We are. We are getting ready to start several ministries within the church and are beginning to break into new territory. Then my wife looks at me again and says: “But some of our people don’t know how to do battle.”
How do we Win in war?
How do we win in Spiritual battle?
Ephesians 10 tells us that we are given the armor of God. The first piece of armor that is mentioned is
Ephesians 10:14: Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist
The firs thing we have is truth:
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
The interesting thing about truth is that truth is a characteristic of God
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jesus
himself as truth. He doesn’t he has has truth he says he IS truth.
44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Notice God is Truth
Satan doesn’t tell lies: He IS LIES
HE speaks out of his own Character
If Satan is LIES and Jesus Is Truth and they directly contradict each other Than any time your in battle the battle is waged against your faith:
Whom are you going to believe?
Are you going to believe the lies and lose or embrace the truth and win?
So if Satan is attacking you it’s usually in the form of a lie:
You’re not good enough, Your marriage is going to fail, No one likes you than the only way to combat this is to embrace the truth.
This may also come in the form of martial battles, Anger issues, family problems. Because Satan is going to try to get everyone around to brow beat you with lies. His attempt is to drown out the Voice of god brining truth in your life. That’s it: It’s his only tactic.
So the first piece of armor is the belt of truth which doesn’t hold up pants.
The only offensive item we are given to attack back is the sword of the Spirit.
The bible tells us the sword of the Spirit is the word of God= again circling back to truth.
In every battle we must identify the lie Satan is trying to get us to believe and the truth that contradicts the lie.
That is Spiritual warfare in its entirety.
However belief is the key: You can trade lies for truth, but if you don’t believe the truth then you will continually be trapped in the lie.