Prayed…
Thank You, Father, that we can come together in Your presence
We honor You with our lives, and it is our hearts’ desire to come and worship You
Things are going to be revealed to us; we know that it is all about You, Lord
We thank You that we have freedom and liberty in and through the blood of Jesus
Touch and minister Yourself to us, Father
The blood of Jesus keeps the destroyer back, and it brings light and life to our lives, today
Shared…
The following excerpt is taken from Born for Battle by R. Arthur Matthews:
The Soldier’s Best Friend
There is something else that we must take notice of because of its relevance to the actual conflict with Satan. For Jesus, the silent years at Nazareth must have been filled with more than the toil of a carpenter. Part of his qualifications for service lay in the fact that he had filled a place in the secular world among the people of his own town and had earned from them the distinction of being “the carpenter.” But Jesus did not stop at the mere fulfilling of the secular responsibilities as the carpenter, exhausting though that might have been, he stretched himself at all times to fill his mind with the treasures of the Word of God.
These are factors that are preliminary to the actual conflict with Satan. And as we look at them, certain things stand out emphasizing the condition of Jesus as he was confronted by the devil.
He was filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit. The initiative for the confrontation with the devil was not his; he was brought to it by the Spirit of God. These factors are prerequisites for victory over Satan.
His mind was a storehouse of the words of God. For the Holy Spirit to wield his mighty sword effectively through a human instrument, he must first have absolute control of the instrument, and the mind of the man must be well stored with the words of God.
His human body was starved to exhaustion, but not by his own choice. For Jesus the warrior’s post may have been at starvation-point, but the warrior’s position has not been compromised at any point. His value-system has not been changed even though his physical system is being “stabbed by all the swords of sense.” As a good soldier he endures hardness and brings his body into subjection. Victory does not depend on physical fitness. But this does not mean that a body brought to a state of weakness by some self-imposed stunt will help the chances of victory.
Having studied carefully the condition of Jesus, we can now look at his competence in resisting and defeating Satan. At the first approach of the enemy, Jesus took the sword of the Spirit to be his one sure weapon, his best friend in this emergency. This sword so carefully “wrought and edged by the Holy Spirit himself” is the utterance of God and is specially designed to resist and confound Satan and all his hosts of evil. And it is his weapon, for is it not called “the sword of the Spirit”? Therefore it is for him to bring to the mind of the one he has led to this particular confrontation that specific utterance which he has wrought into the blade. In this case the specific word was from Deuteronomy 8:3 “Man does not live on bread alone but on every word [Greek rhema] that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” We are all more familiar with the Greek word logos than rhema. The latter refers to a more specific utterance than the more general word logos.
Three times the Lord Jesus met the assaults of Satan in this way. Amazingly, all that it took to defeat the devil was “every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Apart from this word “our striving would be losing.” Victories over the devil are not won by having a Bible and knowing some of it. Nor are they won by resolutions and good intent. It takes the sword of the Spirit, God’s specific utterance, thrust at the enemy in the power of the controlling Holy Spirit with an unashamed “It is written” and “Thus saith the Lord.”
There is nothing that Jesus used to defeat Satan that is not available to us. Therefore, victory is as attainable for us as it was for him. He was filled with the Spirit, and we are expressly commanded to “be filled with the Spirit.” However, let no one think that a single experience of being filled exhausts the claim of this command on our obedience. The tense of the verb is continuous and means “be being filled.” The condition of being filled with the Holy Spirit is something to which we are required to give constant attention. And then we too many have our minds filled with the Word of God. We dare not be careless or lazy about storing God’s Word in our minds.
Let us not ignore the relation between condition and competence. If we would have competence in withstanding the attacks of the enemy, then let us look to our condition. Am I being led of the Spirit? Is he in complete control of my being? Am I diligently storing my mind with the Word of God? Then “the only thing that matters,” says Amy Carmichael, “is to throw all the energies of our being into the faithful use of this precious blade.” Then, and only then, may we “Rest our cause upon his holy Word.”
If you would like to purchase this book, please contact Living Word Bookstore online or call (763) 315-7015.
Continued Praying…
Praying and pleading the blood of Jesus over every detail and facet of the great awakening and outpouring of Your Spirit
Thank You for the Holy Ghost who is revealing and bringing orders and messages, Father
We heed the Word of God and apply it against the plans and attacks of the enemy
Rooting out all fear, for You give us peace that surpasses all understanding
Strengthen the Church, individually, collectively, and corporately
We are not going to be full of terror or be dismayed, for our eyes are fixed on You
Declaring that You, Lord, are our light and our salvation
You are our refuge and our fortress
We thank You, that we will find favor in everything that we set our hands to
Leaning on and trusting in You, Lord
You will direct and make our paths plain and straight
Believing for a supernatural change in and through us by Your Spirit
There will be a turning away from the world’s way and system, Father God
Looking for a separation, the Church without spot or wrinkle
We will be energized by Your Spirit
Ears and eyes attentive unto You and Your Word
You, Father, are delivering us from persistent troubles and distress
There is no fear in Christ Jesus!
Calling for advancement and acceleration in Your plans and purposes, dear God
Shaking off those bondages that have tried to hold us back!
There is a stirring up and an excitement of whose we are and who we serve
It is time for the Church to come out in a new way
With You, Lord, nothing is impossible
We will not have any anxiety about anything, but cast our cares on You
Putting our hands to the plow and not looking back
Divine connections by Your Spirit
Every need we have would be supplied to fulfill Your plan and destiny, Father
Taking back that which has been stolen, we are restored and made whole!
Pressing on to the higher call of Christ Jesus
Your Word is light, life, health, and healing to our flesh
Steady, stable, and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty
A Word of the Lord came forth:
“There are so many things that are beginning to crack up, things that look like they were so solid, in a religious way. They looked like they were so good. They looked like they were so bright. They looked like they were going right, but they are beginning to crack up. And they will begin to crack up in an even wider way. For what looks good to man is not necessarily what looks good to Me. For it is My Word, My will, My plan, My purpose that is beginning to crack through and show brightly, and show up, and show out in this hour. Don’t question the way. If you’ll stay in My way, don’t function in any other way but function in and under My way” saith the Lord. “And the power from heaven and the anointing of the Holy Spirit within you will take you through. Yes, there are things that are beginning to be cracked away in your eyes, the eyes of your spirit man will begin to see it more brightly and more brightly. And, yes, those that have thought they could do things just because they looked good and do things just because they feel good, they will be swept away for My Word is coming forth in an even greater, in an even stronger way in this hour and at this time. The pendulum has swung more and more and it is continuing to move. And My Church, the Spirit-filled, born again, Pentecostal Church of the Lord Jesus Christ across the face of the earth is beginning to be a great Holy Ghost wave. And My wave, My presence, My rain don’t question it, don’t doubt it. But this Word, thee Word, My Word written on the tablets of your hearts and coming up and coming out of your mouths in this hour will turn things that you didn’t even think would ever turn but in Me and through Me and through My Word they won’t only just turn but they will burn and run away. So take your seat in heaven’s way and stand strong on this word spoken forth today.”
