We’re picking up where we left off with looking at how the Armor of God is like looking at a Believer’s Growth in Christ. We are on piece number 3 in the order of the pieces we find in Ephesians 6. It deals with sharing of our Faith.
Shoes of The Preparation of the Gospel of Peace
Preparing to share the Gospel by Prayer, Study and Fellowship. Most would think that this is talking about sharing Jesus with others. It is but it is more than that. You see, this is talking about that we need to prepare to share our Faith not just going willy nilly and sharing it.
1 Peter 3:15 (NKJV): But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear
We see here in 1 Peter that we are to Sanctify the Lord. Do you remember that Sanctify means to set apart? This means that we need to set apart The Lord from other things in our hearts. This means that we need to put Him above all things. THis would be done by studying His Word.
Psalm 119:9-16 (NKJV): How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes. With my lips I have declared All the judgments of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.
It would appear that the Psalmist here is saying that we learn by memorizing His Word. Do you have a hard time memorizing? I did too. I learned how to memorize by taking bits and pieces of what I was memorizing, and repeating that bit and adding it to what I already memorized until I was able to cite the whole thing. There are other ways, like reading it over and over while saying it aloud until you can cite it without looking at it.
Why is it important to memorize Scripture? Well first reason is obvious, to help be an encouragement to us in times of when we are struggling. It is also helpful to have it memorized when we are sharing with others. Let’s suppose that someone is anxious. Well, we can remind them that God says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6, 8; Joshua 1:5; Hebrews 13:5) or when He said, “Be anxious for nothing” (Philippians 4:6) Wouldn’t be great to encourage someone with Bible Verses to remind them of how much He loves us?
We also need to spend time in His Word to help us be changed.
Joshua 1:7-9 (NKJV): “Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
It’s through the change that we start to know His Love and start to understand what it means to have a Relationship with Him.
Spending time in Prayer is a great way to have a conversation with Him. We start to learn what He wants from us as well as learn to bring our woes to Him. We not only bring our woes but we learn to petition for others and we learn to bring praise. A great example, mind you this is an example, of how to do this is through what we understand to be “The Lord’s Prayer” or actually that’s what we call it.
Matthew 6:5-13 (NKJV): “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.[b] 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
You should notice that we are praying for others in this as well as for ourselves. We are asking for forgiveness for ourselves as we learn to forgive others. That would seem to say to us that we are praying for them.
We also are asking Him to teach us what He wants to happen. That when we ask for what is being don in Heaven, needs to happen here too, or we would hope it to happen.
I hope that you see that this is a way for Him to work in us to change us to be what He wants, not that we demand from Him to make things happen.
Then there is the fellowship piece we see. We need the fellowship because it encourages us to grow. It is the part that keeps us accountable to grow in Him. It is the piece that fuels the fire so to speak.
Hebrews 10:24-25 (NKJV): And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NKJV): Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
You see, through all of this preparation, we get prepared to share with others of what Jesus has done in our lives. Once we learn and start to have others working in our lives, we then can share with others and have people working alongside of us. It is always better to have others alongside when we share.
Until Next Time:
Ezekiel 37:1-14 (NLKJV): The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. 2 Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. 3 And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.”
4 Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. 6 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”’”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.
9 Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”’” 10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
11 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 13 Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. 14 I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’”
