The Weapons Of Christian Warfare

By Adrian Rogers

People are continually discussing what is happening in this country, the Middle East, and in every corner of the globe. What many may not realize is that we are already at war, an invisible and unseen war between light and darkness, good and evil. And Satan is our adversary.

In Ephesians 6:10-17a, we learn about the defensive weapons of our warfare – the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace and the helmet of salvation. These pieces of armor are to defend us from Satan’s fiery arsenal. But, we also need offensive weapons to defeat the enemy – the sword of the Spirit – the Word of God and the prayer of the Spirit.

The Sharpness of your Sword
"The Word Of God"

Hebrews 4:12 teaches: “For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

The trouble with many of us is that we are not using the one weapon that God has given us to grant us a sure victory. Many of us study the Bible, but it’s not enough just to study the Bible, we must learn how to employ it.

Years ago, when young men went into the service, the military issued them an M1 rifle. They were taught how to take it apart and reassemble it. But they had to do more than just learn about their weapon; they had to learn to use it. The Word of God is a sword and it is meant to be used.

How do we use this sword? Let’s look at how our Lord Jesus Christ used the Word when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness after forty days and nights of fasting (see Luke 4:1-13).

First, Satan tempted Jesus with the lust of the flesh (“command that these stones be made bread”), then the lust of the eyes (“if Thou therefore will worship me, all shall be Thine”), and finally the pride of life (“if Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down from [the pinnacle of the temple]”).

How did Jesus deal with the devil? He took the sword of the Word of God – that sharp two-edged sword and ran Satan through. Jesus said, “It is written, it is written, it is written…” Jesus overcame every temptation by one weapon – the Word of God.

The Word of God is all-powerful. Satan fears the Word of God. He knows its overcoming power.

The Source of Your Supply
"Prayer"

Some Christians fail to understand that prayer is the second offensive weapon in our warfare. They get all dressed up in their armor, pick up their sword, and think they are ready to fight. But Ephesians 6:18 tells us that there’s one more weapon – prayer: “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”

A soldier needs to stay in contact with headquarters and have at his disposal a constant source of supply. Without a constant source of supply and a system of communications, a soldier is destined for defeat. Thank God we have the Holy Spirit who gives us constant communication with our Commander-in-Chief.

Before we go to the battlefield, we must get on our knees. The battle is not won in the pulpit or in the Sunday school class. The battle is won in the prayer closet. Prayer is warfare.

You probably have never thought of yourself as a soldier. But, when you are sitting in your bedroom or in your den, you can wage a mighty battle of intercessory prayer. Isn’t it wonderful that those who are sick or shut-in, on a hospital bed or in a wheelchair can fight because they can pray? What an awesome weapon is prayer!

I challenge you today to take the mighty weapons God has given you and get into the battle! Begin today to offer lingering, loving, laboring prayer on behalf of others. for when you use the weapons of the Word of God and prayer.

John 15:7 says, “If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” You can have the victory you long for, when you use the weapons of the Word of God and prayer.

The Armor Of Christian Warfare

Ephesians 6:10-17
By Adrian Rogers
Life Worth Finding

Whether you realize it or not, you are a part of a deadly war between light and darkness. You cannot afford to be ignorant and you cannot be neutral. If you try to be neutral you’re going to find yourself in the most dangerous place of all.

Ephesians 6:10-17 is not just a call to arms, but also a declaration of victory. If you are going to gain this victory, you must be armed and you must put on “the whole armor” not just the pieces that are the most comfortable.

The Girdle Of Truth – The Believer’s Integrity

A soldier in Paul’s day had a leather girdle that he tightened about his waist to protect his loins and carry his weapons of warfare, such as a dagger or sword. The belt also held his tunic together so it wouldn’t be snagged.

In Christian armor, it is integrity that holds everything else together. If you do not have integrity in the big and small things of your life, you are going to lose the battle. Without truth everything falls apart. Satan will come against you with lies and bring a lack of integrity into your life. Jesus is the Truth and will strengthen you with His integrity. Would people say that you are a woman or man of integrity? If not, then you cannot win the battle.

The Breastplate Of Righteousness – The Believer’s Purity

The breastplate of a soldier was sometimes made of woven chain. Whatever the material, the purpose was the same – to cover the soldier’s vital organs. For the Christian, the breastplate is righteousness.

The enemy wants to attack you not only with lies, but also with impurity. He wants you to read filthy magazines, watch immoral movies, and engage in all temptations of the flesh. The bottom line is that Satan wants to get into your heart and mind. He’s looking for a crack in your armor. And don’t be fooled. Satan knows where that crack is. Is your heart pure before God? If not, then you cannot win the battle.

The Shoes Of Peace – The Believer’s Tranquility

A Roman soldier needed good shoes in order to be victorious on the battlefield. Oftentimes, his shoes would have hobnails on the sole, very much like football cleats because when they were fighting they needed solid footing from which to move.

Jesus gives peace and unless you have peace, you can never make war. Sounds like a contradiction, doesn’t it? But you’ve got to have the peace of God in your heart first. When Satan comes against your tranquility, he throws out stones and briars of doubts and discouragement to cause you to stumble. Do you have peace right now? If not, then you cannot win the battle.

The Shield Of Faith – The Believer’s Certainty

The Roman soldier’s shield measured approximately two by four feet and was made of wood covered with leather. In that day, soldiers dipped arrows in oil, then lit them and shot them at the enemy. These shields were vital to protect the solider from getting burned.

Satan is going to fire flaming arrows of doubt at you. He wants to place subtle doubts in your mind about God and His Truth. He knows a spark can ignite a big fire. You will need to feed your faith and starve your doubts.

Are there any seeds of doubt in your mind today? If there are, then you cannot win the battle.

The Helmet Of Salvation – The Believer’s Sanity

A soldier used a helmet to protect his head because if his head was wounded, he wouldn’t be able to think. Every believer needs to have the mind of Christ under the control of Almighty God.

When a person is saved, for the first time he has his right mind. A person without the Lord Jesus Christ has a form of insanity. They do not operate with the mind that God made them to have. The most important thing for you to have at all times is an assurance of your salvation.

Do you know that you are saved?

Each of these pieces of armor represents Jesus. Friend, do you want to fight with the armor of a Christian solider and live a victorious, abundant life? Then, prayerfully put on Jesus. He is Truth, He is Purity, He is Peace, He is Sure. He is the One who bought your redemption with His blood.

Why Leaders Need Respect More than Love

By Joseph Mattera

Comparing the traits of leaders who desire love versus respect, the general axiom regarding this subject is: if your greatest goal is to please people, become an entertainer; if you want to be a great leader, expect to have those who oppose you.

Traits of Those Whose Goal in Life is to Receive Love

I. They care more about being sensitive than solidifying their team around vision.

1. There are times when you have to take people off your team because their lax regarding commitment waters down the standard necessary to obtain the goals.

2. Sometimes leaders have to let certain people go because their qualifications do not match their desire and passion. Faithfulness is not enough sometimes; ability plus faithfulness is the match needed to accomplish purpose.

II. They become men-pleasers rather than God-pleasers.

1. Remember King Saul’s response to the Prophet Samuel when rebuked for not obeying the Lord (1 Samuel 15:24).

2. They tend to take public opinion polls before they do anything of consequence.

III. Their attitude, self-esteem, and feelings are dependent upon the affirmation they receive day-to-day.

1. Strong leaders are driven by the vision the Lord has given them, not by the daily conversations and affirmation of their staff, team, and those around them.

2. Those driven by a need for love rather than respect usually have emotional highs and lows akin to a yo-yo; they are always either very happy or very depressed.

IV. They don’t have clarity of mind and heart regarding the voice of the Lord.

1. Because they are always subconsciously between two opinions (discerning the voice of God and the will of the people) their spirit is muddled and they become duplicitous.

2. We can only serve one master. God cannot be served if there are other gods in your life.

V. They don’t communicate based on the full spectrum of truth.

They only either preach wishy-washy messages or communicate one-on-one in a way that is postured to please the listener than present the truth at hand.

VI. They tend to avoid confrontation and value peace more than victory and truth.

1. They will be one way with one person, then another way with another person.

a.) Their desire to be loved is so strong that all their relationships are duplicitous and never reflect core values and principles.

b.) Every person they speak to thinks they agree with them, even those sitting on opposite poles conceptually.

VII. They tend to run a very informal and lax organization.

1. They run a laissez faire (anything goes) organization that often has very little administrative and organizational excellence.

2. They allow their employees to take off extensively and work in an unaccountable environment.

VIII. They tend to overpay their staff.

1. They pay to please rather than remit pay commensurate to the quality and skill of the employee.

2. They reward staff based on personal affection rather than job performance.

IX. They are intimidated by principle-based leaders.


Traits of a Respect (Principle) Driven Leader

I. They lead based on principle, not on people.

1. The vision they have trumps the affirmation they receive from the people. Thus, they are not afraid to make decisions that displease their staff or the people they lead.

2. They realize that people will respect them more if they hold to principle than to vacillate based on people.

II. Their heart and mind are focused on pleasing God first.

Because of this, they are able to hear the voice of the Lord clearly; their mind and heart are not muddled with distracting voices and emotions.

III. They are secure in themselves because they receive their primary affirmation from the Lord.

IV. They hold up in unstable environments and opposition to the vision.

In the emotional IQ test, the most common trait of a great leader is their ability to handle an enormous amount of stress and their ability to problem solve.

V. They have organizations built on integrity and truth.

Great leaders have the best chance of building multi-generational organizations.

VI. They are not afraid to confront in love.

1. One of the most common reasons for stress in most people is because they bottle up their emotions because they are not willing to confront other people. Hence they layer their anger, resentment, and pain with busyness and phony relationships that fail to get to the root of the issues.

2. The Bible commands us to confront one another, have transparent relationships, and keep short accounts (Matthew 18:15-18; 1 John 1:7).

VII. They have a stable personality and attitude.

1. Because their affirmation is from the Lord, they are upbeat and filled with vision, purpose, and joy because they are living to please the Lord, not the mercurial emotions and desires of people.

2. Those around great leaders know that, no matter what season it is, their leader will always be consistent in their actions and goals.

VIII. They value truth and principle more than peace among their team.

They would rather lose a team member than compromise the vision or obedience to the Lord. (Of course, we are speaking about major issues, not minor things we are called to overlook in love.)

IX. They understand that engendering respect is more important than engendering feelings of love.

1. Leaders are not called to be everyone’s close associate or friend. A leader will go a lot further with the gas tank of great respect than that of feelings of love.

2. Principled people will tend to follow a leader they have great admiration and respect for more than a person they merely love.

3. Respect comes from years of having a good track record of accomplishments; love can come after just one deep conversation.