This essay is about putting on the whole armor of God. A very important piece of spiritual weaponry in our fight and warfare in the spiritual realm. Paul seems to be the most fluent in this aspect of spiritual life. He tells his audience in 2 Cor 10 that our warfare is not carnal but mighty to the tearing down of strong holds in the heavenly realm. Positionally, he tells us in Galatians that we are seated in heaven places in Christ Jesus but he gets real practical in Eph 6:10-18, on the whole armor of God and the focus of this essay.
Putting on the whole armor of God is a practice that I have been doing for 30 years. First, I begin by praying in the Spirit and then I put on the helmet of salvation. This helmet is designed to protect our mind. Walking in the Spirit is mostly just committing your throught life to God. Paul again writes in Phil 4:8-9, that whatever is pure, holy, virtuous, right, praise worthy of good report we are too think on these things. This helmet is our protection from the thoughts and images of the world that we are bombarded by everyday. It allows us to not be subject to thoughts, strong thoughts, imagination and strongholds.
Next, we put on the breastplate of righteousness. We are clothed with the robe of righteousness that Jesus gave us. We are the righteousness of Jesus Christ. James says in James 5:16 that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. When you pray in righteousness your prayer life is effective and it produces great results in the spiritual and natural realm.
Next, we put on the belt of truth. Now notice the order in which I am putting on the armor. When you put on the belt of truth you are saying to the Lord, "I want to produce and re-produce truth not only in my life but in my world." Remember you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free. As far as you are concern you will always to be a person of truth and expect truth from others. It is the golden rule. No matter what anyone does to you, you will not do the same to them. You will be a person of truth. People around you can trust your integrity because in your prayer time you have chosen to be a person of truth.
Fourthly, you put on the boots of peace. Whenever you go that is your territory. Josh 1:3 makes this statement true. As ambassadors and representatives of Jesus Christ we carry His authority wherever we go. We are God's instruments of peace in this world. From a previous essay we know that we have the Prince of Peace living in our hearts. In the Beatitudes Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the Sons of God. Putting on this piece of armor we are His hands and feet of peace. Our soft answer can turn away wrath. Our peaceful demeanor can calm down the tensiest of situations. This piece also allow us to walk in peace in our own personal world because we know God has everything under control.
Fiftly, you put on the shield or faith. Paul says it has the ability to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one. Those arrows of temptation, deception and accusation are quenched through faith. Faith is the sustance of things hope for and the evidence of things not seen. Faith is the catalyst for victory. Habakkuk and Romans tells us that the righteous shall live by their faith. It is our faith and trust in God that activates spiritual victory in Christ. We know as 1 John 3:8 that Jesus has already destroyed the works of the devil. Our enemy is already defeated and as we put on the whole wrmor of God we know already we are going to win.
Lastly you put on the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. The Word of God is our offensive and defensive weapon in our warfare. When Jesus face the devil in the wildernesss temptation He used the Word of God. We must use the Word of God on every occassion in confronting and defeating the devil. Our sword in this case can either be a broad sword that cuts and chops down the enemy or a scalpel that does a small incision to bring healing.
Then Pual says to pray in the spirit. Prayer is the conveyor belt that brings the ammo we need into battle. Praying in the Spirit helps you get the mind of God in every situation. You are able to see things from God's perspective and not your own. This armor is essential for victory, protection, attack and defense. Put it own everyday and see a dramatic change in your spiritual walk immediately, I did.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Essays on Prayer # 5 by Robert Dean Steel
In this essay I will once again focused on the phrase. "Hallowed be your name." Once you have covered the Compound Names of God. Your next focused should be the blood of Jesus. The blood of Jesus is the most powerful element in the universe. Nothing is more powerful or useful as the blood of Jesus. Let me explain. There are currently over seven billion people that live on this planet. Each one of us will commit at least one sin today. That means there will be seven billion sins done to separate us from God today. Jesus' blood has the ability and power to cover and cleanse each one. That thought in itself is mind boggling. Here is one more. The blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse every sin committed by every person for the past 2000 years. That is amazing. In this essay I will write about five benefits of the blood of Jesus.
The first thing the blood Jesus has done for us has given us salvation and redemption. We can have our sins forgiven and become part of the family of God. What I love about salvation and redemption is how a person one moment is an enemy of God and then by belief in their heart and with confession of their mouth, they can become a friend of God. This was done through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. He allow Himself to be beaten, broken and bruised for us. He then faced the agonies of the crucifixition and finally death so our sins could be forgiven. His blood was shed so that you and I could be friends with God. I love that song that says, "I am a friend of God, I am friend of God, He calls me friend."
The next thing that the blood of Jesus has done for us has given us the ability to be successful and have abundant life. In John 10:10, Jesus said that He has come to give us life and with it abundance. Rom 3:23, states that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Jesus' blood gave us the opportunity to never come short again of the glory of God. The glory of God in this case has to do with the characteristics and nature of God. You never have to be short on any of God's characteristics or essence. You will never be short of love, acceptance or forgiveness. You will never be short of grace, mercy, compassion, gentleness, faith and patience. Eph 3:20, states, that the Lord can and will do exceedingly abundantly beyond what we are able to ask or imagine. These wonderful benefits were secured through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
The third benefit of the blood is access to the throne of God. In Heb 4:13 to the end of the chapter we have a wonderful promise that we can come to the throne of grace and find help and mercy in our time of need. Prayer is the avenue in which these blessings are released. What an amazing privilege it is to talk to the Lord at any time. You never get a busy signal. Your call will never be dropped. You always have an audience of one. The maker of the universe is always ready to listen. He is never too busy. In the ancient world you had to get a special pass or could wait for months to see a king or Monarch. Jesus' blood allows us to have an audience with the creator of the universe at any time. You will never be turned away. You will always have His attentive ear and you will receive grace and mercy in your time of need.
The fourth benefit of the blood Jesus is victory over every foe. 1 John 3:8 says that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. Our adversaries are the world, the flesh and the devil. Each one has their means and method of attack. The world for example uses pride, passion and possession to attacked. The flesh uses the five senses and the inward desire towards self. The devil uses, accusation, temptation and deception. Each attack is planned with your downfall in mind. Man is the apple of God's eyes. He is the flower of God's creation. So when a man fails and falls the devil delights and the demons rejoice. The blood of Jesus Christ has secure us victory over our foes. James says in James 4:7, that if we submit to God when we resist the devil he will have to flee from us. What an amazing promise. 1 John 4:4 says that greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. We have been called to be over comers, victors and conquerors. We are the head and not the tail. All of this was secured and provided through the blood of Jesus. If this is not shouting ground I do not know what will get you going.
The last thing I wish to talk about in this essay concerning the blood of Jesus is this. All the benefits of heaven are available to you. Heaven is your destination and new home. When you came to Christ you changed your future home. Before you were heading to hell but now you are heading to heaven. Before Christ you were citizens of hell and now you are citizens of heaven. Through the blood of Jesus we have eternal and abundant life. I could spend several more paragraphs on the benefits of heaven through the blood of Jesus but I think you get the idea.
The blood of Jesus is the one thing every demon of hell fears. They are aware of its power and all the wonderful things it has secure for us. So in your time of hallowing the name of the Lord. Meditate and focus on the blood of Jesus for a few moments with thanksgiving and praise.
The first thing the blood Jesus has done for us has given us salvation and redemption. We can have our sins forgiven and become part of the family of God. What I love about salvation and redemption is how a person one moment is an enemy of God and then by belief in their heart and with confession of their mouth, they can become a friend of God. This was done through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. He allow Himself to be beaten, broken and bruised for us. He then faced the agonies of the crucifixition and finally death so our sins could be forgiven. His blood was shed so that you and I could be friends with God. I love that song that says, "I am a friend of God, I am friend of God, He calls me friend."
The next thing that the blood of Jesus has done for us has given us the ability to be successful and have abundant life. In John 10:10, Jesus said that He has come to give us life and with it abundance. Rom 3:23, states that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Jesus' blood gave us the opportunity to never come short again of the glory of God. The glory of God in this case has to do with the characteristics and nature of God. You never have to be short on any of God's characteristics or essence. You will never be short of love, acceptance or forgiveness. You will never be short of grace, mercy, compassion, gentleness, faith and patience. Eph 3:20, states, that the Lord can and will do exceedingly abundantly beyond what we are able to ask or imagine. These wonderful benefits were secured through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
The third benefit of the blood is access to the throne of God. In Heb 4:13 to the end of the chapter we have a wonderful promise that we can come to the throne of grace and find help and mercy in our time of need. Prayer is the avenue in which these blessings are released. What an amazing privilege it is to talk to the Lord at any time. You never get a busy signal. Your call will never be dropped. You always have an audience of one. The maker of the universe is always ready to listen. He is never too busy. In the ancient world you had to get a special pass or could wait for months to see a king or Monarch. Jesus' blood allows us to have an audience with the creator of the universe at any time. You will never be turned away. You will always have His attentive ear and you will receive grace and mercy in your time of need.
The fourth benefit of the blood Jesus is victory over every foe. 1 John 3:8 says that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. Our adversaries are the world, the flesh and the devil. Each one has their means and method of attack. The world for example uses pride, passion and possession to attacked. The flesh uses the five senses and the inward desire towards self. The devil uses, accusation, temptation and deception. Each attack is planned with your downfall in mind. Man is the apple of God's eyes. He is the flower of God's creation. So when a man fails and falls the devil delights and the demons rejoice. The blood of Jesus Christ has secure us victory over our foes. James says in James 4:7, that if we submit to God when we resist the devil he will have to flee from us. What an amazing promise. 1 John 4:4 says that greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. We have been called to be over comers, victors and conquerors. We are the head and not the tail. All of this was secured and provided through the blood of Jesus. If this is not shouting ground I do not know what will get you going.
The last thing I wish to talk about in this essay concerning the blood of Jesus is this. All the benefits of heaven are available to you. Heaven is your destination and new home. When you came to Christ you changed your future home. Before you were heading to hell but now you are heading to heaven. Before Christ you were citizens of hell and now you are citizens of heaven. Through the blood of Jesus we have eternal and abundant life. I could spend several more paragraphs on the benefits of heaven through the blood of Jesus but I think you get the idea.
The blood of Jesus is the one thing every demon of hell fears. They are aware of its power and all the wonderful things it has secure for us. So in your time of hallowing the name of the Lord. Meditate and focus on the blood of Jesus for a few moments with thanksgiving and praise.
Essay on Prayer # 4 by Robert Dean Steel
As in the previous essay, I want to again focus on Hallowing the Name of the Lord through the Compound Name of God. Last essay, I wrote about Jehovah, Jireh, Shalom, Nissi and Tsidkenu. In this essay I want to four on the following four.
Jehovah Shammad: The Lord is Here:
The Lord is with us no matter what we face in our world's No foe, problem, persecution or scenario will overcome us because the Lord is here. When you are in the valley, the Lord is here. When you are on the mountain top and everything is rosy the Lord is here. He has built a wall around you. His angels are encamped around you. He is your shield and buckler. Wherever you are the Lord is here. The Lord will never leave you are forsake you. He is here.
Jehovah Raah: The Lord is my shepherd. We are familiar with Psalm 23, where David calls the Lord his shepherd. David uses this wonderful psalm with its analogy of what a shepherd does to get across the point of this wonderful characteristic of God. Jesus used the same illustration when He said He was the good shepherd and He would be willing to give His life for His sheep. Jesus also said that His sheep know His voice. The Lord will protect and keep us. He will also provide all the things that a shepherd will. As Jehovah Raah, the Lord will help us through our lives.
Jehovah Rophi: The Lord that heals.
It is so wonderful to know that no matter what we face either in the spiritual or physical realm the Lord can and will heal. It is my belief that healing is part of the atonement. Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:24 says that by His stripes we were healed. No disease or sickness can stand in the face of Jehovah Rophi. As we hallow the name of the Lord He comes in healing power and virtue. Today let the Lord heal every part of your life and see the victory of healing.
Jehovah McKaddesh: The Lord is my Sanctifier.
The Lord is the one that makes us holy. We have been made the righteousness and holiness of God through Jesus Christ. Holiness is both an instant and progressive thing. When we comes to Christ we are made holy and then over the course of our lives the Lord will continue making us holy. Peter in 2 Pet 3:18 says that we will grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Everyday as we allow the Lord worked in our lives we can become more and more like Jesus.
As we focus on the Compound Names of God we will hallow the name of the Lord we will release the blessings and attributes of God all in our prayer times.
Jehovah Shammad: The Lord is Here:
The Lord is with us no matter what we face in our world's No foe, problem, persecution or scenario will overcome us because the Lord is here. When you are in the valley, the Lord is here. When you are on the mountain top and everything is rosy the Lord is here. He has built a wall around you. His angels are encamped around you. He is your shield and buckler. Wherever you are the Lord is here. The Lord will never leave you are forsake you. He is here.
Jehovah Raah: The Lord is my shepherd. We are familiar with Psalm 23, where David calls the Lord his shepherd. David uses this wonderful psalm with its analogy of what a shepherd does to get across the point of this wonderful characteristic of God. Jesus used the same illustration when He said He was the good shepherd and He would be willing to give His life for His sheep. Jesus also said that His sheep know His voice. The Lord will protect and keep us. He will also provide all the things that a shepherd will. As Jehovah Raah, the Lord will help us through our lives.
Jehovah Rophi: The Lord that heals.
It is so wonderful to know that no matter what we face either in the spiritual or physical realm the Lord can and will heal. It is my belief that healing is part of the atonement. Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:24 says that by His stripes we were healed. No disease or sickness can stand in the face of Jehovah Rophi. As we hallow the name of the Lord He comes in healing power and virtue. Today let the Lord heal every part of your life and see the victory of healing.
Jehovah McKaddesh: The Lord is my Sanctifier.
The Lord is the one that makes us holy. We have been made the righteousness and holiness of God through Jesus Christ. Holiness is both an instant and progressive thing. When we comes to Christ we are made holy and then over the course of our lives the Lord will continue making us holy. Peter in 2 Pet 3:18 says that we will grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Everyday as we allow the Lord worked in our lives we can become more and more like Jesus.
As we focus on the Compound Names of God we will hallow the name of the Lord we will release the blessings and attributes of God all in our prayer times.
Essays on Prayer # 3 by Robert Dean Steel
In this essay on prayer I want to focus on Hallowing the Name of Lord in the Compound Names of God. I will talked about the first four in this essay. Each name indicates a characteristic or attribute of God.
Jehovah Jireh: The Lord will provide.
The "J." in this name is actually silent. No matter, the truth is that my God will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory. He is the God of the abundance. Jesus said in John 10:10, "I have come to give you life and with it abundance." One of my favorite verses is Eph 3:20 which states, "That God can do exceeding, abundantly beyond what we can ask or imagined." Provision is release through Jehovah Jireh. Abraham quoted this when the Lord provided a ram on Mount Moriah.
Jehovah Shalom: The Lord is Our Peace.
The Lord as our peace is the one who gives peace that the world cannot give and the world cannot take away. Jesus is known as the Prince of Peace. Peace means the absence of personal strife or warfare. Everything is right in our world. There is an old song that says that the Lord is our peace and that He has broken down every wall. No foe, wall or enemy can stand in the presence of Jehovah Jireh. The Prince of Peace is here today.
Jehovah TsidKenu: The Lord is our Righteousness.
The Lord imparts and clothes us with His righteousness. Isaiah said that our righteousness is as filthy rags. It is so wonderful to know that we have been made the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ. When the Father looks at us all He sees is Jesus. When we are focusing on the Compound Names of God we are hollowing the name of the Lord.
Jehovah Nissi: The Lord is our Banner.
When we say Jehovah Nissi we are asking the Lord to be our banner and our standard of protection. He is our standard, banner and authority. The Song of Solomon tells us the Lord is Banner and that His banner over us is love. When we allow Jehovah Nissi to part of world we are asking the Lord to protect and keep us. So as I close this essay I want you to remember that the Lord has attributes and characteristics that He wishes to communicate to you as you hallow and focus on the Compound Names of God.
Jehovah Jireh: The Lord will provide.
The "J." in this name is actually silent. No matter, the truth is that my God will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory. He is the God of the abundance. Jesus said in John 10:10, "I have come to give you life and with it abundance." One of my favorite verses is Eph 3:20 which states, "That God can do exceeding, abundantly beyond what we can ask or imagined." Provision is release through Jehovah Jireh. Abraham quoted this when the Lord provided a ram on Mount Moriah.
Jehovah Shalom: The Lord is Our Peace.
The Lord as our peace is the one who gives peace that the world cannot give and the world cannot take away. Jesus is known as the Prince of Peace. Peace means the absence of personal strife or warfare. Everything is right in our world. There is an old song that says that the Lord is our peace and that He has broken down every wall. No foe, wall or enemy can stand in the presence of Jehovah Jireh. The Prince of Peace is here today.
Jehovah TsidKenu: The Lord is our Righteousness.
The Lord imparts and clothes us with His righteousness. Isaiah said that our righteousness is as filthy rags. It is so wonderful to know that we have been made the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ. When the Father looks at us all He sees is Jesus. When we are focusing on the Compound Names of God we are hollowing the name of the Lord.
Jehovah Nissi: The Lord is our Banner.
When we say Jehovah Nissi we are asking the Lord to be our banner and our standard of protection. He is our standard, banner and authority. The Song of Solomon tells us the Lord is Banner and that His banner over us is love. When we allow Jehovah Nissi to part of world we are asking the Lord to protect and keep us. So as I close this essay I want you to remember that the Lord has attributes and characteristics that He wishes to communicate to you as you hallow and focus on the Compound Names of God.
Essays on Prayer # 2 by Robert Dean Steel
Today I wish to talk about the power of worship in prayer. In the Lord's prayer the first phrase is "Hallow be thy Name." This is a direct link to praise and worship. Now it is my understanding that praise is thanking God for what He has done. Worship is praising God for who He is. Judson Cornwall in his book, "Let us worship." says that worship is an attitude of the heart express. I like that. You cannot truly worship God until it has been expressed. Unreleased worship is like a fizzy pop that has been shakened. When it is released it sprays everywhere. Unreleased worship needs to be released so those in our world can be sprayed with love and power of God. Worship can come in many forms. To those in my tradition it is released in songs of praise and the Spirit. For those in other traditions it could be silence, shouting, playing of instruments, bowing, laying postrate on the floor or the lifting of hands. Whatever expression the Lord leads you to do the operative word is to do it.
I personally love to play the guitar and sing. As I praise and worship the Lord, I may choose to sing a song or sing praise songs in my heavenly language. God in these times inhabits my praises and it a wonderful time. Praise and worship to me is a time to focus and get me ready for my time of prayer. This exercise helps to reduce the cares of this life to their proper place and I release them to the Lord. Then through praise and worship I enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. "It becomes like the old hymn says, "The things of earth grow strangely dim in the light of your glory and grace." Using a modern analogy. Praise and worship is the launching pad for the booster rocket of prayer. It is the initial power to a fantastic prayer time. So do not neglect this opportunity.
I personally love to play the guitar and sing. As I praise and worship the Lord, I may choose to sing a song or sing praise songs in my heavenly language. God in these times inhabits my praises and it a wonderful time. Praise and worship to me is a time to focus and get me ready for my time of prayer. This exercise helps to reduce the cares of this life to their proper place and I release them to the Lord. Then through praise and worship I enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. "It becomes like the old hymn says, "The things of earth grow strangely dim in the light of your glory and grace." Using a modern analogy. Praise and worship is the launching pad for the booster rocket of prayer. It is the initial power to a fantastic prayer time. So do not neglect this opportunity.
Essays on Prayer by Robert Dean Steel
Prayer is the most powerful force in the universe because God Himself backs prayer. Prayer is not a monologue between you and God, it is a dialogue. The problem with the modern western Christian is that prayer is self motivated and designed to pray for their basic human needs. We pray for significance. "Lord make me who I am in Christ." In the past thirty years I have heard the phrase over and over again. "I know who I am in Christ." The operative word here is, "Who I am." When did we think is was about me or us? The problem with most modern western Christians is that we suffer from "I" disease. We forget that the vowel in sin is "I". So our prayer time in general focuses on us and what we need. Now most of us would never say that we view God as a sugar daddy or a slot machine. Yet if we listened to our prayers there is a lot of "I" in them. One time I was in a prayer meeting and I deliberately listened to the prayers of the people in the meeting, everyone myself included used a lot of "me" and "I" in our prayers.
The next human need is security. We all pray that God will protect us from living in persecution. Jesus in fact told us that suffering is part of the basic Christian lifestyle. Now that does not mean that we should develop a martyr or victim mentality that is not healthy. We should realize however that suffering and persecution comes because of our faith. We can pray for strength, grace and the attitude of Christ as we going through it. Our security is in Christ. 1 Cor 10:13 tells us that God will not allow us to tempted beyond we are able to endure but with the temptation, He will provide a means of escape. God is able to help us in any situation and also to be content.
The last area of human need that often motivates prayer is self worth. We want to be valued and appreciated. Nothing wrong with that but we must remember that self worth should be wrapped in doing the will of God. Prayer is the vehicle in which this can happen. In our dialogue with God He reveals His will and we have the opportunity to obey. So never make you whole prayer time about you. Make it about Him and others and you will be praying the will of God.
The next human need is security. We all pray that God will protect us from living in persecution. Jesus in fact told us that suffering is part of the basic Christian lifestyle. Now that does not mean that we should develop a martyr or victim mentality that is not healthy. We should realize however that suffering and persecution comes because of our faith. We can pray for strength, grace and the attitude of Christ as we going through it. Our security is in Christ. 1 Cor 10:13 tells us that God will not allow us to tempted beyond we are able to endure but with the temptation, He will provide a means of escape. God is able to help us in any situation and also to be content.
The last area of human need that often motivates prayer is self worth. We want to be valued and appreciated. Nothing wrong with that but we must remember that self worth should be wrapped in doing the will of God. Prayer is the vehicle in which this can happen. In our dialogue with God He reveals His will and we have the opportunity to obey. So never make you whole prayer time about you. Make it about Him and others and you will be praying the will of God.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Parable 150 - Parables of Steel by Robert Dean Steel
Parable 150 - Parables of Steel by Robert Dean Steel
John put down his pen. He had just finished writing his letter to his friends in a nearby city. God had shown him some amazing things. He had tried to the best of his ability to describe what he had seen and heard. Would his readers believe him or not? Would they heed his warnings and instructions given to him by the Lord? The John reflected on the remarkable life he had lived. How the Lord had taken him from his humble beginnings as a fisherman to becoming a preacher and teacher of the gospel. He thought about the decades he had served the Lord. Now here he was here at the closing of his life. Had he served well and been faithful? Was he leaving the world a better place? What would the church look like after he was gone?
Then the Holy Spirit spoke. "John," He said, "Everything will be alright, the Lord will build His church. He will raise up others to follow. John you can rest and have peace in your heart." John bowed his head and thanked the Lord for His faithfulness, he then stood up and went into the garden to enjoy the beauty of the day.
The Lord will build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against the church.
John put down his pen. He had just finished writing his letter to his friends in a nearby city. God had shown him some amazing things. He had tried to the best of his ability to describe what he had seen and heard. Would his readers believe him or not? Would they heed his warnings and instructions given to him by the Lord? The John reflected on the remarkable life he had lived. How the Lord had taken him from his humble beginnings as a fisherman to becoming a preacher and teacher of the gospel. He thought about the decades he had served the Lord. Now here he was here at the closing of his life. Had he served well and been faithful? Was he leaving the world a better place? What would the church look like after he was gone?
Then the Holy Spirit spoke. "John," He said, "Everything will be alright, the Lord will build His church. He will raise up others to follow. John you can rest and have peace in your heart." John bowed his head and thanked the Lord for His faithfulness, he then stood up and went into the garden to enjoy the beauty of the day.
The Lord will build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against the church.
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