Prepared to walk by Faith.

Ephesians 6:15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

I asked the Lord years ago, “why is peace on our feet?” He then asked me a question. “Why do you put shoes on?” I said, “to protect my feet.” The Lord said, “peace is to protect your walk.”

One of the main things the army teaches you in boot camp is that you must be diligent in protecting your feet. Suppose your feet are not in good shape. In that case, your ability to fight is limited, your mobility is compromised, your effectiveness is limited, and often you require help from other soldiers to transport you and protect you, taking them away from their assignment.

It is much worse in spiritual warfare. When our heart is wounded, hardened, jealous, bitter, resentful, or self-seeking, we become not only prey for the enemy but also a weapon he can use to hurt others. James 3 tells us how serious this is.

James 3:13-17 (ESV) But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

When selfishness, bitterness, and jealousy enter our hearts, they will come out in our words and actions. When that happens, we become a magnet for mayhem, a landing strip for demonic activity. We don’t just open the door to demonic influence; we send out invitations and serve their favorite meals.

Guarding our mouths is a huge part of protecting our hearts. Words have creative or destructive power. Words can minister grace, peace, and life, or they can minister death and invite demonic activity. When we give voice to thoughts that the enemy is whispering in our minds, we take that evil seed and plant it in our hearts while exposing our weakness to the enemy.

The entire Bible is replete with passages warning us and encouraging us about the power of our words.

Proverbs 18:21 (ESV) Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Whatever we give ourselves to talk about, we will eat the fruit of.

A disciplined approach to reading and studying the Bible is how we fill our hearts and minds with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Without daily exposure and intake of God’s word, we have little protection from Satan’s subtle deceptions.

Thank you for visiting truthpressure.com. I hope this has been a blessing to you.

Emotional Warfare – exposing Satan’s plan

Many times, Satan will bombard our minds with negative thoughts and sensual images to stir our emotions to the point of physical reaction. Emotional warfare is spiritual warfare. Thoughts and words are spiritual, so he pressures us with these ungodly thoughts in the hope of us reacting with our words and actions. It is our own words that defile us and allow Satan an entrance into our hearts. Our words tell him where we are weak, where to focus his attacks, and whom he may devour. Our words and actions reveal the chinks in our armor, the weaknesses of our faith. Jesus said this about our words,

Matthew 15:11 “it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”

The devil roars in our minds like a lion, seeking whom he may devour. He is looking for those that open their mouth in response to his temptations, showing him where he can most effectively plant his corrupt seed.

The first step in taking thoughts captive is to refuse to give them a voice or act upon them. Once he gets seed into our hearts, he waters that seed with more thoughts until it produces the fruit of more words and actions. It is a devious and highly effective plan that tricks us into embracing fleshly desires and abandoning our walk in the Spirit.

Thank you for visiting truthpressure.com. I hope this has been a blessing to you.