11-25-2007, 11:32 PM
Good evening ... I'm back and ready to put up the text for today ...:giverose:
The Scripture text is from Eph. 6:11 ...
Put on the complete suit of armour from God that you may be able to stand firm against the machinations of the Devil.
Watchtower comments ...
''If we practice righteousness and have on the full suit of spiritual armor, we will have God's holy spirit and the needed protection against Satan and his wicked angels, the demons. (Prov. 18:10) We need to read and study God's Word regularly, making good use of publications ''the faithful steward'' (Luke 12:42) We will thus be filling our mind with wholesome spiritual matters. (Phil. 4:8) Regular participation in Christian meetings equips us to proclaim the good news of God's Kingdom. What joy we derive from helping others to learn God's truth and experience spiritual freedom! (John 8:32) ''The sword of the spirit, that is, God's word,'' is indispensable in warding off false teachings and ''overturning strongly entrenched things.'' --Eph. 6:17; 2 Cor. 10:4,5 w1/15/06 15-17a
My comments ...
Well I guess I already 'started' by bolding what I thought were the most important points of the above ...
For in doing our BIBLE ... STUDY ... :read: not just a surface or quick reading ... and PRAYING :pray: for wisdom and discernment in what we are studying then we CAN discern the TRUE from the FALSE can't we!!:thumbsup:
Why do we need God's spirit to help us to do understand ... because there are many 'tricky' teachings and beliefs that we need to be able to recognize and then avoid ...
Here are some renderings of this verse that I think portray the reason WHY we need to put on ALL that suit of armor ...
(ALT) Put on the full armor of God in order [for] you* to be able to stand firm against the tricks [or, cunning schemes] of the Devil.
(ASV) Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
(BBE) Take up God's instruments of war, so that you may be able to keep your position against all the deceits of the Evil One.
(CEV) Put on all the armor that God gives, so you can defend yourself against the devil's tricks.
(Darby) Put on the panoply of God, that ye may be able to stand against the artifices of the devil:
(EMTV) Put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the stratagems of the devil.
(ESV) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
(GNB) Put on all the armor that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the Devil's evil tricks.
Now, when I was reading over some the words such as ...
Wiles
Strategies
Tricks (evil)
Stratagems
Schemes (cunning)
Artifices
Deceits
I began to really see something ... to really see why we have SUCH AN ABSOLUTE NEED to put on ALL of the Armor from our God ... an armor that He KNOWS WE NEED ...
In all of the above words MUCH FORETHOUGHT is needed isn't it ... one doesn't PLAN a 'strategy' or a 'scheme' or a 'trick' and so on without stopping to think about the MOST EFFECTIVE way to carry if off so as to make the end result a POSITIVE one ...
So, what would Satan want as his outcome ...? :devil:
Wouldn't it be for us to ...
LOSE FAITH .... :(
LOSE HOPE ... :crybaby:
LOSE COURAGE ... :covereyes:
LOSE LOVE ... :argue:
GROW TIRED ... :sleepy:
GROW DOUBTS ...:dontknow:
GROW WEAK ... :outcold:
GROW HATE ... :rant:
Yes, one MAJOR thing on our side is that our God KNOW HIS ENEMY through and through ... and lovingly as our 'commander in chief' so to speak ... he gives us as 'soldiers' ... 'fighting the warfare that is right' ... the TRAINING and the EQUIPMENT to STAND FIRM ... UNMOVEABLE ... and UNSHAKEABLE in what we need to SURVIVE and WIN ...
May we never underestimate our 'enemy' ...
But by the same token ...
May we never underestimate our 'leader (s)' ... God and Christ!!
With them in our 'camp' ... we are on the WINNING SIDE ... and with them to guide and lead us our VICTORY IS ASSURED ...
So, let's get geared up and stay geared up ... :roman: for that lovely armor that our God provides doesn't WEIGH US DOWN ... but is LIGHT and gives us all the protection we need!! :thumbsup:
Well, I've rattled on enough I guess :blush: ... my deepest love to ya'll now and always ... BR :sheepy: :bouncyhearts:
The Scripture text is from Eph. 6:11 ...
Put on the complete suit of armour from God that you may be able to stand firm against the machinations of the Devil.
Watchtower comments ...
''If we practice righteousness and have on the full suit of spiritual armor, we will have God's holy spirit and the needed protection against Satan and his wicked angels, the demons. (Prov. 18:10) We need to read and study God's Word regularly, making good use of publications ''the faithful steward'' (Luke 12:42) We will thus be filling our mind with wholesome spiritual matters. (Phil. 4:8) Regular participation in Christian meetings equips us to proclaim the good news of God's Kingdom. What joy we derive from helping others to learn God's truth and experience spiritual freedom! (John 8:32) ''The sword of the spirit, that is, God's word,'' is indispensable in warding off false teachings and ''overturning strongly entrenched things.'' --Eph. 6:17; 2 Cor. 10:4,5 w1/15/06 15-17a
My comments ...
Well I guess I already 'started' by bolding what I thought were the most important points of the above ...
For in doing our BIBLE ... STUDY ... :read: not just a surface or quick reading ... and PRAYING :pray: for wisdom and discernment in what we are studying then we CAN discern the TRUE from the FALSE can't we!!:thumbsup:
Why do we need God's spirit to help us to do understand ... because there are many 'tricky' teachings and beliefs that we need to be able to recognize and then avoid ...
Here are some renderings of this verse that I think portray the reason WHY we need to put on ALL that suit of armor ...
(ALT) Put on the full armor of God in order [for] you* to be able to stand firm against the tricks [or, cunning schemes] of the Devil.
(ASV) Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
(BBE) Take up God's instruments of war, so that you may be able to keep your position against all the deceits of the Evil One.
(CEV) Put on all the armor that God gives, so you can defend yourself against the devil's tricks.
(Darby) Put on the panoply of God, that ye may be able to stand against the artifices of the devil:
(EMTV) Put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the stratagems of the devil.
(ESV) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
(GNB) Put on all the armor that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the Devil's evil tricks.
Now, when I was reading over some the words such as ...
Wiles
Strategies
Tricks (evil)
Stratagems
Schemes (cunning)
Artifices
Deceits
I began to really see something ... to really see why we have SUCH AN ABSOLUTE NEED to put on ALL of the Armor from our God ... an armor that He KNOWS WE NEED ...
In all of the above words MUCH FORETHOUGHT is needed isn't it ... one doesn't PLAN a 'strategy' or a 'scheme' or a 'trick' and so on without stopping to think about the MOST EFFECTIVE way to carry if off so as to make the end result a POSITIVE one ...
So, what would Satan want as his outcome ...? :devil:
Wouldn't it be for us to ...
LOSE FAITH .... :(
LOSE HOPE ... :crybaby:
LOSE COURAGE ... :covereyes:
LOSE LOVE ... :argue:
GROW TIRED ... :sleepy:
GROW DOUBTS ...:dontknow:
GROW WEAK ... :outcold:
GROW HATE ... :rant:
Yes, one MAJOR thing on our side is that our God KNOW HIS ENEMY through and through ... and lovingly as our 'commander in chief' so to speak ... he gives us as 'soldiers' ... 'fighting the warfare that is right' ... the TRAINING and the EQUIPMENT to STAND FIRM ... UNMOVEABLE ... and UNSHAKEABLE in what we need to SURVIVE and WIN ...
May we never underestimate our 'enemy' ...
But by the same token ...
May we never underestimate our 'leader (s)' ... God and Christ!!
With them in our 'camp' ... we are on the WINNING SIDE ... and with them to guide and lead us our VICTORY IS ASSURED ...
So, let's get geared up and stay geared up ... :roman: for that lovely armor that our God provides doesn't WEIGH US DOWN ... but is LIGHT and gives us all the protection we need!! :thumbsup:
Well, I've rattled on enough I guess :blush: ... my deepest love to ya'll now and always ... BR :sheepy: :bouncyhearts: