BE ALL YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE
The following thoughts are highly influenced by and sometimes taken directly from two devotionals that come from Sparkling Gems From the Greek by Rick Renner. The two devotionals are: "It's Time for You To Stop Acting Like You're A Victim!" (pp.74-76) and "The Holy Spirit Wants To Place A Razor-Sharp Sword in Your Hands" (pp.77-79).
Many of us, including myself, exhibit a knee-jerk reaction of fear, worry, or worse when problems, issues, or blatant attacks come our way. Scripture says it does not have to be that way. If I knew the Scripture like the back-of-my-hand, like I want to, I could use those Words of God that apply and speak it into the situation. We all could apply God's Word if we would just stay in God's Word, The Bible, and really soak up His teachings and do our best to memorize verses. What you cannot sink into your head-knowledge, I believe, God will quicken to your Spirit when you need it (assuming you have read it).
One of the first items to be addressed here, in order to be all you are supposed to be in Christ, is the right mindset or attitude. For this correct frame of mind Mr. Rick Renner appropriately uses Colossians 2:15 which says, "And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." Our enemy is defeated! Not only that but look at how he was defeated!
Spoiled translates in the Greek as "put off" according to my e-Sword resource. According to the NIV translation the word spoiled is deemed "disarmed". Jesus "disarmed principalities and powers"! Mr. Renner pulls out the word "openly" (parresia in the Greek) in this verse. This word comes in the next phrase. He says, "By using the word parresia, Paul declares that when Jesus was finishing His dealings with Satan, His victory over the devil was no 'quiet affair'. Quite the contrary! Jesus boldly, confidently, and loudly exposed and displayed this now-defunct foe to Heaven's hosts. Make no mistake! When Jesus 'made a shew of them openly,' it was quite a spectacular show!" (p.75) Rick goes even a step further and speaks to the word "triumph" in this verse. He describes how it relates to when generals would return from victory in the enemies territory with his soldiers and the spoils by his side (sounds like Revelation 19:11-21), but the defeated ruler out in front of the general - seen as the ultimate trophy to the battle. So, not only was the event vociferous and public, but it was meant as a statement, Loud-and-Clear, to anyone who could hear - this was the end of the matter!
Pay attention. "Because of Jesus' death on the Cross and His resurrection from the dead, the forces of hell are already defeated. However, even though they have been legally stripped of their authority and power, they continue to roam around this earth, carrying out evil deeds like criminals, bandits, hooligans, and thugs. And just like criminals who refuse to submit to the law, these evil spirits will continue to operate in this world until some believer used his God-given authority to enforce their defeat!
We need to get ahold of this truth: These demonic forces are legally stripped of their authority and are defeated! We are not puny, struggling believers who are somehow trying to learn how to cope with the devil's attacks against us. We're not merely trying to learn how to scrape by or survive. Jesus' death and resurrection gave us the legal authority to keep Satan under our feet, so we must always make sure we approach spiritual warfare as victors and not victims." (pp. 74-75)
Now that we have the right attitude or mindset established, we need the right tools in our hands to be effective for the one who loved us first - Jesus.
Ephesians 6:17 says, "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." In this verse we have our offensive weapon defined for us - the sword: the word of God. For me, and possibly many others, "the word of God" automatically means all the verses in the Bible. However, according to Rick Renner's study of the original Greek for "word" the translation is rendered rhema or a quickening word by the Holy Spirit. Mr. Renner reminds us that a rhema word is when the Holy Spirit recalls a verse to our mind that appropriately applies to the situation at hand. But, what screams louder than a trumpet call at this point is that everyone must know the Scriptures or Bible first in order for the Holy Spirit to have something to quicken. If we have this in our lives and continue to "sharpen our sword" (keep reading the Bible) then we will be able to inflict serious damage to our enemy! "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 6:12
Know thyself victorious in Christ through His armor and Sword, which is His Word.
And know thy enemy - defeated. You just have to remind him the ole fashion way.
Many of us, including myself, exhibit a knee-jerk reaction of fear, worry, or worse when problems, issues, or blatant attacks come our way. Scripture says it does not have to be that way. If I knew the Scripture like the back-of-my-hand, like I want to, I could use those Words of God that apply and speak it into the situation. We all could apply God's Word if we would just stay in God's Word, The Bible, and really soak up His teachings and do our best to memorize verses. What you cannot sink into your head-knowledge, I believe, God will quicken to your Spirit when you need it (assuming you have read it).
One of the first items to be addressed here, in order to be all you are supposed to be in Christ, is the right mindset or attitude. For this correct frame of mind Mr. Rick Renner appropriately uses Colossians 2:15 which says, "And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." Our enemy is defeated! Not only that but look at how he was defeated!
Spoiled translates in the Greek as "put off" according to my e-Sword resource. According to the NIV translation the word spoiled is deemed "disarmed". Jesus "disarmed principalities and powers"! Mr. Renner pulls out the word "openly" (parresia in the Greek) in this verse. This word comes in the next phrase. He says, "By using the word parresia, Paul declares that when Jesus was finishing His dealings with Satan, His victory over the devil was no 'quiet affair'. Quite the contrary! Jesus boldly, confidently, and loudly exposed and displayed this now-defunct foe to Heaven's hosts. Make no mistake! When Jesus 'made a shew of them openly,' it was quite a spectacular show!" (p.75) Rick goes even a step further and speaks to the word "triumph" in this verse. He describes how it relates to when generals would return from victory in the enemies territory with his soldiers and the spoils by his side (sounds like Revelation 19:11-21), but the defeated ruler out in front of the general - seen as the ultimate trophy to the battle. So, not only was the event vociferous and public, but it was meant as a statement, Loud-and-Clear, to anyone who could hear - this was the end of the matter!
Pay attention. "Because of Jesus' death on the Cross and His resurrection from the dead, the forces of hell are already defeated. However, even though they have been legally stripped of their authority and power, they continue to roam around this earth, carrying out evil deeds like criminals, bandits, hooligans, and thugs. And just like criminals who refuse to submit to the law, these evil spirits will continue to operate in this world until some believer used his God-given authority to enforce their defeat!
We need to get ahold of this truth: These demonic forces are legally stripped of their authority and are defeated! We are not puny, struggling believers who are somehow trying to learn how to cope with the devil's attacks against us. We're not merely trying to learn how to scrape by or survive. Jesus' death and resurrection gave us the legal authority to keep Satan under our feet, so we must always make sure we approach spiritual warfare as victors and not victims." (pp. 74-75)
Now that we have the right attitude or mindset established, we need the right tools in our hands to be effective for the one who loved us first - Jesus.
Ephesians 6:17 says, "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." In this verse we have our offensive weapon defined for us - the sword: the word of God. For me, and possibly many others, "the word of God" automatically means all the verses in the Bible. However, according to Rick Renner's study of the original Greek for "word" the translation is rendered rhema or a quickening word by the Holy Spirit. Mr. Renner reminds us that a rhema word is when the Holy Spirit recalls a verse to our mind that appropriately applies to the situation at hand. But, what screams louder than a trumpet call at this point is that everyone must know the Scriptures or Bible first in order for the Holy Spirit to have something to quicken. If we have this in our lives and continue to "sharpen our sword" (keep reading the Bible) then we will be able to inflict serious damage to our enemy! "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 6:12
Know thyself victorious in Christ through His armor and Sword, which is His Word.
And know thy enemy - defeated. You just have to remind him the ole fashion way.
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