1 00:00:01,159 --> 00:00:05,879 Most of us eat every day, some of us too much because yesterday's food 2 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:10,679 is not enough to supply energy for today's needs. Why then, do some 3 00:00:10,759 --> 00:00:15,359 of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly manna, the word of God to keep 4 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:20,079 us through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change all 5 00:00:20,199 --> 00:00:25,399 that. Let's experience God's words today and receive the power we need to live 6 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:31,320 healthy, vibrant lives. Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host, author 7 00:00:31,399 --> 00:00:34,679 speaker L. David Harris. Good morning, good morning, good morning. 8 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:39,799 It is Sabbath, September sixteen, twenty twenty three. Hello, my name 9 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:42,359 is L. David Harris. I am your host, and this is your 10 00:00:42,439 --> 00:00:46,679 Daily Portion where we give you God's word every single day, and today is 11 00:00:46,719 --> 00:00:50,920 no exception. We are continuing in our lesson study series through the Book of 12 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:57,200 Ephesians, and our caption for today is Waging Peace. Have you ever heard 13 00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:00,759 that before? Waging Peace. We'll get into that in just a moment, 14 00:01:00,759 --> 00:01:03,640 but first I'd like to say welcome, welcome, welcome to you and a 15 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:07,120 great big, happy Sabbath, and I hope that you are doing well, 16 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:11,439 and please will you click that share button and let people know that we are 17 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:17,879 here every single morning at five a m. Jamaica time, Jamaica time. 18 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:22,560 No matter what time zone you're in or what time the time changes here in 19 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:26,159 Jamaica, it doesn't. So we're here at five am every single morning. 20 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:30,599 Really just to tip before five so we can be ahead of the people who 21 00:01:30,599 --> 00:01:36,000 are there at five anyway, I digress. I just want you to please 22 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:41,640 continue to pray and we can grow in faith and fellowship and okay, continue 23 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:46,719 on our journey with Christ. Let's go ahead and pray and then get underway. 24 00:01:46,719 --> 00:01:49,359 Father in Heaven, thank you for giving us this new day and for 25 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:53,280 the privilege you have entrusted to us to open your word. I'm asking you 26 00:01:53,319 --> 00:01:59,079 to please teach us to declare peace, to wage peace in the time of 27 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:05,599 war in this great controversy in Jesus name, I pray, Amen and amen 28 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:12,360 again. Well, you have been riding along with me as we discuss different 29 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:16,199 elements or aspects of the war with the enemy. And the fact is that 30 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:23,039 God has given us his entire armor so that when the fiery darts come, 31 00:02:23,639 --> 00:02:29,919 those darts will not mean our demise. Right, and so an interesting concept 32 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:34,319 of waging peace will get into that in a moment. But I'd like for 33 00:02:34,479 --> 00:02:40,719 us to read from Ephesians, chapter six and verse sixteen. Ephesians chapter six 34 00:02:40,759 --> 00:02:45,280 and verse sixteen. We are shielded by faith, and so the Bible reads 35 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:51,199 above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to 36 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:55,360 quench the fiery darts of the wicked. You see, sometimes we go out 37 00:02:55,439 --> 00:03:00,719 into our days like half half caught, like we're not really ready for the 38 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:06,520 day, and we stumble into trials, we stumble into tribulations. And what 39 00:03:06,599 --> 00:03:09,800 the Bible is saying here is if we put on the entire armor of God, 40 00:03:10,199 --> 00:03:15,960 in this case, the shield of faith, when those fiery darts come, 41 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:21,639 we will already be ready to what repel, repel them. Almost said, 42 00:03:21,639 --> 00:03:25,960 repel repel them. So when the fiery darts come, we can repel 43 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:32,599 those, because why we have our shield of faith. And that is very 44 00:03:32,639 --> 00:03:38,280 simple, very simple. But the takeaway is the shield of faith provides a 45 00:03:38,439 --> 00:03:46,639 comprehensive protection, just as a physical shield deflects arrows. Our faith protects us 46 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:52,159 from the temptations and trials hurled by the enemy. And you want to know 47 00:03:52,199 --> 00:03:57,039 why, like you want to know why, Really, it is because faith 48 00:03:57,319 --> 00:04:05,599 lays hold upon God's power sometimes people are really like putting our trust in our 49 00:04:05,879 --> 00:04:10,319 faith. I didn't know how to say it without saying faith twice twice. 50 00:04:10,759 --> 00:04:15,000 Right. Our faith lays hold of God's power, and that is what makes 51 00:04:15,039 --> 00:04:18,519 the faith effective. So it's not that our faith by itself is the power, 52 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:23,120 but it is that we lay hold upon the power of God, so 53 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:27,199 that when we have that shield of faith, it is God's power that is 54 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:32,240 causing those arrows and temptations and all of the other things that the enemy would 55 00:04:32,279 --> 00:04:38,680 throw at us to be ineffective. Okay, Number two, Salvation and the 56 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:43,519 Spirit's sword. Let's read from verse seventeen of Ephesians, chapter six, and 57 00:04:43,519 --> 00:04:46,959 the Bible reads, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the 58 00:04:47,079 --> 00:04:53,279 Spirit, which is the word of God. Take the helmet of salvation and 59 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:59,360 the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Now this 60 00:04:59,519 --> 00:05:04,560 is the take away. While the helmet of salvation secures our minds, think 61 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:11,399 about your mindset. Bible says that we are to take or have take this 62 00:05:11,480 --> 00:05:15,240 mind. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus 63 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:18,720 right, and we want God to abide in us. If we abide in 64 00:05:18,839 --> 00:05:24,079 Christ and his word abides in us. Yes, then we can ask what 65 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:28,040 we will, and it shall be done unto us. And so while the 66 00:05:28,079 --> 00:05:33,560 helmet of salvation secures our mind and thoughts, reminding us of the eternal promises 67 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:40,040 of God, the Holy Spirit's sword, the Word of God, equips us 68 00:05:40,079 --> 00:05:46,839 with divine truths to fend off deceptions. So this is a spiritual weapon that 69 00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:54,079 says, wait a minute. It is written when Jesus was in the wilderness 70 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:59,519 being tempted by the enemy. When the enemy came, Jesus had that sword 71 00:05:59,639 --> 00:06:03,839 ready to go when the devil would come with lies, insinuations of doubt, 72 00:06:04,399 --> 00:06:10,439 anything that was different than what God, our father would have taught. Jesus 73 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:15,920 with the sharpened sword, that is of the Word of God, was ready 74 00:06:16,319 --> 00:06:21,399 to do what chop up, cut up, slice up, and defend against 75 00:06:23,079 --> 00:06:29,439 untruths, error, and of course deceptions. When his disciples, Jesus's disciples 76 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:31,920 asks the question when shall these things be? What shall be the sign of 77 00:06:31,959 --> 00:06:35,600 Thy coming and of the end of the world, Jesus said, don't be 78 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:40,720 deceived, don't be deceived. There will be false prophets and false Christ. 79 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:43,079 And then he talked about some other things. Well, how do we know 80 00:06:43,199 --> 00:06:46,600 the difference between truth and error. Okay, through the Holy Spirit. It 81 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:50,920 is his word, and so we see that right there, our minds must 82 00:06:50,959 --> 00:06:57,120 be protected. And then, of course the word of God is is that 83 00:06:57,120 --> 00:07:01,079 that governing factor to help us to know what is the right way. How 84 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:11,240 about God's unending arsenal. God's unending arsenal, recalling the imagery from Pilgrim's progress, 85 00:07:11,319 --> 00:07:16,399 there is a vast armory that God has prepared for believers, equipped with 86 00:07:16,680 --> 00:07:24,800 unending and impenetrable and pull say that three times spiritual armaments. Here is a 87 00:07:24,879 --> 00:07:34,160 takeaway. Just as stars are innumerable, God's provision in every believer's life spiritually 88 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:41,160 in this case, is innumerable. There are more tools in God's tool chest 89 00:07:41,639 --> 00:07:45,040 to take care of you, brothers and sisters. And you can even imagine. 90 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:50,000 One writer said that God would rather empty all of Heaven of its angels 91 00:07:50,040 --> 00:07:55,600 to bring to your aid what you need, then to allow just one sinner, 92 00:07:56,120 --> 00:07:59,879 just one sinner, to fall prey to the devil. And so God's 93 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:07,319 power is what immeasurable. It is unlimited, It cannot be what exhausted. 94 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:13,879 So with faith in God, we are able to tap into that vast armory 95 00:08:13,199 --> 00:08:18,360 and number four and final, girded for the journey. God doesn't just equip 96 00:08:18,399 --> 00:08:22,519 believers, but he also ensures they are clad from head to foot. Notice 97 00:08:22,519 --> 00:08:28,040 that those seven implements of war, brothers and sisters, culminating even in prayer, 98 00:08:28,079 --> 00:08:33,440 that's number seven in case you missed it. All of those are saying 99 00:08:33,480 --> 00:08:41,080 that there is no aspect of our lives that we are not protected. Offensive 100 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:45,159 weapons are offensive weapons, like the word of God. That's sort of the 101 00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:48,639 spirit. And then all of the defensive weapons that you know from the text. 102 00:08:50,159 --> 00:08:54,679 All of those things taken together really mean but put ye on the Lord 103 00:08:54,840 --> 00:09:01,039 Jesus Christ, according to Romans chapter thirteen and verse fourteen, and make not 104 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:05,559 provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof. And so we thank God 105 00:09:05,639 --> 00:09:11,720 that he has not left us alone. The takeaway again is that we're covered 106 00:09:11,759 --> 00:09:16,799 from head to foot, fully prepared for whatever challenges lie ahead for their spiritual 107 00:09:16,879 --> 00:09:22,200 journey. Here is the takeaway. God's armory isn't just about defense. I've 108 00:09:22,240 --> 00:09:26,000 already given you sort of a heads up on this, but also preparation, 109 00:09:26,799 --> 00:09:33,480 ensuring every soldier that's you and me, all of us are prepared, fully 110 00:09:33,519 --> 00:09:37,879 equipped for the mission ahead. And so we need to reflect on our spiritual 111 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:41,919 journey and ask God, am I covered from head to toe? And if 112 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:45,759 not, yield your will and be covered in His army. Thanks for joining 113 00:09:45,799 --> 00:09:50,080 us listening. Friends, Always remember we cannot live by bread alone, but 114 00:09:50,279 --> 00:09:54,240 by every word that comes from the mouth of God. This has been your 115 00:09:54,360 --> 00:10:00,320 daily portion with L. David Harris. Make it a great day.