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One day several years ago, God suddenly impressed upon my heart the need for His people to be well informed concerning some of Gods greatest giftsthe power in His Word, His Name, and His blood. Understanding these precious gifts is the key to truly experiencing all that is ours in Christ.
He began to show me how important it is for His people to hide in their hearts Scriptures about the Word, the name, and the blood so they will be well equipped for end-time warfare.
I offer this book in humility, knowing that these are precious topics. I pray that I may receive grace from Almighty God to do justice to each one as I approach them with reverential fear and awe.
You will find these pages filled with Scripture references hide them in your heart and they will be available to you when you need them.
Surely we are living in the last days, and the Bible teaches us that Satans attacks will intensify during these perilous times. How do we defend ourselves? What are our weapons of offense and defense? How can we as Christians protect ourselves and our loved ones during these end-time attacks?
Satan launches very personal attacks. He attacks our marriage, our children, our job and our personal property. Our mind is also a favorite target, as well as our emotions and our physical body. Actually, the list is endless.
The enemy is a master of deception. He lies, cheats and steals. (John 10:10, John 8:44.) He plans a strategy and is willing to invest long periods of time in working his plan.
Has God left us defenseless? Do we need to spend all of our time fighting the devil, or can we really enjoy life in todays world?
I believe God has a glorious plan for His people. He has established in His Word that His children are to be the head and not the tail, above and not beneath. (Deut. 28:13.) God intends to work through us to defeat the enemy. He will do it, through us ! Ephesians 3:10 gives insight into this truth: [The purpose is] that through the church the complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers) in the heavenly sphere.
God is wise; He is wisdom, and wisdom has a plan that will restore all things to His original plan and purpose. He is going to execute that plan through the Church. He will defeat the devil through His many-sided wisdom, which He will make known to principalities and powers through the Church.
Christ is the Head of the Church, and we are the Body. We, like the physical body, are to listen to the Head and act accordingly. There are many aspects to spiritual warfare. My purpose in this book is not to cover them all, but to bring to your attention three specific areas that are of utmost importancethe Word, the name and the bloodweapons of attack and defense against the enemy and all of his hosts.
S o get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble (gentle, modest) spirit receive and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted [in your hearts] contains the power to save your souls.
James 1:21
Once a person is born again, God is not finished with him; He is just beginning. After the New Birth, the individual is turned over to the Holy Spirit for transformation. The tool the Holy Spirit uses to bring about this transformation is the Word of God.
The spirit of the new believer has been re-born, brought back to life; that person will go to heaven when he dies. Now he needs to work out [his] own salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12 KJV ). In other words, his soul needs to be saved. The soul is often defined as the mind, the will and the emotions. Each of these areas needs salvation. According to the Scriptures, the mind must be renewed by the Word of God.
RENEWING THE MIND BY THE WORD
Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].
Romans 12:2
God has a good plan already laid out for each of us, but we will never enjoy it unless our mind is renewed with the Word, which is His thoughts and ideas about things. When our mind is renewed with His Word, we think His thoughts and not our own.
When the mind is renewed, one area of the soul has been saved. The Holy Spirit relentlessly works to bring the whole man into Gods perfect will. This process is referred to as sanctification or the salvation of the soul. Not only does He work to renew the mind, but also the will and the emotions.
RENEWAL BRINGS LIBERATION
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom).
And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:17,18
In these Scriptures we see that the Spirit desires to bring us into freedom and to liberate us completely. We also see that this liberty is accomplished as we look into the Word of God. We are transfigured, ever changing from one degree of glory to another. This change is the work of the Spirit, and His tool is the Word of God.
You and I cannot change, be transformed like this, without the Word. We cannot change ourselves; only God can change us. It is the power of His Word that brings transformation. There is power in Gods Word to change us and to save our soul.
Love the Word, study the Word, learn the Wordit is a precious treasure and should always be respected and honored.
I dearly love the Word. The words of Jesus as recorded in John 8:31,32 are a reality in my life: If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples. And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.
The Word is also called Truth. I have learned the truth as I have studied Gods Word over the years. Deception was uncovered in my life, and the truth set me free.
Here is an example: I believed (thought) I had to perform perfectly to receive Gods love and approval. I felt good about myself when I was doing well and hated myself when I wasnt. Most of the time I was failing at something; even minor offenses left me feeling guilty and condemned.
I learned truth as I learned the Word of God. I discovered that I did not have to perform perfectly because Jesus had already been made a perfect sacrifice for me. I learned that I was to do my best and place my faith in Jesus. I learned that although I made mistakes, He looked upon my heart. He knew I loved Him and wanted to do everything perfectly right. He also knew that I could not behave perfectly because of the weakness of the flesh. He understood and was always willing to forgive me if I trusted in Him.
