The Armor

of
God
“Defining the importance of knowing God’s Word”

Tom Tompkins
http://www.tom-tompkins.com

Inspired Perceptions
facebook.com/inspiredperceptions

Unless noted, all scriptures are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

The Armor of God

Defining the Importance of Knowing God’s Word
ISBN 13: 978-1466224506
ISBN 10: 1466224509
Copyright © 2011 Winlight Ministries Published by Inspired Perceptions
facebook.com/inspiredperceptions
Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. All contents
and / or cover may bit be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without express written consent of the
Publisher (Inspired Perceptions).

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface
Chapter 1
How do we take advantage of the Armor of God?
Chapter 2
The importance of right knowledge
Chapter 3
The Breastplate of Righteousness
Chapter 4
The Gospel of Peace
Chapter 5
The Shield of Faith
Chapter 6
The Helmet of Salvation
Chapter 7
The Sword of the Spirit
Chapter 8
What is Spiritual Warfare?
Preface
Have you ever heard a person say, “I’m wearing the Armor of God today”?
You may have uttered these words out of your own mouth. While this is a
common practice, have you ever stopped to consider what it takes in order to use
the Armor of God? Is it truly as simple as confessing with our mouths and
“poof” we are wearing the Armor of God? Could it be that the Armor of God is
based on our knowledge of the Word of God?
While there are many ideas concerning this subject, I believe the answer is
quite simple, yet not as simple as “confessing” the armor of God into use. In the
pages to follow, we are going to look at each piece of what is mentioned in
Ephesians chapter six in great detail. I believe what you are about to read will
not only give you the knowledge I believe it takes to use the Armor of God, but
you will also discover answers to other questions you may also have.
I encourage you to read with an open mind, but more importantly, an open
spirit in order that God Himself will confirm to you what is true and what is not
based on what you may believe concerning this important topic.
 Chapter 1

How do we take advantage of the Armor of God?

In the preface, I mentioned that it is not uncommon to hear someone proclaim
out of his or her mouth to be wearing the Armor of God. You may ask, “what’s
wrong with that?” I am glad you asked!
Personally, I enjoy doing in depth research. Over the years, I have learned
much that has gone contrary to the majority of what I was taught in church
during my earliest years as a born-again believer. I do not say this in order to put
down any of those who have been in leadership in any of the churches in which I
was attending (or attend today). I say this due to the fact that I have seen the
Lord not only solidify some of what I have been taught, but also denounce such
things as well.

If I ever had the opportunity to conduct a survey, I know what my topic would
be. I would ask as many Christians as possible, “why do you believe what you
believe about God, the Bible, salvation, etc?” If the majority was to answer
honestly, I believe the most common answer would be, “I believe what I believe
because it is what I have been taught in church”. An additional answer might be,
“I believe what I believe because it is what my Pastor believes”.
While such answers are not necessarily bad answers, they are quite revealing
in their nature. What these sort of answers reveal is that the majority of
Christians base their beliefs upon an assumption. The assumption I am referring
to is an assumption that their Pastor along with any other church leadership is
not capable of being wrong. Again, I am not trying to bad mouth church
leadership. Please be patient as I quickly make my point within the next few
paragraphs.
You see, I believe it is of utmost importance that we go behind anybody we
listen to, whether it is in our own church, on radio, or television and make sure
what they are preaching and teaching lines up with the truth of God’s Word in its
entirety. This does not necessarily take place over night, but as we begin to
research God’s Word, we will surely discover error in what we have been taught
or simply assumed to be truth. While I have experienced this to great extent in
my own life over the course of several years, I did so without condemnation
from the Lord. As you begin to research for yourself, I encourage you to know
that any condemnation you may experience never comes from the Lord.
The primary purpose of going behind those whom we may learn from (myself
included) is to not only make sure that we are not believing something that is not
accurate to the truth of God’s Word, but more importantly, this practice will aid
us in further establishing a positive relationship with our loving Father in
Heaven.
As we research, we will discover the true meaning of different words used
throughout scripture, We will discover why certain things happened to certain
people. We will also discover that there is a tremendous difference between the
Old and New Covenants. Keep in mind, this is a process that is ongoing, but is
rewarding as we begin to fall in love with God based upon the truth of His
nature, which is only established in our hearts by solidifying why we believe
what we believe based upon what is written in scripture. How does this work? It
is quite simple! God speaks to us via the Holy Spirit of which He has promised
to “reveal” to us all things!
John 14:26, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father
will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to
your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
What amazing news! Not only has God promised to reveal to us all things
through the voice of the Holy Spirit, but He has also promised to remind of all
things, which He has shown us. This is especially exciting because there may be
something that God revealed to us many years ago which we may have forgotten
over time. Such remembrance of revelation can be life changing! This is why I
stress the point of going behind any minister whom we may listen to and make
sure what they are saying lines up accurately with God’s Word. Believe it or not,
there is much error being spoken in church and at ministry conferences. The only
way we can truly know the difference is to study God’s Word and allow God to
reveal the difference between right and wrong to us.
I want you to include anything you hear from me in that mix. Go back and
research any and all of my teachings, but be careful to do so without prejudice.
This is an interesting challenge, but when done with sincerity, is guaranteed to
produce powerful results over a period of time.
So, what does going behind those who we learn from and researching God’s
Word for accuracy have to do with the Armor of God? As mentioned earlier,
many believe the only way to use the Armor of God is to “confess” it into use. I
have even heard some say, “I put the Armor of God on each morning when I get
out of bed”. I have a question for those who may utter this phrase: why did you
ever take the Armor off in the first place?
In bringing up the fact that I do not believe we can “confess” the Armor of
God into use, some people might ask about Proverbs 18:21.
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat
the fruit thereof.”

While I cannot deny that there is power in our words, I believe there is an
issue of balance concerning this area. In fact, I believe it is safe to say that the
“tongue” has become a ditch for many of us. I have a teaching titled, “Are You
Hung on the Tongue?” in which I discuss this topic in depth. I also like to make
mention of an interesting illustration concerning this and other topics. The
illustration I am referring to involves a one-lane road with a ditch on each side.
At times, we have all found ourselves stuck in a ditch. We wound up in the
ditch due to doctrinal error. When many realize they are in a ditch, the common
practice is to attempt to get out as quickly as possible. In literal terms, it is much
like not slowing down from the speed at which we are traveling, but simply
jerking the steering wheel in order to move back onto the road between the two
ditches. However, by not slowing down, we are not able to maintain control and
end up in the opposing ditch. The proper way of pulling out of a ditch is to slow
down by taking the time to renew our mind to the truth of God’s Word. Once we
have done this, we are moving at a slow enough speed to gently and precisely
pull out of the ditch and back onto the road on which we need to be.
The issue is that many have fallen into the ditch of believing that any and all
words, which come out of our mouths, carry power. However, this is not what
the Bible teaches. In fact, the Bible proclaims that our words are a by-product of
the root problem: our thought life.
Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (New King James
Version)
It is the thoughts we think that truly determine the direction in which our life
will go. It is not as simple as just confessing something and “BAM” there it is.
Again, I know this goes against what many of us have been taught to believe, but
why have we believed such a thing? Is it because we researched the Word of
God and discovered such a thing to be true? Most likely, we believed because it
is what we have been taught, it is what our pastor believes, and so on. Don’t get
me wrong, I am not saying that we should just go around with a loose tongue.
On the other side of the coin, many of us have also been taught that it is
important to come against any negative word spoken over us by others. In this
case, many may say, “I rebuke that.” I have searched and searched for a place in
scripture in which Jesus “rebuked” what was spoken over Him, but there is no
such place. We can count on the fact that multitudes spoke negative things about
Jesus, but it never bothered Him one bit and what others say about us should also
have no effect. The bottom line is this: if we do not believe what others say
about us, then there is no problem. This applies to what comes out of our own
mouth as well. The majority of the time, when we speak negatively over
ourselves (I’m stupid, I cannot do anything right, etc) we do not truly believe
what we are saying. If we do believe what we are saying, it is most certainly
time to admit that we are wrong and begin renewing our mind to who God’s
Word truly says we are in Christ!
Romans 3:22, “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus
Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference.“
If you struggle with knowing who you are in Christ Jesus, I encourage you to
dig into God’s Word to learn the truth concerning this topic. It will change your
life in a most positive way!

In the same manner, in order to take advantage of the Armor of God, we must
dig into God’s Word to discover what the Bible says about each piece of the
Armor.
 Chapter 2

The importance of right knowledge

I must admit to the fact that I love to learn! In some cases, I have learned good
things while in others, I have learned things that did not seem to do any good,
but in the end, everything we learn is beneficial. The key is to know that some of
what we learn should teach us what not to do.
When all is said and done, everything that takes place in our lives is somehow
based on knowledge. Whether it is right or wrong knowledge, the knowledge we
possess makes a difference in everything we do.
Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”
In the reference above, I am only using a portion of Hosea 4:6. The verse in its
entirety is written based upon Old Covenant practices and the way God dealt
with sin during those days. As is the case with all Old Testament scripture, there
is an important lesson to be learned for us living today just as was the case for
those who the words of this verse were actually spoken to. In fact, we can see
that it is of utmost importance that we possess “right” knowledge as opposed to
simply possessing knowledge. After all, God’s Word is written to us in order that
we may learn.
2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”
As seen above, all scripture will aid us in the area of gaining right knowledge.
In fact, we can read the account of many throughout the Bible and learn what not
to do. In the end, the type of knowledge we posses (right or wrong) will make
the difference in each situation we face during our lives. One area in which we
have no choice but to possess right knowledge is in knowing about our enemy,
the devil (Satan).
Ephesians 6:10-11, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the
power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to
stand against the wiles of the devil.”
In essence, we can conclude that Satan always brings the opposite of truth.
Truth only comes from the Lord, but Satan is the father of all lies (John 8:44).
As I mentioned earlier, it is of utmost importance that we dig into God’s Word
and use it as a foundation for what we believe and why we believe it. There is
nothing wrong with starting out by learning from others such as myself, but I am
not always available to answer questions for you nor is your pastor. There are
going to be times when we all have questions that can be answered by opening
our Bible and simply asking God to reveal an answer to us. As we spend more
time in God’s Word, answers will come quicker. In time, God will remind of
things we have read and studied. As revealed earlier, God, via the Holy Spirit,
will bring all things to our remembrance (John 14:26).
The reason I am bringing this point out in such detail is that we must
understand why we have the Armor of God. It is available to us in order that we
may recognize and not be deceived by the wiles (deceit, plans, and schemes) of
the devil as seen in Ephesians 6:11. This may come as a shock to you, but Satan
only possesses one weapon, which is deceit. If he can cause us to buy into his
deceit, he knows we will make poor decisions and ultimately allow trouble to
surface in our lives that will not only hurt us, but at times, those around us. This
is not meant to condemn, but rather, to inform. Satan has always come against
the word of truth with words of deceit. He started out this way in Genesis
chapter 3 when he came to Eve in the form of a serpent.
In this instance of scripture, Satan came to Eve in order to come against the
word of the Lord. While Adam and Eve did not have the written Word of God as
we do today, they did have the spoken word of God in the form of what not to do
(Genesis 2:16-17). In the first eight verses of Genesis chapter 3, we see Satan
come to Eve in order to tempt her to go against the word (instructions) of the
Lord. In essence, she did so just as we have all done at one time or another. This
is why I emphasize studying the Word of God and allowing the truths of God’s
Word to become the foundation of everything we believe. There is nothing
wrong with learning from others, but what we learn does not become “our”
revelation until we have taken the time to discover why we believe what we
believe. Remember, we should never believe what we believe because of what
others around us may believe. Can you imagine what things may be like upon
the earth today if Eve had resisted the devil? As I said, she did not have a Bible
to read and could not quote James 4:7 in order to submit herself unto God when
the devil came to attack her.
James 4:7, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will
flee from you.”
What was the attack that satan unleashed against Eve? He came against the
word of the Lord just as he does with you and me today. They key is that we
need to know the Word of the Lord in order that we will know the difference
between right and wrong. This is what truly allows us to resist the “wiles” of the
devil.
 One of the most common “wiles” of the devil comes in the form of tempting
us to believe that the people around us are our primary problem. While some of
those people may have opened themselves up to the influence of the devil, what
we are ultimately fighting against is deception. As noted earlier, deception
comes from Satan himself; therefore, we must conclude that our ultimate battle
is not against those around us.
Ephesians 6:12, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (New King James Version)
You may be wondering how this all works to our advantage. As we begin to
discuss each individual piece of the Armor of God, I believe your questions will
be answered.
 Chapter 3

The Breastplate of Righteousness

Let’s begin with an interesting thought to consider. What if a warrior was to
go to battle with his suit of armor, but he had never learned how to use each
individual piece. It is possible that an uneducated warrior would attempt to use
his shield at a time when he should use his sword. This is what takes place in our
own lives when we do not understand each individual piece of our armor, how to
use it, and when to use it.
The first step is to look to God’s Word in order that we may discover who we
are according to what God has to say. If you are a born again believer, also
known as a Christian, God’s view of you may be different than your own view of
yourself.
Sadly, many of us have been taught that we are only sinners saved by grace.
However, according to scripture, if we are born again, we have a new nature
according to 2 Corinthians 5:17.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed
away; behold, all things are become new.”
Therefore, we cannot view ourselves as being an old sinner. We are no longer
viewed as a sinner in the eyes of God, which means our view of who we are
must also change. The devil will come against us and attempt to cause us to
believe that we are not worthy based upon any mistake we may make. He loves
to bring up our shortcomings. When this takes place, it is time to “stand” as we
are told to do in Ephesians 6:13-14.
“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore,
having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of
righteousness.”
There are a number of powerful points that we must consider based upon the
words of Ephesians 6:13-14.

First of all, we must learn to use the armor of God as a whole. We need to
understand each individual piece, but also have an understanding of how each
individual piece comes together with all others and allows the entire armor to
work together as one unit. Secondly, we must understand that we are to use our
knowledge of the Armor of God during the evil day. This is any day or time in
which the devil comes to us with his deceit in order that we may not believe
what the Word of God truly says. Remember, we must know the Word of God in
order for this to work properly.
A common question that may arise is, “what if I do not know the Word of God
due to not having had enough time to study from cover to cover”. An important
point to consider is that we are all continuing to learn if we are continuing to
study God’s Word. As I have mentioned before, there is nothing wrong with
learning from our favorite minister or our pastor, but we always need to go to
God’s Word on our own to verify truth and avoid buying into any sort of non-
truth.
As we look back to Ephesians 6:14, we will see that we are to “stand” having
our loins girt about with truth. In other words, when the day of deceit comes, we
must be established in the truth of God’s Word, as there is no other source of
truth. However, if we are not as far along in our knowledge of truth as we will
eventually be, it is okay to go to others for advice on what to do, but make sure
to review God’s Word before moving forward. Whether we realize it or not,
there are many beliefs in the church that come from scripture, but are not based
upon truth. The only method that allows us to separate fact from fiction is to
filter what we may hear through the completed work of the Cross. Jesus literally
made the difference between God and man. Our sins are not an issue nor are any
other areas in which we may be told to “do this or do that” in order to see change
take place. We will discuss these areas in great detail as we move forward in this
book.
Finally, let’s take an in-depth look at the breastplate of righteousness.
If I were to ask you if you are righteous, how would you answer? Based on
what takes place in the flesh, many of us would believe that we are anything but
righteous. After all, some of us get angry and mistreat others along with a
multitude of additional areas in which we fall short according to the rules of life.
However, this is not what the Bible says about believers. When all is said and
done, who will you believe? Will you believe the report of man (even your own
assessment of yourself) or will you believe the report of the Lord? Let’s look
into what God’s Word says about those of us who are born again believers.
Romans 11:6, “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is
no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work
is no more work.”
 Let’s make sure to filter the words of Romans 11:6 through Ephesians 2:8,
which tells us that we are saved by grace through faith. Therefore, we can
conclude that God sees us via the completed work of the Cross in that Christ
literally stood in the gap instead of you and me doing so (1 Timothy 2:5). Let’s
take a step back and look into what Romans chapter 5 says concerning this
subject.
Romans 5:17-18, “For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much
more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness
shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore as by the offence of one
judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of
one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”
Death literally entered into the world based upon the sin of one man (Romans
5:12). Whether we believe it or not, death was never part of God’s plan.
However, due to man’s willingness to ignore the word of God, death entered into
the world outside of God’s will. As we know, God’s will does not automatically
come to pass (2 Peter 3:9 with Matthew 7:13-14). It is of utmost importance we
realize that our righteousness comes as a gift of God, but not by own individual
performance. While the performance of those living under the Old Covenant was
important, don’t forget the fact that they did not have a savior who stood in the
gap for them as you and I do today.
While many proclaim that righteousness only comes by the law of Moses, the
Bible has something different to say.
Galatians 2:21, “I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness
comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.” (New King James Version)

Our righteousness literally comes due to the fact that Jesus took our place
when he hung and died on the Cross! What a blessing! Once we receive a solid
revelation of the fact that our righteousness comes via the completed work of the
Cross, we will then be ready to take full advantage of the breastplate of
righteousness.
Don’t forget the fact that the devil wants us to believe that we are not worthy.
If we buy into such deceit (wiles), we will take our eyes off of the main purpose
of salvation, which is to be in relationship with God.
 Chapter 4

The Gospel of Peace

Ephesians 6:15, “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of
peace.”
Did you know that the word, Gospel, literally means, “good news”? An
interesting point of is that the word, Gospel, does not appear in the Old
Testament portion of the Bible. This is so due to the fact that the Old Testament
does not contain any good news. While there are prophecies of good news, we
do not see the good news manifest until the start of the New Testament which
ultimately leads into the New Covenant starting at the mid-point of Acts chapter
2.
There is a specific reason as to why I bring this point to light. If we stop and
think about it, what is good news to a poor person? Good news to a poor person
is that they are no longer going to be poor. In the same manner, good news to a
slave is that they will be set free just as good news to a sick person is the fact
that they can become well and live in perfect health. The opposite of bad news is
always good news.
Good news to those who once lived under the law of Moses is that Jesus
came, fulfilled the law (Matthew 5:17) and by hanging on the Cross, Jesus
literally moved the law out of our way for you and me.
Colossians 2:14, “Having cancelled and blotted out and wiped away the
handwriting of the note (bond) with its legal decrees and demands which was
in force and stood against us (hostile to us). This [note with its regulations,
decrees, and demands] He set aside and cleared completely out of our way by
nailing it to [His] cross.” (Amplified Translation)
The handwriting or bond referred to in Colossians 2:14 is the law of Moses.
Jesus literally blotted out the law, which was opposed to man and moved it out
of the way.
This is what the Gospel of peace is all about: peace between God and man
based upon Jesus Christ standing in the place for that, which was reserved for us.

1 John 2:2, “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours
only but also for the whole world.” (New Kings James Version)
 The word, propitiation, is defined as meaning, an atoning sacrifice. An atoning
sacrifice is literally “one who stands in the gap for others”. As you may
remember, according to 1 Timothy 2:5 Jesus stood in the gap for us when He
became the only mediator between God and men. This is how peace was
achieved and why we now have the Gospel of peace. However, in many
situations, peace is not being spoken toward the modern day church via the
pulpit. In fact, many are living in the past as they continue to act as if the law of
Moses is still in effect.
Please allow me to take a short, but necessary rabbit trail as we discuss an
interesting point concerning the law.
If I were to ask you who the law was given to, how would you answer? Would
you answer by saying the law was given to all people? What does the Bible have
to say concerning this subject? Let’s take a minute to see!

Exodus 3:2, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of
Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” (New Kings James Version)
These were the words of God spoken to the Israelites just before He gave the
first of the Ten Commandments.
Exodus 3:3, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (New Kings James
Version)
I believe this reveals who God gave the law and all parts of the law to: the
Israelites, but not to you and me. This does not mean we cannot live under the
law if we choose to. Many continue to do so as they believe their performance
will earn them favor with the Lord. The only problem with such a thing is that it
literally throws Jesus under the bus. Jesus and the law contradict one another.
The law was given in order to provide strength to sin.
1 Corinthians 15:56, “The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the
law.” (New King James Version)
On the other hand, the strength behind Jesus coming to stand in the gap for
man is love.

John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that
the world through Him might be saved.“ (New King James Version)
Obviously, John 3:16 is a well known passage of scripture. However, I believe
the commonality of John 3:16 has caused us to miss an important point
contained within the first six words of the verse.
“For God so loved the world”.
As seen in 1 John 2:2, God did not send Jesus to pay for the sins of a select
few. He sent Jesus to pay for the sins of the entire world. Such an act is a
powerful indicator of true love! This information should make the most reserved
person shout for joy! John 12:47 provides additional strength to this topic of
truth as we see that God did not send Jesus as a judgment upon the world, but as
a method to save the world.
John 12:47, “If anyone hears My teachings and fails to observe them [does not
keep them, but disregards them], it is not I who judges him. For I have not
come to judge and to condemn and to pass sentence and to inflict penalty on
the world, but to save the world.” (Amplified Translation)
Through the law, God established strength for sin and trouble for all
humankind, but through Christ, God established peace.
When we step back and examine the difference between the old and new
covenants, a key difference is seen in the fact that Jesus brought peace between
God and man. This is a foundational truth concerning the Gospel of peace.
Contrary to popular belief, the information I am writing about does not give
anyone a license to sin. Keep in mind, we have all sinned at some point in our
lives (some of us have sinned more than once) and did so without the aid of a
license. I do not encourage anyone to live in any sort of sin as sin creates a
distraction from our relationship with the Lord. However, we must note that it is
not our “sins” that are the issue. The only issue is the singular sin of not
believing on Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9).

When we allow God to reveal the truth to us concerning this information, we

will then be able to take advantage of the preparation of the Gospel of peace.
The advantage provided to us in this area has to do with our ability to literally
stand as we are instructed to do in Ephesians 6:13-14. Just as was the case with
the footwear of those who were part of the Roman military, the thickness of what
supports our feet in the area of right knowledge will allow us to avoid the wiles
of the devil.
What a blessing to know that God and man are at peace with one another in
the sight of God!
Before we close this chapter, please allow me to reveal one more point
concerning the peace that has come between God and man.
2 Corinthians 5:19, “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling
and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding
against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them], and committing to us the
message of reconciliation (of the restoration to favor). (Amplified Translation)

The word, impute, is an accounting term, which means, "to charge to". It's the
same thing as having a charge placed on your credit card. Any time we make a
purchase using a credit or debit card we are being “charged” for a purchase we
have made. In other words, that charge is being "imputed" to our personal
account. According to the words written in 2 Corinthians 5:19, God is not
imputing our sins to us! Again, the ability for this to take place falls upon what
Jesus did for us as He took our place on the Cross.
2 Corinthians 5:21, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that
we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (New King James
Version)
If God made Jesus to be sin for us, it is safe to say that we are not under the
wrath of God, but rather, under the grace and peace of God. This is the essence
of the Gospel of peace.
 Chapter 5

The Shield of Faith

So far, we have discussed several parts and pieces of the Armor of God. We
have looked to God’s Word in order that we might see the importance of
understanding each individual piece of the armor, what it represents, and how
they apply to our lives. When all is said and done, what this information comes
down to is faith. After all, we don’t always “feel” like we are the righteousness
of God in Christ Jesus. While our feelings may not always line up with what the
Bible says about us, it doesn’t mean that we should buy into what our feelings
are telling us. In fact, natural feelings oppose faith. Faith is not based upon what
we feel, hear, see, smell, etc.
Ephesians 6:16, “above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be
able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” (New King James
Version)

When it comes to faith, there is an important point that must be solidified in

our lives. The point I am referring to is a little known fact, which is the fact that
faith is more important than our natural experiences. In His own words, Jesus
said that it is better to put our faith in what we read in the Word of God as
opposed to our tangible experiences.
Luke 11:28, “But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the
word of God and keep it!” (New King James Version)
Jesus was literally saying that it is better to base our beliefs on what God’s
Word says as opposed to what our experiences tell us. I believe this not to be the
route that the majority of born-again believers take, but when did following the
majority suddenly become the best thing to do.
The common route taken is this: wait until we have an experience and then
open the Bible in order to find a similar event that took place in the life of
someone we read about in scripture. I realize that this cannot be done to
perfection, but the more time we spend studying God’s Word and learning of
God’s true nature, the more likely we are to not see God as the one who allows
or causes the difficulties we face in life. This is the foundation of what I am
talking about.
 I also like to say, we don’t need to filter the Bible through our experiences, but
we should filter our experiences through the Bible.
There is a tremendous difference in each practice. One method will cause us to
have a wrong view of God, which will lead to not putting our faith in His Word
and what it says about His true nature. When we allow the Bible to stand in the
way of what we believe, it is due to the fact that we are studying God’s Word
and allowing Him to reveal truth to us via the Holy Spirit (John 14:26).
Let’s go back to Luke chapter 11 to solidify the point of basing our faith upon
what we read in God’s Word as opposed to our natural experiences.
Luke 11:29-30, “And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He
began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be
given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 30 For as Jonah became a sign
to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.” (New King
James Version)
Jesus was literally saying, “Do not seek after natural things in order to believe
in me or my Father”.
Jesus is the only sign we will ever need. The key is that we cannot literally see
Jesus, but we can read about His life and the words He spoke in the Bible.
However, we must believe by faith and only by faith that what we read is true
because we do not have a physical manifestation to aid in our beliefs. We must
learn rely solely on faith in God’s Word.
On a side note, please keep in mind that there are numerous man-made
interpretations and translations of the Bible. All of which have error contained
within them. Some of the errors are due to translation while others are based
upon the actions and words of those we read about. I do not believe that God
wanted man-made errors in His Word, but the errors and mistakes made by those
we read about are present in scripture for us to learn from (1 Corinthians 10:6,
11, and 2 Timothy 3:16). The only way we can avoid falling into wrong belief
based upon man-made error in the Bible is to rely on the Holy Spirit to reveal the
difference between right and wrong to us (John 14:26).
All of this is done by faith. In fact, our entire walk with the Lord begins in
faith and is to continue in faith.
Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not
of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” (New King James Version)
We cannot be saved without faith. It simply is not possible! Of course, we
must have something to put our faith in which is the life of Jesus and the
completed work of the Cross, which we discussed in detail in previous chapters.
In addition, not only are we saved by grace through faith, but we are also to
continue the rest of our walk with the Lord based upon this same faith that we
first used to become born again.
Colossians 2:6, “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk
in Him.” (New King James Version)
We literally begin our Christian walk in faith and are to continue in the same
manner of faith from the beginning point of salvation in our lives to the day we
see Heaven. I want to end this chapter with an important statement. You may
wish to make a sign (or several) that display this statement and hang them in
strategic areas around your home. You may wish to use this statement as a
greeting message on your cell phone, computer, etc. In other words, I believe the
following statement is of utmost importance.
“Faith comes by hearing, but not by experiencing.”
I made a similar statement to this one, earlier in this chapter, but I believe this
point needs to be driven home in the most intense manner possible. Please do not
get the wrong idea. I am not trying to shove this information down your throat,
but I believe it is very important considering the fact that our natural experiences
are as real as they can possibly be. This is why walking in faith based upon what
God’s Word says is so difficult.
To be honest, walking by faith is not easy, but it is also not impossible.
Romans 10:17, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of
God.” (New King James Version)

Romans 10:17 is the best possible verse to end this chapter with. Faith not
only comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, but faith only comes
when what we are hearing is the truth of God’s Word.
If you feel that you are struggling in the area of faith, I encourage you to dig
into God’s Word and trust God to reveal truth to you via the Holy Spirit. You
may not see instant changes in your life, but over a period of time, positive
changes will surely come!
 Chapter 6

The Helmet of Salvation

Ephesians 6:17, “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God.”
This brings us to the only piece of the Armor of God that is an automatic for all
who are born again. However, just because the Helmet of Salvation is an
automatic for any believer at the point of salvation, does not mean that everyone
who is saved understands what salvation is all about.
If I were to ask most Christians what the primary purpose of salvation is, most
would answer by saying, “to have your sins forgiven”. There are a multitude of
answers that one may give to this particular question, but I want to deal with the
most common and obvious answer as stated above.

Is the primary purpose of salvation, to have our sins forgiven? If you have paid

close attention in previous chapters, you should know that the answer is a
resounding “No!”.

Let’s think back to the fact that all sins have been paid for in advance. When
Jesus stood in the gap that was once between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5), He
paid for our sins and not ours only, but the sins of the whole word (1 John 2:2).
This means all sins: past, present, and future, have been paid for in advance.
There is only one sin that will keep a person from seeing Heaven for eternity
and that is the “singular” sin of not believing on Christ, the one who became all
sin for all people. Earlier, we discussed the fact that God is no longer charging
(imputing) our sins to us according to 2 Corinthians 5:19.
“It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world
to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against [men] their
trespasses [but cancelling them], and committing to us the message of
reconciliation (of the restoration to favor). (Amplified Translation)
This is why the Holy Spirit reproves the world of “sin” and not of “sins”.

John 16:8, “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment.“
Notice that John 16:8 uses the word, sin, in a singular manner, while 1 John
2:2 uses the word “sins”. This is simply due to the fact that what is being
referred to in John 16:8 is the singular sin of not believing on Jesus as Lord and
Savior (Romans 10:9). If all sins has been paid for with the exception of
believing on Jesus as Lord and Savior, what is the primary purpose of salvation?
The answer is simple: relationship.
Contrary to a popular belief in the church, God did not create us to do a work
for Him. While there is nothing wrong with doing a work for the Lord, many
have focused on finding what God created them to do, while all together missing
the primary point of salvation.
We can see that God created Adam and Eve for the purpose of fellowship in
Genesis chapter 3.
Genesis 3:8, “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the
garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the
presence of theLORD God amongst the trees of the garden.” (New King James
Version)
God had literally come to fellowship with Adam and Eve during the cool of
the day. We can also see many other instances in scripture in which God
fellowshipped with His creation. Unfortunately, man allowed sin to enter into the
world (Romans 5:12) which is the only thing that could separate God and man.
Isaiah 59:2, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your
sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.”
While the words of Isaiah 59:2 were spoken to the Israelites and not to you
and me, they appear in the Bible in order for us to learn from (1 Corinthians 10:6
and 11). Man’s sins are the only thing that could ever separate him from God. As
we know, all of our “sins” have already been paid for via the completed work of
the Cross. However, this does not mean we should go live however we wish as
living with any sins in our lives will take our focus off God and keep us from
being able to take advantage of the ability to fellowship with our loving
Heavenly Father.

Please do not misunderstand what I am saying. I am not saying that it is

possible to live our lives without any sort of sins being present. After all, the
Bible says that anything that is not of faith is sin
Romans 14:23, “But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does
not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.” (New King James
Version)
When a person believes that all sin has not been paid for, it is not always
God’s will to heal, or God is pouring out His judgment upon any part of the
world, they are not in faith. This is due to the fact that their beliefs are based on
what makes sense to their five senses and they are not believing on the
completed work of the Cross. Yes, some will go to scripture in order to back up
such beliefs, but they are seeking out verses from the Old Covenant/Testament: a
time in which Jesus had not yet come and there was not a onetime sacrifice to
pay for all of the sins of man. In addition, many will speculate of events that
have not yet taken place from the book of Revelation. After all, when a person
proclaims God’s judgment to be seen in the form of natural disasters around the
world, they have obviously not seen the words of Revelation 6:16-17.
“And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of
him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the
great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”
The words seen in Revelation 6:16-17 show us that God’s judgment is far
worse than anything we have ever seen. In fact, until we hear of people crying
out to the rocks and mountains to fall on them and hide them from the wrath of
God, we can rest assured that God’s wrath is not being poured out on a single
person. So, what is sin? Should we not be concerned about sin since all sin has
been paid for? The answer is a resounding “No!”.
While receiving salvation allows us to take full advantage of the fact that
Jesus paid for all of our sins, thus opening the door to relationship with God (the
primary purpose of salvation), we should work to keep sin out of our lives as
much as is possible. I am not saying that we can live a sin free life. After all, we
are deceived and the truth is not in us if we proclaim such a thing (1 John 1:8).
The key comes in knowing what sin ultimately represents. Under the Old
Covenant, the Israelites were told that sin was anything that separated them from
God (Isaiah 59:1-2). While the Israelites did not have the tremendous benefit of
a onetime sacrifice as we do with Jesus having stood in for us (1 John 2:2), sin
will still stand in the way of our relationship with God.
You see, due to the completed work of Jesus, God has already blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in Christ according to Ephesians 1:3. It’s too late! God
cannot keep anything from us nor will He hide His face from us and fail to hear
us. Our individual performance is not an issue with God. In all reality, sin is
nothing but a distraction that takes our focus off of God. The list of things that
can represent sin may be a tremendous surprise. This can be anything that causes
us to focus on ourselves, but also on others. We can become so involved in our
own lives that we simply do not allow for time to spend with God or time to
think about Him and all of His benefits (Psalm 103:2).
When all is said and done, sin is anything that keeps our focus away from
God. Sin consciousness is one of those things as it causes us to focus inwardly as
opposed to outwardly.

Hebrews 10:1-2, “For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come,
and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices,
which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. 2
For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once
purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins.” (New King James
Version)
 We “should” have no more consciousness of sins, which means we are fully
capable of achieving this important goal. If we are sin conscious, we are most
certainly not going to be God conscious. It’s that simple! If we fail to understand
this truth, the helmet of salvation will not have its full benefit in our lives. For
us, it’s all about God, but for God, it’s all about us! We must understand that God
is crazy about us in the most positive of ways. This is why He sent His Son to
take our place on the Cross. God wanted to give us every opportunity to
fellowship with Him due to the fact that it brings Him tremendous pleasure to be
a part of our lives and show us how much He truly loves us.
When we come to a place of understanding God’s true nature, we won’t be
able to help ourselves. We will want to spend as much time with Him as
possible. This does not mean we have to read our bible, pray, fast, and go to
church in order to fellowship with God. We often miss the fact that the best of
relationships is built when we allow the other person to speak to us as opposed
to spending all of our time speaking to them. It works the same way with God.
He is always speaking to us within our born-again spirit. The key comes in
learning to recognize God’s voice.
You may say, “I cannot hear God’s voice”. Believe it or not, you hear God’s
voice on a regular basis. According to John 14:26, The Holy Spirit will reveal to
us all things and bring all things to our remembrance. In addition, the Holy Spirit
will reveal to us things to come (John 16:13).
How many times have you said, “something told me not to do that” or “I knew
something was telling me to do that”. Depending on the outcome of the
“something told me” situation, we either made the right decision or the wrong
decision. Either way, we know that “something” was telling us what we should
do or not do. That “something” was God speaking to us via the voice of the Holy
Spirit! Can you see how easy it truly is to hear the voice of God? While it may
be challenging to recognize God’s voice, the more time we spend listening, the
easier it will become to recognize. This is the value of relationship: the primary
purpose of salvation!
When we begin to understand the benefits of salvation, we will be able to use
this portion of the armor of God to keep the “wiles of the devil” from impacting
our lives. After all, if we know the person whom we are in relationship with, we
will know their true nature. This allows us to avoid buying into any sort of lie
that would cause us to be mislead concerning the character of this person we are
in relationship with. The better we get to know God, the easier it will become to
separate fact from fiction when it comes to the way that God is represented by
others or our own natural experiences.
If you truly want to discover the true nature of God, I encourage you to
meditate on 1 John 4:8.
“He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (New Kings James
Version)
In addition, if you want to know what love is, simply read and research 1
Corinthians 13:4-8.
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself,
is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not
provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
7
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8
Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether
there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish
away.” (New Kings James Version)
 Chapter 7

The Sword of the Spirit

As you have read through the previous pages of this book, have you noticed a
pattern? The pattern is the fact that we have solidified each point made with
numerous verses of scripture. This is no coincidence! In fact, as we begin to look
at the sword of the spirit, we are going to discover why it is referred to as being
the “Word of God”.
In an earlier chapter, I made a point concerning the fact that we cannot simply
confess the Armor of God into action in our lives. This brings me to what I
believe is the climax of what is seen in Ephesians 6:10-17.
Ephesians 6:17, “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God.”
The sword of the spirit is literally the foundation of the entire Armor of God.
This is so due to the fact that the sword of the spirit is literally the Word of God
(the Bible). Without proper knowledge of the Bible, we will not be able to take
advantage of the Armor of God in its entirety. While we may possess the ability
to see limited use of the armor, we will find ourselves in the midst of tremendous
struggle in other areas without complete use of the tools, which God has made
available to us.
For example, if Satan comes to us, attempting to convince us that we are
unrighteous because we may have fallen short in some area of our life, we can
reply by saying, “I am not righteous because of what I do. I am righteous
because of what Jesus did according to Galatians 2:21.” This is just one example
of how we fight against the “wiles of the devil – Ephesians 6:10-11”. Just as was
the case with Jesus when He was being tempted by the devil, if we know what
God’s Word truly says, we can also say, “it is written” just as Jesus did. In turn,
the devil will go find someone who does not know the truth of God’s Word, who
it says they are, and what it says they can do. However, what happens if we
cannot learn the Word of God before the wiles of the devil come against us?

This is where our relationship with other believers comes into play. You see,
we are literally a team. We are meant to function as a team, but not as the Lone
Ranger. A person may be new to serving the Lord and have not had time to learn
who they are in Christ and what the Bible says about God’s view of them based
upon the completed work of the Cross. If we are unsure of how to deal with an
attack of the enemy, it is important that we find a person who is. That person can
lead us to truth in God’s Word via scripture and help us along as we learn about
who we are in Christ and the fact that God has given us authority over the devil
and all powers of darkness.
While I want to encourage you to know that you can always go to other
believers to help you during the battle, keep in mind, not all believers are
prepared to aid you. In some cases, they may not be the right people to come to
your aid in such a situation. While there are numerous ways to know who you
should and should not go to for help in dealing with the wiles of the devil as you
grow and mature in the Lord, there is one method that stands out above all the
rest. The method I am referring to comes in the form of paying attention to what
the beliefs of others are based upon. If their beliefs are based upon anything
other than scripture and in particular, the fact that God is not angry at us, Jesus
has stood in the gap in our place, and the fact that we have all authority over the
devil, you need to steer clear of them. This is why I place such an emphasis upon
God’s Word. Sadly, many refuse to allow the Bible to stand in the way of what
they do and do not believe.

God confirms truth to us via His Word. This is why satan has worked so hard to
keep Christians out of the Word of God. The majority of Christians do no open
their Bible until they are told to do so by the pastor on Sunday morning. I want
to encourage you not to be such a person. Remember, you cannot say, “it is
written” without knowledge of what truly is written in the Word of God.
Not only has God given us a team of other believers to draw from, but more
importantly, He has given us the Holy Spirit.
John 14:26, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father
will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to
your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

God has literally sent the Holy Spirit to live on the inside of our born-again
spirit (Romans 8:11). In doing so, we possess the power of God that allows us to
fellowship with God as well as minister to others. The job of the Holy Spirit is to
comfort us, show us everything we need to know, and bring all things to our
remembrance. In order for all things to be brought to our remembrance, we must
have studied or learned of something we can remember. I am sure you can see
the pattern that is developing in this chapter of our desperate need of God’s
Word. After all, how can the truth set us free unless we first know the truth?
John 8:32, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
(New King James Version)
Have you ever noticed that some Christians do not seem to be free? The words
of John 8:32 give a simple explanation as to why such a thing would be possible.
You may feel as if you are one of those who is not free. If this is the case, I want
to encourage you to dig into the Word of God and allow God to work via the
Holy Spirit in order that you may be set free. This is accomplished by simply
asking the Lord to lead you to truth and reveal to you what you need to know in
order to be free (Mathew 7:7). Don’t misunderstand what I am saying. This is
not going to take place in one sitting or overnight. It may take several weeks or
months to renew your mind to the truth of God’s Word. No matter what the time-
frame may be, it will be worth every second!
The Sword of the Spirit is the foundation of your ability to take advantage of
the Armor of God. It may seem that I am over emphasizing the Bible, but this
process is no different than that taken by a successful sports team.
An interesting fact to note is that satan only attacks the Word of God. His only
weapon is deceit and lies (wiles). This is why he attacked the Word of God in
Genesis chapter 3 when he went to Eve in an effort to gain control of the earth.
In Genesis 1:26 and 1:28, God gave man all power and authority (control) over
the earth. This is why the devil, in the form of a serpent, went to man and not to
God in order to attempt to gain the control he wanted over the earth. When we
think of this information, which we find in the Bible, we can learn what not to
do. What we don’t want to do is allow ourselves to be deceived into believing a
lie

that causes us to fail in believing the Word of the Lord. Of course, we must
know the Word of the Lord in order to believe it.
One of the most common wiles of the devil comes in the form of a popular
belief within the four walls of the church. This belief proclaims that God sends
trials and tribulation into our lives that we may grow in our faith. However,
proper knowledge of God’s Word will show us this notion is simply untrue.
Romans 10:17, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of
God.” (New King James Version)
Notice the fact that Romans 10:17 says, “faith comes by hearing”. However,
Romans 10:17 does not say, “faith comes by experiencing”. In order to gain a
proper understanding of this, we must know what faith truly is.
Hebrews 11:1, “NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title
deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and
the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed
to the senses].” (Amplified Translation)

There truly is not much more for me to add to Hebrews 11:1. Faith is not
based on our tangible, physical experiences. In other words, our five senses are
not involved in faith. Thus, we must draw the conclusion that we cannot grow in
our faith based upon natural circumstances. This is why the Word of God is so
important. It takes faith to believe that we are the righteousness of God in Christ
Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21). It takes faith to believe that God is not charging any
of our individuals sins to our personal account (2 Corinthians 5:19). It takes faith
to believe that our righteousness does not come by the law (Galatians 2:21). It
takes faith to believe that Jesus not only paid for the sins of those who are born-
again, but also the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). It takes faith to believe
that there is only one sin that will send a person to hell (John 16:8).
Do you see a pattern emerging? None of the areas I have mentioned in the
above paragraph will make sense to us unless we place our faith in what the
Word of God says. The fact that Jesus paid for not only our sins, but also the sins
of the entire world simply does not compute to our mortal mind. However, when
we mix faith with the truth of the Word of God, this information makes perfect
sense.
Likewise, to our flesh it makes sense that we must experience difficulties in
order to learn and grow, but faith in the Word of God will teach us to learn by
example and not by experience. Yes, we must learn to drive a car through natural
experiences. However, we can go to the Word of God and learn of the fact that
love is patient. If we are patient, we will not get in a big rush while driving and
run a red light, which could result in our being involved in a traffic accident. I
could make this point in numerous ways beyond what I have said, but I am sure
you get the point.
If God had meant us to learn by experience as opposed to example, He would
have never given us His written word. Be careful that you do not fall for this
popular wile of the devil. God is not the one who sends trials and tribulation our
way. While we are promised trials and tribulation, such things, which are
referenced in scripture (John 16:33) come in the form of persecution for the sake
of the Gospel: something that many of us do not face.

Basically, I want you to know that any problem you face is not allowed or
caused by God. In other words, God doesn’t bring us to everything we face in
life, but that does not mean He will not see us through such things if we follow
His direction. His ways are truly higher than our ways and this is why God has
given us His Word from which to learn.
Our ability to take full advantage of the Armor of God is based upon our
possessing right knowledge of God’s Word. Without right knowledge, the Armor
will do us little to no good.
If you have not done so already, I want to encourage you to stop reading the
Bible and begin to study the bible. Doing so will open a new door to your life
that will lead to relationship with God. This action has the potential to turn your
life right side up!
 Chapter 8

What is Spiritual Warfare?

Within the four walls of the modern day church, is a term and practice that is
commonly spoken of and used. However, not only is this commonly spoken term
not found in scripture, but neither is the practice. What I am referring to is
known as spiritual warfare. While there is most certainly a battle raging in the
spiritual realm between good and evil, this common method being used by many
sectors of the church to address this battle is based solely on carnality.

This popular term and practice comes from a verse, which we have already
examined.
Ephesians 6:12, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

Ephesians 6:12 is the foundational scripture upon which many stand to justify
the common, modern day practice of spiritual warfare. The problem is that this
common practice is part of what is mentioned in Ephesians 6:11. Please allow
me to explain.

You see, spiritual warfare is one of the wiles of the devil. It has been commonly
taught that spiritual warfare involves spending many hours coming against the
devil and his demons. Without realizing it, many Christians have fallen for this
wile of the devil, which is intended to take our focus off God and place it
elsewhere. In fact, the common practice of spiritual warfare means taking our
focus off God completely and placing it on the devil. It is important to remember
that satan’s only weapon is deceit. He simply cannot do what we have come to
believe he can. However, it he can cause us to take our focus off God, His Word,
and our relationship with Him, satan can cause all sorts of trouble for us. When
all is said and done, satan will only poison something that looks to be a good
thing. In doing so, some people will buy into his wiles without realizing what
they are doing. This is what has taken place in the form of the mis-guided
practice of spiritual warfare.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to say that we should forget about the
fact that we have an enemy who has come to steal, kill, and destroy (John
10:10). However, the devil has a plan that fits right in with his conceited
personality. If he can cause us to focus on himself as opposed to God, he is
thrilled.
In essence, there is a need for what we could call spiritual warfare, but it does
not involve rebuking the devil, holding and all night prayer meeting or calling
upon the supposed prayer warriors that many claim to be. Keep in mind, the term
“prayer warrior” is also not found in scripture. We are not to war with the devil.
So, how do we resist the wiles of the devil and avoid being deceived by the
powers of darkness? If you think back to what we talked about in chapter seven,
you should know the answer.
Just as he did with Eve in the Garden of Eden, satan will come at us in the form
of a well-meaning person (as opposed to a serpent) with a message that
proclaims how we should spend our time rebuking him and his demons. As I
have already mentioned, satan loves it when we focus on him as opposed to
focusing on God. This is why the typical practice of spiritual warfare is a
problem. After all, Jesus already stripped satan of his power.
Colossians 2:15, “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a
public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” (New Kings James
Version)
Jesus literally stripped satan of all his “man-assigned” power. Remember, it
was Adam and Eve who gave satan his power when they surrendered their God
given power over the earth as we can read about in Genesis chapter 3.
Thankfully, Jesus took the devil’s man-assigned power away and has returned it
to you and me. Thank you Jesus!

This simply means we do not have to “war” with the devil. In turn, we are able
to focus on keeping the main purpose of salvation in its rightful place. Our
relationship with God is more important than anything else we could ever focus
on in life. In fact, God would rather have our heart as opposed to our service.
Yes, I am saying that God did not create you and me in order that we may do a
work for Him. There is nothing wrong with doing a work for God, but we must
be careful not to allow such actions to take precedent above our relationship with
Him.
So, how do we deal with the spiritual battle that is raging? We do so by
laboring, but this is not the type of laboring that you may be thinking of.
Hebrews 6:10-11, “For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased
from his works as God did from His. 11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter
that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.”
(New Kings James Version)
In context, the words of Hebrews chapter 6 line up with much of what we
have discussed throughout this book. When we have learned of what God has
already done for us and the fact that Jesus is the only mediator (intercessor)
between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5), all we must do is learn to rest in this
truth as we fellowship with our loving Heavenly Father. However, this does not
come without effort on our part. This is the process of laboring that is mentioned
above.
Not all professing Christians understand the truths we have discussed
throughout the pages of this book. In essence, this means we are going to find
ourselves hearing a mixture of truth and tradition to which we must labor to
make sure that we keep ourselves focused on truth. Believe it or not, this is not a
given for any of us. Each one of us are faced with what we will and will not
accept each day of our lives. Please allow me to give you an example that may
hit home with some more than it will with others.
There are numerous Christian channels available for us to watch on our
televisions and computers. Some Christian programming is packed with truth,
but there is much that is packed with little, to no truth. This is where we must be
vigilant in what we allow to be put into ourselves. For example, if you know that
a particular person is preaching a lot of religious junk, but occasionally has
something good to say, you need to turn that person off and tune them out. Trust
me; a small amount of meat is not worth the large amount of bones that we may
have to sift through in order to find what little truth may come from time to time.
In fact, if we listen to a wide range of ministers, we are sure to find a mixture of
truth and tradition and we may not even recognize it.
I was once attending a church in which the pastor had many great things to
say, but there were also a lot of traditional, religious beliefs mixed in with this
truth. This is the same thing as making the finest batch of brownies, using the
finest ingredients available. However, what would happen if just a speck of dog
poop was mixed in with these fine ingredients? Anybody who knew the poop
was there would want to have nothing to do with those brownies no matter how
good they may look or smell. In fact, the poop may not even be noticeable, but it
would still be there whether we knew it or not. This is what takes place with
religious teaching as well. It is not always obvious, but in many cases, it is
available to the masses that are eating it up day in and day out without realizing
what is taking place. This is why so many Christians are as sick and sad as their
unsaved neighbors.
There should truly be a noticeable difference between believers and non-
believers. In most cases, this is not how it works out.
When all is said and done, our true spiritual warfare is fought when we work
to keep ourselves from allowing junk to be piped into our being via well
meaning, but misinformed ministers. As I mentioned earlier, this is not
something that works out for the best without some effort on our part.

Another true form of what we could call spiritual warfare if simply praising
God. If we feel that the devil is trying to get on our back, we should turn on
some praise and worship music or simply start telling God how much we love
Him. The devil is sure to flee in an effort to find someone who will place their
focus on him! It is truly that simple.
This is what spiritual warfare is all about. We must labor to enter into the rest
that God has made available to us. This also includes laboring to keep tradition
from coming in and polluting truth. Let us work at keeping any amount of poop
out of our brownies! If we want desirable results in our walk with the Lord, it is
going to require walking the less than commonly traveled path.
Please allow me to close this book with a simple, yet profound truth.
Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is
the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14
Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and
there are few who find it.” (New King James Version)

The majority will always take the easiest path and do what takes the least
amount of effort. Do you want the same results as experienced by the majority?
If your answer is “No!”, then you must realize that you cannot follow the same
belief system, as does the majority. God truly has great plans for you and your
life that does not include suffering with the common problems, as does the rest
of the world. This does not mean you will not have struggles, but you can rest
assured they are not allowed or caused by God for any reason at all.
You are blessed!
Ephesians 1:3, “May blessing (praise, laudation, and eulogy) be to the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) Who has blessed us in
Christ with every spiritual (given by the Holy Spirit) blessing in the heavenly
realm!” (Amplified Translation)
Remember, what God has for us starts in the Heavenly realms and is received
by faith into the physical realm (Colossians 2:6).

W
Winlight Ministries
FIND US ON FACEBOOK -
facebook.com/winlightministries
About Winlight Ministries and Author/Speaker, Tom Tompkins
Winlight Ministries was started by Tom Tompkins due to an overwhelming desire to be used of God. After a
positive life changing experience during April of 2002, Tom began to seek God in a new manner resulting
in many life-changing events that have taken place not only in his own life but also in the lives of others.
The purpose of Winlight Ministries is to teach the simplicity of the Gospel and to teach the masses that God
truly wants us to be well in our bodies, successful in all areas and without major struggle in our lives.
At the age of one, Tom was found to be legally blind and given a report that he would never live a normal
life. Since receiving Jesus as his Lord and Savior in 1983 at the age of seven, Tom has grown in the Lord
and now walks in complete healing. He lives a normal everyday life without the need of any special visual
aids.
Since April of 2002, Tom has seen the Lord reveal many powerful truths via the Word of God (the Bible) as
well as some incredible experiences of healing in his own life and the lives of others.
If you feel your walk with the Lord is not producing the fruit it should be producing, we encourage you to
plug into this ministry. We believe God has a great plan for your life and it does not include tragedy! With
an open heart and mind, we welcome you to join with us as we learn the simplistic ways of God.
Tom was officially ordained as a minister of the Gospel on December 6, 2009 through New Life Church
(now South Pointe Fellowship Church) by Pastor Ed Cooper in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Where did the name "Winlight" come from?
In the sport of drag racing, two cars go down a racetrack to see who will get to the finish line first. At the
finish line are two large scoreboards that show the drivers elapsed time and speed. If he or she wins the
race, a light on the lower part of the scoreboard will light up signifying the winner of the race.
This light is known as the Winlight.
Join us on Facebook - facebook.com/winlightministries
One Last Thing

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