Whisper Of God Ministries

Comfort in the Armor of God
This week we finished up the book of Ephesians. Paul’s powerful words in this book have excited people since it was first penned under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The first three chapters of doctrine are followed by three chapters of practical insights. In the last half of the book, Paul puts flesh on the doctrines as he teaches us how to live out this idea of God’s purposes in the church. Notice that he talks about how we as children of God should live out the call to holiness in various relationships – the unity of the church, husbands and wives, and children and parents. Paul ends his letter with a section of scripture that we are all familiar with – the Armor of God. This armor has been taught to both adults and children for generations in Sunday School and from the pulpits.

As I was meditating on this section, my mind went back to an Old Testament story that also involved armor. In 1 Samuel 17, we have the story of David and Goliath. This is another favorite chapter. As you will recall, the Philistines and their champion Goliath had gather to fight the Israelites. Goliath taunted the Israelites and challenged them to send one man out to fight him. The winner would represent the entire army so whoever lost their nation lost as well. David had arrived to bring his brothers some food. David was so young that he was not yet in the army but he was a shepherd. When he heard the challenge against God and the Israelites, he naively asks why no one would fight for the nation against this giant of a man. Finally he volunteers to go out and battle Goliath. Saul accepts this boy’s request to fight and tries to give David his own armor. David puts on the armor and sword and tries to walk around in it to see if he can fight while wearing Saul’s armor. Verse 39b is the telling verse, “‘I cannot go in these’, he said to Saul, ‘because I am not used to them.’” So David takes the armor of the king off and takes his staff and sling and goes out and defeats Goliath in a great victory for the nation of Israel.

I mention this story because David can only fight in what he is comfortable using. As we come to the Armor of God in Ephesians 6, I must ask you, are you comfortable fighting in this armor? Does the belt of truth fit around your waist well? Are you comfortable in dealing in the truth or do you use little “white” lies when it works better for you. Does the breastplate of righteousness conform to your body? Are you a new creation in Christ Jesus so that the breastplate that is made to cover that which is vital fits well? Are you comfortable with it on? Can you walk around, fight, stand, and battle with it on or does it feel uncomfortable and bulky on you? Do the shoes of the gospel of peace fit you or are they too restrictive or too loose? Can you pick up your shield of faith and use it defensively in your life? Does the helmet of salvation cover your head or are you too proud to wear it? Finally, how comfortable are you with the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word. David could not use Saul’s sword for he was not comfortable or used to it. Are you comfortable with the Bible? Is it your constant companion in the times of trouble or battle? Do you know how to adequately use it for both offense and defense? To be comfortable with anything, you must devote time to it. How is your prayer life that covers all that you do?

Many Christians think that if they should need to battle, they are adequately equipped on their own to stand “against the powers of the dark world.” They do not spend enough time in their armor to be comfortable and know how to use it. When they need it, they put it on only to find, like David, that they are not able to use it because they are not used to wearing it. I encourage you today to put on the full armor of God. Don’t leave off a single piece because each one has a special purpose. Live in the truth and know that the righteousness you have in Christ. Be at unity in the peace of the gospel and use your faith so that when difficult times come, it will shield and protect you. Protect your mind with the assurance of your salvation and read and study the Bible so that you can use it in all circumstances. Finally, be a prayerful Christian. Pray daily in conjunction with your Bible reading so that you can be prepared for spiritual battle.

During this week’s reading we see a transition in Paul’s writing. In the first 11 chapters he writes to us about what we are to believe (doctrine), and beginning in chapter 12 shifts to instructing us how we are to behave (personal responsibility). Basically, he moves from theological teaching to practical guidelines for living as Christians.

Look with me at chapter 12 verses 1 and 2. “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Paul is teaching us here that our lives are to be about the Lord. Why? To answer this “why”, we must look at end of chapter 11. The “therefore” indicates to us to look backwards. Chapter 11 verse 36 says “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” This truth comes at the end of a chapter in which Paul has beautifully written the simplicity of salvation and reminded us that God will not reject his people and He will save a remnant for Himself.

So because God has provided salvation for us through His Son and from Him, through Him and to Him are all things, then we are to present ourselves as living sacrifices to Him. Do you live your life in this manner? Do you wake up each day with the Lord on your mind thinking that your life belongs to Him and not you? We are to worship God throughout each day by living a holy life that is obedient to His commands.

I love that Paul doesn’t leave us hanging with such a daunting task. He explains to us that we can do this by not conforming to the world, but by being transformed by the renewing of our minds. This is only accomplished through God’s Word. Reading, studying, knowing and living out God’s Word is how our minds are renewed and our lives are transformed. Why are we to do this? Paul tells us “so that we may prove what the will of God is” and clarifies for all that God’s will is good, acceptable, and perfect.

So if there is ever a question of whether you want to be in God’s will, it is answered here. God’s will is good, acceptable, and perfect. His will can be nothing other than what He says it is. So at those times when your mind knows God’s will, yet your heart questions it and your actions delay it, ask the Holy Spirit to remind you to question no more and delay no longer, for God’s will is good, acceptable and perfect.

Ashley Jones

Living Victoriously

This week’s reading covered three chapters in Romans and yet I feel that I’ve been in a theology class for an entire semester! As I read this week, I was very encouraged by God’s Word as I hope you were. Truly, our God has done so much for us and He explains us so well to ourselves through His Word. Chapter 7 discusses the ever continuing struggle that we as believers have with sin. Even with God’s Spirit living in us, making His abode in our very bodies, we struggle with sin and it is ugly. Then, Paul encourages us in chapter 8 how we have victory over sin. Hallelujah! I know you echo this highest praise to our God who has given us victory over sin only through His Son, Jesus Christ. Chapter 9 completes our reading this week and we begin to read Paul’s commentary on Israel’s past, present, and future.

Let’s go back to victory over sin. Do you live a life victorious over sin? What does such a life look like? I think Paul tells us this way, “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (8:3-4) He continues in the following verses to tell us about two kinds of people, those who follow the flesh and those who follow the Spirit. Verse 10 says “If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.” Herein lays the beginning to a life victorious over sin. It is a simple if/then statement. If Christ is in you, then your spirit is alive because of Christ’s righteousness. Believing by faith what Paul writes in verses 3 and 4 assures us that Christ is in us and therefore, God’s Spirit is alive and active in us helping us to walk after the Spirit which leads to victory over sin. Scripture is clear that walking in the flesh leads to death.

God the Holy Spirit is our key to living victoriously. MacArthur says it this way, “the Spirit provides the energy and power to continually and gradually be killing our sins, a process never complete in this life. The means the Spirit uses to accomplish this process is our faithful obedience to the simple commands of Scripture.” What does a life victorious over sin look like? It’s the one that allows the power of God’s Spirit to live through him by obeying the Word of God on a daily basis. Impossible in the flesh, victorious in the Spirit!

I pondered another question this week as I read God’s Word and applied it to my life. Do I live my life with the purpose of being an offering (a sacrifice)? Read again verses 3 and 4. No one could fulfill the law. The law shows us God’s character and His will for His people. The law revealed to man the reality of sin. The law could not save man from sin or make us righteous. So what the law could not do, God did! He sent His very own Son to save us, not to condemn us (John 3:17). Jesus took on a body (the likeness of sinful flesh, meaning He looked like us) and offered Himself as payment for sin. God’s condemnation was poured out on the sinless flesh of His Son. Why? According to these verses, it was so that the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. So here’s my thinking. For the rest of our lives, we are being conformed to the image of Christ. We are to live as Christ. We are to follow Christ as our example. Our lives are to mirror His life. So if His entire life was lived for the purpose of being an offering for sin, then our lives should be lived with the purpose of being an offering or sacrifice for Him and His Kingdom? Of course, all this is done only through the power of the Holy Spirit. What would happen if we lived with our main purpose as being an offering for the Kingdom? May we walk in the power of the Spirit living sacrificially and victoriously until we see our Jesus face to face.
Ashley Jones

Gateway to Peace
This week we have been in chapters 3-6 of the book of Romans. Many people choose to avoid Romans because it can be difficult to read and understand. I hope that you will take the daily small sections of reading and pour over these verses until they become part of you. Romans is a great gift to the church.

In chapter 5:1-2 we read, “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” From just this one small section we gather several important points, but the one I want to look into briefly today is the fact that in Christ, we have peace with God.

How important this is in today’s turbulent times. The stock market continues to rock and roll, and we all feel the pains of our economic troubles. As we listen to the news, read the newspaper, or stand around the water cooler – all news seems to be bad these days. With the election fast approaching, we wonder who or what will pull us out of the mess in which we find ourselves. Our wealth in this world, which so often exists just on paper, seems to vanish and yet Paul tells us we have peace and hope and joy. Where is that peace and hope and joy in today’s crazy times?

That peace with God, that joy in our spirits, and that hope in which we stand is in Jesus Christ alone. As we are swept up in the spirit of the age, we often forget that as Christians we are anchored to the Rock of Ages. Our ship may be battered and blown but we hold firm because our dependence is not in this temporary and fleeting world but in the world to come that is eternal. Our gateway to peace is Jesus who died on the cross for our sins. His blood washes us whiter than snow and he gives us his righteousness so that we can stand before God Almighty as blameless heirs to the Kingdom of God.

I admit that it is hard to listen to any news these days on the TV. Perhaps that is a good thing. Turn it off and open your Bible. There you will find the answers to the issues and problems of this world. Peace, hope and joy are available today in these difficult times. They are found in the love of Jesus Christ for you and for me. Lean on him and not your own understanding because he is able to keep you. Do not be overwhelmed by the temporary bad news of this world but rejoice that your eternal citizenship, eternal wealth, and eternal prosperity is in Heaven. Indeed, the best is yet to come.

Double Checking to Make Sure

This week we have covered Paul’s first missionary journey and his second missionary journey as well. A map is very helpful as you read this section of the book of Acts because it is important to see where Paul is actually traveling and how God is providentially spreading the Gospel. An additional help is to read the books of the New Testament that Paul wrote back to the churches in these cities.

I want to concentrate on a single verse this week from Acts 17:11, “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” You will remember that Paul and Silas had fled Thessalonica because the Jews were jealous of the crowds that these men attracted when they preached the Gospel. These Jews rounded up a mob and brought chaos to the city in an effort to capture Paul and Silas and probably beat them. The fellow brothers in the faith had moved Paul and Silas out of town during the night and sent them to Berea. Berea was a Macedonian town about 50 miles from Thessalonica. Today it is the modern city of Verria. Paul and Silas followed their standard custom and went to the Jewish synagogue to preach. Scripture tells us that many Jews and Greeks believed in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior because of Paul’s teaching.

This verse is fascinating because it tells us that the Bereans listened to Paul with great enthusiasm but went home and to personally check what he was preaching against the Scripture. They wanted to make sure that what Paul and Silas were saying actually lined up with the Word of God. They were in the Bible every day checking and reading to see if Paul was expounding the message truthfully.

I am afraid that this is a trait that has been lost in the modern church of today. Few Christians actually pour over the Bible to make sure that the sermon or lesson they heard that day is actually biblical. Many pastors today would be offended if their congregations actually checked up on what they taught and preached. Unfortunately, most congregants in the pews probably struggle to even remember what they heard during church and are even less interested in confirming the pastor or teacher’s lesson. Most people would claim they don’t know enough of the Bible to know how to check the references that were used to support the main point.

The church must recapture its biblical literacy. Our congregations must put forth the effort to study God’s Word so that they are able to confirm the truth of a lesson or sermon. Pastors and teachers need to encourage those who listen to get into the Bible and confirm for themselves that the points and lessons are factual. Any Bible-believing pastor or teacher should welcome a discussion on a lesson or message.

Are you like the Bereans, willing and eager to pour over the Bible to confirm what you have heard or read? Or, are you only willing to just sit back and be spoon-fed accepting anything and everything? My challenge to you is that you would choose to be accountable to God for what you hear and take in. God calls us to be willing and able to judge, based on His eternal Word, what is right and what is wrong. Double check – just to make sure!