Longsuffering is understanding things take time.

"Three things are known to be true when it comes to renovation: it always takes longer than expected, it always cost more than expected and it always is messier than expected." Annie Chapman
 
Two things I would like to remind each of us this week are that we are to be long-suffering towards others, and just as important, we are to be long-suffering for ourselves as well. The Old Testament speaks of God be full of long-suffering (Exodus 34:6), meaning being patient and slow to anger. We, being made in His image are called to be the same way.

"But in all [things] approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left."  2 Corintians 6:4-7
 
The Importance of Longsuffering:

Strongs defines long-suffering as patience, endurance, constancy, steadfastness, perseverance. In the 14 times that longsuffering is mentioned in the New Testament, it is paired up with characteristics of God's Holy Spirit like: Pureness, Knowledge, Kindness, Love, Joy, Peace, Gentleness, Faith, Lowliness, Meekness, Goodness, Humbleness of mind, Patience, and Mercy.  It is not surprising, given this definition and with these associations, that Paul wrote these words:
 
"I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:2

Ultimately, as with all characteristics of God's Holy Spirit, Love makes longsuffering possible. Each one of these characteristics we study build upon each other. This is the power that God has bestowed upon His children. This is why we can be good, loving, patient people. And it is because of this that without God, none of this is possible.

I heard Annie mention the above quote on Focus on the Family this afternoon (May 25th, 2012). Her comment was really focusing on Spiritual warfare and was suggesting that Romans 12:2 referring to us being transformed by the renewing of our mind, takes time. Her point was to simply state that just because you sincerely asked Jesus into your heart doesn't mean you will be a perfect Christian automatically.

Let me ask you a few questions to consider. After you had that salvation experience, after you said that prayer, and meant every word sincerely, after you gave all to Jesus in that moment, how were things afterwords? Did everything in the Bible seem clearly understood immediately? Did all your spiritual and mental struggles go away? Were you at peace with the world, your surroundings and all with whom you came into contact. Did you make all the right choices as if Christ was making them for you? Did your Tithe amount go up, haha?

Of course the answer to most of these questions aforementioned are a resounding NO. What we find is the Christian walk is not a magical event that poofs all our problems away. I personally remember many times wondering what was wrong with me because I said the sinner's prayer, gave my life to Jesus, said all the right things, did all the right actions. So why did I feel like nothing has changed? Because change takes time (Romans 2:7-8)(James 1:4)! Almighty God spoke the world into existence, but the world took time to mature, to evolve into what it is today. In fact, the world is still evolving, as are we. When we grasp this concept that God is doing a miraculous work in us, the more effective we will be for Him.

The Practical Application of longsuffering:

First, longsuffering, being patient and slow to anger, will fight impatient and unholy anger thoughts, either towards yourself or towards others. Because longsuffering depends on love and mercy, practicing longsuffering will, as a side bar, help grow those attributes too. Faith will also be a benefit, because as you practice patience, you will recognize God working in your life.

Back to Annie Chapman's comments. Romans 12:2a says "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind". Being transformed will take time, as does all things that are worth doing. Once again, we see a need to be in God's word daily, and to be prayerfully minded constantly. This transformation of the mind takes place as we plant the Word of God there, and the Holy Spirit waters it with His understanding. These two things are what causes life everlasting, the topic of many parables that Christ taught, and all the writings of Paul and the other Apostles.

Our homework this week is simple, to continue in our daily personal devotions. Also, our practical exercise will be to show patience with others this week. Don't get frustrated with the kids not getting it when you try to explain something. Be gentle spirited towards your spouse or loved ones when they get frustrated towards you. AND DON'T HAVE A HOLIER THAN THOU ATTITUDE during these conflicts, haha. That is sooo easy to do. Don't! Having longsuffering towards others is based on a loving attitude towards them. We must convey that attitude to practice love mercy and longsuffering!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:22-26

Here are a few verses to consider for this week's personal devotional time.

Psalm 86:15                                  Romans 12:10-12

Colossians 1:9-11                         Colossians 3:12-13

1Timothy 1:16                              2Timothy 3:16-17

2Peter 3:9,15

Might

"You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy. It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts"  C.S. Lewis, Screwtape Letters, CH 11

"It's the little things in life that matter";  "The devil is in the details";  "A mighty flame starts with a small spark"; "Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth"!  We've heard these phrases, or something like it.  And they all have something in common.  Small things matter, can become big things, that very well may become out of control.  This is the key element in C.S. Lewis works called The Screwtape Letters".  But God has a very powerful tool we can use to snuff out this spark before it becomes an out of control fire called Might!

The Importance of Might:

We, as Christian believers, many times have  misconceptions of what the Word of God is trying to convey.  As an example, we've been taught that once we are saved, all our troubles are behind us spiritually.  That is so laughable.This couldn't be further from the truth.  In fact, Jesus himself suggested that his way of life would be a fight  (Mat 10:34).  Paul also stated in no uncertain terms that the Christian life would be a battle (Ephesians 6:12).  But, we can be assured that we fight with power and might.

What we need to remember is that there is no rest from attacks of the evil in this world.  We cannot be "comfortable" with our Christianity.  Peter writes

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:  1Peter 5:8

This is not to suggest that Satan's attacks will be immense acts, but the little things on a daily basis as is suggested by C.S. Lewis above.  In the Screwtape Letters, Lewis suggests that Satan isn't looking for the spiritually dead.  They already belong to him.  Nor is he actively looking for the very devout, as they are not a soft target, but he is looking for the lukewarm Christians.  Those who may go to church, on Sunday, but live a different life Monday through Saturday.  He is looking for the easy targets.  These are the ones that he can use to keep the lost from being saved with the least amount of work.

It is here that souls are lost or won, where the witness of a lifestyle, a person of character that is noticed by others.  Our testimony doesn't start with a knock on a door, or a tract handed to a stranger.  It starts with our conduct in every day living.  What kind of message do we send to others as they come into contact with us.  Do we show them respect, treat them with dignity, and a non-judgmental attitude?  These are ways we can  witness to others!  Have you ever been asked where you go to church?  Why would they ask that unless they saw something different in you.  Or, when they see you, do they think they need to place you on their prayer list?

The whole point of the comments above is to help us recognize that we need to be on guard every day for  the evil that tries to get us to screw up spiritually.  Might can fight these things.  Paul writes,

"That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love" Ephesians 3:16-17

The characteristic of the Holy Spirit called might (Strong's G1411, dynamis) is synonymous with words like power, strength, mighty works, miracle and virtue in many verses in the Bible.  It depicts the power from which miracles are possible.  As when the sick woman that touched the hem of the garment of Christ and he said virtue had left him, it was that power of might from God that healed her from her infirmity (Mark 5:30). 

The Practical Application of Might:

M y friends it can't be overstated that the way we live will determine in some folks as to whether this Christian stuff is worth it.  We must be mindful of what we do, what we say, how we act or react in all circumstances in life.  Just accepting Christ as our personal Savior isn't enough for a Christian.  Yes, God will honor that decision on the day of judgement, but we can't act as fools when we've been given the keys of Heaven.  Our responsibility as a son or daughter of God is to be "godly" people.  In general, we act like spoiled rotten children, running around and demanding what we want, what we deserve.  If you are a son of the most High, start acting like it!  Other spiritual lives may depend on it.

Might also makes it possible to have that extra oomph to fight those thoughts that come in that are not of God, that are the precursors to sin, and trip us up (Matthew 6:13).   Might also gives us a backbone to fight those thoughts, to engage those thoughts with the shield of faith, and sword of truth (Ephesians 6:16).  Might will fight evil spirits connected with laziness, sexual degradation, and a nonchalant attitude with learning and using the word of God (Ephesians 3:20).  Might gives the believer the opportunity to witness the power of God up close and personal.  Paul writes to the Romans...

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:  (Rom 1:20)

I find it interesting that Paul describes the Holy Spirit characteristic of might that has a peaceful feel to it in contrast to Peter's description to Satan that roams around seeking those to "devour".  This can be attributed to the fact that there is none that are mightier than our God (Psalm 45)!  That we can rest in His peace knowing that none can snatch us from His grasp (Romans 8:38).  The more mature we become, the stronger we become.  This is why Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:10 to..."be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might" by putting on that armour of God we've learned about.

Our mission this week is to seek out those moments that God works in a mighty way.  He wants us to know that He is with us.  He wants us to believe in Him, love and serve Him without reservation.  We show His power and might every time we  practice our faith and every time we get to lead someone to Christ.  Look for those opportunities, whether online, in our neighborhood, or at the ballgame.  God will give us opportunities to share Him with someone this week.  Will you be brave enough to say what needs to be said?  Will you show someone through your actions, no matter the situation, that God is alive and well in your life?  Be a witness either by action or words this week.  This is our mission.  May God show you His might through His gracious love for you.

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.  2Corinthians 12:9,10 

Here's a few verses to consider for your personal quiet time this week.

2 Peter 1:3                      Romans 15:13
2 Corinthians 13:4          Ephesians 1:19-21
Colossians 1:10-13         1 Thessalonians 1:5

2 Thessalonians 1:11      2 Timothy 1:8

Part II of the Anatomy of a Spiritual Warrior: The Armour of God

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Ephesians 6:10-12

If we had time, it would be awesome to break down the entire book of Ephesians, but we don't, so we are going  focus on a small, but a highly significant section of this epistle.  Let it suffice for now to recognize that this letter Paul wrote was to do a few things: to emphasize the God head, our salvation by grace, how we interact with each other, and how to fight in a Spiritual manner.  It is interesting that Paul ended with this idea of putting on "the whole armour of God".  This tells me that it is the point he wanted us to remember, the take home message of sorts, because everything he wrote previous to this was to get us to this point of being able to fight evil.  So, without further delay, let's get into this week's study on the Armour of God.

The Setting:

It is believed that this letter was written around 62 AD while in his first imprisonment at Rome, approximately 4 years prior to his death in 66 AD. This letter was written later in his ministry as he started at around 47 AD, thus showing in his writing a level of understanding of the doctrines of Christ, and is full of wisdom on living a believer's life.

The Passage: 

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  


Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, 

and having on the breastplate of righteousness;  

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;  

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.  

And take the helmet of salvation, 

and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:  

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;   Ephesians 6:10-18

The Lesson:

The first thing I want us to notice is this is not a physical battle, although the product that comes out of these battles are often  physical in nature.  Never the less, these physical manifestations are but symptoms of the real issues within our minds.  But Paul tells us to be "strong in the Lord, and how we are to be strong is in His Might.  We will cover the Holy Spirit characteristic of Might as its own study.  But this is significant in that this battle will need to be powered by His Might, not ours.

Second, notice that he encourages us not once, but twice to put on the "whole armour of God". Isn't that interesting?  Paul was known to repeat himself on numerous occasions where he wanted to make clear what was important.  Here, he is emphasizing this action of emplacing this armour because he understood this is of the utmost importance.  But, he is trying to convey two different things here.  In verse 11, he tells us to "put on" or to clothe ourselves with this armour, or in essence cover ourselves in His Spirit and Word, but in verse 14 he's encouraging us to  "take up, or to "carry" and "use" the armour.  There seems to be a different feel for the two statements.  It is not enough to just clothe ourselves, but we must be prepared to use it as well.

Third, here is a big hint as to what Paul was concerned about.  He points out that God's Armour is to be used for spiritual battles, not physical ones.  As we have worked through our study of the Holy Spirit, we have seen this time and time again, that what is important to God is the growth and maturity of the Inner Man.  Here, Paul admonishes us to take heed.  Our biggest battles in life will be what is going on inside us, not necessarily outside of us as he states that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  This is a tough concept to grasp for many of us.  We have been taught to pray for our external needs, because we believed that the sin was external.  But, Paul, James, Christ and the other New Testament authors know better.  They teach that the sin is the thought, the intention to act out against the will of God.  More of this study on sin later, but for now, let us recognize the rest of this passage will be designed to teach us to fight our thoughts, not our actions.

Fourth, The Armour begins with a very peculiar piece.  Paul chooses to discuss our loins.  Why?  The Hebrews believed that this area of the body was where the generative power of the human being came from.  In fact, the loin area physiologically is where our reproductive organs are.   Paul tells us to "gird up our loins with Truth".  It wouldn't be a stretch to understand that our thought processes either produce death or life depending on what we believe.  If we believe there is no God, then spiritual death will follow.  If we think I am a sinner, and I need Christ to cleanse me of my sins and to cover me with his Righteousness, then life will occur.  As life occurs in the physical from our reproductive area, so does Spiritual life occurs as we accept what God has for us.  What is needed then is to cover or protect our minds with God's Truth.  It is the right place to start!

Next Paul speaks of the breastplate of Righteousness.  Once we have Jesus in our heart (mind) we need to protect it.  The breastplate covers our main internal organs.  These organs are what sustains life.  Without them, life would not be possible.  As it is with God's Righteousness, we cannot be right with God, to be pleasing and acceptable to God, nor possess an ability to think feel and act in a proper way.  This can only happen because of God's righteousness, grace and love in us, not by what we do ourselves.  This is the heart of God working in us.  Thus the breastplate is to protect our Godly heart.

The next piece of equipment is to protect our feet, or our "way", which is to say the preparation of the gospel of peace within us.  This will enable us to share the same gospel with others, but it must be prepared within us first. David wrote "Thy word [is] a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."  (Psalms 119:105).  His motive to write this pictorial phrase was to express that the Word of the Lord guides his way in life.  Paul writes in Romans: 

"And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things"  Romans 10:15

In both verses above, the feet picture the way a person goes, and lives or ministers to others.  The Gospel is of peace as it gives the recipient the steady assured knowledge that God loves them and has set a place in Heaven for them, that mercy, forgiveness and salvation has been given by a gracious Father.  This is the peace we all seek, whether we know it or not.

Next, Paul speaks of the shield of Faith that "quench all the fiery darts of the wicked."   This is God's hedge of protection for us within our minds.  As we grow in Christ, our faith in Him grows stronger, and thus we become less shakable, more sure of God and ourselves.  This is not to say God calls us to a blind faith.  On the contrary, God expects us to test all thoughts or words before we put our trust in it.  This is what makes our autonomy so powerful.  As we choose to believe, follow, worship, and serve God, He then is able to bless us more and more with spiritual maturity that will enable us to truly live a free life!

The Helmet of Salvation assures us that our Hope is protected.  As with the shield of Faith, the helmet is a metaphor that depicts our salvation will be ironclad.  As this is the Armour of God, God Himself has cast each piece, thus making this armour no match for the evil one. 

And finally Paul writes of the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.  There is so much in this phrase, but we will only give an introduction to it here.  First, the sword is an offensive weapon, but can also be used for defense as well.  This depicts that the Word of God will be able to thrust into the heart of the matter for us as a deterrent of false doctrine, or even just false thoughts that attack us.  In fact, one might argue that as the shield of faith defends against the fiery darts, the sword of truth would then cut down the enemy to stop the attacks. 

The Application of the Armour of God:

So, to put it together, we know that Jesus has taught us, that God is Spirit and the word of God is Truth, thus Christ tells us we need to worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24, John 14:17).  We know that Christ is the Word of God that came to dwell here on earth in the flesh (John 1:11), that we are brought into God's family through faith in Christ (John 20:31). 

As we go through each item above, we recognize that the protection of our thoughts, the regeneration of truth, and the hope of salvation and the use of our faith are all of a spiritual nature, and those spiritual things are based on Christ within us...our inner man.  This is why it it imperative to have a relationship with God through Christ Jesus, to know the Word of God, and to elicit the Spirit of God with as much muster as we can.  The passage does not end with the Sword of the Spirit though, does it?  Paul continues his thought by writing;

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;   Ephesians 6:10-18

Isn't this interesting?  Paul spends a good amount of time articulating all these weapons to use, then suggests that the key factor in the fight is to pray, but to not just pray, but pray in the "Spirit".  Paul writes in Romans about what this means; 

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what [is] the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to [the will of] God.     Romans 8:26-27

We are then to use our spiritual weapons to pray.  We are to pray for ourselves, others, but most importantly we are to pray in the Spirit...or as Paul puts it, allow the Spirit to intercede for us.

Here is our homework this week.  Set a scheduled time...literally look at your calendar, day planner, scrap piece of paper, whatever, and write a time down that you will go to God in prayer.  Pray for yourself, your family, those whom you work with, your boss, your pastor or accountable partner.  Pray for our country and the leadership in it.  Pray for the opportunity to be a witness for Christ.  Pray for the sick, You may not know what to say, and that's ok.  Many times I just thank God for being God.  This gives us a tangible exercise to work on being a warrior for Him. 

For our scripture readings this week, let's review a few Psalms that can lead us into prayer.

Psalms 5            Psalm 54
Psalms 45          Psalm61
Psalm 46            Psalm 63
Psalm 51            Psalm 64