Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” —Ephesians 6:10–12
The other night I had a dream. There has been so much spiritual warefare going on lately that it seems just about every night I have these intense dreams but instead of being fearful when I wake up I am at peace. The Holy Spirit is right there with a word of truth calming any fears I may have and unveiling the truth to contradict the lie I was experiencing in my dream. It’s been very educational and life changing to say the least.
On this particular night I was running from a preditor, and I wasn’t alone. Everyone around me was at fear for their lives as this preditor stalked the town. You never knew where he was going to be and he could not be defeated. Oddly enough, I found my way to large mattress factory. Inside were hundreds if not thousands of people all laying atop these display mattresses. Apparently this was the response to the threat the enemy posed outside the factory. So I found an empty mattress and I laid down. Suddenly it began rolling and when I looked up I saw that everyone’s mattresses were on bed frames with wheels that rolled as well.
Rolling from room to room I remember laying there still as a board just praying that the enemy would not find me. Suddenly I saw a young girl run into the warehouse and I recognized the fear she carried with her. Motioning for her to join me here where it was safe I let her know this seemed to be the way to avert the attack of the enemy. So she laid down too. I now felt a burden to protect her.
As my rolling mattress found its way into a new room of the warehouse I felt fear grow heavier and heavier. I saw a large opening in the wall and I knew—the enemy was on the other side.
Feeling the need to protect this young girl I got down off the mattress to inspect. I’m not sure what I thought I would do if I encountered him but I knew I needed to see if he was there. But before I could think to hard about it out he came! And I ran. I ran and ran and ran and when I managed to look back I saw him capture that young girl. Fear moved over my entire body and I woke up!
My eyes quickly scanned my bedroom and I realized it had all been a dream. Before I could process anything more I heart the Holy Spirit speak to me in a clear, fiery manner, He said,
“We do not lie in wait, fearful and helpless, waiting for the enemy to attack us. No! We put on the full armor of God and live our lives!”
There was a rhythm to what he was saying.
Over and over this rolled through my spirit as I reached for my phone to jot it down exactly as He had said it,
We do not lie in wait, fearful and helpless, waiting for the enemy to attack us! No! We put on the full armor of God and live our lives!”
No more fear—it’s time to live!!
He then began to show me how so many of us, hundreds and thousands of us as in the mattress factory, have stopped living the abundant life Jesus died for us to have (Jn. 10:10). We’ve allowed fear to halt us. We lay in wait and stop moving forward in our life and in the purposes of God as we are fearful of this enemy we know could be lurking around any corner.
He also showed me that we’ve assigned a dangerous to the enemy that he is this predator who cannot be defeated. That it doesn’t matter what weapon we use, he cannot be stopped.
Friend, this is one of the biggest lies of all! That the enemy is somehow an undefeatable predator—he’s not! The truth is he’s already been defeated and he was robbed of all his power when Jesus died on the cross!
“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” —Colossians 2:15
The enemy has no authentic power, his only power comes when we come into agreement with his lies! Deny the lie and nullify its power over you!
Jesus died to give us life and life to the full (Jn. 10:10). The enemy wants to rob us of this life and get us laid up with fear. As John 10:10 declares, His agenda is to steal kill and destroy!
As believers we have authentic power from Christ!
Friend, you have the same power that raised Christ from the dead living inside of you! And that power gives life to your mortal body! It’s time get up, put on the full armor of God and live your life! You are not helpless! You are not weak! You’re not defeated! You’re a child of God and have the same power that raised Christ from the dead living inside you (Rom. 8:11)!!!
“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit,which is the word of God.” —Ephesians 6:13–17
This Week’s Challenge: Put on the full armor of God and live your life! Rise up from your mattress and go fourth boldly armed with the truth of God’s word. Yield yourself fully to Him and spend time daily in prayer so that you can remain fruitful and strong. Verse 18 of Ephesians 6 says this, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” So stay alert, pray and live fully armed.
I love you,
Did you miss last week’s devotional, When Your Soul Needs Anchored | Jesus is There? Read it by clicking HERE.
