He is Greater!

He is Greater! 

On reviewing a sermon shared by a friend, I wanted to go over each section and maybe split it into another blog later on.  Before I get started, I want to thank my daughter for the beautiful sunset picture taken at lake Olivia!  Just a reminder of how great is the hand that created the Heavens and the earth! 

Shema

Sh'ma Israel

Adonal Eloheynu

Adonai Echad

Baruch Shehm Kvod

Malchuto

Le Olam Va'ed

Hear O Israel:

The Lord Our God

The Lord is One

Blessed by the name

Of His Glorious Majesty

Forever and ever

Amen 

Sola Deo Gloria! 

To God alone be the Glory! 

The introduction starts like this:  There is a warning that goes with tonight's lesson.  "Fasten your seatbelts, we are in for a ride!"  The lesson talks about evil forces in the world, yet we seldom take them into consideration as we live our daily lives?  How often do we rely on ourselves or other sources, like confidence in our own abilities, trusting others and their abilities and so on.... 

As I started to read the introduction to the sermon, some of the verses that the Holy Spirit brought to mind were Proverbs 3:5 - "So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man.  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.  Now if we seldom pick up our Bible, we are lacking in understanding and how can we find favor in a God we don't know, nor trust?  I would say, if we don't lean on Him, we are surely headed for the ride of our lives!  

God also tells us in 1 John 4:4 to be wise and test every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.  You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.  They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.   

The second bullet of the sermon - "We know, but fail to realize, that trusting in our own devices and the devices of others involves pride, a lack of trust in God and even the setting up of idols in our lives.  As we enter the political season in our own country there are underlying evil forces running wild!  In our physical realm, called "Aslyah" in Hebrew.  Our eyes are often "veiled" - (klippot in Hebrew) to the invisible realm that surrounds us, however, these evil forces are pulling the strings that control us. 

Kilppot manifest as mistaken beliefs, emotions, thoughts, and actions are embraced by men.  These "husks" are sometimes disguised as good.  This veil is often ignited by confusion, chaos, prejudices, anger, fears, and opinions of the heathen or religious crowd.  

How does God tell us to handle these evil forces?  How do we handle confusion, chaos, prejudice, anger, fear and the spiritually uneducated?  In Ephesians 6:10-18 God says, "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.  

Here is the Armor: 

Belt of Truth - God's word

Breastplate of Righteousness -  Found through Faith is Jesus Christ

Feet filled with Peace - Through the Gospel of God's word

Shield of Faith - Protection

Helmet of Salvation - Our Deliverer Jesus Christ 

Sword of the Spirit - God's word - extinguish all flaming arrows

In II Timothy 2:15 - His word says, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman who needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  (Don't be a Kilppot "shell or husk" - that is filled with nothing or with the wrong things, such as confusion, chaos, prejudices, anger, fears and opinions of mankind, fill your mind with God's word!  Again in 2 Corinthians 10:5 - We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ!  

Are you ready to get off the roller coaster, and unbuckle fear?  Then open your Bible and soak in His instruction on how to fight against the evil of this world! 

My soul rests in God Alone 

Psalms 62:8

On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God!  Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.  Selah!  men of low degree are only vanity and men of rank are a lie; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than breath.....

Psalms 55:22

Cast your cares on the Lord (Yahweh) and he will sustain you; he will never let the rightous be shaken. 

Psalms 37:5 

Delight yourself in the Lord (Yahweh); and he will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.  he will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday....