The Lord says:
"Be on guard against the oppressive and depressive spirits that are sent by the enemy. Hold the Blood of Jesus against all these. Rise above and not go under. Take authority and bind whatever that tries to pull you down and make you feel useless. Never let the enemy sow any negativity into your life. Cast it down!"
Yeah, people of God, this is the time the Lord is releasing His fresh vision, fresh mission, and fresh purpose for His people. But be on guard. Because the enemy will try to come in and mess it up. Or maybe you are on the road to recovery and restoration in your life. The enemy can also try to come in and pull you down. When such things happen, what do you do? The Lord has the answer for you. You rise up. You take authority over all these nuisances sent by the enemy. You meditate on God's Word. And if the enemy tries to send sorrow or tries to remind you of your past sorrow, turn it around with the sword of the Spirit, that is the Word of God!
Let's look at the definitions of 'oppressive' and 'depressive' first. Remember, we are not fighting flesh and blood. We are not against anybody. But we are against the spirits of oppression and depression. This word 'oppressive' can be defined as 'causing feelings of being pressed upon with heavy burden in one's spirit and soul'. The soul of course includes your mind, or your thought. The word 'depressive' can be defined as 'causing feelings of severe despondency (i.e. loss of hope and courage in life) and dejection'. It can also be defined as 'causing a reduction in strength, effectiveness, or value in one's life'.
And the Lord is saying to us today: "Be on guard against all these!"
Let's go to the Scripture now. Ephesians 6:10-11 (NKJV) says, 'Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.'
By the way, 'wiles' here can mean 'the scheming of the devil, or the trickeries of the devil'. So, how do you overcome the oppressive and depressive spirits that come against you? You put on the whole armor of God! I'm going to share with you what does it mean by 'putting on the whole armor of God'.
But before that, let's go to the definition of 'put on'. In Greek, it is 'enduo'. It can be defined as 'endue with, clothe with, fill your thoughts with'. So, one way to 'put on the whole armor of God' is by filling your thoughts with Jesus, i.e. with the Word of God!
Who is this 'whole armor of God'? His name is Jesus! Now, you know that this ministry always points you to Jesus. I'm going to explain to you why putting on the whole armor of God is not so much about your own self-effort, or relying on your own strength, but putting on the whole armor of God is to look to Jesus! Because this 'whole armor of God' is no other but Jesus!
Jesus is your 'whole armor of God'! You see, you become strong in the Lord by putting on this whole armor of God. And to put on this whole armor of God is to put on Christ! He is your victory, He is your wholeness, He is your wellness, He is your everything!
What are some of those 'wiles and wickedness' of the enemy that come against you right now?
It may be a troubling thought, a worry, an anxiety, a feeling that you are condemned, or a guilt that you have, and the enemy is very good at rubbing salt in your wound (i.e. making an unpleasant situation even worse). It may also be a heavy burden or a heavy yoke that is imposed by the enemy against you. The enemy uses any of these to try to pull down your spirit, to destroy you, and of course, to destroy God's vision, God's mission, and God's purpose for you. That's why the Lord is saying today: "Be on guard!"
Ephesians 6:13 (NKJV) says, '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.'
Very interestingly, Apostle Paul never said to fight, to strive, or to toil in the battle. But he said to stand. So, what exactly is the word 'stand' here? It is 'histemi' in Greek. It can mean 'be established, be firm.' It means to stand on the 'solid rock'. Jesus is your 'solid rock'! When you are established in Christ, when you are firm in Christ (in His Word), the enemy has no choice but to flee. You know why? Because the enemy can't stand Him and His Word!
So, what do you do, beloved? You stand firm on God and God's Word in your life. You keep meditating on His Word. You keep building yourself in the spirit by praying in the spirit. Word and Spirit. Spirit and Word.
Let's continue with Ephesians 6:14-17. Here, you can see the details of the whole armor of God, which I'm going to explain one by one. 'Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God...' Ephesians 6:18 then says, 'praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit...'
Do you see the word 'sword' here? The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God! Wield it. Use it. Overcome all those works of darkness, and all those oppressive and depressive spirits that come against you with the Word of God! Declare it. Speak it out aloud. Victory is yours for the taking. Hallelujah!
Now, let's go to the details of the whole armor of God. Remember this: Putting on the whole armor of God is putting on Christ. In other words, be conscious of who Christ is in your life. And of course, be conscious of what God says you are, not what the world says you are, or what the devil says you are, or what all kinds of spirits in the world say you are.
The first item is 'belt'. You gird your waist with the truth. What is this truth? The Word of God is truth! And this truth shall set you free! As you are fastened with this truth, i.e. the Word of God, no lie can deceive you. You are always standing in the truth. You are not standing on the lies of the enemy. And who is this truth? Jesus! Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life! Do you see that? Jesus is the whole armor of God! He has become your 'belt'! Because He is the truth! And this truth shall set you free! You will not be deceived by all those lies, or wiles and wickedness, or the scheming of the enemy against you. Amen!
The second item is 'breastplate'. Now, all these items are actually symbolic of who Jesus is in your life. When you put on this breastplate, you are protected from condemnation of the devil. This is the breastplate of righteousness. When you put on this breastplate of righteousness, you are reminding yourself always that you are already made right in Christ. You are already made righteous through Christ. And therefore, no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every word that rises against you in judgement, you shall condemn. This is your heritage, your inheritance, as a servant of the Lord. And your righteousness comes from who? Your righteousness comes from the Lord! (Isaiah 54:17)
The third item is 'shoe'. Now, 'shoe' here symbolizes 'you are led by the Spirit of God'. You are led by Him every step of the way. Believe this, that wherever the Lord leads you, there will be shalom peace. And wherever you are, you are the light to the world. As Jesus is the light, you are the extension of this light. You can touch many lives. You are a blessing to others. You can share the good news of Jesus Christ, His kingdom, to many more lives around you. You can look to the Lord. You can look outward on how you can be a blessing to others, instead of looking inward, throwing a pity party, or dwelling in negativity. Don't give the enemy any say in your life. God has all the say. Jesus has all the say. The Holy Spirit has all the say. But not the enemy.
The fourth item is 'shield'. Apostle Paul put it as 'shield of faith'. When you put on Christ in your life, you are also filled with this faith of God. There's no fear, anxiety, or worry anymore. You have overcome all these by the faith of God. And nothing whatsoever thrown by the enemy can affect you! Hallelujah!
The fifth item is 'helmet'. Now, this can symbolize you are saved from eternal death, and no one can knock that off from you. You know why? Because Jesus, your Salvation, lives in you. Nothing in this world can take Him away from you, if you do not allow it. So, be conscious of who Christ is in your life. Know who Christ is in your life. And no oppressive or depressive spirit can affect you. You have overcome!
The sixth item is 'sword'. This is 'the sword of the Spirit', that is the Word of God. It means you are established in His Word. Jesus is the Word. And this Word of God is sharper than any other double-edged sword, and it overcomes any work or word of darkness that comes against you. So, wield this sword. Slay all those works or words of darkness!
And of course Apostle Paul also wrote to pray in the spirit, which is to build yourself in the spirit man. When you are strong in your spirit, i.e. you are strong in the inside of you, you are going to see yourself strong in the outside of you. Because what happens in the spirit happens first, and it will be reflected in the physical.
You see, beloved of God, this is the good news. God has given you this whole armor of God. Put it on! Put on Christ! And that's how you are going to triumph in Christ!
