Why are you to be of sound mind? Why are you to be of sober spirit? Because we live in times where the devil prowls like a roaring lion seeking to destroy you mind. This is not a fleshly battle, but a spiritual one. If your mind is held captive with things that steer you away from God then you need to repent and get back onto the narrow path.
1 Peter 5:8 - 8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
1 Peter 1:13 - 13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 4:7 - 7 The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.
2 Timothy 4:5 - 5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
1 Thessalonians 5:8 - 8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.
Unfortunately the new twist in the tale is contemplative spirituality, where you will find the excesses being replaced with stillness and silence so that you can prepare your mind to find your inner-self through meditation.
The devil still prowls like a roaring lion, he never stops.
God tell us through His word that in order to be strong we are to put on the FULL ARMOUR of GOD.
1 Thessalonians 5:4-6 - 4 So But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.
How to we stand strong in the face of adversity?
Ephesians 6:10-18 – 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,
15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;
16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,
Today people try anything to get you away from the Word of God: signs and wonders to blow your mind, manifestations to take over your mind, and now contemplative prayer to silence and cleanse your mind.
The Bible tells us to be vigilant all the time, and the only thing that will keep Christians safe is to obey the Word of God.
However there is a big problem that has actually overcome the church and that is the correct interpretation of scripture. You will be told that the Bible is no longer sufficient to be able to handle the problems of the 21st Century, and that one needs to debate scripture in order to find another answer to the worlds problems. And found another answer they have, but it’s not accurate.
The Bible tells us that we need to study the Word to find ourselves approved by ACCURATELY handling the Word of Truth:
2 Timothy 2:15 - 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
Putting on God’s whole armour (the Word of God) cuts through all the world’s lies, distortions, deceptions, and compromises. When you study, memorise, live, and follow TRUTH, you will be able to stand strong for Jesus Christ the Son of God and never waiver from what Scripture teaches us.
John 14:6 - 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
The different between what the Word of God has to offer and what the world has to offer:
EACH PIECE |
CHRISTIAN PARADIGM |
GLOBAL PARADIGM |
|
Put on: |
Know and affirm: |
Recognise and resist: |
| Belt of TRUTH | His sovereignty, love, wisdom, and holiness. (Deut. 4:39; Ps. 18:1-3) | Pantheistic, monistic, polytheistic gods and goddesses. |
| Breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS | Jesus Christ and His blood, which cleanses us from sin. The cross which frees us from bondage to selfish nature. | The natural goodness, connectedness, and sacredness of all life. |
| Sandals of PEACE | Our peace through our union and ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ. | Peace through occult practices and union with a cosmic force or nature spirits. |
| Shield of FAITH | Our continual trust in God, His Word, and His promises. | Trust in Self, inner wisdom, dreams, visions, gods, goddess, cosmic force, coincidences, etc. |
| Helmet of SALVATION | God’s promises of daily and eternal salvation in Jesus Christ. | Evolving spiritually by growing in consciousness staying tuned to the cosmic mind. |
| Sword of the Spirit His WORD | The power of God’s Word to counter deception and triumph over spiritual foes. | The power of thoughts, words and affirmations to change reality and direct spiritual forces. |
Source: http://www.crossroad.to/Victory/Armor.htm
PS, this is not Joel’s army related. Putting on the whole armour of God has got nothing to do what-so-ever with building an Army for God based on Joel 2 – as per the Latter Rain Manifest Sons of God movement(cult) would love to believe.
