God has been teaching me so much lately–so much about myself, so much about His heart.
(1) He has called us according to His purpose. "But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth" (Exodus 9:16) I don't know about you, but this excites me! My ultimate goal in life is to bring Him glory, no matter how things turn out or where I end up.
(2) The call on your life is spectacular. It is special and dynamic. The truth is, if we do what we are called to do, we become earth shakers, because God's call on our life is supernatural.
(3) We must protect our calling. The enemy would love to poison our potential, in hopes that we will never fulfill God's purpose for our lives.
(4) Addiction is poison.
Yep, that's right I brought it up. Addiction. And quite honestly, it feels good to clear the air, because right now I am going struggling through rehab from approval addiction.
This approval addiction is rooted in insecurity. And it doesn’t matter how many times I ask myself “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galations 1:10), not because this scripture isn’t powerful, but because fighting addiction requires more than a weapon.
Overcoming addiction does require a fight, and often times it’s not just a small battle, but a full on war of 100,000 versus 1–not going to lie, sometimes its more like 1,000,000,000 against 1!
But if there’s one thing I’ve learned about war is that it requires armor.
I must stress that God loves to fight for us. He delights in showing us His strength and His LOVE. Sometimes God calls us to rest in the midst of war, sometimes we are called to engage in a different type of battle, upon a mountain with our hands lifted high in prayer, while God fights in the valley below, but even if you’re not the one fighting in a particular season, armor is still essential.
The reality is that the insecurity tampers with our armor.
(1) The mind is the battlefield–we must protect our minds, wearing the helmet of salvation to prevent head injury.
(a) Security starts with the mind, what we believe and understand to be true.
(b) The enemy wishes to destroy the confidence we have in Christ.
(c) Satan goes after our minds, because this is where we know what Christ has done for us, who He is, and who we are in Him.
(d) Head injuries are serious, because it is essential that we have a clear understanding of what God has promised us in order to fight effectively.
(e)The helmet of salvation gives us the unfailing expectation in the ability of God to fulfill His promises.
(2) Our hearts are the wellsprings of life. Proverbs 4:23 tells us to guard our hearts above all else. We must arm ourselves with the breastplate of righteousness to protect our hearts.
(a) A wellspring is the original and bountiful source of something, in this case, life.
(b) Jesus is life: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
(c) Our hearts connect us to life, Jesus.
(d) Heart problems/injuries are serious, because they can block the flow of abundant life.
(e) The enemy goes for our hearts, because his goal is to steal, kill, and destroy. He does this by providing cheap substitutes of self worth and security, tricking us into thinking that these things can fill us or provide life.
(f ) The breastplate of righteousness keeps us in alignment with God, our ultimate source of life.
(3) The belt of truth protects our vital organs, specifically our kidneys–our filtering system. Our spiritual kidneys, or filtering system is a combination or our hearts and minds
(a) The belt of truth holds our armor in place.
(b) The enemy is the “father of lies.”
(c) Jesus is the “truth.”
(d) Satan attacks our hearts and minds with lies in order to keep us from the truth.
(e) If we embrace the truth, Jesus, then these lies can be filtered and fought by our spiritual kidneys.
(f ) The belt of truth sets us free from lies.
(4) The sword of the spirit–the word of God. We use the sword of the spirit to deflect and protect.
(a) We must know our weapon well–how to use it.
(b) If you put down your sword, Satan will come attack you with it.
(c) The sword of the spirit is the ultimate weapon…it is equipped to deal with every possible attack.
(5) The shield of faith is the armor that protects our armor.
(a) The shield of faith helps us to trust the helmet of salvation (hold on to his promises), boldly wear the breastplate of righteousness (live wholeheartedly in the will of God), put on our belt of truth (walk in freedom), and to use the sword of the spirit (fight effectively) whenever the enemy attacks.
(b) Our faith protects us from ALL of the fiery arrows of the enemy.
(c) Our shield is fireproof.
(6) The shoes of the gospel of peace–which brings us back to purpose.
(a) We must be fitted with readiness.
(b) Ill fitting shoes make for a long, painful, difficult journey.
(c) Insecurity keeps us from our purpose (through taking away from the truth of God’s gospel of peace)
(d) The gospel of peace equips us perfectly to carry out our role as ambassadors, so make sure your shoes fit!!!
(7) Another vital weapon to be used in this war is prayer (remember as long as Moses kept his hands up, the Israelites were winning the war, but when his prayers ceased and he lowered his hands, the Israelites were losing.) It is also important to note that Moses had support during his season of “hands up.” Without them, He would have not been able to keep his hands up.
(a) Without the armor of God, it is difficult to engage in prayer.
(b) Prayer is the place where we find the deepest kind of security.
(c) There is no security without surrender (of addictions).
(d) You can be addicted to something “good.”
(e) Sometimes surrender is a war in itself, and doesn’t come without defeat.
(f ) We must surrender and entrust God with our anxious and addiction ridden hearts in order to experience victory.
I have to admit that victory over this approval addiction is a lot easier to talk about than actually apply to and claim over my life. My insecurities run deep, but I am fighting on, fully equipped for this battle, shouting out part of an old hymn…
“Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
with the cross of Jesus going on before.
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe;
forward into battle see his banners go!
Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
with the cross of Jesus going on before.
At the sign of triumph Satan's host doth flee;
on then, Christian soldiers, on to victory!
Hell's foundations quiver at the shout of praise;
brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise.”
