Christian Are You Dressed? Part 5

Good day. Today we are posting the newsletter Christian! Are you Dressed? Part 5 written in 1996 by our dear brother, fellow steward and ambassador of the mystery of Christ, Larry Gazelka, Our prayer is that you will be blessed and encouraged by this newsletter. Have a very blessed and prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. ***You can download a copy of the writing for personal use only by clicking on the Built Anew Ministries Archive page link above and scroll down to the year 1996.

Christian! Are You Dressed?               v18n21
No Need To Duck! Part 5
  
Ephesians 6:10-16 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. (NKJ)

For the last several weeks, we have been discussing "the armor of God". What we have to be aware of, is that it is God's armor, not ours. Since it is God's, it does not rot, rust, dent, decay, or ever fail. If there ever is a problem, it is from our failure to follow the instructions.

You and you alone, have to take the time to read and learn from the Christian Instruction Manual, the Bible. God's Word has no flaws or deficiencies. It is always able to give us the victory, when used according to the proper instructions.

2 Corinthians 2:14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place. (KJV)

We have to utilize the Word properly so that it does not return void. We have to be sure to always put Father's word on the scene, and not our own.

One other thing I want to cover real quickly, is the one thing I hear many Christians’ saying, and that is: "they have to remember to put on the armor of God each morning." Who told them to take it off in the first place? Does the spirit man ever sleep? Remember, that the Word says to give no place to the devil; and if you are taking God's armor off, that is exactly what you are doing. Why put Christ on the shelf for the night?

"Above all, taking the shield of faith." Ephesians 6:16 (KJV)

Ephesians 4:7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. (NKJ)

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. (KJV)

Above all, take the gift of faith, the measure of the gift of Christ. You have to accept the gift from Father, he will not force it upon you.

If U.P.S. delivers a package to your doorstep, and you never pick it up and bring it in and open it, it will never be of any benefit to you. You have to retrieve the package, open it, and follow the operating instructions. Then it will fulfill the purpose for which it was intended.

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God! My ability to believe in and act upon God's Word, comes from the relationship that I establish with him. Father does have the master plan that does work! If I am always the one talking or interrupting, how can I ever hear any of Father's counsel?

Before I was born-again, I spent my entire life till that point, listening to everyone else's opinions and ideas of what they thought was best for me, (sound familiar?). And then trying to live up to their expectations of me. I was always trying to please other people, either family, friends, or co-workers.

Now that I am born-again, Father made a gift available to me, the measure of faith! Not a measure, but the measure of faith! My spirit man has become a new creation in Christ. Now, I have to learn to maintain this relationship with Father. For without faith, it is impossible to please Father.

Remember in John chapter 14, that Jesus Christ said that we would do the works that he did, and greater works! How can that be? The only way that that is possible, is if Father has made available to us, everything that he made available to Jesus Christ! Without the measure of faith, how could you or I accomplish this?

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: (KJV)

Every believer in Jesus Christ has to learn to develop this gift of God. But how is it developed you may ask? Faith comes by stopping all that you are doing, and listening to the instructions that Father has, just for you. The more time that I take to fellowship and listen to Father, the greater my ability to trust Father and his Word, and then to act upon it.

Whatever a person listens to most, is what they will trust and believe in. And all of their actions will follow what they are hearing.

For those of you that work a job each week, who is it that signs your paycheck each payday? If it is anyone other than Father, we need to take a close look at who or what we are listening to. I am not saying that working a job is wrong! What I am saying is that we do not always thank Father for being our total source. We seem to have forgotten that Father is the one who is supposed to supply my daily bread!

Phil 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (KJV)

Father should be my total source! He is the one who should be supplying my daily bread. It does not matter where or who the funds are channeled through, as long as I remember where they originated from. The throne of God Almighty! Is Father truly your Jehovah-jireh?

Faith comes by hearing! But.......... what are you giving ear to? What ever words we are listening to most; this is what we will believe and act upon.

There are times, that we will give more credence to words that contradict Father's word. And this happens because we have not taken the time to hear and fellowship with Father. We have not taken the time to be still and know that he is God. Thus, we find ourselves straying from the straight and narrow path that leads to Father's house. If, we have been given the measure of faith, why doesn't our life always go smooth? Why aren't we as successful as Jesus Christ was? What are we lacking'? (Remember to keep in mind John 14:12).

Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (KJV)

shall= might be possible, willingness

If you are obedient to Father's commands, his ability will operate in you. We know that Jesus Christ already has the keys of hell and death.

Revelation 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen, and have the keys of hell and of death. (KJV)

He, Jesus Christ rose victoriously! He paid the total debt that I owed. Now, it is up to me to believe it and act accordingly.

John 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. (KJV)

The living water will extinguish every fiery dart that the wicked can throw against us. But I have to know the proper Word of God to put on the scene. It has to be what is real and alive to me. Not what I have heard someone else say.

Taking time to study the Word of God, trains my spirit man, to recognize the voice of Father. The better that I know his voice, the clearer the instructions are on how to quench the fiery darts that are headed in my direction.

No weapon formed against me shall prosper!

Remember, that is Father's word. You do not have to defend Him!

Next week, we will continue “No need to duck!”

​That you may know Him
In the service of Jesus Christ,
Larry Gazelka