Ephesians 6:10-20 Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand. Stand firm therefore, by fastening the belt of truth around your waist, by putting on the breastplate of righteousness, by fitting your feet with the preparation that comes from the good news of peace, and in all of this, by taking up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With every prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and to this end be alert, with all perseverance and requests for all the saints. Pray for me also, that I may be given the message when I begin to speak – that I may confidently make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may be able to speak boldly as I ought to speak.
I have heard many people talk, blog, write and publish vicious words about the insanity going on the world today. We have a tendency to get personal in our attacks and judgmental in our conclusions. I have another perspective that we should consider. Maybe it is the insanity going on in the spiritual realm. The Devil has been given temporary power of this world and as his time comes to a close, he is wielding all the power and influence he was given to attack the human race. Some of these powers include the exploitation of our minds. Satan knows that by “suggesting” temptations that many people will pursue that temptation and invoke the consequences that the action causes. As an example: Greed breeds hate and hate breeds murder. I am not excusing anyone’s actions, but just that MAYBE our focus is on the symptoms and not the cause. It seems that this insanity is permeating every facet of our lives.
We have also been given the tools and weapons to ward off this attack as well. 1 Peter 5:8-9 says to ”Be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour. Resist him, strong in your faith, because you know that your brothers and sisters throughout the world are enduring the same kinds of suffering.” Paul repeatedly has warned us of the threat to our lives and our joy, but at the same time he provides the solution and alternative to encourage us in this spiritual battle. It is not the “Hollywood style” that we often like to see. NO dark ritualistic chanting or thunder and lightning shows. The solution is the simple act of resistance and clinging to what we know to be right. Claiming our salvation and invoking our relationship to our Lord and Master, the CREATOR of all, we possess all the tools to succeed. One of the useful tools in our arsenal is the gift of common sense. Like my dad used to always say ..think first before you act. I think that is more people thought about the consequences of their actions then they may alter their choices.
In conclusion, I think that we can minimize the effect of this insanity by recognizing the satanic origins of the temptations and then battle them girded with the belt of Truth, the breastplate of righteousness guarding our hearts, walk in the light of the good news of our future and wielding the shield of our Faith to ward off the personal satanic attacks and countering with the sword of the Spiritual Realm - THE Word of God.
In short: emphasize the positive by focusing and living the concept that Paul wrote to the Philippians and we can allow common sense to break out in an epidemic of good that would eradicate the insanity of evil that seems to have saturated our world:
Philippians 4:8-9 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you.
Let us change the world one good deed at a time …
May God Bless You and Yours
Gene
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