2022 Universal week of prayer, TUESDAY 4th JANUARY

TUESDAY 4th JANUARY 2022 Universal week of prayer

2022 Universal week of prayer, TUESDAY 4th JANUARY.

TUESDAY 4th JANUARY 2022

⇒ Follow this link to Join the 2022 Anglican Bible Study

TOPIC: FIGHTING AGAINST PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS

OPENING HYMN A & M 304

Fight the good fight with all thy might!

Christ is thy strength, and Christ thy right;

Lay hold on life and it shall be Thy joy and

crown eternally.

Run the straight-race through God’s good grace

Lift up thine eyes, and seek his face;

Life with its way before us lies;

Christ is the path, and Christ the prize.

Cast care aside, lean on thy guide;

His boundless mercy will provide;

Trust and thy trusting soul shall prove

Christ is its life, and Christ its love.

Faint not nor fear, his arms are near;

He changeth not, and thou are dear;

Only believe, and thou shalt see

That Christ is all in all to thee.

TOPIC: FIGHTING AGAINST PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS

TEXT: Ephesians 6:10-18, Matthew 16:18-19

Possessing the gate implies having dominion, being in charge of one’s territory, and having the upper hand in decisions that concern the territory. The prevalent crisis, challenges, and battles in families and societies today have made it imperative that one sits up spiritually so as not to allow the enemies to take undue advantage of him/her. This covers every aspect of one’s life and existence, and such gives one the divine access to have and enjoy all that heaven has for him. Ab initio, the enemy has really taken a lot from Christians, which has made some Christians think that God is no longer faithful; but through this study, we shall look at the opportunity God has given to us to possess and protect what he has given to us through spiritual warfare.

ENGAGING THE POWERS AT THE GATE

The enemies at the gate include seen and unseen forces, which go about monitoring, limiting, and afflicting people in their families, businesses, and careers. These are principalities and powers, agents of darkness that the devil uses to attack humanity so as to stop the good works of heaven over their lives. Seeing their activities, the havocs, and threats they pose to man, Jesus gave a word of promise that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church.” Giving the believers the keys of the kingdom, the authority, and power, the believer is empowered to fight, to dislodge the devil and his agents wherever their presence and operations are noticed. Every believer is therefore divinely positioned to be in charge through spiritual warfare against these forces. Note that every child is baptized as •good soldier of the cross to fight under the banner of Christ against Satan, sin, and the world; and to remain a faithful soldier till the end of his life.

BELIEVERS’ WEAPONS OF WARFARE – Ephesians 6:10 -18.

God has provided believers with weapons of warfare, which are not carnal but mighty through God for pulling down of strongholds (gates) – (2 Corinthians 10: 4-6). The fight should be under the banner of Christ for victory to be ensured, hence the songwriter in A&M 309 says, “We fight for truth? We fight for God…Who will fight for thee on earth must first be true within.” Being a born-again Christian gives one a strong edge over the’ devil and his agents, generating strong spiritual power by the Holy Ghost who lives in him.

From Ephesians 6:10-18 we can deduce further as follows:

Being strong is a viable weapon; having our anchor and confidence in the ability of God as Head over principalities and powers.
2. Having knowledge of the existence of these powers and knowledge of the heavenly weapons at the disposal of a Christian is a great advantage.
Weapons of truth, righteousness, knowing the word of God. And faith which represents Christian virtues helps the Christian soldier generate spiritual dynamites to stand against the wiles and the fiery darts of the wicked.

Christian soldiers must be at alert enough, and always on the offensive, not waiting for the enemy to attack first but being the ones to launch attacks; hence it should be a daily and constant duty. Weapons of warfare are best utilized at the altar of prayer; hence every soldier of the cross must be a trained prayer warrior.

EFFECTS OF NOT FIGHTING AGAINST PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS

When believers refuse to fight the principalities and powers around, they stand the chance of being limited, not maximizing the full potential of what heaven has in stock for them. The advancement of the kingdom agenda will be seriously placed under threat, bringing the name of our Lord down. Desisting from this spiritual exercise is outright disobedience, and it attracts curses – (Jeremiah 48:10). A believer lives below standard when he refuses to fight to possess his portions hijacked by powers of darkness. It gives the powers of darkness the dominion and control over the Lord’s inheritance. If one refuses to fight against the forces of hell, such will be exposed to sickness, limitation, crises, and lack; in fact, such will not possess the gate.

Taking a good look at the regalia or kits of a Christian soldier as seen in Ephesians, one will notice that all these weapons are for the front; no weapon was provided for the back, which implies that none should turn his back to the enemy. It is a forward ever and backward never warfare. Let us rise under God to fight and possess the gates of our marriages, families, careers, and our spiritual life. Constantly binding and losing, fighting to finish, limits the devil and his agents; and offers the believer the dominion and privilege to enjoy all that heaven has provided for him.