AWAKE, ARISE, AND TRIUMPH
Friday – August 13, 2021, Elul 5, 5781
GIFTS – PART NINETY-TWO
ARMOR OF GOD – PART THIRTY-FOUR
SUBMISSION, WITCHCRAFT, IDOLATRY
Greetings dear and precious saints and welcome back to the series on “Gifts” and I am currently dealing with the Armor of God. As many of you know Donna and I have found a home and all of our stuff from Maine arrived on the 5th. Things are still a mess and we wonder why we have carried some of it around. Having said that, things really are going very smoothly, and day by day, box by box, our home is taking its full shape. Please take a moment to share this teaching as widely as possible to expand our reach of the good news. Dear ones the Scripture, the real gospel, is by far the best news anyone, anywhere, at anytime has ever heard. I hope you enjoy the new graphic at the top of this teaching, perhaps it will provide insight in and of itself.
As I was praying today in the early morning hours the following phrase came up in my spirit. “Why are we reluctant to challenge our paradigms’?” A paradigm is a way of thinking, a pattern, a template, our ideas, and theories. I am saddened and I must admit frustrated as I watch Church gathering places of all sizes meet, with every meeting like every other meeting, absent the Power of God confirming the Word preached. The people say; “I’m in faith, we’re believing for God to move”. They say; “the next great move of God is just in front of us, perhaps next Sunday”. Yet meeting after meeting the same people are at the alter and we see none of the works the Father did through Jesus in the four gospels. This is contrary to the Word of God! When was the last time you or me challenged our beliefs? Could it be that we just are not doing it the way Jesus did, the Bible way? When was the last time any of us said to ourselves, “why do I believe that?”, “what are the Bible models or passages (at least two witnesses) for that belief?” Selah (think on these things)
Now let’s turn our attention to our primary study of “Gifts” and the full “Armor of God”. I have been talking about submission. Submitting one to another and the relationship between husbands and wives. This a part of our journey to the Armor of God. Let’s go ahead and read our primary text aloud, yes, out loud.
Ephesians 5:21-24 (KJV)
21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
When we started this journey 34 weeks ago the Holy Spirit prompted me not to go right to the Armor of God but examine the context in which God placed that discussion. For the proper use of any tool, physical or spiritual, the tools use is optimized by understanding what the tool is for and the conditions under which it functions optimally. With regard to the “Armor of God” submission is very important and I will discuss this further in a moment. Prior to this we found that obedience to those in authority, honoring others, walking in love (agape), having a heart of thanksgiving, proving the Word, avoiding sin, avoiding fellowship with darkness, renewing our minds with the thoughts of God, disciplining our minds, and being led by the Holy Spirit.
Let’s pick up with verse twenty-two above. To submit means to make ourselves (our choice) subordinate to the will of another. This is exactly what we are to do concerning the Lord. Each of us choose to submit to another. God has never forced us to do anything and never will, we are freewill creations. We choose to obey or rebel. Not submitting is rebellion, consider the following passage.
1 Samuel 15:22-23 (KJV)
22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
To not submit to others, wives to their husbands is the same as rebelling against God Himself. It is very serious. We submit as led of the Holy Spirit in accordance with Scripture and never in violation of God’s moral law. We react to others and God in agape (love) which is first and foremost obedience to Scripture, selfless, and cognizant of Blood Covenant.
Lord willing, I will pick up right here next Friday.
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 your Bible Teacher and a Prophetic Voice in your life 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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