Spiritual Warfare Series: Part II What is the Enemy Really After Anyway?

Why all the warfare?

The topic of spiritual warfare is always timely. As a matter of fact, quite a few of my friends and I seem to be in the thick of it right now. I believe many of us are on the verge of something significant that will mark who we are and what we are called to do in a way like never before. There is more at stake now and things as heating up on so many levels. So, why all the warfare, apart from the fact that the enemy hates God, God being out of his league, his next best targets are those whom God calls His own - His sons of daughters, followers of His Son, Jesus Christ. 

But what is he really after? Why all the attempts to terrorize us?

In the Beginning ...

Well the best place to start is where it all started, the Garden of Eden. Another thing to realize is that the devil is the ultimate liar. The Bible refers to him as the "Father of lies." That means everything he utters is a lie. Consider John 8:44 -

You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

If the devil is a liar and Jesus is the Truth, the Word of God, the Light of the World. Then what the devil does is utter lies to get us to believe his lies rather than the Truth, the Person, as well as the truth of the Word of God. So going back to the Garden of Eden, a quick recap that will set the tone for this whole discussion and prayerfully shed some light and offer some deliverance and liberty of areas where the enemy has set up a stronghold in our lives. I believe the Lord really wants to bring deliverance in this area because it keeps the enemy involved in many lives.

In the Garden of Eden, God told the first couple, our fore-parents, Adam and Eve, they could eat from any tree in the Garden except 1, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In fact they were prohibited to even touch the tree. That means if you touch it, you would become defiled and you would die. So instead of staying as far away from the tree as possible. Eve found herself at the tree, speaking to the devil. There must have been millions of trees from which they had their pick. But where was the devil hanging out? You guessed it. He was in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

You know the story, he got Eve's attention to the point where he enticed her to eat of the tree. But the reason this is so important is what he used to entice her. He is doing the same thing today. He asked her a question, then made a statement. The question made her doubt and then the statement accused God of lying. Satan asked Eve, "did God really say you should not eat of every tree in the Garden?" Eve answered, paraphrasing,  "yes, we can eat of every other tree but we cannot touch this tree." The devil's response was, "no you will not surely die, because God knows the day you eat from this tree you eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Gen. 3:4)

The Devil's Target

So what is the devil after, 1) He wants us to doubt the Word of God and 2) He wants us to doubt our identity in God. That's it! If he can get you do off the foundation of the Word of God, incarnate and in the Bible, he can bat you around like a bug and finally swat you. Yes, I know that's graphic. But the Bible tells us that his goal is to "Steal, kill, and destroy." That's all he knows out to do. But Christ comes to "give life and it more abundantly," and that what Christ does. So what can we do to protect us from the lies of the evil one, especially in light of our identity? That's the purpose of this post.

Bottom line, our Identity is rooted in Christ, and when we waver, doubt, or forget who we are, the enemy gains more traction in our lives.  That is why we need to put on the Armor of God.

Armor of God

When it comes to spiritual warfare, many are familiar with Paul's admonition in his letter to the Ephesians, particularly in chapter 6. He reminds us that we are not warring against flesh and blood but with the powers and principalities of the air. And in verses 10-18 Paul describes the nature of the warfare and the method by wage and win the war. The first thing he say in verse 10 is to "be strong in the Lord and in the power of HIs might". That's before he gets to the armor. So Paul is not addressing fair-weather, lukewarm Christians. He is speaking to those who are strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. The reason is anyone one is going to be out for the count. You cannot withstand and should never engage the enemy unless you have a strong relationship with God. So being strong in the Lord is a prerequisite for donning the armor of God in the first place. And being assured of His supreme power and might gives the confidence in battle that we all need for a victorious outcome.

Won't discuss all of the armor in detail, but mainly in what the Lord revealed today during a sermon on the shield of faith. Often during a conversation or sermon the Lord will drop something that breaks wide open a personal or other dilemma He wants me to pray or share on. Today, during a sermon on the "shield of faith with which to quench the fiery darts of the evil one." And the question was, what are those fiery darts?  It was a good sermon giving the history of battle in the ancient world and why Paul used the imagery he used and what each meant in battle at the time. And the answer during the sermon was that the fiery darts are the lies the enemy uses to lure us into temptations of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. But the Lord had more for me to break open some of the challenges I face and I am sure others do as well.

He wanted me to know why we face warfare and give me some more information about the fiery darts. They are also lies that cause us to question God so that we waver in our identity in God.

         Shield of Faith 

Quenching the fiery darts. The Lord said these are the lies that come against our identity in Christ. If he can get us to doubt who we are in Him, eventually he can get us to doubt Who He is. Sound far fetched? Consider the Garden and the unforgettable events that took place there. The serpent called God a liar and Eve and then Adam believed him. God told them on the day they ate from the forbidden tree that they would surely die. Before that they were immortal, not of incorruptible flesh. If they were not, God would not have even introduced the concept of death.

The serpent told them, "you shall not surely die." They must have believed it otherwise they would not have eaten it. So.they believed the serpent when it called God a liar.

Next, do you remember how the enticement came? The serpent promised them they would be like God in knowing both good and evil. Okay, wait a minute and allow me a slight digression. If you know only good, why do you need to know what is evil? So this is where the identity crisis began that still plagues us today. THEY WERE ALREADY LIKE GOD LIVING IN PERFECTION OF BEING AND OF FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD.

I believe the fiery darts that come against us are whatever it is that causes us to question the truth of  the Word of God. "Did God really say...?" Doubting God leads to double-mindedness and deception as Eve was, especially in regards to our identity. Take, for instance, any anti-biblical stance. Did God really say homosexuality is an abominable sin? We know the answer is yes. Did God really say sex outside of the bond of marriage is a sin against the body? Most definitely yes. Did God say murder was a sin? Yes, including of the innocent unborn. Are these not areas where the laws of this country have gone in the opposite direction of God's sacred code? This is an indication that strong delusion is not something that is afar of, folks. Strong delusion is here.

                       What is faith?

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Heb. 11:1). Simply put, faith is believing what God says. Really that God is Who He says He is and will always do what He says He will do. That God is a Promise-keeper and that everything is as He says it is regardless on what we see. Faith is how justified people live, not by what we see. By falling into temptation, Eve demonstrated that she did not believe God and that she was not firmly established in her identity in Him because she was deceived by a promise of something she already had. She was already as like God as she could ever be. Falling for the trick made her unlike God.

                      How do I get faith?

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. (Rom. 10:17) To get faith, I have to be able to hear God. That is, can I take in the Word of God, whether I am reading it or the Holy Spirit is saying something to me. And once I hear it do I then do it. Eve heard God but because she did not truly believe Him, she did not carry through in the doing part of the word. Hence the fall into sin.

Adam and Eve represent all of us, none of us were there so none of us can say: "If that were me, I wouldn't have disobeyed God and sinned." We don't know that. What we do know is that we can see how God lovingly provided a way back to Him in Jesus Christ and gave us His Word so that we can see the examples of His ways and the enemy's tactics. That, my friend, my brother, my sister is invaluable information. And based on what the Lord revealed today, opportunity for deliverance when the enemy fires his fiery darts at us, because He will still try.

        Sword of the Spirit -  The Word of God

When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by the devil, His response was not a defensive one but an offensive one. Why? Because He was using the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. And it was so effective against the devil that the devil had to retreat. This is how we go on the offensive. We follow Jesus in warfare as we do in everything else. When the enemy fires his fiery darts at us, we are to respond offensively with the Word of God.

The sword of the spirit is 2-edged. (Hebrews 4:12). It cuts going and coming; and it cuts through everything that the enemy can use as a weapon. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by the devil. He did not yell and carry on, He simply spoke the truth, the Word of God. What could the devil do but retreat. The Truth was speaking the truth. Satan is a liar and the only weapon that effective against him is the Truth. The bet weapon is quoting the Truth speaking the truth! Out of the mouths of those who are God's, the enemy has no response and no weapon that can prosper against the Truth speaking the truth. 

Conclusion

ALL 6 manifestations of the armor of God point to the Personification of the Word of God in Jesus Christ:

The belt of truth (Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, John 14:6);
the breastplate of righteousness (Jesus is my righteousness, Rom. 5:21; 2 Peter 1:1);
the shoes of the Gospel of Peace (He is the Prince of Peace, Isaiah 9:6);
the shield of faith ( He is the Author and Finisher of my faith, Hebrews 12:2),
the helmet of salvation (He is our Savior, 2 Peter 1:1, Phil. 3:20),
the Sword of the Spirit (He is the Word that became flesh, John 1:14).

So the goal is to believe not only in Jesus Christ but to believe everything He says. That is what the enemy of our souls fight against. He can do nothing to the person who truly believes God and refuse to waver from What God has said. Once we believe what God has said, all of it, we can be secure in our identity in who we are. Another way to say this is we must know and believe Whose we are before we can know who we are. Once we are convinced, the enemy will have a very difficult time in his attacks against us. I believe it is possible to be so convinced of His Word, Who He is, and who we are in Him, that we become a total waste of time for the evil one.

So be encouraged. Believe God, no matter what the circumstances. Believe who He says you are, because there are so many who want you to believe otherwise, and believe you can do what He says you can do. When we get hold of all of this, the Foundation of our faith in God and ourselves, there is nothing we cannot do: "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me," (Phil. 4:13) takes on a much deeper meaning. Remember, God is not allowing the trials so that He can watch us squirm. God is rooting for us to believe Him and get a revelation of our true identity from that foundation. Once that is set, He can trust us with much. Before then, we are not ready, because the first test or temptation will knock us out of the game.

I know, I want to be able to stay in it all the way to the end because we are on the winning team. Do not shrink back, because He has no pleasure in those who do, but persevere to the end. Our current light afflictions, yes, I said light, are nothing compared to the glory that is laid up for us. I know that sounds like a lot of Christianize. Put plainly, the current challenge, no matter how hard, and I know some are unimaginably difficult, yet it's still light compared to what we will inherit. God is faithful and His Word is true! Nothing the enemy does or says can ever change that.

Prayer for Revealed Identity and Increased Faith

Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief. Thank you for the grace to go through the valley of my current affliction, but I know Lord, I am simply going through it. It is not my place of residence and you are with me every step of the way. I refuse to accept fear as a way of life giving the enemy even more access to my soul. Lord, I chose to reject the spirit of fear and only to accept your love, power and sound mind. Jesus, you are the One who died on the Cross and the only One by Whom I can call the Father, Daddy! I know that my Daddy is almighty. There is none more powerful than You, God. And since that is the case, I have no fear. I am a winner. No matter what, I am a winner! Father, please emblazon these truths into my heart and spirit that they become immovable truths interwoven into the fabric of my being spiritually and even physically. Make me aware that I am Your invincible daughter or son. Please bring me into that place of revelation from which I can never retreat.

Thank you, because this is only possible through Your Son Jesus Christ! Amen!

Praying and Receiving Prayer

When most people think of prayer they simply think of it as presenting a case to God for His input and the most favorable outcome. For example, if we are praying for the sick, we usually pray for their healing; or if someone is in a terribly situation we usually pray for their peace and deliverance out of it. Of course, this is highly generalized but I hope you get my meaning. However, there is more involved in prayer. The reason I have titled this post, "Praying and Receiving Prayer," is because both the ones praying and those receiving prayer must be rightly positioned to pray and be listened to or to receive the result of the prayer that is sought. 

In addition prayer is not a one-way street. There are two components to prayer: 1) Making supplication (the ask), and 2) listening (the answer). I will explain what I mean. There are other components such as worship and adoration, however, my point here is not to teach how to pray but to share on the proper positioning to pray and to be prayed for.

I. Praying

Now there are many types of prayers to countless deities; I am only referring to prayer to the God of those who follow Jesus Christ. I am ill equipped to address any other type. In addition, this is the only type of appeal to any deities that in fact yields results because there is only One true God Who is, by the way, only accessible through Jesus Christ. And no, not all roads leads to God. But that's a discussion for another day perhaps.

Now that we have laid that foundation, let's discuss prayer. By prayer I mean addressing God for any reason whatsoever do address needs, to receive counsel, to receive empowerment, to be enabled with wisdom, knowledge, understanding. The list is endless. The fact is, we seek God for something we do not have, even to feel and sense His presence, experience His glory. It does not always have to be seeking the answer to needs, that is, seeking something from His hand. It could also be seeking His presence, that is, seeking His face. Perhaps if we sought His face more than His hand, we would not need to seek His hand as much. So, let's talk about some of the specifics of prayer. 

        How do we pray?

To God through Jesus Christ Who said: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life...no one comes to the Father but through me." Matt. 14:6. Prior to His return to heaven, Jesus told the disciples that He would ask the Father to send a Helper, Who is the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. He empowers, teaches, guides, protect, warns, and really anything to assist us to live abundant lives in Christ while accomplishing all that God has put before us individually and corporately. In other words, you must come to God as His child through the sacrificial and enabling blood Jesus Christ, Who died on the Cross of Calvary to make it possible. Our forefather Adam's sin in the garden permanently separated us from God, whereas, Jesus Christ, God on earth, died to once again make a Way, the Way back to God. See the Disciple's Prayer in Matthew 6:(8)9-13(15):

"8 'Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.Your will be doneOn earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts,As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation,But deliver us from the evil one.For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.'"

        When  should we pray?

At all times. Any time you want to need to worship, speak to, or appeal to the Lord. 
1 Thessalonians 5:(16)17-(18): "16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

        Where should we pray?

 Anywhere you want or need to speak to, worship, or appeal to God through Jesus Christ. He is everywhere you are. Matthew 28:19-20:

19 Go therefore[c] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Hebrews 13:5

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 

        To Whom do we pray?

This is an easy one but just so we are all on the same pages. We pray to God the Father through Jesus Christ the Son, Who is the only Way to God. [See Model Prayer Jesus taught the disciples in Matthew 6:9-13 again.] 

                   Prayer involves Conversation - We must also listen 

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

If indeed we are praying to a living being, then there must be 2-way communication otherwise how will we ever be able to follow instructions; which way to turn, what to do, etc.? If you are a child of God you hear his voice. By "hearing His voice" I do not mean just audibly, although that is possible, we "hear" in the form of an impression, and the way it comes to me often is "as an established fact." I know that I know that I know, although I do not know how I know; I just know by the Holy Spirit. Some call it, an impression in our "knower."

                  Holy Spirit

The One God uses to communicate with us; Jesus receives from the Father and releases to the Holy Spirit Who then releases to us. Remember, Jesus is The Way. John 16:13: However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

        Why do we pray?

Another easy one. We cannot survive as Children of God on this earth without constant communication with Him. In John 15:5, Jesus said, "I an the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." That is both sobering and humbling, but above all it is the absolute truth. We are bankrupt in every way with the God and Jesus made the Way to the Father of fathers, Who is responsible for every good gift. James 1:17, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."

       
II. Receiving Prayer

When I say receiving prayer, I do not mean, the person is the one to whom we are prayer but the one on whose behalf we pray. The best way to set this up is based on an experience I have had which really is the reason for this post. I was shocked when I experienced it then God used it to teach me a lesson about prayer and its effectiveness. Sometimes we think the reason our prayers don't "work" is due to some deficiency on our part, whether of faith, or belief, or compassion, etc.  That may be the case at times but I have seen where a very impassioned-Spirit-led prayer seemed to fall flat when it was tested.

I remember an impassioned, Spirit-led prayer prayed with such expectation it was almost palpable. Then when the time came to see the result of the prayer, there was no indication that the prayer even went anywhere, which of course we know it went to the Lord. That is when I realized the following. You may pray a great prayer, God may hear it and be prepared to act, but then....

THE PERSON UPON WHOSE BEHALF THE PRAYER WAS PRAYED MUST BE IN A POSITION WITH OPEN SPIRIT FOR GOD TO DO WHAT HE SEES FIT TO DO SO THAT THE PRAYER WOULD BEAR THE FRUIT IN AND THROUGH THE PERSON FOR THE GOOD OF ALL. 

That's it folks. You may pray your heart out but if the person is not open to God for His input, the prayer most likely would fall flat as the one I described above. You see the Holy Spirit will never violate a person's will. He must be allowed in to use the person. I was highly disappointed to see what I witnessed but then again there is nothing I could do about another person's unwillingness to let God truly use them. 

So we need to add to our prayers that the recipients of our prayers would allow Holy Spirit His way in their heart to do all that He wants to do. It all goes back to true submission. (Please see previous posts about Submission, Parts I & II).

I have seen situations where a person is completely unconscious but I could feel them pulling on the anointing while I prayed for them. One time I came up behind a person as his wife asked me to lay hands on him to pray and without knowing it, he was pulling on the anointing. These are people with hungry spirits. The Lord Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they shall for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matt. 5:3). 

So we must position ourselves as one who can be the recipients of what we ask in prayer either directly or because of the prayers of others.

In Summary:

1. When we pray we must pray, expecting, believing, and in faith that the One to Whom we are praying can and will deliver.

2. But, our position must be in Christ, as His disciple and follower because He is the only Way to the Father.

3. We must have a level of openness to God's Spirit for change to take place in us, or situations, or both. In other words, for the prayer to take effect requires a level of openness and humility.

4. Know who is praying for and with you. Do not open up to just everyone. This is not to say we are to be suspicious and paranoid but to be prudent and vigilant. The Lord told us, "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Matthew 10:16.

Please note that this post does not negate the sovereignty of God to do whatever He wants to. But throughout Scripture that we see that the unyielding never prospered in God while those who yielded, even after protest, did in fact prosper in the things of God. Remember, Saul who became Paul, King Manasseh who became a pagan king then a yielded one, of course Abraham, was an idol worshiper who met the true and living God and yielded and through whom we have the Lord Jesus Christ. Through Abraham the entire world has been blessed. 

And then there were those who were yielded but needed to mature into the people God could entrust with much power and influence. God processed them through trials and tribulations such as Joseph, King David, Moses, Peter, and many more. And of course, business people such as Barnabas and Lydia. And last but not least the women in the lineage of Jesus Christ who yielded to fulfill their destinies, such as Rahab, Tamar, Ruth, Mary (who faced the possibility of death by stoning). Yielding is not always easy. As a matter of fact, it rarely is when there is anything of value at stake. Yet the rewards of yielding to God so far outweigh the hardships that they are somewhat negligible. 

I leave you with this encouragement from Paul that as we live lives committed to prayer without ceasing that we persevere through our light afflictions. 2 Corinthians 4-17-18:

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Today's Encounter - The Temple of Living Stones

It's been a while since my last blog post but I am happy to be back blogging for those who are following these posts and hopefully encountering the living God as a result. That's the whole point of my life. Am I facilitating an encounter with God?

I had to blog today because as I sat at the piano to lead my mom and I into God's presence in worship inviting to be with us, we opened up ourselves to encountering Him and receiving revelation and impartation that has already transformed us. I  sense that as some point we are to start videotaping these sessions because they are so dynamic with times of spontaneous teachings. I believe as the situation in the world grows more tenuous, we need these times of encounter with our Father. Our time today was truly wonderful.

Today's Scriptures in answer to the question I asked the Lord today are:

1 Cor. 6:17-20                           Revelation 21:22-27           
Ephesians 2:19-22 (*21)           1 Peter 2:4-5
John 8:12                                  Luke 19:13

Our Prayers today:

Matthew 6: 9-15 (The Lord's Prayer)
Ephesians 6:10-20 (Encircling prayer)

Words from spontaneous worship:

1. From song "Open up our Eyes" - God is always fighting for us. The battle is the Lord's so that I am free to be me and you and free to be you. Really I am free to be the me I was created to be. He is always with us.

2. From the song "Sinking Deep" - We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. No longer is there a temple of brick and mortar that houses the presence of God but now His temple is made of living stones. The new  location for the Holy of Holies set apart for the Holy One is in us. We are as a people, the Church, His temple of living stones.

Hang on, you are about to be wowed,, not by my words but by what you and I have already read in the Word of God. The Word which is incredibly liberating yet awe inspiring.

As we worshiped The Lord was speaking over us being about free to be who He created us to be because as we follow and obey Him He has our backs, fighting our battles so that we may walk free, even carefree, especially in the spirit. (See Psalm 91, Philippians 4:6). We are not hindered by anything as long as we in in Him. That's a common theme you'll see in my writing. These posts are not intended those uninterested in following Christ. I have no gimmicks or deals for you. I can offer you an introduction to an incredible life in Christ but nothing of material worth. That being said, let's jump into this treasure trove of Scripture.

As that word came from the Lord about being the "temple of the Holy Spirit," no longer one of brick and mortar but of living stones. I had to ask the Lord, "Are there many temples, or one temple made up of many living stones. This was a real question. We set out to get the answer using His Word. The best place to find what He means when He speaks.

He answered our question and so much more:

1. 1 Corinthians 6:17-20 - Glorify God in Body and Spirit

 ¹⁷ But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. ¹⁸ Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. ¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? ²⁰ For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body^[c] and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Verse 17 stopped us in our tracks, just about knocked the breath out of us. A person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. That is so hard to comprehend. No wonder sexual immorality for the believer is such a travesty, it's actually rather sickening based on this verse. Even though we know the Holy Spirit in the measure in which we have Him now is but a deposit of what is to come, when Jesus asked the Father to send us Holy Spirit, He was giving us as much as we could handle in our mortality, yet He knew to what degree we needed Him in order to be empowered to do all that He said we would do including having victory over sin. At that joining [when we genuinely come to Christ], our bodies and our human spirits become God's.


2.  Revelation 21:22-27 - The New Jerusalem

 ²² But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³ The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it,^[j] for the glory^[k] of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. ²⁴ And the nations of those who are saved^[l] shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.^{[m] 25} Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). ²⁶ And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.^{[n] 27} But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes^[o] an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

In the City in which God will once again live with man, the New Jerusalem, there will not be a temple because Father God and the Lord Jesus Christ, will comprise the Temple. It's a sobering and awesome thought that we now occupy a position only the Father and the Son will when they come back to earth to reign. Friend, what does that say about who we are, and whose we, and how we ought to be occupying ourselves now? Does that not give new meaning to "Occupy [do business] until I return." (Luke 19:13: Parable of the Master who Left His servants in charge) There will also be no need for any other light such as the sun or moon. This also communicates to me that the veil that currently separates the natural from the supernatural realm will be no more since God, Whom we can now know only the Spirit because He is Spirit, wiill actually be the Light in the City.


3. Ephesians 2:19-22 (*21) - Christ the Cornerstone

¹⁹ Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰ having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, ²² in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Paul tells us here,  in answer to the question of whether we are individual temples or together make up one temple, that we are fitted together as one temple where God dwells---in the Spirit. Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone of the whole building (singular). This is another way of telling us what he wrote in 1 Corinthians 12 about being different parts but of one body. One injured part affects the entire body. Friend, this is another way of saying, "we absolutely need each other." This is coming from someone who is naturally a loner. That's naturally. In my God-ordained identify I am both people- and task-oriented. One could say extroverted introvert or the other way around. I need to be alone and with people to be my best me.


4. 1 Peter 2:4-5 - Jesus the Chosen Cornerstone and we His Living Stones

⁴ Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, ⁵ you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”^[b]7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient,^[c]

“The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,”^[d]8 and “A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.”^[e]They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.⁹ But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰ who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

This is where the apostle Peter refers to the people of God as living stones following God's chosen Living Stone. Jesus Christ. Interesting that believers see Jesus as "precious" but to those who are disobedient, He is a "stumbling block and a rock of offense." You know the type. The ones who get so offended when you alert them of God's s standards asking "who are you to judge me?" when the Word of God is what judges them. These are people, whom I might add, we once were. We were disobedient, and often, defiantly so. How do we respond to these people? In love, yet unless you are lead by Holy Spirit, do not no try to correct them. They still know best and there is too much pride, and often pain, blocking the way forward. But never ever stop praying for them. Again, before we came to Christ, we were all once disobedient and defiant. Only the grace of God operating in our lives caused us to change and seek Him Who alone can save us from ourselves and that which is to come

5. John 8:12 - Follow the Light to Walk in Light

¹² Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

It's interesting to note that this was when He exonerated the woman caught in adultery, challenging her accusers by telling them, "let he who is without sin, cast the first stone." Of course, there were none then, and angry mob that was ready to stone this woman to death, dissipated. I believe Jesus had just proven that all who follow self, or others, are walking in darkness and are therefore, all sinners. Only those who follow Him walk in the light and therefore walk free. This is the same chapter where He tells His disciples, "If you abide in my word [are obedient to my Word], you are indeed my disciples in deed [you will do what I do], and you shall know the truth [no longer deceived by the evil on into sin] and the truth shall make you free [outside of Me there is no freedom].

Matthew 5:14-16 - Believers are Salt and Light

14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Summing it all up, first, we who belong to Christ are joined in one spirit with Him; therefore, sexual immorality is egregious and brings great harm. We are not our own;, our bodies and our spirits are God's. Second, when the Lord returns and sets up the New Jerusalem, there will be no temple building because the Father and Jesus will be the Temple. There will be no need for the sun and the moon because the Son will be the Light in the City. Third, we as the saints of God, have been built and fitted together, upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus as the Chief Cornerstone, as the temple of God. Fourth, we are living stones being built up as a spiritual house in Christ. And fifth, we who follow Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, will never walk in darkness. He was the Light sent into this world and He still is. But we, His followers, are the be the lights to shine His light in this world.

Bottom line:
To put it into one full sentence, the theme of what I believe the Lord is telling us today, we are to occupy until He returns to once again to take His rightful place in this world. That means, we are the living stones that form His temple until He returns to be the Temple; we are His lights in this world until He returns to be the Light in that great City the New Jerusalem.

Take your positions, saints. It's never been more important. We are the generation upon  whom the end of the age has come. We must be found in position upon His return, but that is only possible if we stick together in the bond of His love.

Freedom Series: How to Secure True Freedom Indeed

True Freedom exists in Christ alone and is secured by following the recipe Jesus offered in the Gospel of John. As is the case with so many 'famous' Scriptures, many people try to apply this Word in a way that suits them rather than the way God originally intended. Why is that important? Because doing things God's way guarantees God's results. Just as all people crave true love, which by the way is only found in God, ("God is love," 1 John 4:8) so we all yearn for freedom. These are truly man's chief quests. Here we focus on the search for true freedom.

But how to achieve t, I mean really, achieve it? Hint: It is possible to be free...but it only exists in Christ. Jesus laid out the steps to true freedom in John 8:31-35.

First the definition of freedom: 

free·dom

ˈfrēdəm/

noun

1. the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.

   "we do have some freedom of choice"

   • absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic government.

     "he was a champion of Irish freedom"

     synonyms:

     independence, self-government, self-determination, self-rule, home rule,sovereignty, nonalignment, autonomy; democracy "revolution was the only path to freedom"
   • the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved.

     "the shark thrashed its way to freedom"

     synonyms:

     liberty, liberation, release, deliverance, delivery, discharge;

 (Source: Defition of freedom)

Here is the progression Jesus taught 

for achieving true freedom:

John 8:31-35 :

31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”

34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Breaking it down into bite sized morsels

Action - Our Responsibility: Abide(Continue) in His Word
What does this mean? The word "abide" is the Greek word "men'-o" "It is a 
primary verb; to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy): - abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for), X thine own.

        Result 1: And thereby be His disciples indeed (His true followers)

We only have to read the Bible to know what Jesus' disciples did and how they lived. They were always with Him. They knew He was IT, the Man, the One upon Whom everything in the universe hung. The Messiah. There was no other to come after Him and there was none like Him before He came on the scene, or since. Through Him, mankind's final hope, a Hedge against certain destruction. But to be His disciple requires today exactly what it did then, continuing to follow Him and to obey His Word. 

        Result 2: You shall know the truth (in a world full of deception)

It's impossible to spend time with Jesus Christ and be easily deceived. In other words, the closer we get to Him, Who is Truth and the Light of the World, see clearer and clearer. We fall prey to deception when we stray from the Lord and His centrality in our lives. Of course, other things compete for our attention all day long but more and more we need to vigorously protect our time and commitment to the Lord.

        Result 3: The truth shall make you free

Deception and all its elements tend to fall away the closer we get to the Lord. John 1:1-5, a favorite, favorite Scripture of mine, tells us (paraphrased):

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him and there was nothing made without Him that was made. In Him was the life and the life was the light of men, and the lights shone in the darkness and the darkness could not overcome it.

Who is the Word? Jesus Christ. He was in the beginning. He is the means by which God, Who is Spirit, made everything. He is also the Light of the world. What has to go when there is light? Darkness, hidden things, deception. So you see how intimacy with Christ not only keeps us on the path of Truth but it keeps us from being deceived. We are not blinded.

So here the truth makes us free from bondage to sin and deception, which itself, is designed to lead us into sin and eventually death.

        Result 4: If the Son frees you, you are free indeed (really free!)

Jesus is not speaking here about the "freedom" which Peter later warned of, essentially, leaving one form of bondage only to be given over to another.[See in Peter where he talks about returning to bondage of those who are themselves in bondage about the false teachers.]
Both Jesus and Peter recognize that true freedom only comes through Jesus Christ. See 2 Peter 2 about the deceptions, destructive doctrine, doom, depravity, and deceptions of false teachers. This is a chapter worth memorizing as is much of Scripture. Yet, we are living in the days of rampant deception that seeks primarily to ensnare the believer. Here is just a taste of Peter's warning to believers then and now: 

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.  And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.³ By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.
(2 Peter 2:1-2 -  NKJV)

Finally, the freedom the Lord offers, once received, must be followed by total submission to Him in order to remain free. The "free indeed", means "really" free, free, as the little kids say, "for keeps". It also means free "in deed". That means our words, thoughts, and actions align with that freedom. Realizing that none of us get it right 100% of the time, the Lord is looking at the leanings of the heart. Are we quick to genuinely repent and trust Him to work through us to avoid the enemy's traps? Are we walking according to the leading of the Holy Spirit or are we led by our own desires? The Lord knows our brokenness and also those who truly love Him.

So if the Son has freed you, "Hallelujah!" If you are still seeking freedom, follow what the Lord Jesus Christ has said in the Scripture in John 8:31-32 and pray, pray, pray and pray some more. Get others you trust to join you in prayer until you see results. Then......

Help someone else. That is a great way to remain free. Help others to achieve their freedom by telling them about how He set you at liberty. You would be surprise how many would listen.

Let's pray. 

PRAYER FOR FREEDOM AND INCREASED COMMITMENT AND DISCERNMENT:

Dear Lord, how you have shown your love for us, over and over again. Many times we have ignored or failed to respond to that love. Now Lord, we are ready to submit to your rule and commit, truly commit, to your ways. 

Jesus, we need You especially in this season, this time. We are closing in on the time of your return and we want to remain in your word so that we can be ready to receive You. But Lord, until the time of Your return, we are in need of more discernment to know truth from lies. 

Help us, Lord! We are bankrupt and without You we cannot do anything worthwhile. 

Father, thank you for providing the Way, the Truth, and The Life in Jesus, that we might all be free if we choose to be. 

Lord, I want to continue in your Word, I want to be Your true disciple, I want to know the truth, I want to be free! 

You know my frame, that I am weak, but Lord, I know that when I am weak, then you are strong. 

You provided the Holy Spirit to help me in times of weakness. I now submit to you my whole being afresh and anew. I am keeping my eye on the Prize. Lord Jesus, thank you for hearing my prayer. I love You and cherish You. Have Your way, Lord, in Jesus mighty and matchless name we pray. Amen.

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