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Bible Study Notes:Spiritual
Weapons 5-6: |
These notes are from a transcript of the
postings during Bible Study on Thursday Nights at 8 PM at Bible Study Chat at
churchusa.com. |
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Father God we exalt your Name tonight. We thank
you that even though we are imperfect and often fail, you are perfect and never fail us!
Thank you for your forgiveness and cleansing when we do fail. Thank you for accepting us
in the Beloved. You alone are worthy to be praised, and we give you all honor,
thanksgiving and praise in Jesus Name. Jesus you are our deliverer, our savior, our
redeemer, our friend. Thank you for all the riches of blessings you bestow upon us daily. Jesus we offer you thanks for being our advocate with the Father. When the enemy brings a railing accusation against us, you stand up in our behalf and plead your blood that you shed for us. Father we thank you for your healing power, physically, mentally and spiritually, that flows from your throne of grace. Holy Spirit thank you for being our guide, our teacher, our comforter, and our helper. Help us to accomplish mighty things through your anointing power. satan we come against you tonight. we bind you and rebuke you and cast you out of this room, before, during and after the study, in Jesus Name. We declare all your plans to disrupt null and void in Jesus Name. Father we ask your anointing upon us, our equipment, cabling, phone lines, ISP's, etc in Jesus Name. Now Father open our hearts to receive your truth, In Jesus Name AMEN! prodigal son - Lord as we gather here tonight we ask you to let the holy spirit to move freely and fill us all We live in a very militant society. There is an emphasis on personal defense, martial arts, survival techniques and militias. It's as if the world knows there's a battle raging, but doesn't know how to fight! Physical weapons are powerless in a spiritual conflict! Aren't you glad we've got the armor of God and numerous spiritual weapons to protect us? Tonight we're continuing our study of spiritual warfare, specifically spiritual weapons. So far we've looked at four spiritual weapons: The Word of God or Sword of the Spirit, Prayer, The Name of Jesus, and Using Faith as A Weapon. Remember that all of these weapons can be used defensively - that is to defend ourselves and loved ones against satanic attack. And they are also used offensively - to come against the devil's schemes and to do warfare on behalf of others. Tonight we are going to start with the next weapon - Praise. Again, the weapons are not presented in a specific order, and we often use them together with each other. Weapon # 5 The Weapon of Praise Psalm 22:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. The Bible tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people. Inhabit here is the Hebrew yashab which means to sit down, by implication to dwell or remain, to settle or to marry. When we praise God, He sits down among us and remains there! What are some ways that we praise God? Godsboy - through actions erica and Tracy - Tracy says in action. prodigal son - Song, prayer, deeds CoolMan - through *singing* Athie - We may praise by singing or raising our hands Telling Him how much we love Him Right! What are some ways that we praise God? Singing, shouting, dancing, thanking God, playing musical instruments, doing good deeds, acts of kindness, smiling, raising our hands ... Some people do not feel comfortable with certain forms of worship, as raising of hands, or dancing before the Lord. Some denominations don't even believe in musical instruments! But all of these ways of praising God are found in Scripture. When Solomon dedicated the Temple of God, it was after the people praised Him that God's presence came among them: 2 Chronicles 5:13-14 The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: "He is good; his love endures forever." Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God. Notice here that the praise involved trumpeters and singers, cymbals and other instruments. When they praised God, the glory of the Lord filled the temple to the extent that the priests couldn't perform their service. erica and Tracy - OT My favorite instance in the Old Testament is where they are bringing the Ark of the Covenant home David went before it Dancing and weeping with joy =0) E&T, right! And it says that David danced WITH ALL HIS MIGHT before the Lord. Wouldn't it be awesome if our praises were so strong and united that the glory of the Lord came down in such a way that all we could do is weep in awe? The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Notice the words IN UNISON and WITH ONE VOICE - unity in praise. When we praise Him we are showing confidence, trust and faith in Him, His Word and His promises. We are also exalting Him and lifting His Name on high, which causes the enemy to disperse. Psalm 9 is an example of this. First David praises the Lord: Psalm 9:1-2 I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.Notice that David praises with ALL his heart - he holds back nothing from the Lord. What did David praise God for? All of God's wonders. Did you ever just sit down and think about all the wonders that God has performed in your life and thank him. Or praise him for all the wonders of nature? We tend to focus on the negative, don't we? You know the little things that irritate us and frustrate us. Many times it helps just to focus on what GOOD things the Lord has done for you - and there are many! And it's no wonder! How much GOOD news do you hear about on TV or radio? Or read in the papers? Very little! So we have to deliberately focus on the Good things ourselves. SiLvErToNe - yeah, we do.....our sin nature makes us pay attention to selfish things, the things that WE don't like and we don't pay attention to the much more bountiful things that God has done. Spanky - Hey OldTimer, Do you believe in raising your hands and praising God? I do and we are a Baptist Church. MY husband is the pastor and he says if you are in the spirit then God will bless you. Definitely Spanky! David continues: I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.He says I *WILL* be glad and rejoice! Sometimes we have to just MAKE ourselves be glad, don't we? If you feel a pity party coming on - don't give into it. Say I WILL BE GLAD instead! Singing is a wonderful way to praise God. If you sing joyous songs of praise, it's nearly impossible to be sad. erica and Tracy - =0) I notice that when things feel overwhelming and I Praise him I always feel better and filled with peace (erica talking) prodigal son - consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds James 1;2 AMEN erica! After David praises God, then his enemies are defeated: Psalm 9:3-6 My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you. For you have upheld my right and my cause; you have sat on your throne, judging righteously. You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name forever and ever. Endless ruin has overtaken the enemy, you have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished.And again in Psalms 18:3 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.I call Psalm 9 and 18 "Warrior Psalms". Reading and meditating on them is good preparation for spiritual warfare! In fact we are to be continually praising God, and wear praise as a garment: Isaiah 61:3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. daisey - how do you 'wear 'praise as a garment?? If we are "wearing" the spirit of despair, we are blue and down on ourselves, grouchy to others hard to live with right?
Right PS! When we are full of joy and praise, our whole countenance is lifted, we are fun to be around, happy and full of joy, like we actually are wearing a garment of praise. When we are clothed in praise, there is no room for despair. We will be filled with gladness not mourning. And we will be firmly planted as oaks of righteousness in the Lord.
There is also great power in corporate praise. Did you know that King Jehoshaphat won a battle by praising God and never lifted a weapon? 2 Chronicles 20:20-23 Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful." After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: "Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever." Imagine the Marine Corps with a bunch of Christians in front, singing and praising the Lord at the FRONT of the troops! As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. The men of Ammon and Moab rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another. All they had to do was praise Him and the Lord fought their battle - their enemies destroyed each other! When King Jehoshaphat and his army went out in the power of the Lord against their seemingly invincible foes, he appointed men to lead the army singing the praises of God. What a ridiculous idea! Could you imagine our Marine Corps singing "Praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah!" before battle? Yet the Lord honored their faith in Him, and they didn't have to lift a spear. Their enemies destroyed each other before Judah even entered the battle! When your enemy seems too strong for you, begin to sing and praise the Lord, and watch God do your fighting for you! Plink0 - OT certain groups of CAF do it all the time...- we have 2 sections of Christian flyers!! - Canadian Air Force We are an army of praisers and this is why we were chosen as a people belonging to God - to declare to the world His praises. 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.I get excited when I think of all my Lord has done for me - to bring me out of darkness into his wonderful light! And God has chosen us to DECLARE HIS PRAISES! Some people get all stressed out trying to figure out God's will for their life. One key is right here: declare His praises! Ephesians 5:19-20 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This also contains part of God's will for us, speaking to each other with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making music in our hearts (this is for those who can't carry a tune in a bucket LOL) and giving thanks. According to Woman's Handbook for Spiritual Warfare by Quinn Sherrer and Ruthanne Garlock:
If you focus on God and HIS power, then the devil can't defeat you because the devil is powerLESS.
We tend to think that the devil and his forces are very organized, but when we praise God it throws all of their plans into confusion and they start fighting each other! And the same is true for the plots and plans of people against us. If we focus on and praise God instead of fretting about them and their plans, they will be thrown into disorder.
When we proclaim victory in the spiritual realm, when we praise and honor God for His goodness and watchcare over us, then the victory comes to pass in the natural realm. And when we praise God and remember how powerful and loving He is, it gives us courage to go on! Do you need encouragement tonight? Begin to praise God! Thank Him for what He's done for you. If you don't think He's done anything for you lately, how many breaths did you breathe today? The air came to you free of charge from God. How many times did your heart beat today? Your very life comes from God. All this and more are gifts of love to us, whether we deserve them or not! When you read the Word praise God for the blessings you find there. Such as: Ephesians 1:18 -23 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.Hope, riches, and power: gifts from God to us to praise Him for! That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. Above all, we can praise God for Jesus and what He's done for us. God raised Jesus up, seated on his right hand and God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. And this is the MOST exciting thing: Ephesians 2:6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,We are seated with Christ in heavenly places - glory! We are ABOVE all our problems, and if we can just SEE this and get into the spirit of praise, who or what can defeat us! The "US" here is all of US Christians, no matter how weak, or wimpy we may feel. God has seated US in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Hallelujah! Quinn and Garlock continue:
IT IS ALWAYS TOO SOON TO QUIT! Has the enemy told you it's no use, you'll never make it, God's not pleased with you? Has the enemy told you his grip is too strong, you'll never break free? Are you struggling with a poor self-image, or an addiction or a stronghold in your life and the enemy is snickering at you? IT IS ALWAYS TOO SOON TO QUIT! Victory is on its way, in Jesus Name. Start praising God for it NOW! Defeat the enemy by exalting your God and singing praises and lifting high His Name. Declare your victory NOW and thank God for it. AND THE ENEMY WILL SCATTER. HALLELUJAH! So praise the Lord and rout the enemy! Rout: 1. a disastrous defeat, 2. a confused, disorderly retreat, 4. to defeat badly, 5. to disperse in disorderly flight. So be it devil, we ROUT you and your demons in Jesus Name AMEN.
Glory, glory, glory, Lord God Almighty, which was and is and is to come. Praise be to your Name forever! Now BEWARE that the enemy will do everything in his power to keep you from praising God! He tries to bring doubt, depression, conflict, etc into your life. But this should be your SIGNAL to START PRAISING. And the harder he comes against you, the LOUDER you get. I got me a tambourine, honey, and I can bang that thing louder than the devil can shout. So there! under my feet, AMEN And you just ask OP how dangerous I am with that tambourine. One day I was downstairs praising God and hitting that thing, and he came up behind me, and I didn't know it, and I hit OP with it. LOL
So if OP ain't safe, you KNOW the devil is in trouble! ROFL! I didn't hit you THAT hard OP, quit your evangel-lasticizing! LOL
Nah, Servant, but I do bang a keyboard now and then. So just watch yourself!
Well, I think he's learned not to sneak up behind me anyway! LOL
Ok, enough with the tambourine - at least I "make a joyful noise"! Weapon # 6 The Blood of the Lamb. Revelation 12:11: They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. How is the Blood of the Lamb a weapon?
In our own lives in preparing for war, it is the blood of Christ that cleanses us from acts that lead to death and sets us free to serve God. Hebrews 9:14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
And it is the blood of Jesus that binds our army together in fellowship and keeps us free from sin so that satan cannot defeat us . I John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.The Blood of the Lamb, our Lord Jesus Christ, is how we overcome the enemy. Revelation 7:13-14 Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes - who are they, and where did they come from?" I answered, Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."Revelation 12:11: They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Even though these two verses are specifically talking about the saints that will come out of the Great Tribulation, the same applies to us today: We overcome by the blood of Jesus. You've probably heard prayer warriors "pleading the blood of Jesus" over a sinner, or for protection of a loved one. What does this mean? Jesus bought our salvation with His precious blood, and it is symbolic of everything He purchased for us: forgiveness of sins, redemption (buying back from satan), protection and deliverance from satanic or demonic oppression/possession (any level of demonization), health and healing for mind, body and spirit. The blood of Jesus, the perfect sacrifice, is what defeated satan and brought us eternal life.
When we "plead the blood" over someone, we are petitioning God on his or her behalf because we have the right to in Jesus Name. It "covers" them and begins a work of protection, conviction, healing, etc. in their lives. So in spiritual warfare, we can "plead the blood of Jesus" over a person or situation. So we can "plead the blood" defensively for protection, healing, etc. and we can also "plead the blood" offensively on behalf of someone for their salvation, deliverance, etc. jireh - The blood of Jesus sanctifies us also. Good point, Jireh! and our sanctification, cleansing, being made holy, defeats satan because it robs him of footholds in our lives! I Peter 1:18-19 You were rescued from the useless way of life that you learned from your ancestors. But you know that you were not rescued by such things as silver or gold that don't last forever. You were rescued by the precious blood of Christ, that spotless and innocent lamb. (CEV) We are rescued by the precious blood of Christ! Glory!jireh - This blood of Jesus applies only to who accepted Him, how about those who did not? We can "plead the blood" over those who have not accepted Him, Jireh, to pray for protection, salvation, deliverance, etc also. And just as the blood of lambs protected the Hebrews in Egypt from the destroying angel that killed the first born of every family, we are protected from destruction by the Blood of the Lamb. Hebrews 11:28 His [Moses] faith also made him celebrate Passover. He sprinkled the blood of animals on the doorposts, so that the first-born sons of the people of Israel would not be killed by the destroying angel.
Right peanut, sister, without the shed blood of Jesus we have nothing, the blood of Jesus has bought us everything! To review: Jesus bought our salvation with His precious blood, and it is symbolic of everything He purchased for us: forgiveness of sins, redemption (buying back from satan), protection and deliverance from satanic or demonic oppression/possession (any level of demonization), health and healing for mind, body and spirit. The blood of Jesus, the perfect sacrifice, is what defeated satan and brought us eternal life. When we "plead the blood" over someone, we are petitioning God on his or her behalf because we have the right to in Jesus Name. It "covers" them and begins a work of protection, conviction, healing, etc. in their lives. So in spiritual warfare, we can "plead the blood of Jesus" over a person or situation. jireh - The Israelites were spared from that destruction but not the Egyptians. jireh, the Egyptians weren't protected because they didn't have the blood sprinkled on their doorposts.
sunset, first you must be born again. You must receive Jesus as savior and trust in his sacrifice - his atoning blood - for our sins. Then you have the right as a child of God to use the blood of the Lamb in prayer as spiritual defense/offense and OVERCOME the enemy as in Revelation 12:11: They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
jireh - Is it necessary that I be spotless/sinless at the moment I plead the blood of Jesus. How if unconsciously I have bad thoughts and instantly I need to plead. Yes, in prayer. jireh, if you are unconscious you have passed out and aren't thinking any thoughts, right? But 1 John 1:9 says "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.If you've sinned, but haven't asked forgiveness and get into a situation where you need to plead the blood fast, you can ask for forgiveness in an instant and then plead the blood over someone who needs it. When we've sinned, we don't have to go through all kinds of contortions to get forgiveness, just confess and receive, confess and receive, on and on. In other words, the only thing that can kill sin is the blood of Christ, similar to how a disinfectant kills germs. The blood of the Lamb is what cleanses us from sin in the first place, KEEPS us clean as we ask forgiveness and through it's sanctifying power, and REPELS demonic attacks. Glory to God! kinzie's mom - the disinfectant also washes away the germs as well as killing them just like the blood washes away our sin from Gods memory when we ask forgiveness jireh - The blood of Jesus paid my debt...before I was judged guilty but now am acquitted. Sunset - How does it repel demonic attack? prodigal son - So we can use the blood of the lamb as an offensive weapon by pleading it to cover and protect one of his targets making his forces weaker? Sunset, because demons can't stand the blood of Jesus - the cause of their eternal defeat! When we are covered by Jesus blood and STAY under that covering, obeying His Word, the demons can't stay around.
Think of how powerful Jesus blood is. It has provided salvation, redemption, healing and deliverance for ALL people for ALL eternity! How mighty! and how sad that some reject this wonderful sacrifice.
Sunset, the Blood of Jesus is one of our weapons. When you sense you are under attack, by all means at least use one against him so you won't suffer and risk defeat. I've come up with 15 weapons so far, and this is just #6! We have a mighty arsenal in the Spirit, and we are learning about them one by one. See satan isn't nearly as smart as he'd have us think. He thought that when he motivated men to crucify Jesus and the blood of Jesus came flowing down, the devil thought "Aha, I have him now". But when Jesus cried, "IT IS FINISHED!" It was the devil who was defeated BY THE BLOOD. Servant - OH GLORY YOU ARE PREACHING NOW OlePappy - satan, your time with us is limited. Your power is gone. So leave this place because it is washed in the blood of the Lamb. Stay away from the brethren in the name of Jesus. jireh - Yes, I always ask for the benefit of the Cross of Calvary...where the blood of the Lamb was shed. Healing and deliverance. peanut - it's kind of like a transfusion to me.. a life changing event Gods simple grace to me.. Good point peanut - a transfusion - hey more like a complete dialysis!
In REALITY, our enemies are UNDER OUR FEET in Jesus because we are seated with HIM in Heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). If we would just keep that in mind, half the battle would be won right there! One thing that we will discuss after the weapons is our battlefield, the battlefronts and the battle plan. Maybe it will come together more for you as we go along. The Blood of Jesus is also used as a weapon against false doctrine that states that Jesus death did not atone or "cover" the sins of all men for all time. Hebrews 9:12 speaking of Jesus states: "He did not enter [the heavenly tabernacle] by means of the blood of goats and calves, but he entered the Most Holy Place ONCE FOR ALL BY HIS OWN BLOOD, having obtained eternal redemption."jireh - That's exciting...attacking the enemies in full gear of a soldier (God's). Glory to God. This is a common theme of cultic activity - that Jesus blood did not atone for ALL of your sin - you have to follow their beliefs, do this or that to be saved. But this isn't what the Bible teaches - the blood of Christ applied to our sins DOES IT ALL! AND a common theme of New Age beliefs is that the blood is not necessary at all! This is a lie straight from hell - that we can somehow save ourselves! This is what the snake told Eve in Genesis 3 "you shall be as gods" if you eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This is what the newagers are telling us: you don't need the blood of Jesus, you are gods, you are empowered, you can chant, cast spells, meditate, talk to the dead, whatever and be saved. THIS IS A LIE.
We NEED the Blood of the Lamb - we need it for salvation, for protection, for healing, etc, for everything. jireh - How can I...my mind is usually where the enemy attacks...it's a battlefield. The newagers even have a counterfeit christ - make that antichrist - that they call matreiya - and have stated publicly that if you don't accept their false christ, they will "cleanse" - brainwash or kill - you! We need the blood more now than ever before!
Lord we plead the blood of Jesus over Jamaica! Cleanse her of the evil of the new age and satanic lies. And OH LORD we plead the blood of the Lamb over America! Disinfect our spiritual world, Lord we pray. Bring us back to righteousness, one people UNDER GOD, indivisible - give us discernment Lord God! Send the Holy Spirit throughout the land to convict of sin and reveal the remedy - the precious blood of the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world! Lord thank you for our study tonight. Thank you for the weapon of praise! Let us remember that God inhabits the praises of His people, and that praise confounds the enemy! Let us encourage others and ourselves with an attitude of praise. jireh - Can you please include Philippines in your prayers, too. OlePappy - Thank You Father, in Jesus name. AMEN Father God we also plead the blood of the Lamb over the Philippines Lord. Strengthen your believers there, reveal the lies of the enemy, convict and convert multitudes we pray! Lord, help us to remember to use the weapon of the blood of Jesus, defensively as a covering and protection for our own hearts and lives, and offensively against the works of satan in the lives of others and as a deterrent to false doctrine and deception. Thank you for your Word, O Lord, your peace, your truth, your forgiveness. Truly we praise thee O God, for you are WORTH to receive, glory honor and praise. AMEN and AMEN Every morning let us remember to put on the garment of praise - early to honor you with our day!
You guys are the greatest! Keep on praising, keep on growing, keep on reading the Word, keep on pleading the blood of Jesus, keep on believing. Jesus is coming soon! So far we've covered six weapons out of 15 (unless the Lord reveals more to me!) The Word Of God Or Sword Of The Spirit, Prayer, The Name Of Jesus, and Using Faith As A Weapon, Praise and the Blood of Jesus. Remember that all of these weapons can be used defensively - that is to defend ourselves and loved ones against satanic attack. And they are also used offensively - to come against the devil's schemes and to do warfare on behalf of others. Next time we'll look at Revelations 12:11 again and talk about the Word of our Testimony. So be ready to give a word of testimony to God's honor! It's good practice! |
Remember, whenever God
gives us a revelation, the devil tries to steal it from us. Guard your hearts and meditate
on what you've learned! Back to Spiritual Warfare Contents |
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