The Word of God: Overcoming Temptations Through Prayer
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In the Bible, the armor of God serves as spiritual protection against the devil’s schemes, and the word of God can be used through prayer as a weapon to overcome temptations.
The book The Sword of the Spirit: Full Armor of God by Wayman Jackson unveils the story of Hezekiah’s perilous encounter with Satan, which sets him on a quest. This pursuit serves as a reminder of the temptations we face in our own lives. We can protect ourselves from Satan’s schemes by relying on the word of God. Praying using God’s word is one way to accomplish this.
Within the armor of God, there is only one weapon designed for offensive purposes – the sword of the Spirit. This weapon is meant to be wielded with great care and precision, as it has the power to cut through falsehoods and reveal the truth in any situation. With the sword of the Spirit in hand, one is well-equipped to defend against any attack and emerge victorious in the face of adversity.
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
—Hebrews 4:12
Put on the Lord Jesus Christ
In the context of Christian spirituality, the phrase “armor of God” refers to a collection of virtues and attitudes that are necessary for living a righteous life. These virtues are often compared to pieces of armor worn by a soldier, with each piece representing a different aspect of spiritual strength and protection.
When it is said that “all the pieces of the armor are found in relation to Jesus,” it means that these virtues are best exemplified and embodied in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Therefore, to truly live out the armor of God, one must look to Jesus as the ultimate model and source of strength.
Best Weapon Against Temptation
Jesus kneeled in the garden of Gethsemane and instructed his disciples to pray not to fall into temptation, in addition to praying against sin.
When we feel tempted to do something that goes against our values or beliefs, we often struggle to resist it. In such situations, praying can be an incredibly effective tool to help us overcome the temptation. By connecting with God and seeking guidance and strength, we can find the courage and clarity to make the right choices and avoid giving in to temptation. Therefore, it is important to prioritize prayer in our lives, especially when facing difficult decisions or challenging situations.
God’s Word Is Truth
God’s word holds immense power due to its unwavering truth. It is a source of guidance and inspiration for countless individuals around the world. God’s word provides a sense of purpose, direction, and comfort in times of need. Its timeless wisdom has the ability to transform lives and inspire people to become the best version of themselves.
The Bible tells us that Satan and his demons are always trying to lead humans into sinning against God. To combat this, we must use the word of God to identify and control any thoughts and attitudes that go against God’s teachings. This is the battle that Christians face, and we use the sword of the Spirit to stay on the right path.
Train With the Sword of Spirit
As Christians, it is important for us to train and develop our skills in using the sword of the Spirit. We should strive to become more knowledgeable and skilled in the word of God so that we can effectively use it to distinguish between good and evil.
To become proficient with the sword of the Spirit, we must use it frequently. This level of skill is attained through familiarity with the Bible and by sharpening our spiritual senses. God has given us this weapon, and we must fully use it.
Battle Against Temptations
Wayman Jackson’s book, The Sword of the Spirit: Full Armor of God, takes readers on a journey where they might face Satan’s schemes. These schemes can pose a challenge to our faith and lead us away from the right path. However, the book provides guidance on handling and overcoming these obstacles.
To accompany you with this journey of Christian faith, we encourage you to read The Sword of the Spirit: Full Armor of God by Wayman Jackson and his other books. And while you’re at it, check out our other blog posts to learn and discover more. Visit the author’s website today at https://waymanjackson.com/book/.
Blog Contributor
The Breath of New Life: Having A Second Chance At Life
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Sometimes, we forget who truly matters to us unless we catch a breath of new life.
Not everyone is lucky to have a second chance at life. Most of us only think about what we have to do – all our requirements and the things that suck us into the never ending realities of life.
Whether we read a book about Hezekiah’s mission to save Sodom or miraculous stories of how people have come back to life after a coma, having a second chance at life is very intriguing. It makes us wonder what could make somebody worthy of that. Most of the time, when we think about a second chance in life, it is not just a rebirth of ourselves, but we become more at one with what truly matters to us in this world, and why we must drive to continue on.
What does it mean to catch a breath of new life?
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Most of us think that catching a breath of new life necessarily means that we have to flatline like those in the movies and then become instantly resurrected. We think that this concept of being resurrected from the dead would somehow give people the ability to be more aware of what is happening around them and what they truly want to accomplish in this world. However, this is not entirely the case when you want to have a second chance at life.
Catching a breath of new life does not necessarily mean that you have to die or experience something life-threatening, but it is a personal choice of changing your life into one that is filled with your advocacies and what you believe in. Examples of these are how some people have hit rock bottom, achieved some level of bankruptcy, and decided that they wanted to turn their life around into a new one. Stories like these remind us that we do not have to experience something immediately life-threatening for us to make a difference in our lives.
When we decide to catch a breath of new life, it means that this is a personal choice, and we have the power to will our own abilities and passions into the life we want to live.
How do we turn our life around and get a second chance at life?
Reflect on yourself right now.
What are you doing right now? Is this something that you are happy about, something that drives you, or something that is so morally good that it can uplift the lives of others? This means you must evaluate your intentions and what you want to achieve in your own life. After doing this, you have to compare it to the life that you have now. Are you actively doing something towards it, or have you strayed from that past because you got distracted over things that do not matter?
Some of the best ways to discern and reflect are through prayer. Prayer is a powerful tool for helping us know what is truly in our hearts and whether it adheres to God’s Will. It also helps us overcome the temptation to just let it be or continue living the unhappy or unfulfilling life we are currently living.
Understand how to incorporate your passions into your life.
After reflecting on your current life, you must know your passions. Is it helping others, building a family, or starting a sustainable, eco-friendly business? What your passion is depends from person to person on what they find more important and what their interests are. Knowing what works for you is crucial because your passion allows you to discover your breath of new life, changes your perspective on things, and makes experiences like going through different struggles when opening up a new business more worthwhile, meaning less like work and more like play.
Now, some people struggle to find time for their passions because their jobs often don’t match their passions in life. However, it is also very unrealistic to say that we must give up our jobs in order to pursue something we are passionate about because we need a stable source of income to buy food and meet our basic needs.
The way to remedy this is to find a specific time of the week to incorporate your passions. Now, you might think that this is something unrealistic because not everyone has the time. This is true; however, instead of asking yourself if you have the time, decide that you will make the time because it is something that is important to you. We all have a limited amount of time to do everything we need to do in a day, but when we actively choose to prioritize something that seems essential to us, we can free ourselves of this mindset.
Cherish what you have.
Sometimes, we are so focused on the things that we do not have that we forget about the things that we have that we should be grateful for. Cherishing what we have by using them adequately and being grateful to the people or experiences around us plays a big role in creating a better perspective on catching a breath of new life.
Moreover, when we read books and stories depicting how people have a second chance of life, to fight the battles that they were unable to do before, and see the bigger picture of what life truly is, we come to realize that it is important to ground ourselves in what we find important and to be grateful of the things that we currently have. Want to read a fictional book about someone who took his second chance at life to fight the darker forces of evil in our world? Read The Sword of the Spirit: City on the Brink now!