Weapons Of Our Warfare

WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE

 The bible admonishes us that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but they are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds.

When praying we need to pray smart, i.e specific measurable, attainable, being Realistically, With a time frame.

An understanding of the weaponry at our disposal will enable us to fight more effectively and become over comers.  An understanding of the weapons we have at our disposal, will enable us to apply them strategically against the enemy of our souls

 Many countries spend billions of their money to train their soldiers and equip them to understand the weapons that they can employ against the enemy in whatever situation.  In fact the security budget is the largest in any given country and is given top priority.  A lot of research goes into security and new weapons are always being developed and tested, so that the army may remain relevant 

 Likewise as believers we should always seek to read and research on the weapons that we can use against the devil and his demons.  An understanding of the weapons of our warfare will enable us to deploy them more effectively and we become snipers in the hand of our master and saviour.  

 Today we will examine the first weapon which is :

1.                 The blood of Jesus

 “I’ve heard that” I can almost hear you say!!! But truly, a deeper understanding of what the blood is and what it did for us will enable any one to become more effective in their prayer life.  Many times we do not clearly understand what kind of victory the blood bought for us, and we only use it lightly.

It is by far one of the most powerful weapon we have in our armory of weapon

 When Jesus died on Calvary, Golgotha, and his blood touched the earth, several things happened,

• there was an earthquake,
• the graves opened,
• the curtain at the temple tore into two,
• there was darkness on the earth for 3 hours. 

It was a defining moment in time, in all history.  The defeat of Satan was being finalized. 

 You see this was the second time Satan was being defeated by the blood. In revelation 12, we read of Satan being cast out of heaven and before he was cast out there was war in heaven where Michael the archangel and his army fought the devil, and cast him out.  The bible says they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony. ( a thousand amens!!!)

 

From then on Satan hated the seed of the woman, and he relentlessly pursues man because of the defeat he suffered, in heaven,(Genesis 12) read it please!!!!, it is simply delicious!!!.  

 We are in a battle standing in a position of victory, because the weapon we are using has already defeated our enemy and will continue to defeat him every time he comes into contact with it.

 That is why when even under extraneous circumstances someone can call on the name of the Lord and the blood of Jesus and the demons and Satan have no choice but to move. 

 What the blood of Jesus does

• It cleanses us from sin, confess your sins and ask for the cleansing of the blood
• It becomes a covering to us as we approach the throne room of the Lord for Mercy ( it is not by our works but by the blood of Christ)
• The blood speaks ( it has a voice) of a better promise to us
• It bloats out ( wipes out) ordinances(curses, stuff) written/ spoken over our lives
• The blood gives us a new relationship with God in that we now become his sons and heirs of his kingdom.
• The blood makes us have a covenant relationship with Christ.  All that he has is ours and all that we have is his.
• The blood overcame satan in heaven, when he was cast out, here on earth by the death of Christ on the cross.  So whenever we use it, Satan is reminded of his defeat.    

  No matter how stubborn an issue has been or no matter how long it has been in existence, the blood of Jesus when applied to that issue or situation can bring a complete turnaround.

 How can I say that, look at what the blood of animals did when Israel was delivered from Egypt.  They had been in bondage for over 400 years, ( I am yet to met/hear  a person  who is 200 years), but with a divine promise (covenant ) and the blood of the Passover, God delivered them overnight, with wealth, riches, favour, freedom, etc.  What then can the blood of Christ which is divine with the a divine covenant of God for Salvation do?  Is there any thing too hard for the Lord

 Further look at what God did when the walls of Jericho came down, the people had just been circumcised, blood had just been poured evoking a covenant of circumcision and walls which had stood for years, strong, unshakeable, immovable, fell down in one go.  Is there any thing too hard for the Lord.

 When Solomon in his dedication of the temple to the Lord slaughtered thousands of animals.  Historians say that the blood that flowed  that day was like a river, and it ran for days. That blood (of animals ) caused God to visit Solomon that night and ask him what he wanted God to do for him.

 We could go on and on, the blood of animals did so much in the old testament, can you imagine the divine, pure, unadulterated, holy blood of the lamb Jesus!!!! It is the ultimate weapon.

 Prayer points

• I activate the speaking of the blood of Jesus
• in my life,
• in my destiny,
• in my marriage,
• in my ministry,
• in my family,
• in my work,
• in my body, in the name of Jesus

 

• I activate the speaking of the blood of Jesus
• upon my foundations,
• my roots,
• my beginnings,
• my birth, in the name of Jesus

 

• I silence the voice of any blood shed in any sacrifice, covenant, agreement, bond, ritual, rite, ceremony, concerning me, by the voice of the blood of Jesus in Jesus name

 

• I bloat out the handwriting of ordinances written against me in the heavenlies, in the earth, under the earth by the blood of Jesus

( these should be prayed repeatedly,  tenaciously, with violence, holy anger, aggression, for a minimum of five minutes each)

 

Keys To Successful Prayer: understand your spirituality

One of the ways I find that helps me to keep focused on who God is and who Satan is, is by the way I pray. On point, aggresive, focused, repeated prayers, clothed with the word of God which act as a sword to the enemy. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but they are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds.......

The bible clearly encourages us that our war is not physical but spiritual, "for we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against powers, rulers, principalities........ ephesians 6: 11

The following keys will aid you in leading a successful prayer life. 

1.  Know you are a spritual being.

This may seem obvious but it is not.  We need to consiously develop our spiritual man and begin to see ourselves more as spiritual beings than physical beings.  Once we perceive our spirituality, then we will begin to act more like spiritual people.  Man is made up of body, soul and spirit.  

• The body is what we see physically: the home of the soul and the spirit
  
• The soul is where the emotions of man reside
  
• The spirit is where the life of God or the breath of God resides.
  

When we get born again the spirit of man indwells in our spirit    

This is the part we give the least of our attention and it is the most important.  It is the part of us that will live forever.  The spirit is a being with facilities like our physical bodies. ephesians 6 says put on the full armour of the lord, the helmet of salvation(head), the breastplate of righteousness(chest), the belt of truth (loins), the preparation of the gospel on our feet, take up the shield of faith and the sword of the spirit(hands), garment of praise(body)isaiah 61:3)

One of the tactics of the devil is to let us view our spiritual man as an obscure and unclear thing which only the pastor and God seem to understand.!!

Your spirit man is like your physical man with ears, eyes, feet, body, hands, mouth, head, etc.

Internalise this one point and your prayer life will take an upward turn for the better.  You will be able to perceive and understand that the devil is also spiritual, and God is spiritual, and thus you must employ the weapons that are spiritual to defeat him( the devil).

Many things that manifest in our physical bodies begun way back in the spirit, but because we pay little or no attention to it, the progression to our physical is then made possible.   Victory must first be attained in the spiritul realm then be made manifest in the physical.  

In every level of our life whether we are seeking for healing for our bodies, solutions to problems that plague us, we must first conquer in the spirit before we see results in the physical     

We could live here on this for a  time, but for now we will leave it at that when you pray begin to visualize yourself as a spiritual person, close your eyes and see what you are saying.

As you put on the full armour of God in your prayer see yourself in your inner eye putting it on your spiritual man.  Your words are life and are being listened to in the spiritual realms, by both God and the devil 

       

Prayer points  that I pray continuously to activate my spiritual man are:

•  open my spiritual eyes and ears that I may see, (ephesians 1: 19 open the eyes of my understanding that I may know the hope of my calling)  
  
• let every deaf and dumb spirit blocking my eyes and ears, die now in Jesus name
  
• I operate a 20/20 vision in my spirit man in the name of Jesus
• My ear will hear clearly and distinctly the voice of God in the name of Jesus 
• Arise Oh God! and scatter every evil spirit that is blocking my vision  and my hearing in the name of Jesus  

Next we look at understanding our weapons  

Leadership: 10 qualities any worship and praise leader should have

Invariably, every praise and worship team member is a leader in some way or another. The worship leader then is a leader of leaders. People tend to put those in the limelight at a pedestal, and have an expectation that they should be able to perform to their expectations .


What then are the qualites that a leader should aspire to posess to enable them function effectively


1. Be a Prayerful Person

This is one of the most challenging areas of any christian. The Devil who knows the power of prayer often puts many people in the place of prayerlessness. The power of prayer cannot be overemphasised, sufficient to say the prayer life of any worship leader directly affects his ministry. The scriptures encourage us to pray without ceasing. Jesus himself who was the son of God, spend many nights in prayer. How much more should we pray?.


2. Be bold
A worship and praise leader must be bold and courageous. Bold to encourage the congregation to embrace God and seek for new ways to praise him. Bold to encourage non traditional methods of worship like the use of dance in praise and worship, use of flags, introduce new songs,

3. Be creative
Be creative in your worship. Let not words become words but mean them from your heart or spirit. many times after leading for a long period you may find that some words become pat words, words that you say without meaning, and you say them repeatedly, e.g "come & lift your hands", "worship him" or "this is the day that the lord has made let us rejoice and be glad" yet your mind and heart are far from what you are saying. Ask the lord for a creative way of bringing the people to him

4. Possess leadership attributes from titus 1.6-9

• Have one spouse
• be a man/woman of integrity
• Be hospitable
• do not be a drunkard
• not greedy for money
• manage your family well
• be just
• have self control

5. Be a worshipper

Worship God in private and in public. If you are not a worshipper you cannot lead people into the presence of God, you have not been there!. A worshipper is not necessarily a musician, but a person who loves to worship God and stay in his presence. God loves those who worship him in spirit and in truth. He is seeking for them.
6.Have a basic understanding of music
To lead in worship and praise songs or lyrics, one has to have a basic understanding of music or have an ear for music. It can be quite challenging to lead worship when tone deaf!!!!
7. Pay attention to details
This often is what seperates mediocracy from excellence. Pay attention to details of your music, the notes, the way you arrange the lyrics, the song lists, the flow of the songs, the way different keys work either together or not, the way different musicians( your musicians) play the songs. If you will talk between the songs, what will you say, how will you say it, when will you say it,your backup singers. The difference this will bring to your leadership is simply amazing!

9. Listening to the Holy Spirit

Many times in the services the praise and worship leader may stay long on a song but he already has lost the people. The annointing is not in the song, and he does not seem to sense or know it. He just goes on for another 5 mins singing the same song, while the congregtion's mind wander away and only come back when another song is sung. A good worship leader should pray and ask the Holy Spirit to let him know when the annointing is on a song, when to stay on a song, and when to move away from a song when to allow the people to lavish their worship on God without a song. The key here is being senstive to God

10 Ability to inspire your worship team and the congregation you are serving
In other words have an annointing. Where when you lead, the glory and the presence of God comes down. When the annointing of God is upon you your words inspire both your team and the listeners.

-until next time when we shall examine the role of worship leader!!!

In his service
chrysty