Darin Browne is an internationally known Praise and Worship leader who has been leading worship for over 20 years in a variety of churches across most denominations in many countries around the world. He has produced an incredible online training package, guaranteed to teach you how to lead powerful and effective worship in your church. Check out the ultimate package for free at http://worshipleaderonline.com/
One of the constant desires of most singers is to be able to hit the high notes.
Hit the High Notes with Confidence!
Let's face it, the high notes are what seem most impressive, and also as singers what makes us feel great. High notes lift our spirits, and we often go up a key and find the worship atmosphere goes up a key also.
But sometimes we are not confident enough to hit the high notes with impunity. There is always an element of risk the higher you sing, so we thought a podcast revealing the secrets of exactly how you can hit the high notes as a singer was in order, and something that every singer, be they good, bad or average, would benefit from.
So this is an instructive podcast, where Darin and Erick will actually step you through how you can hit the high notes again and again with confidence. We also talk about how you can change your voice over time, gently and safely raising the highest note you can pitch. In fact, Darin can attest to molding his voice into a tenor doing exactly the things we talk about here!
So if you are a singer and you want to hit the high notes, don't just tighten your belt or stamp on your foot hard to cause pain, learn the right techniques and start to get those notes you have always dreamed of getting in your worship leading! Who knows, you might even break a few windows with your high pitched singing (and is that even possible???). You certainly will inspire a few people if you can reach higher when you sing and if you can lift the worship at the same time.
Importantly, we will be teaching you how to hit the high notes without straining your voice, and this is incredibly important if you are to sing for any length of time. So we will teach you to sing and hit these notes, not screech and scream to try and attain the high notes!
If you have always wanted to hit the high notes without straining your voice or risking the dreaded "voice break", then check out this free podcast now...
When you look in the mirror what do you see? Do you see your true value, see yourself as valuable, as special, as unique, as precious? In this second message on "Me in the Mirror", I want to focus on seeing yourself as God sees you… valuable, special and precious!
According to the Mayo Clinic in 2010, if we take a human being and boil them down to their base elements, and sell them, they are worth around $4.50 on today’s market. But even evolutionists believe your true value is worth far more than that.
Everybody thinks your true value is worth more than $4.50, right? Why would ladies spend $50+ on shoes to put on 50c worth of feet? Guys, why would we spend $30 on a t-shirt to cover $1.20 worth of chest? We surely have greater value than our raw chemical makeup, but all over the world, in all walks of life, in all age groups, in all classes and no matter what you earn or achieve, people struggle with self-esteem and feelings of worthlessness! Even famous and rich movie stars look in the mirror and hate what they see, and stars like Robin Williams, Philip Seymore Hoffman and Heath Ledger take their own lives, despite their fame and fortune!
YOU ARE PRECIOUS!
Listen, you are not an accident, regardless of whether your parents think you were! In God’s eyes, there are no accidents and there are no surprises because He has perfect knowledge and power.
King David contemplating this one day said this to God...
Psalms 139:13-16 (ESV Strong's)
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
The Hebrew word for formed is qana, which does not just mean creating from nothing but it implies ownership, as an inventor would claim ownership of his invention. God created you, and claims you as His own!
God says He knew us and claimed us even as we were formed in the womb. Man says you are simply a collection of cells until you are born, then you become human. If wombs had windows, we wouldn’t have abortion!
We live in a world that does it’s best to devalue human beings. We live in a society that values the rights of minorities more than the rights of the vast majority. Most people say they see human beings as valuable, but they don’t act like it. People use and abuse each other every day, putting their own interests first. Men see women as conquests, women see men as someone to meet their needs. Salespeople see you as a sale. Even churches can see you as a seat filled, or money in the plate.
God says you are valuable and precious, every one of you. That’s why throughout history, Christians have started the first hospitals, school and orphanages. Every life is precious to God, and should be to us. Your true value is in who you are, not what someone else can get from you!
YOU DO NOT SEE YOUR TRUE VALUE AS GOD SEES IT
A professor in a college ethics class presented a problem to his students. He said, "A man has syphilis and his wife tuberculosis. They have had four children: one has died, the other three have what is considered to be a terminal illness. The mother is pregnant. What do you recommend?" After spirited discussion, the majority of the class voted that the mother should abort the child.
"Fine," said the professor, "You've just killed Beethoven!" When we judge the worth of a life, we play God without His power and complete knowledge… God says every life is precious and valuable, and every person can fulfil a destiny, should they choose to.
Jeremiah 1:4-5 (ESV Strong's)
Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Before birth God has a plan for you, a destiny for you, a purpose for your life. You are not an accident, you are not an inconvenience, are not just another consumer in the market. From a tiny cell, you develop into … 60 trillion cells, 100 thousand miles of nerve fibre, 60 thousand miles of vessels carrying blood around the body, 250 bones, to say nothing of joints, ligaments and muscles. Your true value cannot be measured!
You are fearfully and wonderfully made, but even more than this, God has a destiny for you! You were not just made by Him, you were woven together, you are His workmanship, His masterpiece, with a purpose and a destiny to fulfil.
Ephesians 2:10 (ESV Strong's)
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Yet, when we look in the mirror, most of us do not see ourselves as valuable and precious. We see our faults, our wrinkles, our blemishes, our pain. Why is it that most people, even Christians, fail to see their value and never reach their full potential? How can you see your true value?
YOUR TRUE VALUE- INTRINSIC AND POTENTIAL
This $10 note is worth how much? $10, right? It is a piece of plastic, of little real value, but because the government backs this bit of plastic to be worth $10, it is. I cannot say I want $50 for this note, neither can I say it’s only worth 10c. The value in this note is not what it is made of, and it’s not what it or anyone else thinks about it, it is worth what its creator believes it is worth.
And so are you. You can only discover your true value in life when you place yourself under the loving care of the one who created you. You are worth what your creator says, not what anybody else’s says you are worth, that's your true value!
Like a spring wound up, He sees potential energy stored in you that can be used for greatness. As a watch is created and wound up can run for days, so God sees incredible value in every one of us, and potential for greatness.
Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV Strong's)
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
These words were given by the prophet Jeremiah to a defeated and humiliated nation exiled in a hostile land. In the midst of pain and suffering, loss of material things, loss of loved ones and loss of hope, God loved His people and said He had a plan to prosper them and give them hope! The potential energy is still there, the hope is still alive.
Many come to Ignite because they have been hurt elsewhere, maybe away from God, away from church, out of fellowship, out of ideas and fresh out of hope. Many who come here have felt their dreams die, and feel useless and worthless. One of the gifts God has given me as a pastor is that when I meet you I see greatness. I seem to be able to see through the pain, through the circumstances and the exterior into the heart, and I see greatness in all of you! God’s plan, God’s destiny in your life is not dead, it is dormant, and my job is to stir it into life and have you see your true value! You are valuable and you have purpose!
DESTINY LOST
So when you look in the mirror, do you see greatness? Do you see destiny fulfilled, or destiny lost? Do you see the image of a failure, or the image of Christ?
The dictionary defines destiny as fate, “the development of events outside a person's control, regarded as predetermined by a supernatural power.” God does not see destiny as fate… He sees destiny as a series of choices. Wrong choices cause you to lose your destiny. You fulfil your destiny by making not so much good choices, but God choices!
Romans 8:28-29 (ESV Strong's)
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son,
Your destiny is to look like God’s Son. Your destiny is greatness in His Kingdom. And all things work for good in this, all things, even the rotten, stinking failures and abuses we suffer. How can this be?
When we look into the mirror, we often don’t see our worth, and we cannot see the potential God sees in us. When we look at circumstances, we don’t see God’s overall plan. We see a small portion, but He sees the whole. We see the present, He sees a glorious future in us.
Ships need to float, yet they are made of steel. If you throw a piece of steel in water it will sink. A shipyard is full of all kinds of steel, and if you throw any single piece in the water it will sink, because steel sinks! However, once it is assembled and joined the right way, a massive, incredibly heavy steel ship actually floats. When you see it as a whole, you see its destiny.
God sees your life as a life of destiny... That is your true value! You are not a mistake, you are not here by accident, you have a destiny in this place. It’s not to work hard, make money have a nice family, have a fun life then die, it is a life of serving Him and blessing others. God’s plan is to see you flourish into the image of His Son, and to serve where He has called you. But destiny can be fulfilled, or lost, depending on the choices you make!
Throughout the Bible men and women have fulfilled their God-given, God directed destiny. But many also tragically lost their destiny. Solomon started well, then his many wives turned his head away from God. Samson, Hezekiah, Uzziah, even Judas started following God, but lost their destiny.
Let me look at one of the saddest examples of destiny lost…
KING SAUL… BAD CHOICES = DESTINY LOST!
Saul was the first king of Israel, but came a time when he faced a fork in the road of his destiny. God had initially led Samuel right to him, and told him to anoint this young man. Saul was impressive to say the least! Tall, good looking with long wavy hair, he was like the Brad Pitt of his day, and everyone loved him. He should have been the greatest King of Israel!
1 Samuel 10:24 (ESV Strong's)
And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
This man prophesied, this man fought battles, this man was anointed King and looked the part. So what went wrong for Saul? He faced a fork in the road…
Remember I said destiny is a series of choices? Well, Saul consistently chose disobedience...
1 Samuel 13:11-12 (ESV Strong's)
Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.”
Saul stepped out of his destiny by usurping the role of priest, something he knew was wrong. He feared that he was losing the people, and this fear caused him to do something offensive to God. If you fear the reactions and opinions of people, then you can lose your destiny! Some here think they have lost their destiny because they listened to what people said about them.
Sometime later the Lord commanded Saul through Samuel to devote a town to destruction. Everything in this wicked and perverse town was to be destroyed, people, animals and things.
1 Samuel 15:12 (ESV Strong's)
And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told Samuel, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal.”
One hint about where Saul’s heart was going was this… On the way to this assignment, Saul stopped off to erect a statue to himself. Pride, in ourselves and our achievements, can cause us to lose our destiny. When we are prideful, we start making disobedient, arrogant decisions, decisions on our own, serving our own ends, not God’s choices for us. Some here fear they have lost their destiny because they made dumb choices, and suffered the consequences.
He then failed the assignment… disobeying by choosing to spare the evil king and the best of the spoils…
1 Samuel 15:9 (ESV Strong's)
But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.
A quick recap… Saul had a clear command from the Lord, but tempted by the goods, he chose deliberately to disobey the Lord, and spare the best things for himself. Suddenly Samuel arrives, so Saul recognises he is in trouble, but makes an attempt at deflecting his guilt…
1 Samuel 15:13-15 (ESV Strong's)
And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” And Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?” Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.”
Nice save Saul! When caught red handed, he concocts a lame excuse, to deflect guilt and save face… yes, I did what the Lord asked, but I kept the best animals, not for me, but for you Lord, to sacrifice to you! Sadly for Saul, both God and Samuel clearly see Saul’s heart for what it is… disobedient.
1 Samuel 15:19-21 (ESV Strong's)
Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord?” And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”
Saul pretends to be saving the good for sacrifice, then blames the people. But Samuel says…
1 Samuel 15:22-23 (ESV Strong's)
“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.”
Saul, the great man of destiny, the first King of Israel, lost his destiny, lost his throne, lost his lineage and eventually lost his life because he was not obedient!
STEPS TO REGAINING YOUR DESTINY?
As I have said, God created you with a purpose and a destiny, and He has desires and plans for you from before you were even born. Let me remind you…
Psalms 139:16 (ESV Strong's)
Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
So if you have doubted your true value, that you are precious and valuable to Him, or if you’ve lost your destiny, let me show you the steps you can take to rediscover your value and destiny in God…
1. RECOGNISE YOUR TRUE VALUE... THAT YOU ARE PRECIOUS
The Lord shows us in Scripture your true value, that we are special and precious to Him.
Matthew 10:29-31 (MSG)
"What's the price of a pet canary? Some loose change, right? And God cares what happens to it even more than you do. He pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don't be intimidated by all this bully talk. You're worth more than a million canaries.
God says it again and again, you are precious. He loves you so much that He sent His only Son to redeem you, to buy you back from sin, to save you from an eternity in hell. However you slice it, you are a valuable person in the eyes of God.
2. REMEMBER HE HAS A DESTINY FOR YOU
John 15:16 (ESV Strong's)
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
God promises He has a plan and destiny for you. And it’s a good one, one that bears fruit that lasts forever! You are so precious to Him, He’s not out to get you, hurt you, bring you down or destroy you. Your true value is that to Him, you are precious and He has plans for you that are perfect!
3. REPENT OF YOUR SIN
To begin to move towards your destiny, you have to start by repenting of your sin. Repentance doesn’t just mean being sorry for what your thought, said and done, it means turning 180 degrees around and changing your behaviour.
Acts 3:19-20 (ESV Strong's)
Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord
Repenting is obedience, turning away from your sin and disobedience and turning towards God. Only then will you discover your true value
4. REDISCOVER YOUR FIRST LOVE
Revelation 2:4-5 (ESV Strong's)
But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.
Some of us here who’ve been Christians for a long time need to rediscover our first love. Remember that feeling you have when you first fall in love with someone… that’s what we often lack. We go on in Christ, we grow, we mature, we get older, we learn and understand but many times we lose the love, the excitement, the joy we once had. If that is you today, the solution is simple… losing your first love is sin, and you must repent!
Rediscovering your first love means remembering what it was like, and reestablishing that first love.
5. REENGAGE WITH GOD
The Lord promises us in James,
James 4:8 (ESV Strong's)
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
However, many times we as Christian go through the religious motions, just as Saul did. We do some religious duty and think that God is pleased. He doesn’t want your sacrifice, He wants your obedience and your heart!
Isaiah 29:13 (ESV Strong's)
And the Lord said:
“Because this people draw near with their mouth and honour me with their lips,
while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
We can draw near with just our mouths. We can go to church, call ourselves a Christian, listen to SALT or obey a bunch of rules taught by men, but the heart of God is that we draw near in our spirits, which involves all of us reengaging with God.
Having quiet times, reading the Word, praying constantly, coming to church, these are all ways that help us reengage our spirits with the Lord. Why go through the motions of being a Christian when you can be full on for Jesus and change the world? David wrote…
Psalms 63:1 (ESV Strong's)
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Do you long for God like that? You should, because that is how you discover your destiny and your true value!
6. RECOMMIT TO OBEDIENCE
Moving into your destiny starts with seeing your true value, as precious to the Lord, and someone of value. However it is not enough to sim,ply acknowledge that you are worthwhile.
I said before that destiny is a series of decisions, and these decisions involve you being obedient. When you sense God leading you, that you do not resist but rather obey and trust Him. That is how you move into the greatest destiny you could imagine.
Exodus 19:5 (ESV Strong's)
Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;
Ignite church is a safe place for you to start being obedient to the Lord. That’s why we have 201, so you can see opportunities to invest that precious life of yours in something powerful Thayer yields fruit for eternity.
7. RESPOND TO HIM TODAY
Today the Lord has His arms outstretched to you, calling you to be devoted to Him, and to trust Him with your life and future. Today He is asking you to see beyond the reflection in the mirror and trust Him to lead you into your destiny.
Today He is promising you that whatever you think about yourself, however you see yourself, You are valuable and precious to Him. You are so precious He sacrifices His only Son for you, and He has beautiful, wonderful plans for you.
Remember that $10 note? We agreed that it is worth $10 only because our government says it is, and they created that note.
What if I chew it and spit it out? $10? What if I stamp on it and walk all over it? $10. What if I cover it in dirt and grime? Still $10.
Today some of you have been chewed up and spat out by life, rejected and walked all over by others, or sullied your life with sin and disobedience. I don’t care what you’ve been through, I don’t care if you’ve been divorced or into drugs or caught in adultery. I don’t care if they say you have a low IQ, a low self-esteem or a low net worth. Today you see your true value.
Jesus sees your true value, Jesus sees you as worthwhile, precious and He has a destiny for you. You must decide to walk with Him, or without Him. You are valuable when you come to Jesus, so I’m going to ask you to do that right now… Start seeing your true value as He sees you, and start living like He wants you to…
How would you like to lead the perfect worship service?
Can we Lead the Perfect Worship Service?
OK, it is likely that none of us can lead an absolutely perfect worship service, but I am confident that we can get close to or approach perfection in the way we lead our worship.
It starts with having your heart and the hearts of your worship team right with God. But there are also some positive thing you can do to help make your worship service powerful and close to perfect. And we recognise that worship might look different for different churches, but that does not mean that we should not aim for being perfect!
So if you are a worship leader, and if you want to increase your skills and start to lead a church service that affects the lives of those listening and singing, then this is a great podcast for you to tune into! As a worship leader for many years, I can tell you that there is nothing quite like leading a service where the Holy Spirit takes off and draws people to the throne of God in an incredible and supernatural way. It is one of the great thrills of serving the King, and if we can learn how to lead services like this, not only will we feel fulfilled but people will flock to be a part of it!
Leading worship is a journey for us, and discussions like this can lead us deeper into the Lord, and deeper into our skillset as a worship leader. So guys, do not miss this podcast, even if you think (and you are right) that our feeble efforts could never produce the perfect article in our worship. If we can become closer to perfection in our worship leading, it is definitely worth the journey!
Check it out now!
When you lead worship, are you complaining or praying when things go wrong?
Things do go wrong when worship leading, as you may know, but many times the success of the ministry depends on our attitude, doesn't it?
Are you Complaining or Praying
I know, there is a huge tendency to complain when things go wrong, and this is just human nature. So when you face a challenge, are you complaining or praying? I mean, when push comes to shove, are you complaining or praying your way through the issues?
Let's face it, all of us are inclined to complain from time to time, even constantly, when things do not work out as we have planned. But how many of us know that when things go wrong or at least differently to our original plans in our worship leading, it is very often God leading us in a different way. Perhaps He is working on our character, or perhaps He is working on someone in the band.
If you complain from the outset, it reveals that our spirit is not actually submitting to the Holy Spirit. We should have a great attitude like Job in adversity, but often we just complain and whine like the Israelites in the Exodus!
This podcast is about ceasing the complaints and starting the prayer because God can use more effectively if we are focussed not on our problems and setbacks but on our prayer life. It is exciting because it is all about seeing the Lord in the midst of our apparent trouble, and about focussing on His will for our lives instead of complaining. This podcast might allow all of us the opportunity to experience what Habakkuk did over three chapters, and go from questioning God to this...
Habakkuk 3:17-18
Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
Check it out now...
Pastor Fred Bartolo brings this great message of forward movement, and everyone in the room was excited. Ps Fred is a funny and entertaining preacher and deeply affected the lives of many at Ignite by encouraging them forward in their healing, their walk with God and their Christian faith.
So Who is Pastor Fred Bartolo?
Pastor Fred Bartolo and his wife Mary have very different backgrounds. Fred is an ex-Rugby League player who often found himself in trouble with the law , while his beautiful bride Mary lived in Brazil serving as a Catholic nun. Both had a personal encounter with The Lord Jesus Christ and received Him as their Lord and Saviour at around the same time, but in different countries and under radically different circumstances!
They eventually met in Malta and got married the following year, being ordained as pastors in 1993.
Since then Fred Bartolo has served within Australia, but also around the world, notably planting fourteen churches in Chile and establishing outreaching church plants to several other South American countries. including Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Columbia, and Venezuela, as well as in their home country of Malta.
Fred Bartolo is now an elder of Ignite Christian Church, and has a well recognised and beloved itinerate ministry throughout Australia. We clelbrate his powerful ministry, and the wonderful effect both he and Mary have had in all of our lives here at Ignite, and we are excited about the future and what the Lord is doing in and through this dynamic couple!
This message is one not to be missed!
Increasing power in worship leading is something we all want, but sometimes it is a difficult thing to obtain.
Power in Worship Leading
Seeing the Holy Spirit move in power in worship leading is clearly heavily dependent on your walk with God. However, there are still great ideas and tips that you can use to increase the power in worship leading you see in your church.
These are not gimmicks or tricks, there are some positive and simple things you can do to see your worship leading take off in a way you have never experienced before.
And surely this is what we all want, what we all desire to see in your lives, and in our churches. So in this podcast, we discuss how you can generate real power in your worship leading, by keeping close to the Lord in your quiet times and devotionals, and also by using simple techniques that can open the way for the Holy Spirit to move in your church in a new and fresh way.
So settle back, grab s coffee or tea and explore simple but powerful ways you can increase the anointing of God in your worship leading...
Honestly, there are definite things you can do to increase the power of your worship leading ministry.
And a quick plug... If you really want to open the top end and SUPERCHARGE your worship ministry, check out our online Worship Leader Academy, where we spend a lot of time giving you teaching that can make a massive difference in the way you lead the power with which you lead and every aspect of your life and ministry for the Lord.
Check it out here, and leave no stone unturned to increase the power of worship leading in your life, and in your church.
We studied our enemy last week, and so this week we are going to look at the first 3 parts of the armour of God.
Now remember, we are fighting the ruler of the Kingdom of the air, (Ephesians 2:2), so we are engaged in a spiritual battle. We need to stand and hold our ground firstly, then ultimately attack, but standing firm and holding ground is our first priority.
Ephesians 6:13Therefore 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.
I actually love how the Message Bible translates this passage...
Ephesians 6:11- 13So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet.
So, when facing the enemy, we know He will attack in many areas, and we highlighted 3 last week, society, the church and importantly, your mind. This last one is where we will concentrate our defence.
The Bible never instructs you to flirt with the devil. It does not tell you to collaborate with him. But it does tell you to resist him...
James 4:7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
If you struggle with a sin, run like crazy! If you struggle with sex, don't visit porn sites. If you struggle with gossip, don't talk to certain people. If you struggle with anger, find a way to defuse yourself before you explode! If you struggle with substance abuse
This is why we don't like seeing Christians dating Non believers. Aside from the Biblical commandment to not be unequally yoked (2 Corinthians 6:14), it just makes sense. You might think you will win them to Christ, but 9 times out of 10 they will win you away from Christ. Don't flirt with it, it's a tough gig and it is just not worth it most often.
Flip Wilson was an African American comedian in the 1970s, and he had one famous skit about a black lady who bought a dress and, when her husband asked her why she bought it, she said it was not her fault because, "The devil made me do it!"
That is not resisting, right?
And collaborating, well we know about that from the war. Collaborators were those who, when the Nazis invaded, decided to work with them rather than join the resistance. After the war, the men were shot and the women had their heads shaved and were ostracised from the community for the rest of their life.
You don't want to flirt with the devil, or collaborate, you need to resist.
PUT ON THE FULL ARMOUR Of GOD
If you are going to resist, put in the full armour of God
The Greek word for "full armour" is panoplia, which refers to the complete armour of a heavily armed infantry soldier. It is not light, it is sometimes a little uncomfortable, but it is the maximum protection for a soldier.
With this you can not only stand, you can withstand. So you can stand your ground, and you can withstand the onslaughts of the enemy and his troops... the underlying meaning of withstanding is resisting.
So let's start to look at the various pieces of armour God gives you.
1. THE BELT OF TRUTH
The first piece of armor mentioned is this belt of truth.
IN Ephesians 6:13, it says Stand firm, there's that word again, with the belt of truth. In older translations it says, gird your loins, which is very poetic, but it actually means tighten your belt.
Now the Greek word for truth is halētheia, which refers to the state of the heart answering to God's truth; or the agreement of our convictions with God's revelation.
Certainly we must be faithful in holding the truth of God’s word, but it is also necessary for the truth to hold us. We must apply God's truth to our daily lives. As we test everything by the truth, we find strength and protection in the combat.
So the belt is not our truth, it is God's truth, and because it is a belt or a girdle, it surrounds the central point of your body. In fact, the loins was described by ancients as the seat of power. So "To smite through the loins" is to strike a fatal blow. "To lay affliction upon the loins" is to afflict heavily.
And the belt or girdle holds everything together, it is the common bond of the whole of your body armour.
You see, truth gives unity to and surrounds all the different virtues, and it also gives determination and consistency to your character. All the virtues are exercised within the sphere of truth.
Compromise truth, and you compromise everything!
Now my wife pointed out to me that at some point everybody lies. Who has ever ticked a box on the internet labeled "I have read and agreed to the terms and conditions" without actually reading them? I would argue that I have skimmed them, but there you go! However, outside of that, we need to be totally honest.
Now we all know that when your belt slips, it can be very embarrassing. Try running, jumping or fighting with your pants around your ankles because your belt has slipped! Not exactly efficient, in fact it could be dangerous and cause your demise, right?
I scuba dived a few weeks ago, and tightened my weight belt before descending. The pressure caused my 7ml wetsuit to contract, and my belt was slipping. I had to stop swimming and continually haul it up, otherwise I could lose it and float too fast to the surface. To be honest, it distracted me and ruined my first dive.
So what does this mean for you? It means you need to truthful and honest, and frankly some of you aren't doing that. You need to be careful at being honest 100% of the time, and not bend or warp the truth to suit your own ends.
I know Christian businessmen who lie and are not honest. I know Christian mums who lie to their kids. I even know pastors who lie and twist the truth so they can get their own way. No matter who you are, no matter what the excuse or circumstances, it is not right!
So, are you absolutely honest in everything you do, or do you bend the truth when it suits?
In my life and business, I am a stickler for honesty. I will not permit my staff to lie either, so if someone calls and I don't want to talk to them, they are instructed to say, "Darin can't talk right now," they cannot say, "Darin is not here."
Even with the kids, how do you speak to them? If they ask for something in a shop, do you say ,"We can't afford that?" What about with friends? What about at church? Do you say the occasional "white lie" to get your own way.
"White lie", now there's a fallacy... All lies are black in God's eyes!
Integrity is a bit like pregnancy... You cannot be half pregnant, or 90% pregnant! You either are pregnant or you are not. Same with integrity. If you are honest 98% of the time, then you are dishonest. You can't have 98% integrity!
And remember, the belt is what your sword hangs on, so if you want to be powerfully used by God, you can't be a liar!
And if you want to stand against and be protected from the devil, the first thing you need to do is to covenant with God to be truthful... 100% honest. With yourself, and with others! This is the first piece of the Armour of God.
And this leads to the next piece of armour...
2. BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
The breastplate is the Greek word thorax, which we use of the central part of an insect body, which looks a little bit like the original breastplate piece of armour.
It was a form of protection from the neck to the bottom of the ribs, and consisted of 2 pieces, a front and a corresponding back section. Each section could be solid, or chain mail, often with pieces of horn or other hard material sown in for protection.
It's a bit like an ancient Kevlar vest.
The breastplate protects the vital organs of a soldier, and it needs to be serviceable but also comfortable. It guards your heart, stomach and other organs.
The Greek word for righteousness is dikaiosune is “the character or quality of being right or just”; It is used to denote an attribute of God, e.g., Rom. 3:5, the context of which shows that “the righteousness of God” means essentially His right nature, which is the same as His faithfulness, or truthfulness, that which is consistent with His own nature and promises.
Essentially, righteousness is doing right, not by our standards but by God's.
So what this element of the armour tells us is that doing right protects our heart.
Jeremiah tells us that the natural heart of man is deceitful and desperately wicked...
Jeremiah 17:9The heart is deceitful above all thingsand beyond cure.Who can understand it?
Proverbs tells us to guard our hearts...
Proverbs 4:23Above all else, guard your heart,for everything you do flows from it.
We are instructed to “put on” this armor, which implies that we do not automatically wear it all the time, which means that sometimes, our hearts are vulnerable, especially if we flirt or collaborate instead of resist.
Putting on the armor of God requires a decision on our part. To put on the breastplate of righteousness, we must first have the belt of truth firmly in place, because one is fastened onto the other.
You see, without truth, our righteousness will be based upon our own attempts to impress God by trying to be right. This leads to legalism or self-condemnation (Romans 8:1), so trying to be good enough is never going to protect you properly... It has to be His righteousness!
We must choose to acknowledge that, apart from Him, we can do nothing (He is the vine, we are the branches, devoid of life if not connected to Him...John 15:5).
If we truly have accepted Christ into our lives, we can see ourselves as being “in Christ” and that, regardless of our failures, His righteousness has been credited to our account. It's His righteousness, not ours!
So it is almost like Jesus looks at our righteousness, which is like filthy rags, and says, "Oh, that will never protect you, you'd better put mine on!"
We “put it on” by seeking His Kingdom and His righteousness above everything else (Matthew 6:33). That shows you how much God values righteousness and integrity. Yet so many of us compromise our righteousness and integrity for things, for stuff, yet if we seek first His righteousness, we get the stuff we need anyway!
When God reveals an area of change to us, we obey and allow Him to work in us. At the point where we say “no” to God, we open a little crack in the armor where Satan’s arrows can get through (Ephesians 6:16).
As we wear Christ’s breastplate of righteousness, we begin to develop a purity of heart that translates into actions. Wearing this breastplate creates a lifestyle of putting into practice what we believe in our hearts. As our lives become conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29), our choices become more righteous, and these godly choices also protect us from further temptation and deception (Proverbs 8:20; Psalm 23:3).
Why not be like the prophet Daniel?
Daniel 6:4At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.
Daniel’s steadfastness, strength of character and faith grew out of his habits of holiness. He consistently did the right thing, and the more he did right the harder it became for him to do wrong.
So righteousness becomes a habit if we put on the breastplate daily. Studies show that of we maintain a behaviour for 30 days straight it become a life changing habit. It becomes our norm, so whether it is having a quiet time, praying or flossing, making something valuable into a habit takes 30 days but is life changing.
So if you put this piece of the armour on daily, you will, over time, see you actions change to be more Christ-like, and less you-like! And your heart will be protected.
And remember, this piece of armour is protecting your heart!
Remember Philippians 4:7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Do you want peace? Then be righteous, because a righteous man has no fears of being found out. This week I met someone who had tried to dig up dirt on me. Was I ashamed to see them? Not at all! Why? Because I knew in my heart I had acted righteously with regards them. I had peace. My heart was guarded.
So righteousness is the way to guard your heart and mind, and the more you put it on, the more your ways will become truly righteous, because you will conforms to His will,
3. SANDALS OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE
Ephesians 6:15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
What Paul is referring to here is the caligal, or Roman military boots. These were one of the most important parts of the Roman soldier’s equipment. They were designed for marches over every kind of tough terrain, and it has even been said that the attention given to soldiers’ boots was the secret of Roman conquests across the then known world.
The gospel of peace is the message that Jesus gave to those who trust in Him (John 14:27; Romans 10:15).
And it is not just the Gospel message, because when you come to Christ you also receive the assurance from God that you are His child and nothing can snatch you out of His hands (John 10:29; 1 John 5:13).
The word readiness implies constant vigilance. A victorious soldier had to be always ready and prepared for battle. He had to have studied his enemy’s strategy, be confident in his own strategy, and have his feet firmly planted so that he could hold his ground when the attacks came.
You see, a Roman soldier’s battle shoes were studded with nails or spikes to help him keep his balance in combat. He knew that, if he lost his footing and went down, it wouldn’t matter how good the rest of his armour was; the enemy had him, and he would be doomed.
When we are ready with the gospel of peace, we live with the understanding that we are continually under attack from Satan. Second Timothy 4:2 says to “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season.”
So the gospel itself is to be the firm footing of the believer, and his walk needs to be worthy of it and therefore a testimony in regard to the gospel.
These shoes are defensive helping us to stand our ground, and also offensive as we attack by sharing the good news with others...
Isaiah 52:7How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
So let me finish this message by asking you, how's your belt, how's your breastplate and how's your shoes?
Do you struggle to live the life of integrity you long to live? Are you fearful to share your faith with others?
Take a few moments right now to examine your heart carefully,
Jeremiah 20:12Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteousand probe the heart and mind,
Let Him probe your heart and mind right now. If you long to have truth and integrity as the foundation of your life, and if you feel unrighteous but long to be more righteous and Christ-like, respond to His Spirit and ask Him to fill you with integrity, truth, righteousness and the gospel. Then you have pu on the first three pars of the Armour of God!
