Sword of the Spirit

 

    The sword of the Spirit is God's Word.  It is a double edge sword that separates sinner from saint, conviction from contempt, sin from righteousness.  It is your primary offensive weapon in spiritual warfare.  God's Word is where you find the truth.  It exposes your true heart and soul.  It holds you accountable to God.

    When you are going through a trial, then it is God's Word that shows you the way.  When Satan is feeding you lies it is God's Word that gives you the truth.  Pray faithfully and you will find what you are looking for in the Bible.  

    God's Word has the power to give your soul life.  It gives you the power to stand firm in your faith and defend what you believe.  It cuts, but it is a clean cut.  The cuts are meant to reveal truth not kill.  It is better to have scars than to loose your soul.  Use God's Word to honor His name.   Do not use God's Word to be the winner of every battle because that is pride not faith.

    When you are being tempted you are able to use the scripture you have learned to send Satan away.  The Bible empowers you to have what you need to avoid, flee, or escape sin.  God will open ways that did not exist to protect you.  Satan knows scripture too, but he twist and manipulates it to serve His purpose.  You have to learn it in context and to know God better.  The closer you get to God the more it makes sense.

    If you are a Christian, then your body is the temple that the Holy Spirit lives within.  You use the Bible to keep yourself holy.  The Bible is a weapon, guide, boundary setter, and love letter.  It gives you what you need when you need it as long as you trust the Holy Spirit.  

    When you use the sword use it in prayer.  The Holy Spirit will guide your words, but never speak without praying over it first.  Be persistent and alert to know how best pray and use the sword.  Be humble and confident in your use of God's Word.  Be self-disciplined enough to use God's Word to do good.  Do not abuse the power that God has provided you or you will pay the price.

Isaiah 55:10-13, Matthew 4:1-11, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:15-17, Ephesians 6:13-18, 2 Timothy 1:5-7, 3:14-17, Hebrews 4:12-13

How to use Salvation

 

    You you use your salvation in spiritual warfare will depend on how victorious you will be.  Salvation is a one time event where you embrace the truth about Jesus, believe it, and start applying it to your life.  The helmet of salvation is put on every day when you choose to follow Jesus wherever he leads.  You use the helmet to protect your mind against Satan's attacks.

    You have to be a Christian to be able to have the helmet of salvation.  You start to use the helmet in prayer.  Your prayer life has a direct correlation on how well the helmet protects your mind.  You use prayer when you are in God's Word to build that relationship with God.

    Use prayer to discover the strongholds that Satan has over your mind and how to remove them.  Use prayer to identify where you are allowing negativity into your heart.  Use prayer to know how God wants you to fight in spiritual warfare.  Use God's Word to know what God expects from you.  Apply God's Word with prayer to know where you need to strengthen your thinking, attitude, and heart resolve to do good instead of evil in the world.

    Satan will take advantage of any opportunity he gets to mess with you, so make sure you protect your mind.  Take care of your armor to make sure you are being protected.  Your value is found in Jesus.  No other opinion matters.  If you believe Satan's lies, then you cripple yourself, but he doesn't have the power to take you out.  Seek God's approval and your mind will be fortified with love, faith, kindness, and mercy.  Walk with God and there is no room for insecurities.  

Acts 4:8-12, Romans 6:21-25, Ephesians 2:8-10, 6:13-17, & Philippians 2:12-13

Salvation Application

 

    The Helmet of Salvation is based on reality that Jesus took your sins upon himself to make you righteous.  The truth is you only have to believe that and start following Jesus to have salvation.  The truth changes everything.  The truth declares your identity as a child of God.  To have salvation means you are a Christian.

    You have to believe that you are a part of Jesus' family to be able to embrace the power and authority that comes with that position.  It is a position of service not leisure, but it also comes with great responsibility and love.  It makes you an ambassador for God.  It also makes you a citizen of Heaven.  Remember that and Satan can't cripple you mentally or emotionally with doubt or fear.  

    Knowing the truth makes you strong with confidence that nothing can destroy you because God is fighting for you.  The what ifs go out the door because God is in control.  If it happens, then He allowed it for a good purpose.  You will never understand everything, but that is why it is called faith.  

    God handcrafted you personally.  He put you together in your mother's womb.  You are precious to Him and He make you for a purpose.  You never have to doubt that you are worthwhile, valuable, or loved.  You are not a mistake, flawed beyond repair, or unforgivable.  Put on the Helmet of Salvation and embrace the truth that will protect you from Satan's lies.

    The application of your salvation is putting on the helmet to embrace the truth that your identity is grounded in Jesus.  When you apply the truth it will renew your mind to embrace your inheritance as a child of God.  Your salvation is a weapon against Satan if you figure out how to use it to fortify your mind with truth instead of lies.  Salvation gives you the power to break and destroy strongholds to become complete in Jesus.

    Salvation is powerful that is why it makes you an enemy of Satan.  It puts you in spiritual warfare.  It requires you to be vigilant in your relationship with God.  Use scripture to encourage and help you implement the truth into your life every day.  

    You don't get to relax when you are in spiritual warfare.  All you can do is prepare, endure, and fight with God.  You need to know your identity in Christ, so you can live victoriously.  Your salvation is not about comfort but instead being in the position that God designed for you to be close to Him to fulfill His plan for your life.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Psalm 139:1-18, Romans 1:16-17, 2 Corinthians 6:1-2, Ephesians 2:4-10, 6:13-17, Colossians 3:1-4, 1 Peter 1:8-9, 5:8-9, & Revelations 7:9-10

Salvation Lifestyle

 

    The helmet of salvation is a critical piece of the armor.  It protects your mind as you go live life in the world.  There is no reason to go out unprotected.  Use your Bible and prayer to use your mind for spiritual warfare.  You have a mind that can focus on what God has done, is doing, and promised to do or you can focus on the attack and be weakened.  It is your choice on how useful your salvation is to your lifestyle.

    Salvation should build your confidence because God is telling you that you are a part of His family now.  Jesus paid for your helmet, so all you have to do it put it on and use it.  Using the helmet of salvation in your lifestyle is fighting negative thoughts or doubts with God's truth.  When you feel unworthy, unloved, incapable, unwanted, unforgiveable, invisible, insignificant, or lost then remember what God has already declared over you.  God says you are holy, blameless, cherished, wanted, forgiven, seen, have purpose, chosen, and eternal.  

    Live out your salvation in boldness and courage because you know God is protecting you.  Take strength in God's promises, so Satan can't tear you down.  Speak truth to your mind and you will live a fuller life.  Allow Satan's toxicity into your mind and you limit what your life can be.  How you think affects your body and lifestyle.  The helmet of salvation can transform your mind to see God more clearly enabling a powerful life.

    Satan can't make you do anything, but he has the power to influence you.  You have the power to reject him and send him away in the name of Jesus.  The more you allow the victim mentality the more deficient your life becomes.  The more take responsibility and accountability over your life the more you can see the truth.  God can remove your doubt, fear, insecurity, spiraling thoughts, and victim mentality to replace them with life, love, joy, kindness, and faith.

    You have to take responsibility to dismantle the negative thought patterns and put in the work to change how you think.  The Holy Spirit is there to lead the way, but you have to put in the work to remove all mental strongholds.  You do this by replacing the lie with the truth.  You may have to repeat it over and over until it really sinks in, but it is done by taking every thought captive to be holy.  As you choose the way you think everyday it become your lifestyle.  God's truth is meant to be lived, a part of your life, and strong enough to cut away the lies.  The truth allows you to live in freedom.

Romans 12:1-2, 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, Ephesians 1:3-14, 2:1-10, 6:13-17, & Philippians 4:8-9

Salvation Strategy

 

    The helmet of salvation protects your mind from Satan.  It's function is to remind you who you belong to and what your inheritance.  The strategy of salvation in spiritual warfare is for you not fall for Satan's lies.  It was gift that you did not earn and are not worthy to have, but it makes you a child of God.  You are inheriting eternity with Him.  Satan can't take that away, but he can mess with your mind if you are not prepared for his attacks.

    When you become a Christian you become an inheritor of heaven.  There is plenty of room and grandeur, so sharing it with thousands of other Christians doesn't hurt your inheritance at all.  You get the full love of God as His adopted child.  His love redeems you when you accept His offer to be a part of His family and walk through life with Jesus.  Jesus leads to way in how to accept your inheritance while you are still living.

    Your strategy using salvation is to keep your mind on the eternal and not be brought down by the world's problems.  Knowing your salvation is eternal is enough to keep you from being crippled by a head blow from Satan.  He can mess with your mind, but he can't destroy it.  Your protection comes from your mindset about salvation, your lifestyle in how you live out your salvation, and choices that you make.

    Your will face spiritual battle.  It will be intense at times, but you can face your enemy.  You have God fighting for you, so who can possibly destroy you?  No one and nothing.  Your salvation protects your mind.  You are highly valued to God.  You are Jesus' representation in the world.  Your are strong with the Holy Spirit.  This means that Satan will attack you to hurt God.  Do not leave your mind exposed to him.  An unprotected mind will go through hell.  Your mind is important and if hurt it can take a long time to be healed.

    Satan's strategy is to aim for the weak points or exposed areas.  Keep your helmet on firmly where it can't shift by you losing focus or doubting that your salvation will do what God promised it would do.  Use your helmet as comprehensive coverage.  You know you have it.  Build up your faith, so that you never doubt it is protecting your mind.  Doubt leaves you weak and vulnerable for attack.  Satan still can't destroy you, but he can hurt you if your helmet is not securely protecting you.  

    Your mind is your control center.  You can be a Christian, but not utilizing your salvation to protect your biggest asset in life, your mind.  When you work with the Holy Spirit then the mind is healthy and strategic.  It can see Satan's attacks coming and prepare.  A healthy mind protects your emotions and enables to you to behave Christlike.  

    If Satan gets a few good blows in, then your mind becomes toxic and needs healing.  He is poison to interrupts discernment, wisdom, and ability to grow well with Jesus.  If you believe Satan's lies, then you hurt the way you think and weaken the power of your salvation.  You have to pray to see the truth and how to remove the poison from your mind.  Place your salvation securely in your mind to keep from being vulnerable to Satan's attacks.  Have everything you do be done with purpose.

Job 1:20-22, Luke 6:43-45, Romans 8:15-25, 1 Corinthians 4:18-21, 9:24-27, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Ephesians 1:9-14, 6:13-17, Hebrews 6:13-20, 8:7-13, & 1 Peter 1:13-16

Helmet of Salvation

 

    The helmet of salvation protects your mind.  It allows you to hold onto the promises of God when in spiritual warfare.  When Satan tells you you are unloved, unwanted, unneeded, then you have your salvation to remind you that God loves you, wants you, and has given you a purpose personalized for you.  It is your salvation that battles and  can destroy the strongholds that allows Satan access to your mind.  

    Salvation is what allows you to have eternity in heaven, but it is meant to be lived out now.  Live like a victorious child of God because that is who you are.  The helmet of salvation works on your mind as you spend time in God's Word and pray.  It transforms it into a strategic weapon against the enemy and provides the wisdom to know not to fight him on your own.  Allow the light of God keep you clearheaded and confident in your salvation.

    Salvation is what gives your life hope to live a full life without regret.  Salvation is your redemption, protection, and restoration.  You are able to live in hope because you are justified with God.  Jesus paid for your sins and now you can live free from guilt.  You now sanctified which gives you control over your sinful nature.  

    As you learn God's voice you can hear Satan's lies more clearly.  His lies align with God's truth, but twist them to manipulate you into falling for his plan for you.  God helps you see the lies for what they are and the Holy Spirit helps you avoid falling into Satan's traps.  If you walk with Jesus then you can have an abundant life in light that reveals truth.  

    The helmet of salvation is your defense against Satan and his dark forces.  It shields your mind from his attacks.  It protects your mind from his schemes.  Salvation keeps you from being as vulnerable to Satan's manipulations, but you do have to learn how to use it in life and not just hold onto it for the afterlife.  Use what you know and grow in your relationship with God to become more confident and bold for spiritual warfare.  

Isaiah 59:16-19, Romans 5:6-11, 8:18-25, 12:1-2, Galatians 5:1, Ephesians 6:13-17, Philippians 2:12-13, 1 Thessalonians 5:4-8, & James 1:19-21

How to use Faith

 

    Faith is trusting God in real time.  It is an action plan that keeps you in step with Jesus.  You listen to the directions of the Holy Spirit and move in confidence.  You start with building daily habits that grow you closer to God.

    You use your faith by spending time in God's word to know what His standards are.  You find a quiet place to pray over what you are reading and what is happening in your life.  Then you meditate while you wait to listen to how the Holy Spirit responds or look for how God has answered your prayers.  You step out into the world thinking about what you studied and how to use it personally today.  Your faith is built up over time.

    When life gets challenging speak God's truth to yourself, but also out loud.  It is a part of your testimony.  It makes you strong.  Sometimes you are doing it in a prayer.  This is good.  It gives your prayer power.  The more you trust God the more powerful your words and actions will have in the world around you.

    When you read God's Word replace all the pronouns with me and I.  It personalizes the Bible for you to be aware that it was written for you and not just people from long ago.  Use whatever method that works for you to memorize Bible versus and focus on their context so that you do not misuse them later.  

    Speak God's truth and promises out loud so that they are enforced in how you believe in God.  When you pray over scriptures it also helps take away the fear, anxiety, and worry the world gave you with faith.  You are not as stuck as you may think.  You do have options that can make you confident to live in this world with no regrets or shame.

    God is loyal, faithful, creator, and miracle worker.  He can be trusted.  Write down or record His promises as you come across them.  Use His promises as your shield of faith.  The will diffuse whatever lies Satan is throwing at you.  God loves you and is with you.  He will not leave you to fight alone.

Deuteronomy 7:7-11, Psalms 118:5-9, Proverbs 3:5-6, Isaiah 41:8-10, Romans 8:26-30, 10:16-18, 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, Ephesians 6:13-16, & Hebrews 10:23-25