WAR READY

Ephesians 6:10-18 GNB

Finally, build up your strength in union with the Lord and by means of his mighty power. Put on all the armour that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the Devil's evil tricks. 

For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age. So put on God's armour now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy's attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground.

 So stand ready, with truth as a belt tight round your waist, with righteousness as your breastplate, and as your shoes the readiness to announce the Good News of peace. At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the Evil One. 

And accept salvation as a helmet, and the word of God as the sword which the Spirit gives you. Do all this in prayer, asking for God's help. Pray on every occasion, as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always for all God's people.

WAR READY!

I don't know about y'all but these last few months have been REAL! It seems like I've been fighting super hard to do the things that seemed so natural to me last year, pray, teach, and go to the house of God.

I have come to realize that we are at war! As a believer, you're going to have to fight everyday! Some battles will be small. Others will be huge. Even though the battle is not ours to even fight, it's the Lord's, we STILL have to be WAR READY! 

Timeout for all that pitty pat praying and Holy ghost hopscotch! Paul said we will not be out here in these streets boxing people. We will be throwing bows at the spirits that possess them. On top of that we will be duking it out with the spirits that try to attack us head on! 

Our mind will be the biggest battlefield. Our mind is the most powerful thing in the world. It houses our thoughts, our motives our dreams, and most importantly our belief in GOD. 

The second most largest battlefield is our hearts. Scripture says, "Flowing from the heart are the issues of the heart." The heart houses the drama of our emotions. It encompasses every human feeling we have ever experienced. The heart is the very core of our being. This makes the helmet of salvation and the breastplate of righteousness HIGHLY important. 

WAR READY! 

No believer should ever be caught without their whole armor of God. You can never be too sure of yourself. You can never be in a place where you can't be tempted. Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane alone and yet the devil found him and tried to trip him up a few times. But Jesus was never going because he was WAR READY!

Jesus had been fasting for forty days and forty nights. So he was vulnerable as all get out. And the devil knew that. The devil smells your blood the minute it goes from hot to lukewarm and from lukewarm to cold. He does the same thing flies does to food left out in the open for too long, FLOCKS TO IT.

Mess around and have a little doubt in your spirit. Or even worse FEAR! He will be ready to take you down and knock you out for the count, honey! But look at this Jesus was vulnerable probably even a little weak but he had something, God's word as a SWORD! Whatever the devil threw at him he tightened the belt of truth, blocked crap with the shield of faith, and chopped things down with that sword! 

Follow Jesus' example. Be WAR READY at all times. Amped! Pumped! On Guard! Ready for whatever. You can't get too comfortable. You can't sleep too long. You must remain steadfast and on alert at all times. 

A friend of mines who used to work for the Chicago Police department never likes to sit with his back facing the door. He likes to face the traffic that's coming in. He prefers to see everything before anything sees him. This is his way of staying aware of what's going on just in case something happens. He chooses to be WAR READY! 

Can you agree with me that the days are ending rapidly? Time is flying and people are dying left and right. From the scoreboard the devil looks to be in the lead. Nevermind the nonbelievers, Christians are losing faith or playing for both teams. Nothing is as it used to be anymore and nothing will revert back to what it used to be either. The time is now to grind your shoes of readiness into the dirt, wipe the tears from your eyes, squeeze the sweat out of your hands and fight to finish this race! The battle is real! It's time to be WAR READY!