Battle Of The Spirit
The Full Armor of God must become our daily attire.
Many people are waking up and realizing there is a battle between the dark spiritual forces and the Spirit of Christ. They are seeing that the churches we once knew are no longer serving God. I was recently contacted by a gentleman asking about a Medical Power of Attorney and he informed me he had no family or friends to advocate for him if needed. He didn’t want to pay someone because that was just a business transaction to him and he was adamant about not getting a MPOA from the church. He seemed to trust the church least of all. I completely understand where he is coming from.
A young mother who lost her husband to the horrific hospital protocol and was suffering immense grief went to her mega church that offered grief counseling. When she brought up that her husband was murdered by hospital protocol she was immediately shut down as they did not want to hear the truth that doctors and nurses killed her husband. Many church members are healthcare workers and such truths would impact the bottom line of the church.
Jesus is the truth, the way, and the life. How can you call yourself a follower of Jesus if you refuse to hear the truth? The Pharisees and Jewish leaders of the church also despised Jesus for speaking the truth and Jesus referred to them as a “brood of vipers”.
Churches have become nothing more than buildings with organizations that work for the love of money and are willing to sell out to the government (501c3) abandoning the true teachings of Jesus. Not every pastor and church member is bad but they have been deceived and are now Christians in name only. So how do we discern what is truth, who is really doing God’s will instead of serving themselves and hiding behind the name of God?
Pastor “Shepherd” Andrew Serafini of Light Dove Ministries explains below how we can discern good from evil, avoid deception, and actively serve God by doing his will.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
Ephesians 6:10-18
When we ask Christ in our hearts, we are immediately enrolled in God’s Army. The enemy, our adversary, Satan, Lucifer, whichever name you prefer is the enemy of our soul, and his strategies and tactics are to steal, kill, and destroy anything that comes from the Father. The war is at hand because we are God’s greatest creation, His masterpiece, created in His image to do good works, and the enemy of our soul will do anything and everything in his power to destroy God’s workmanship in His people. The enemy doesn’t care how busy we are as long as we are not leading others to Christ. In fact, busyness is the kryptonite to God’s anointing and the first fruits of authentic, intimate worship of our Father.
God has given us spiritual weapons and spiritual armor to endure the battle at hand and walk in victory as we war from a place of victory. “It is finished,” declared Jesus Christ, our Hope of Glory. The Apostle Paul warned of this great war we are engaged in, and he provides us a description of the Full Armor of God outlined in the Book of Ephesians in the sixth chapter.
Understanding that the war is not against “flesh and blood,” the war is not fought between the people of God and the people who serve the devil, knowing or unknowing. If one has yet to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior, then they are serving Satan and his ways.
Our war is against the “rulers,” against the “authorities,” against the “powers of this dark world,” and against the “spiritual forces of evil” in the heavenly realms. The war is fought in the second heavens against fallen angels, each order of angels carrying out evil plans.
There are nine orders of angels:
Seraphim – highest order of angels that worship and praise God continually.
Cherubim – described with four faces who protect the throne room of God.
Throne Angels – many eyed angels with wheels who carry supreme intelligence.
Dominion or Authorities – these angels are responsible for the fail or success of nations. Interesting the “Dominion” nomenclature. Evil is manifesting in the very voting machines we aim to carry out an honest election.
Virtue Angels – All-shining ones. Responsible for releasing blessing.
Power or Rulers – these maintain the chasm between Heaven and earth, the second Heaven.
Principalities – protectors of leaders of the world. Worldly governors, they are called in different Biblical translations.
Archangels – warring angels; Michael the angel is the Captain of the Archangels.
Guardian Angel – Personal angels assigned by the Father.
These order of angels are mentioned to give us a deeper understanding of the areas of dark angelic manipulation we encounter, which inevitably should provoke the Body of Christ to focus our prayer efforts in these areas. As we pray and ask the Captain of the Lord of Hosts, Jesus Christ, to release Heavenly angels into these specific areas, we can break these principalities and usher in the Kingdom of God here on earth.
There are six pieces of spiritual armor the Apostle Paul describes in detail that is at our service if we take time each day to don this protective equipment, and prepare our mindset for the war at hand. Gross darkness covers the earth, and the enemy knows his time is short. The war will only intensify with each passing day as we eagerly await the return of our Messiah, the One who paid it all so we can have life, and life to the full.
Belt of Truth – The belt of truth is the first piece of Armor that goes on and holds all the other pieces of Armor together. The Belt of Truth is firmly fitted around the waist, the core of who we are leading us into ALL TRUTH. It stabilizes us from top to bottom strengthening the center of who we are in Christ – He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and He imparts His power to stand in the evil day against the forces of evil who operate in the shadows under the spirit of deception.
Breastplate of Righteousness – in the natural, our righteousness is as “filthy rags,” compared to a Supreme God who is unending holiness and purity. As we lay aside our judgment and criticism, our pride and performance, we clothe ourselves in the righteousness of Christ, in all humility and meekness. Righteousness is “right-standing” with God, we are justified positionally when we walk in His righteousness, exemplifying His perfect love combined with His perfect justice. We are called to protect or hearts above all else as the heart is the wellspring of life in which all issues flow. The mind builds knowledge, but it is the heart that takes that knowledge where Christ can shape it into purpose and destiny.
Shoes of Peace – Jesus Christ is the “Prince of Peace,” and He wraps Himself around us with His invaluable peace so that every step we take, whether we abase or we abound, whether at war or at peace, every step we take we bring peace and light, peace and light, peace and light which envelopes the darkness that is simply absence of light. We have the authority granted by Christ Himself to declare, “Peace, be still,” to any turbulent situation we may find ourselves in.
Shield of Faith – it is interesting that faith is out front as our protector. As we advance forward in faith carrying His peace and light, His righteousness, His truth to all the ends of the earth, our faith must be in action with forward movement. The Shield of Faith protects us from all the fiery arrows of the enemy -- the fiery arrow of depression, the fiery arrow of doubt, the fiery arrow of offense and resentment, the fiery arrow of deception extinguishing them as we take territory for the Captain of the Lord of Hosts, Christ, the Maker of Heaven and earth. Faith is the currency of Heaven, and as we advance according to His ways and His will for our lives, it is our faith that moves mountains and keeps us protected under the shadow of His wings.
Helmet of Salvation – the battlefield is in the mind where ego and emotion reside. Emotions and feelings are fleeting, but the mind of Christ is eternal and cultivated with purpose. The Helmet of Salvation protects the command center of our physiology as the brain expends more energy than any other organ in the body. The Lord purposes our minds to live out the scripture below penned also by the Apostle Paul –
Philippians 4:8-9 – “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is TRUE, whatever is NOBLE, whatever is RIGHT, whatever is PURE, whatever is LOVELY, whatever is ADMIRABLE – if anything is EXCELLENT or PRAISEWORTHY – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put into practice. And the peace of God will be with you.”
YawWeh, or YHWH, is written on our genetic code as the Master of the masterpiece puts His signature on each one of us. The meaning of the name has been interpreted variously as "I am", "He That Is", or "He Who Makes That Which Has Been Made.”
Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God – The Word of God is active and alive dividing soul and spirit, joint and marrow, and it discerns the attitude of our hearts. We have the power to use the Word offensively and defensively, it changes us from the inside out while changing the atmosphere around us as we declare its authority and power over every situation. It is imperative to be in the Word daily, to internalize scripture which cleanses and purifies the soul, to personalize the Word so we own it and make it a part of our daily walk, to win the war He has entrusted us with here on earth. The Battle is the Lord’s, but He uses His people to bring light into the shadows and carry out the Great Commission bringing the Good News to all the ends of the earth. The Word must be in our hearts and in our mouths to bring the necessary ammunition to the battle, to the war, to advance His peace and truth in the earth.
And the seventh weapon we have that is a key part of the Armor of God is “praying in the Spirit.” As the Believer is baptized in the Holy Spirit by fire and speaks in a Heavenly language, as the Believer presents their request before God in the Spirit, we ascend to Heaven while He descends to earth to part the Red Sea, to bring water from a rock, to bring manna in the desert, to protect us when we are thrown into the fiery furnace, and lift the spirit of heaviness as we put on the garment of praise! His Spirit turns water into wine, it multiplies the fish and the bread, it causes demons to flee, and causes stumbling blocks to become stepping stones as we move from glory to glory, glory to glory.
The Lord of All, the Lord Almighty said it best to His prophet Zechariah, “It’s not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit!”
Victory is in store for the upright, and the Full Armor of God must become our daily attire, the attire of our children as we pray the Full Armor of God over them, and by faith and action, we will be “peacemakers,” bringing peace and the Light of God to all the ends of the earth.
- “Shepherd” Andrew Serafini
Listen to Andrew’s latest interview on Street Talk with Stiletto Here
You can also join Andrew & Greta every Wednesday night at 7:30pm C on X Space for group discussions on protecting yourself from the medical industry and Bible Talk hosted by Stiletto HERE
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Thank you. We are to make the accuracy and detail of scripture that is written to us the directive of our heart and lives. Our lives are in a spiritual competition and we are on the winning team, however our heavenly Father provides the instruction to compete lawfully and powerfully by way of the gift of holy spirit in us.
This is beautiful and powerful - so happy I somehow landed on this post today. Years ago, near the beginning of the “pandemic” and all the blatant lies and governmental overreaches, I turned to my bible like I had never done before (sad and ashamed it took such a wake-up call to get me there, but what a lifeline it was/is!!🙏🏼✝️). I can’t remember exactly what led me to it, but this very section of scripture was one of the first that I committed to memory at that time - I love these words! I say them everyday, usually multiple times a day :). They still bring me such strength, courage, and clarity. Your post took me deeper into their meaning and power - beautifully done - thank you so much!!