AWAKE, ARISE, AND TRIUMPH
Friday – March 5, 2021, Adar 21, 5781
GIFTS – PART SEVENTY
ARMOR OF GOD – PART TWELVE
Greetings precious friends and partners of this Ministry and The Three Minute Word blog. God is so good dear ones. Thank you for supporting this Ministry with your friendship and encouragement. A special thank you with daily prayers for our partners who support this Ministry financially. We invite all whom the Lord leads to be partners with us in this powerful Ministry for the Kingdom of God. Now before we move on please take a moment to share this Bible teaching as widely as possible extending the reach of the Truth. Currently I am teaching on the Armor of God. I initially planned to just start with the Armor of God as outlined in Ephesians chapter six, however, the Lord arrested me and instructed me to lay a solid foundation or context for a discussion of the armor. Like equipment or a skill in the natural the best use of that equipment or skill is achieved by having a good understanding of what is required for optimal performance.
Therefore, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I have gone back into chapter five of Ephesians to build a solid contextual foundation. Thus far we have discovered that obedience, honor, love (agape), thanksgiving, proving the Word, and avoiding a variety of sins prevalent in the Church are critical to the effective use of the armor. If this is your first time joining this study, I strongly advise that you go into the archives and study from the beginning. In Ephesians chapter five (below) we find a list of sins which I was going to cover in a cursory manner but the Holy Spirit insisted I take them on one by one. Remember, this Book of Ephesians is written to Christians so one or more of these sins is present in each of our lives. That is in evidence by the really poor use of the armor in many Christians lives. Let’s each of us inquire of the Lord to shine light that we may pluck them out by the roots. We do that by declaration, decree, just as Jesus cursed the fig tree. Now, let’s read aloud, yes, out loud our current Bible text.
Ephesians 5:2-6 (KJV)
2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Yesterday on our way to laying a firm foundation, contextual foundation for discussing the Armor of God we explored the sin of the whoremonger. Today I will move ahead in the discussion of the unclean person and the covetous man. This is very important to the Lord, and thus to us, for we talked about this in the third verse already and it is now repeated. The same is true of covetousness which was also discussed in the third verse. I covered uncleanness in the January 22nd teaching and covetousness in the January 29th teaching. Uncleanness manifests first in the thoughts of a person and subsequently is heard in their words and actions. It may not manifest across the whole spectrum of life but in selected areas like obscene speech or a dirty chaotic home, car, yard. This is the result of demonic influence, oppression. Perhaps we have all had the experience of coming into contact with a person who may appear desirable to know, to talk with, but soon we become very aware that they are a perverse, unclean person. We even have the sense of being contaminated, being dirty physically/spiritually. Before I move on let’s take a look at a definition. Uncleanness refers to being unclean by legal or ceremonial standards. Ultimately uncleanness refers to all idolatrous worship and heathen impurity according to The Complete Word Study Dictionary – New Testament. Dear ones, from such flee!
Now, let’s do a brief review of covetousness. Remember the command not to covet is one of the Ten Commandments.
Exodus 20:17 (ESV)
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
Being covetous is an inordinate (excessive) desire to have what someone else has and in that sense is like stealing, usually by deception. In that way we are acting like the thief who comes only to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). Our father is not the thief, the devil, but Father God who is a blesser not a curser, a giver not a taker. Now let’s look at the definition of being a covetous person. A covetous person wants something that others have; they are a defrauder for gain. Synonyms (same as) for covetousness are a lover of silver or money, greedy for wrongful gain; a profiteer. Antonyms (opposite of) include being self-contented; without a love of money; being sober, and being self-controlled according to The Complete Word Study Dictionary – New Testament.
Lord willing, we will be moving forward in our study next week.
2 Chronicles 20:20 b (KJV)
20 … Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
Until our next publication, as a Bible Teacher and Prophetic Voice I speak this blessing over each and every one of you, receive it, believe it, and speak over yourself and your family by faith in Jesus name!
Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)
24 The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you;
26 The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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