Tag: Trust God

PUTTING ON THE ARMOR OF GOD PRAYER MODEL

What is God’s armor, and why do we need to put it on? Who is my enemy? Ephesians 6:12-13 states, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.   Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” And 2Corinthians 11:3 states, “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” Your enemy is the serpent, rulers, authorities, etc., otherwise known as the devil (also called Satan) and demons. Satan has been deceiving and tempting humanity to sin since the Garden of Eden. We need to submit our minds to God daily and trust Him and resist the devil (James 4:7). The armor of God is one of the strategies the Apostle Paul outlined in Ephesians 6:14-18 to fight the daily spiritual warfare.

As you put on the armor, know that God’s divine power helps you succeed. Trusting in the truths of His great and precious promises allows you to have His divine nature to defeat the enemy of your soul. The devil’s single goal is to deceive you and corrupt your relationship with God and others through your sinful nature (2Peter 1:3-4). Daily put on God’s armor through prayer to keep the victory.

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Dear Lord, I am weak, but You make me strong with Your mighty strength. I put on the whole armor of God so that I can stand against the schemes of the devil. I remind myself today that I do not wrestle against flesh and blood but with unseen evil powers. With Your armor on, I can withstand the destructive plans of the spiritual forces of evil and stand firm against deceptions and temptations.

I put on the belt of truth by meditating on scripture day and night so I will not sin against God and succeed in all I do. I will depend on the Holy Spirit to lead me in truth, so I am not deceived. I humbly yield my mind to the truth of God’s Word and resist the devil’s temptations to sin through my deceitful, corrupt desires. (Josh. 1:8; Ps.119:11; James 4:7-8; Jer. 17:9-10; Eph. 4:22.)

I put on the breastplate of righteousness and receive forgiveness for my sins that I may practice righteousness and do God’s will. I will seek to please God in reverent fear knowing I will stand before Him to give an account of the good or evil I do while in the flesh. (Acts 10:43; 1John 1:9; 2:29; John 9:31. 2Cor. 5:9-10.)

I put on the shoes of the gospel of peace, being prepared to be at peace with everyone and in every situation, even when people do not meet my expectations. I put off the spirit of pride and walk as God walks in humility, love, compassion, and respect for others. I will share my testimony of hope and encourage everyone I can to love and trust in Jesus Christ, who gives peace. (Jam. 3:18; Rom. 12:16-18; Col. 3:12-14; 1John2:16; Prov. 16:18; 1Peter 3:8,15.)

I put on the helmet of salvation and take every tempting thought, offense, and unholy desire captive and make it submit to the Lordship of Christ Jesus. I have the mind of Christ and His authority to overcome every obstacle to my faith. I will forgive offenses quickly so the devil doesn’t get a foothold in my mind to produce the fleshly desire to be angry, impatient, and unkind. I will renew my mind with the truth in God’s Word daily. (2Cor. 10:3-5; 1Cor. 2:16b; Col. 2:9-10; Matt. 6:14-15; Eph. 4:26-27; Jam. 1:14-15.)

I take up my sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word, to strike down every temptation to yield to my pride and deceitful, fleshly desires. I will discipline my mind to memorize Bible verses and practice them to strengthen and sharpen my sword. And I yield to the Holy Spirit’s control and guidance over my thoughts. (Heb. 4:12; Rom. 8:5-8; Mat. 4:1-10; John 16:13-14.)

I take up my shield of faith to block the fiery arrows of condemnation, accusation, temptations, doubts, and flattery of the enemy. I believe that God loves me, cares about me, and is my shield that protects me from evil. I will strengthen my faith by meditating on Scripture day and night. (Eph. 6:16; Rev. 12:9; 1John 3:1; 1Peter 5:7; 2Thes. 3:3; Rom. 10:17)

I will pray continually and give all my concerns to God. I will be thankful and not complain or argue. I will praise God’s attributes and trust Him. I will serve others in love and do good and share. (1Thes.5:16-17; Eph. 6:18; Phil. 2:12-16; Heb. 13:15-16; Gal. 5:13) I am prepared to be victorious today by the grace of God and in His strength.

I am prepared to be victorious today by the grace of God and in His strength.
By Joyce Hanscom–hopeforcompletehealing.com

You have my permission to copy this declaration and use it in your daily prayer time.

Grace and peace to you.

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON’T PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR?

Spiritual Warfare 1: HOW TO DISCERN THE TRUTH

Spiritual Warfare 2: HOW TO NOT DIE SPIRITUALLY

Spiritual Warfare 3: HOW TO BATTLE FOR PEACE

Spiritual Warfare 4: How to Protect Your Mind

Spiritual Warfare 5: HOW TO ANNIHILATE UNSEEN ATTACKS

All verses are from the English Standard Bible. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share the links with your friends and family, hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright protected, and no part of the posts or my book may be reproduced without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom. 

Check out my first book on Amazon. I would love to hear what you think.

Contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com, and ask for a PDF of Eight Prayers from the Bible. The prayers are for the Spirit of wisdom, renewal, spiritual strength, knowledge of His will, virtues of God, salvation for non-believers, 23rd Psalm, and victory. Please leave your name, so I know you are a real person making the request.

P.S.: Experiencing a lasting change in your life depends on having a right relationship with God the Father through believing in His Son Jesus Christ and obeying His command to love (1 John 3).

Where do You Get Self-worth and Significance?

What shapes your identity? Do people, things, or activities shape how you view yourself? Have you noticed how advertisements appeal to your sense of security, self-worth, and significance? The messages we hear are: “You have to have this to be popular.” Or, “You have to have or do this to be truly satisfied.” Or, “You have to do this to be healthy and fit.” Advertisements appeal to our fleshly desires, doesn’t it?

Idolatry of People’s Opinions

Where do you get your identity, security, significance, and self-worth? Does it come from people’s opinion, or money, your work, secular and church activities, sports, people, material possessions, riches, etc.?

      Review the following questions to realize if you have unseen idolatry of peoples’ opinions and perceptions of you.

  • Are you devastated, depressed, or despaired when the people you admire ignore you?
  • Do you become anxious when people disapprove of you?
  • Do you have an excessive concern about what others think about you, and you try to manipulate their thinking?
  • Do you have a preoccupation with acceptance, approval, popularity, self-image, or pleasing others?
  • Do you avoid being transparent, confront bad ideas, or ask for help because you fear what other people will think?
  • Do you get upset when no one recognizes you for a contribution you made?
  • Because of self-pride, do you want people to confirm your excessive opinion of yourself?
  • Do you cover up your failures or inadequacies so people think well of you?
  • Do you believe that you will be popular and accepted if you wear the latest fashions, are a good athlete, have a fancy car, have a lot of money and possessions, accomplish something great, etc.?

Proverbs 29:25 states, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.” A snare is anything that entraps or entangles you when you are not aware. The fear of man snares you in the trap of pleasing the one you fear instead of serving and pleasing God. Trust the LORD to take care of your needs for worth, acceptance, and significance. As fellow heirs with Jesus Christ, you have tremendous value and significance; read Romans 8:17 and Galatians 4:7. Also, read my posts called Fear God, Not People.

Meditate on and journal the following Scripture: Jeremiah 17:5-8,

5) Thus, says the LORD: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. 6) He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.’

7) ‘Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. 8) He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.’

According to this passage, you will receive good things when you trust God, but Satan does not want that, so he will tempt you to trust in idols.

Idolatry of Riches

Do you try to get your worth, security, significance, and value from how much money you have? If yes, money is your idol. The Bible says in Matthew 6:20-21 and 24 to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 24) No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Money is an idol when you devote your time to earning a lot to show your status over others. Trust in your income potential, bank accounts, and investments to meet your needs instead of trusting God is idolatry. A wise person prepares for retirement but also trusts God and not their investments because investments can be lost in a day, but God will never leave you. Hebrews 13:5 states, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”

Do you value money more than God? 1Timothy 6:9-10 explains what happens when you love money more than God. “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10) For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

If you realize you love money more than God, then take that thought captive and say a prayer of repentance and submission to Him. Serving money will bring many sorrows. The Apostle Paul also instructs us in Timothy 6:6-8 that being content will bring blessings. “But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8) But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” Which do you want; sorrows or blessings? Are you content with what God gave you, or do you want more money?

Wealth is not a sin, and many people in the Bible were very wealthy, yet they loved God, such as Job, Abraham, Daniel, King David, and King Solomon. The worldly desire to be rich tempts you to do evil and fall into ruin and destruction. Living comfortably is not a sin, but remember to tithe and give to those who are less fortunate since what you have was given to you by God. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 states, “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ 18a) You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the power to get wealth.”

You will feel empty and disillusioned when you depend on people or things to give you security, self-worth, and significance. The following questions will reveal if you are trusting God to meet these needs.

  • Is your primary motive to love and glorify God, or are you seeking riches, a comfortable life, personal approval, or acceptance from people?
  • Does God fill the void in your soul, or do you go to food, activities, people, etc.?
  • Do you thankfully pray in every circumstance, expecting God to meet all your needs?

RELATED POSTS:

Are You a Sheep or a Goat?

What Will Cause You to Lose Your Inheritance

Idolatry and Soul ties

Breaking Childhood Rejection and Insignificance Strongholds.