SCRIP-BITS

Ephesians 6:10-11.    Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God; that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
 
Ah Friends, no wonder people get sick and suffer from so much joint illness as arthritis in this country yes! The weekend was fairly warm, in the mid to high twenties, then along comes yesterday barely breaking the twenty degree mark, with strong, cool winds. Now today is supposed to be in the mid twenties, and climbing each day until it gets to about thirty-four on Friday. Chuh Steups! Oh, I like that combination of West Indian disgust, never thought of putting them together before (smile) Oh to be in the wonderful West Indies, where the temps stay steady and don’t move up and down like a yo-yo! But hear me talking about the West Indies nuh, as though I know so much about it, having not lived there for almost forty years. I’m sorry Friends, but I am biased. Although Canada is the best big country in the world, the West Indies IS the best place to live! Matter fixed! (smile) The long and short of the story though, is that wherever the Lord appoints us to be, wherever He chooses to plant us, be it in an arid desert, or a well-watered oasis, that is where we have to stay, grow, flower and bear fruit. But the only way we can do that is by adhering to the strategy outlined in our Bit: ‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God; that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’ Yes Friends, the only way we can stand strong during adversity, and prosper too, is by putting on ALL of God’s wonderful protective armour, so that we can protect ourselves against the advances of the wicked enemy, and fight back too. Because one thing Jesus doesn’t want His followers doing is running from Beelzebub! In Jesus’ war manual, the gospel, He declares that the best method of defence is offence! So it’s vitally important that before the evil one comes a calling, we’re prepared, and that we pounce on him, before he gets a chance to attack. Hn, hn! I certainly hope I can stand strong when I go to my dentist for some root canal work this afternoon. (smile) Now hear how the scholars explain the two verses of our Bit: ‘Finally may be rendered “from now on” or “henceforth.” The Spiritual battle Christians are engaged in exists “from now on” until the Lord’s return: there is no quarter given, no cease fire, no temporary truce, no cessation of hostilities. “From now on” till the end there is all-out war. The remainder of the verse may be paraphrased, “let yourselves constantly be strengthened by the Lord, more precisely by His mighty power.” And ‘Put on (Greek ingressive aorist imperative) -whatever that means – denotes a sense of urgency, demanding immediate action. To stand has military overtones. This verb was used in classical Greek meaning to resist the enemy and hold a critical position in battle. The wiles of the devil (or, “the Devil’s strategy”): Satan carefully devises schemes and tactics against believers.’ Oh my brethren, that most certainly tells us that we’re in a serious war! Sometimes it might include physical battle, but there’s ALWAYS a spiritual fight going on in our members and our minds. As Bruh Paul continues explaining to the Ephesians: ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world (age), against spiritual (hosts of) wickedness in high places.’ (Eph.6:12) Yuh better believe that mih people, because it’s the gospel truth! And here’s how the scholars decipher that verse, re the activities of demons: ‘Several activities in the Bible may involve demons. Sometimes they cause physical disease or mental suffering. However, not all mental disorders are demonic in origin. Demons also tempt people into immoral practices. They originate and propagate false doctrines taught by heretical religious groups (1 Tim.4:1). The Bible also teaches that some people were possessed by demons (Mark 1:23). Although demons are committed to do evil, God will use them to accomplish His plan during the end of the age (Rev.16:14). Illustration: Demons are also objects of worship in various occult practices forbidden by God. These include divination (an illegitimate means of determining the will of God), necromancy (efforts to communicate with and interrogate the dead), magic (using formulas and incantations), sorcery (perhaps the non-medical use of drugs), witchcraft, and astrology (Deut.18:10-12) Application: When the Ephesian Christians who were “dabbling” in the occult repented, there was a great revival in that place. No Christian can ever justify his participation in demonic activities. (First Ref. Ex.7:11; Primary Ref, Eph. 6:12, cf. Heb.1:4) Oh Friends, for those of you who don’t believe it, or take it seriously, there is indeed a great battle continuously going on in our souls for supremacy, both by Lucifer and Jesus. As Christians though, followers of Jesus, we simply cannot allow the evil one to get a foothold, even a toe or finger hold in us. I didn’t have time nor space to copy the scripture references that the scholars gave, but please read them, I did, for they are very valuable in helping to understand what this whole spiritual warfare is about. Please take it very seriously, for it can mean the difference between spending life in purgatory with Lucifer, or in heaven with Jesus. Much LOVE!…a wise man hears wisdom…thinks about it…then acts wisely on it…