Worship

“Jehovah” by Elevation Worship

Scripture

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,” -Ephesians 6:10-18, ESV

Finding Our Victory in Christ’s Finished Work

The person of Jesus is the fullness of everything. He not only fills us with the fullness of Himself, but everything that concerns us concerns Him. He is working in and through every battle and every situation. Not one detail of your life escapes Him. The enemy may study you and forge a weapon fit just for you, but you have a Victor who is fighting your battle! He will win, and He will indeed have the final word. The blood of Jesus was not shed to make a time stamp on history. It was shed to give God’s people the victory over sin and death for all of eternity. Yes, He is teaching your hands to war and to worship simultaneously. Yes, He is deepening your faith in who He is and what He has promised to do in His Word. But hear me on this—nothing will be wasted, and the plans of God will not be thwarted over your life. The blood of Jesus secures this truth! The person of Jesus fulfills His promises! Hold on to the words of this song today as you dress for battle!

“Jehovah-Nissi fight your battles / Jehovah-Jireh meet your need / Jehovah-Rapha heal your body / Jehovah-Shalom be your peace” -Elevation Worship, “Jehovah”

One of my team members who oversees prayer for Arise, Jordan Gaudet, wrote this following devotional. I loved the perspective and position she wrote on the armor of God. Every piece of that armor originates in who Christ is and what He has done. This captured my heart, and I wanted to share it with you.

From Jordan:

The word of God commands us to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Daily, we stand firm against the devil’s schemes by putting on our spiritual armor. Did you know that it is just as important to dress spiritually each day as it is to dress physically? We have been given mighty spiritual weapons, and we need to stand aggressively in the full armor, which is Jesus Himself. We do not wage war against flesh and blood but against fallen angels cast down from Heaven by the command of the true and living God. They are in subjection to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We are in Him and stand in His already-assured victory. Therefore, we put on the full armor of God so that when the fiery darts come, we may be able to stand our ground, as well as love others well in the process.

We stand firm because we have taken up these weapons:

• We buckle the belt of truth around our waist. Truth is the Person of our Lord Jesus. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. We wrap truth all the way around our body.
• We put on the breastplate of righteousness. The Person and sinless sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ is our righteousness. Our rightness and our righteousness is in Christ. We wrap Jesus around our entire body so that there are no places for the enemy to attack our flesh.
• We put on our feet the sandals of preparation of the gospel of peace. The Person of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is our peace. We declare that we will be peace makers and shift atmospheres for the glory of God every place our feet tread.
• We take the shield of faith, which extinguishes all the flaming arrows of the evil one. The Person of the Lord Jesus Christ is the Author and Finisher of our faith. He is all the faith that we need. We declare that where we are is a no-fly zone of the enemy in Jesus’ name.
• We take the helmet of salvation. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself alone is my salvation. His mind guards our minds. We declare that we have the mind of Christ and a sound mind in Jesus’ name.
• We take the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God. The Word is the Person of Jesus, who came in the flesh and defeated the works of the enemy. His Word never returns void. We ask Holy Spirit that You bring the Word of God to remembrance so that we can use it to wage war.
• We clothe ourselves in all of Jesus and a cloak of humility and pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

Prayer

Will you pray this prayer with me?

I declare that no weapon formed against me will prevail, and I will refute every tongue that accuses me; “‘This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,’ declares the Lord (Isaiah 54:17).” The one who was born of God keeps us safe, and the evil one cannot harm me or use me to harm others. I will be a weapon in the hand of God against the enemy and his plans and purposes, for the very glory of God.

Jesus, will You dress us to today in victory, under Your precious blood. Will You hide us in the shadow of the Almighty and cover us with Your wings. It is in You we find refuge and have our being. Take this surrendered life and have Your way in and through me today. Fight my battles, Jehovah-Nissi. Be my warrior King, and I will fix my eyes on You in the storm or in the depth of Your grace because You are the desire of my heart and the One I adore. In the victorious name of Jesus, amen.

A Few Key Notes

• Join me and other Arise women for Make Room, a time of worship and prayer on August 8. Come and go between 7-9 a.m. at Freedom Church, 2435 E. Hebron Parkway, Carrollton, TX 75010.
• See God’s power unleashed in your life. Save the date for a six-week study through the Robby Dawkins book “Do What Jesus Did” beginning September 5. Registration details are coming soon!
• Join me as we spread the gospel in Latin America, November 9-17. Learn more about this short-term mission team and apply today!
• Spend a day with your Bridegroom at the Dallas Prayer Retreat on September 16. Learn to hear the voice of the Lord and spend time at the feet of Jesus together with other women. Learn more and register here.
• Join Arise for a night of worship and prayer followed by 72 hours of prayer at Knee-Deep in the Garden. Join us on September 17 as we praise the Lord for what He has done and will do. Then, sign up for a 30-minute slot to intercede for the nations. Register here.