The Move Is On!! Part 1

1 Chronicles 14:15 When you hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of the poplar trees, go out and attack! That will be the signal that God is moving ahead of you to strike down the Philistine army.”

2 Samuel 5:23-24 And again David asked the Lord what to do. “Do not attack them straight on,” the Lord replied. “Instead, circle around behind and attack them near the poplar trees. When you hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of the poplar trees, be on the alert! That will be the signal that the Lord is moving ahead of you to strike down the Philistine army.”

If you listen closely you will hear the sound of marching feet in the tree tops. God is mounting a full scale assault against the forces of darkness. He is calling his church to unite; to take up our weapons and join the battle.

WEAPONS: 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.

1.  The Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) ¹⁰ A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. ¹² For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

When the apostle Paul describes the armor of God, he is talking about more than a simple set of helpful tips. He is talking about the impregnable defenses of the Almighty God. These are keys to withstanding the attacks and onslaughts of the great dragon of old, Satan the devil. They are ultimate and infinitely powerful tools available to us as Christians. (http://www.freebiblestudyguides.org/bible-teachings/armor-of-god-belt-of-truth.htm)

a. Belt of truth: The belt known as a the cingulum or balteus— held the scabbard (sword), without his belt he would have no weapon.

The Nelson Study Bible says from the belt "hung strips of leather to protect the lower body." The Matthew Henry Commentary says the belt "girds on [secures] all the other pieces of our armor." Truth should gird us as the belt girded the soldier.  It is truth that holds us together in    times of battle.

John 17:17 “Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.” 

b. Body armor (breastplate of God’s righteousness: The breastplate is the most crucial piece of the soldier’s armor.  It protected the soldier’s torso, the heart, and vital organs.  Without the breastplate entering into battle would mean certain death as any attack would quickly become fatal.  When a soldier wears the breastplate blows are deflected rather than penetrating the torso.

Proverbs 11:4 (NIV) Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. 

Without righteousness we leave ourselves open to the attack of the enemy.  

Isaiah 64:6 We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind. Here we see our righteousness equated to filthy rags.

Job 36:3 I will present profound arguments for the righteousness of my Creator.

Psalm 5:8 (NIV) Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies— make your way straight before me.

Psalm 24:5 (KJV) He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

Psalm 71:16 (NIV) I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign Lord; I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.

We are made righteous through Christ.  We don’t stand in our own righteousness.  We stand righteousness because of the sacrifice of Jesus.

c. The Shoes of the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace: The soldier wears shoes to protect his feet from debris on the battle field such as rocks or sticks. 

For us having the shoes of peace allows us to step freely with our fear so we can focus on the battle at hand.    

The message of the Gospel (salvation, freedom, and grace) gives us peace. We know God is the provider of our freedom and salvation and that he gives us grace to walk.  This knowledge gives us peace even in the midst of the battle. 

d. Shield of Faith: The Roman shield was not the medieval type shield we see in most pictures.  They were huge, some up to 3 ½ tall and almost 3 feet wide.  They were curved in such a way that they were able to deflect the blows of the enemy without putting the full force of the blow on the one holding it.   

Hebrews 11:1 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

Here is a biblical definition of faith that clears up some common misconceptions. If faith is "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen," then this has far-reaching implications. Substance is tangible, and evidence is solid proof. Faith is, by definition, not some hazy emotion without any grounding in reality. It is the irrefutable truth. It is real.  (http://www.freebiblestudyguides.org/bible-teachings/armor-of-god-shield-of-faith.htm)

Romans 8:24-25 We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

Our faith allows us to fight without fear or worry.  God gives each of us the measure of faith and as we use that faith it begins to grow and develop. 

The shield protects: While a physical shield protects, faith protects us even during difficult trials. 

(Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego)

The shield deflects: Satan is always throwing the arrows of doubt and fear at us.  The only time he can hit us is when we let our shield of faith down.  (Matthew 14:28-31, Peter walks on water)

The shield is our first line of defense: When our faith in God’s care is strong it is impossible for Satan to land any blows, however, when we get distracted by the storm around us like Peter did, the enemy can land blows that will cause damage to our armor.

The shield can incapacitate: When Satan was tempting Jesus, Jesus’ faith in the Word stopped Satan in his tracks.  The shield of a soldier could be used to shove an opponent so hard it knocked him off balance and opened him up for an attack.

e. The helmet of Salvation: The helmet is designed to protect a soldier’s head from attacks of the enemy.

1 Thessalonians 5:8-11 But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation. For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. Christ died for us so that,   whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

We can receive tremendous hope and comfort by focusing on the incredible sacrifice Christ gave to save us and the amazing Kingdom that is the goal of our salvation. This hope works like a helmet to protect our minds from the discouragement and despair in this world. (http://www.freebiblestudyguides.org/bible-teachings/armor-of-god-helmet-of-salvation.htm)

f. The sword of the Spirit (the Word of God): The sword was the main means of attack.  The Word is our main line of attack against the enemy.   When Jesus was being tempted by the enemy, he quoted the Word. 

God’s Word is truth.  We can put our confidence in the fact that His words are accurate, unerring, and true.  When we obey the guidelines in the Word it will guide us every time in the path we need to walk. 

                                 

All Scripture is NLT unless otherwise stated.