Phillipians 1

Somehow, the way we love/how we love/what we love/what motivates our emotion of love...has an impact on how our heart/mind/life is shaped....whether or not our heart/mind/life is shaped in such a way that we will, or will not, “approve what is excellent”(Philippians1:9-11).The word “excellent” here refers to all GOOD & PERFECT things that persevere as GOOD &PERFECT through EVERY TEST of ALL TIME...;all things that truly/fully matter for GOOD...;all things that are somehow connected with ULTIMATE TRUTH/connected with the ONLY things that can be TRULY TRUSTED for our GOOD!And this is why n Philippians 1:9-11 Paul prays,”And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”!God so desperately desires for our GOOD that HE has articulated ALL THINGS TRUE & WORTHY through HIS Word,& then confirmed them through the Birth;Life;Sufferings;Death;Resurrection;&Ascension of Jesus Christ.Paul is praying this prayer for us so that what motivates our love may be increasingly motivated by ALL THINGS TRUE&WORTHY so that the choices we make/decisions we make/paths we choose,etc.,will be those that are BEST for us and BEST for those around us(..”that you may approve(Choose) the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,being filled with the fruits of righteousness(Galatians5:22-23,”the  fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,kindness, goodness,faithfulness,gentleness,self-control;against such things there is no law.”),which are by Jesus Christ.”).If we base our decisions/choices/directions of our heart/mind/life on things that are NOT TRUE nor TRUSTWORTHY,then our lives will NOT have the fruits of righteousness in our lives...,and we will never know  a peace AND joy that surpasses all understanding through all time.When Paul prays for our “love to abound more and more in all knowledge & discernment....”,he is encouraging us to have what motivates our love&the way we love to be shaped by “all knowledge and all truth”,of which Proverbs1:7 says,”The fear of(awesome respect for)the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,but fools despise wisdom & knowledge”.Paul knows that in order for our love to be motivated and shaped RIGHTLY,and for our own BEST interests,we need to turn to The Lord Jesus Christ & “abound more & more” in the knowledge He teaches throughout His Word & have THAT be what increasingly guides our discernment(how we make decisions) that motivates our love->the WHOM we love,& how that WHOM is allowed to “abound more & more” in our lives.A poet once wrote,”tell me whom you love,and I will tell you who you are”!This is at the core of Paul’s prayer in Philippians 1:9-11,because at our core whom we love determines who we are.This will at its most basic state boil down to our choice of “loving our personally inspired ways,or loving those inspired by The Lord”.Our love needs to be founded in and on Jesus Christ because He has proven His trustworthiness for all time.The only trusted WHOM for our love to abound is Jesus Christ-His Word/His Life/His Promises in order for who we are to abound more and more in all that is GOOD & PERFECT,and all that truly will stand the test of all time.Dear Lord,this exposes so much of me that is not abounding more & more in all that is GOOD & PERFECT,& that instead much of me is abounding in things that are not eternally GOOD & PERFECT.Forgive me...& May Your Mercy&Grace abound in me more & more so that the shape of my heart/mind/life be changed to abound more & more in You.

Ephesians 6:19; the armor of God

A true soldier is going to be prepared every day.He/she knows that the enemy is NOT going to wait for an official “game on” warning bell.The best strategy of the enemy will always include surprise and subversive elements(“tending or intending to subvert or overthrow, destroy, or undermine an established or existing system, especially a legally constituted government or a set of beliefs”).Being aware of this means that if I am not preparing every day,I either don’t care about it,or I don’t believe what Jesus says about being prepared(Luke 21:36,”But stay awake(be prepared->fully dressed in all of the armor of God)at all times...”).Even though I may be fully dressed in the armor of God,I am far from being FULLY PREPARED if I am not spending time with The Lord(“praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that are going to take place.”).Not only does the care and proper training of every piece of my armor include daily “oiling and watering and polishing and sharpening” with God’s Word,but at the end of Ephesians description of the armor of God we r strongly encouraged to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.With this in mind,BE ALERT and always keep I praying for all the saints”.Jesus says the same thing at the end of Luke21:36!My being fully prepared then could conceivably be broken down into the following equation-> FULLY PREPARED = (ARMOR properly buckled/oiled/soaked/sharpened/trained w God’s Word) + (TUNING our minds/hearts/lives into God’s Heart through praying for His strength/His help/His direction/His Ways in all things)+ (BE ALERT always to the realities of The Gospel of Christ(Eph6:19)&always ALERT that there will be fiery darts & arrows coming at me and those around me aimed at the “set of beliefs” based on God’s Word).This equation most basically stated is this-> FULLY PREPARED DAILY/REGULARLY = God’s Word Daily/Regularly + Prayer Daily/Regularly + Stay Alert Always!The evidence of this “equation” being a part of my life will be a steady change in me to becoming more & more like Christ as 1John2:6 says,”But if anyone obeys His Word,God’s Love is truly made complete in Him:Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.”This is the way our lives are FULLY PREPARED for whatever fiery darts&arrows may come at us and those around us,as well as for whatever the Lord May show us/teach us every day.Dear Lord, I pray for Your Spirit to draw me into Your model of being fully prepared for every moment of every day...and may that change me to have more and more of Your Heart be the motivation for all areas of my life.

Ephesians 6:17 continued; the armor of God

The Helmet of Salvation that Jesus gives us when we entrust Him with our hearts/minds/lives COMES WITH “the sword of the Spirit,which is the Word of God”(Eph6:17,”Take up Helmet of Salvation AND the Sword if the Spirit,which is the Word of God”.).When we don’t appreciate the significance of the Sword we have been given,or fail to pick it up/do not learn how to use it...we allow our enemy to come in ever closer with damaging blows to our shield of faith and our helmet of salvation.Once our enemy has tried his “flaming arrows” on us,and our properly cared for shield of faith has put them out,he will move in for more personal attacks.These will include those that r the most sneaky/sly/stealthy in the ways that they can become like an unseen virus attacking us from within.These need a single weapon that can serve us DEFENSIVELY AND OFFENSIVELY,so at times we can be effective with it while holding our shield with one hand-arm,and this weapon with the other hand-arm!A true soldier diligently trains how to EFFECTIVELY hang on to his/her shield with one hand-arm,& his/her sword with the other!

I found the following about the sword/our sword-“The sword is both an offensive & defensive weapon used by soldiers or warriors. In this case it is a weapon belonging to the Holy Spirit. Swords were used to protect oneself from harm or to attack the enemy to overcome or kill him. In both cases it was necessary for a soldier to get rigid training on the proper use of the sword to get maximum protection. All Christian soldiers need the same rigid training to know how to properly handle the Sword of the Spirit, “which is the word of God.””.Our sword is never to be used as a club to bludgeon anyone nor to brutally defend ourselves. It is to be sharpened on both edges with the STUDY of God’s Word and polished with the APPLICATION of God’s Word in our lives-these are two of the daily routines necessary for the proper care of our sword and training to properly use our sword. I found the following that words this well -“Since every Christian is in the spiritual battle with the satanic and evil forces of this world, we need to know how to handle/apply the sword/The Word of God properly. Only then will it be an effective defense against evil, but it will also be an offensive weapon we use to “demolish strongholds” of error and falsehood (2 Corinthians 10:4–5).God refers to His Word as a sword in Hebrews 4:12. Here the Word is described as living and active & sharper than a double-edged sword. The Roman sword was commonly made in this manner. The fact that it had two edges made it easier to penetrate, as well as to cut in every way. The idea is that of piercing, or penetrating; the Word of God reaches the “heart,” the very center of action, and lays open the motives and feelings of those it touches.The purpose of the sword of the Spirit—the Bible—is to make us strong and able to withstand the evil onslaughts of Satan, our enemy (Psalm 119:11, 33–40, 99–105). The Holy Spirit uses the power of the Word to save souls and then to give them spiritual strength to be mature soldiers for the Lord in fighting this corrupt and evil world we live in. The more we know and understand the Word of God, the more useful we will be in doing the will of God and the more effective we will be in standing against the enemy of our souls.”.A lot of us have buckled up with the belt of truth,put on our gift of righteousness,fit our daily lives with the gospel of peace,take up our shield of faith,and even put on our Helmet of salvation...,but we are negligent about our sword of the spirit! And yet we wonder why we get overwhelmed with discouragement;start wondering about how true is God’s Word;forget what Jesus has said about WHO HE IS;forget about what God says we were created to be;& live our lives more like the world inspires,rather than what God’s Word & His Holy Spirit inspire;and have tepid prayer lives,etc.ALL of the armor these verses describe are critically important-yet the only one that is both defensive & offensive is the “sword of the Spirit,which is the Word of God”.Even though the entire armor must be integrally put on,UNLESS we have the sword of the Spirit readied in our lives(sharpened and polished),we will be susceptible to the sneaky/sly/stealthy attacks of the enemy...,those that turn into a deadly virus aimed at our personal faith/our personal relationship with Jesus Christ,leading us to lives succumbed to be much like the world around us instead of effectively prepared soldiers for Christ in the world.Dear Lord,forgive me for forgetting so much about the sword You have given me!Dear Holy Spirit-prepare me and inspire&guide me to train with Your Word every morning and throughout every day.

Ephesians 6:17; the armor of God

In studying and wanting to remember this,I did a lot of cut-n-pasting.Ephesians 6:17 instructs us to put on the whole armor of God and to “take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” When a soldier suited up for battle, the helmet was the last piece of armor to go on. It was the final act of readiness in preparation for combat. A helmet was vital for survival, protecting the brain, where every thought and action of our life originates.If the head was badly injured, the rest of the armor would be of little use.The assurance of salvation is our impenetrable defense against anything the enemy throws at us. Jesus said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). The idea in this verse is that, as we prepare for Satan’s attacks, we must grab that helmet and buckle it on tightly. Salvation is not limited to a one-time act of the past or even a future hope. God’s salvation is an ongoing, eternal state that His children enjoy in the present. It is daily protection and deliverance from our sin nature and Satan’s schemes.Because of the power of the cross, our enemy no longer has any hold on us (Romans 6:10; 8:2; 1 Corinthians 1:18). He knows that, but he also knows that most of God’s children do not know that—or, at least, we do not live as if we know. We must learn to keep our helmets buckled so that the enemy’s fiery arrows do not lodge in our thoughts and impact every area of our life,as a flaming arrow can start a devastating destructive fire. Through this helmet of salvation, we can “destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).There are several actions a believer can take to keep this helmet fastened and functioning:1. Renew our minds. Our minds are battlefields. The outcomes of those battles determine the course of our lives. Romans 12:1–2 instructs us to renew our minds by allowing the truth of God’s Word to wipe out anything contrary to it. Old ideas, opinions, and worldviews must be replaced. We must allow God’s truth to continually wash away the world’s filth, lies, and confusion from our minds and adopt God’s perspective.2. Reject doubts that arise from circumstances.We humans are sensory creatures. What we cannot fathom with our five senses, we tend to disregard. If we allow them to, circumstances may convince us that God does not really love us or that His Word is not true. It is impossible to have faith and doubt at the same time. God rewards our faith. With the helmet of salvation firmly in place, we can choose to believe what appears impossible (Hebrews 11:6; 1 Peter 1:8–9).3. Keep an eternal perspective. When life crashes in around us, we must remember to have an eternal perspective.Our salvation is the most precious gift we have received. Keeping our eyes on that can help us weather life’s storms. We can choose to live our lives by the motto “If it doesn’t have eternal significance, it’s not important” (see Matthew 6:20; 1 Corinthians 3:11–13).4. Remember that victory is already

accomplished. When we consider ourselves “dead to sin but alive to God” (Romans 6:11), we eliminate many of the opportunities Satan uses to entrap us. When choosing sin is no longer an option for us because we recognize ourselves to be “new creatures” (2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 John 3:9), we effectively cut off many avenues of failure.5. Find all our hope in Him. Psalm 73:25 says, “Whom have I in heaven but You? Besides you, I desire nothing on earth.” Our helmet is most effective when we treasure what it represents. The salvation Jesus purchased for us cannot share the place of importance in our hearts with earthly things. When pleasing the Lord is our supreme delight, we eliminate many of Satan’s lures and render his evil suggestions powerless.As we wear the helmet of salvation every day, our minds become more insulated against the suggestions, desires, and traps the enemy lays for us. We choose to guard our minds from excessive worldly influence and instead think on things that honor Christ (Philippians 4:8). In doing so, we wear our salvation as a protective helmet that will “guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7; cf. Isaiah 26:3; 1 Peter 1:5).Dear Lord Jesus,I need Your help in not only putting on Your Helmet of Salvation every day,but I need Your help in making it effective in protecting my mind/heart/life from all efforts to discourage me and get me sidetracked from living a life that honors Your Grace and Mercy for me.Thank You for knowing ahead of time that I need a helmet....Your Helmet of Salvation.

Ephesians 6:10-18; the armor of God

Christian are the most persecuted “religious group” n the world.A simple internet search about this gives a huge amount of data verifying this fact.There is a seen AND UNSEEN battle for the hearts & minds of those that seek to know and follow Jesus with every thought they have;every emotion they feel;every decision they make;every step they make.This compelled Paul to write n Eph6:10,-18,”Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”The first thing that Paul calls us to is to “be strong in the Lord & His mighty power.”In calling us to a dependency on anything other than ourselves, this is a call for an absolute humility that is the only way to “be strong in the Lord and His mighty power”.When even a smidgen of our own strength is what we turn to for strength we are turning ourselves away from “His mighty power” n those smidgen areas.And an enemy as wily as the devil will strategically look for these smidgen areas of personal dependence/strength as the very areas of weakness to attack our hearts/minds/lives.An absolute dependency on The Lord is our only hope to take our stand against the devil’s schemes!Recognizing all areas in our heart/mind/life that lack humility is the initial step in defending ourselves against the devil’s schemes,so we can shore them up with “His mighty power”.With this absolute humility we realize that we must begin every day by daily getting dressed appropriately for the battle of facing the devil’s schemes.Whatever the attire of our life for each day,we must buckle up our hearts/minds/lives with “the belt of truth buckled” and supporting everything about who&what we are every day!This means that The Foundation of all Truth must be what we seek to buckle up our hearts/minds/lives with every morning as we prepare/get dressed for every day.If not,we may get caught poorly prepared for a scheme of the devil that could potentially create a kink or crack in our “full armor of God”.And be certain that the devil’s wilyness includes exceptional patience and endurance that gets him excited about every little kink and/or crack he can scheme into our lives.The belt of Truth is a strategic imperative start for every day.Dear Lord,I pray for Your Mighty Power to draw me to knowing the importance of girding my heart/mind/life with Your Truths every morning as I get ready for the day.May Your Spirit remind me of the ways You have expressed Your Great Love & Mercy to me through Your Word,as well as the precepts and principles that Your Word convey for my protection and for my GOOD.May I indeed buckle up my heart/mind/life with Your Truths every morning.