Truly we do not battle against our fellow man, but against our sinful nature, the vices of the world and against powers of the dark world and spiritual forces of evil.
These forces are so powerful that on our own we can not defeat them except when we have Jesus in us and we in Jesus that we can be able to subdue and conquer them.
God is so Loving and Merciful that despite the fall of man, He still provided us with war equipments from His Arsenal to enable us do battle against the forces of darkness. The war equipments provided by God are in two folds namely: Spiritual Weapons and Spiritual Armours.
Spiritual weapons are battle equipments made available to us by God, to enable us do spiritual battle against the forces of darkness. We use them for attacking and fighting, they work very well with our faith and some of them are dual in nature (i.e. both weapon and armour).
Spiritual armours are battle equipments provided by God. They enable us protect and defend ourselves against the evil deeds of the forces of darkness.
Below are the list and explanation of the various weapons and armours we have at our disposal. Some of them are of the two fold.
PRAISE AND WORSHIP
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a violent earthquake, which shook the prison to its foundations. At once all the doors opened, and the chains fell off all the prisoners. (Acts 16:23-26 TEV)
What is Praise and what is Worship?
Praise is a vehicle of faith which brings us into the presence and power of God! It means to speak well of God, it is to acknowledge what God has done, it invokes God’s presence. In other words, Praise means to commend, to applaud or magnify. Praise is to the New Testament what sacrifices and offering was to the Old Testament, it is a sacrifice.
Worship on the other hand means a deeper feeling of love and respect for God. It is a strong feeling of admiration, so much that whatever God does is right and just. It is an outward experience of an inward change. Worship takes us into a deeper intimate experience with God.
Therefore, Praise and worship brings our spirit into a pinnacle of fellowship and intimacy between us and God. Praise and worship transports us into the realm of the supernatural and into the power of God. It magnifies our awareness of our spiritual union with the most high God. In other words, it is the “gate- pass” which allows us to enter the sacredness of His glory, the holy of holies. It is the incense that invokes God’s Spirit.
Note:
For praise and worship to be very effective, it must flow from the heart of a humble state. We need the Spirit of Christ before we can offer a worthy sacrifice of praise and worship.
TYPES OF PRAISE AND WORSHIP
There are seven types of or way to praise and worship, they include:
This way of praise is one we commonly see around the altar of God. It means to kneel down or to bow. It means to give reverence to God as an act of adoration, to bless the LORD. It is a physical application – to bow or kneel with the intent in ones heart that God is king and you yield to Him. You are acknowledging Him as KING and GOD. See Psalm 103.
This type of praise is singing but a spontaneous new song. It is the singing that pops up from our hearts. It refers to a special kind of singing – it is singing unprepared and unrehearsed. Praises like this are the type that God enthrones or inhabits. He manifests Himself in the midst of exuberant singing. See Psalm 22:3.
This means praises done by the extension of both hands. It carries the meaning of absolute surrender, as a young child does to a parent – “pick me up, I am all yours.” See Psalm 42:5.
This is the kind of praise exhibited by David when he danced for joy and gladness at the return of the Ark of the Covenant. He danced till he became naked. This is the most “fun” kind of praise because it requires one to step outside of his personality for a moment. This includes dancing and laughing and leaping and twirling before the Lord. It includes the humble state of the heart before God. The heart that is turned towards God and not afraid to BOAST in and of God is called a “halal” heart. It is in halal praise that we got the word Halellujah which literally means “praise the Lord.” See 1Chronicles 16:4 and Nehemiah 12:24
It means to sing praises with musical instruments. Zamar means to touch the strings, it refers to praise that involves instrumental worship. The clapping of the hand and the stamping of the feet during praise is also a form of Zamar. See Psalm 150.
Shabach means to shout or to address in a loud tone. It is proclaiming with a loud voice, unashamed, the GLORY, TRIUMPH, POWER, LOVE and MERCY of GOD. Example of this praise is when you ask people to stand up and shout a phrase like “praise the Lord” on the count of three! It should be done whole heartedly. See Psalm 63:3-4.
It means to give worship to God by the extension of the right hand in adoration or agreeing with what God has done or will do. Thanking God for something that one doesn’t have in the hope that God will be faithful to His words. See Psalm 50:23.
When they began to sing, the LORD threw the invading armies into a panic. The Ammonites and the Moabites attacked the Edomite army and completely destroyed it, and then they turned on each other in savage fighting. When the Judean army reached a tower that was in the desert, they looked towards the enemy and saw that they were all lying on the ground, dead. Not one had escaped. (2Chronicles 20:21-24 TEV)
Singing praises and worshiping the Lord is a powerful weapon that we have against satan and his armies and they don’t like it. When we praise and worship God, it takes away the feeling of fear from us, knowing fully well that God dwells in praise and worship and as such all the host of heaven will be present, in readiness for battle.
A sincere worship and praise to God by a humble and contrite heart enables one to attack, fight, defeat and drive away the forces of darkness.
When we offer a sincere worship and praise to the Lord, it kills the devil (self destructively), it also throws the camp of the enemy into confusion.
When God’s people begin to praise His name, it sends the enemy running! And if the whole world would sing praises to the Lord at the same time, satan and his armies will run out of this earth. I challenge you to become a person of praise and you will experience the great power of God!
For Further Reading: Joshua 6:4-5, Isaiah 12:1-2, 5-6.
… Get up and pray that you will not fall into temptation. (Luke 22: 32 and 46 TEV)
What is Prayer?
Prayer is the lifting up of our minds and hearts to God. It is our invitation to access the very presence of God. It is a way of going to His presence to find freedom, life, His kingdom and deliverance from temptation and sin. Also it is a form of communicating with God or to the Saints.
The word “Pray” originates from the Latin word “Precari” which means to entreat or ask. While we often think of prayer primarily as asking God for something, prayer, properly understood, is a conversation with God or with the Saints. Just as we cannot hold a conversation with another person unless he/she can hear us, the very act of praying is an implicit recognition of the presence of God or the Saints here with us. And in praying, we strengthen that recognition of the presence of God, which draws us closer to Him. That is why the church recommends that we pray frequently and make prayer an important part of our daily lives.
The secret of all failures is our failure in secret prayers. The greatest thing we can do for God or man is to pray. For we can accomplish far more by our prayers than by our works!
There are two classifications of prayer namely: Planned and Unplanned prayers. Both are very effective.
Is a prayer prepared and organized for a particular purpose. Here, you know why you are praying and what you seek to achieve. In this class, prayer is not made or said unexpectedly. Most times, this prayers are been revealed by God through the Saints. Good examples of this class of prayers are the ones you see in prayer booklets.
The prayer I made on behalf of souls in Purgatory is a planned prayer; it was a combination of three planned prayers revealed by Jesus our King and the Queen of heaven and earth (Mary the mother of Jesus Christ). These prayers include:
1. The Holy Rosary prayer revealed to us by the Queen through Saint Dominic and Blessed Alan de la Roche.
2. The Divine Mercy prayer revealed to us by Jesus through Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska in 1930 – 1938.
3. The Precious Blood prayer revealed to us by Jesus through Blessed Barnabas in 1997.
With the help of the Holy Spirit, I combined these prayers and obtained the prayer for God’s Love and Mercy.
The prayer for God’s Love and Mercy could be said using the chaplet of the Precious Blood. Below is how to say the prayer.
1. Make the sign of the cross (A)
2. Say the prayer to the Holy Spirit (B)
3. Say the Glory be to the FATHER… (C)
4. Say the Apostles creed (D)
5. Say the Lord’s prayer (E)
6. Say the Hail Mary three times (F)
1. Glory be to the FATHER
2. Sorrowful Mysteries (one respectively on each large beads) Repeat step 2 on each of the
3. The Lord’s Prayer large beads (White beads)
4. Three Hail Mary (i.e. three times)
Say on each of the 12 small beads (Red beads)
L: Oh Twelve Drops of Blood and Water
Which Gushed Forth from the Sacred
Heart of Our Lord JESUS CHRIST at
Mount Calvary as a Fount of Love and Mercy for Us
R: Wash Away My Sins or Wash Away the Sins of the Whole World. Amen!
L: Oh Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ X3
R: Heal the Wounds in the most sacred Heart of Jesus X3
L: Oh Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ X3
R: Heal the Wounds in the most sacred Heart of Jesus X3
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Have Mercy on Us
Immaculate Heart of Mary Pray for Us
St. Joseph, the Husband of Mary St. Peter and St. Paul
St. John at the foot of the Cross St. Mary Magdalen
All the prayer Warriors and Intercessors of Heaven All the great Saints of our Lord
All the heavenly Hosts, Legion of Mary
L: Oh Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ X3
R: Heal the Wounds in the most sacred Heart of Jesus X3
Finally; say the Novena to the Mercy of GOD.
Unplanned prayer is a prayer not prepared for and organized. It occurs spontaneously and it’s said for a particular purpose but most times unknown. Here, you hardly know why you are praying except if God reveals to you. Example of this class of prayer is when we pray in tongues and in the spirit.
And pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayer requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:18 NIV)
Praying in the spirit occurs very often, it suddenly comes in the mind. Have you had any inward feeling which occurred to you unexpectedly to pray? Like say, pray for prevention of accident, illness, etc. these prayers are done in the mind because it comes to you at any given time, no matter where you may be. You could be in a meeting, in the church, in the school while lecture is going on, etc.
When you begin to pray for the prevention of the accident or the illness in your mind, you are praying in the spirit. Sometimes, God tells you why you said the prayer, sometimes, He doesn’t. but know it that it’s for a purpose, it could be you prayed to prevent an accident that might occur somewhere, or that you prayed to avert an impending illness.
All prayers are not the same, below are brief description of the various kind of prayers.
This is sometimes called petition, entreaties or requests. Supplication means to petition or entreat someone for something. Prayer of supplications is the type of prayers we are most familiar with. In them, we ask God for things we need – primarily spiritual needs, but physical ones as well. Our prayers of supplication should always include a statement of our willingness to accept God’s will, whether He directly answers our prayer or not.
Thanksgiving today, is the most neglected type of prayer. Thanksgiving is an all–inclusive act that involves praise and worship. Thanksgiving should be a regular part of our talking to God; we should get into the habit of thanking God throughout the day for the good things that happen to us and to others. Read Ephesians 5:19-20.
Adoration prayer is a prayer of worship. In it we praise the greatness of God, and we acknowledge our dependence on Him in all things. The Gloria (Glory be to God) is an example of this type of prayer.
Expiation is a prayer for forgiveness. In it, we acknowledge our sinfulness and humbly ask God for His forgiveness and mercy.
Prayers of love or charity are just that – expressions of our love for God, the source and object of all love. The act of charity which is said thus: My God, because You are so good, I love You with all my heart, and for your sake, I love my neighbour as myself; Is a good example.
Intercession means to plead or mediate on behalf of another person. Intercession will involve various degrees of supplication. It is not normally a one – off prayer. It requires persistence. See Luke 11:5-8.
Another powerful equipment in spiritual warfare is prayer. It serves as a weapon and as armour. It is a weapon because of its dynamic nature, with it; you can request and put to action other weapons such as the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. Also, it is protective armour in the sense that a praying person never falls into the trap of the enemy.
The following is how effective prayer is during spiritual warfare whether planned or unplanned.
1. It heals and gives us life. See Isaiah 38:1-6
2. It prevents us from falling into the trap of the enemy. See Matthew 26: 41
3. It takes away sins. See 1 John 1:9
4. Prayer causes our inner man to be strengthened. Ephesians 3:16
5. Prayer builds up and increase our faith
6. Prayer unlocks the power of God and breaks the chain of captivity.
Note: A praying Christian is a very powerful Christian. For Further Reading; Mark 9:14-29.
Word of testimony or better still word of our testimony is a very powerful and mighty weapon in the Arsenal of God. It is very offensive. This weapon is one of the most dangerous against satan and he knows it.
Whenever we testify about the goodness of the Lord, we overcome the enemy. The enemy projects fear, unbelief and doubt to make us think and believe that God does not exist or that God is not faithful, but if and when we testify, we suppress and overcome that fear, that unbelief and doubts created by the enemy. The enemy greatly hates it when we share with others about the goodness, love and mercy of God towards us.
Our word of testimony gives glory to God for what He has done. It also creates an atmosphere for the same thing to happen again. For instances, when you testify about a healing of pain that you have received, it creates and brings back that same spiritual moment for others who have various types of pains to receive their healing.
Testimonies build our faith and also the faith of the hearer. They could say to themselves, “if the Lord did that for him or for her, He will surely do the same for me.” So let us always share with others about all the goodness, love and mercy shown to us by God, because when we do, the following happens:
1. It breaks the chains of fear, doubt and unbelief.
2. It increases our faith in God and the faith of the hearer
3. Testimony releases God’s glory into the earth
4. Testimony gives glory to God
5. It creates spiritual atmosphere for people to receive healing, miracles and salvation.
So therefore, it doesn’t matter how small or how big your testimony is, the most important thing is to share it with someone. And by so doing, you are killing the enemy and putting them to flight.
Let me use this opportunity to share with you a testimony. On Sunday the 15th of July, 2012, my sister called my mum from South Africa, she said that the medical report concerning her blood level was very low, below 25% or equal to 25% and that the doctor told her the report was bad for her as a pregnant woman. It is a bad report in the sense that most pregnant women lose a lot of blood during childbirth and in her own case, she was having very little to spare. Normally, a pregnant woman is expected to have a blood level of about 50% or over but she wasn’t having enough in her.
That same day, my mum told me about it and asked me to pray for her. During that period, I was saying the prayer for God’s Love and Mercy together with the Divine Mercy Novena on behalf of souls in Purgatory, starting at 3 PM. It was the 4th day of my prayer when my mum requested that I should pray for her. I offered the 4th, 5th and 6th days of the prayer on her behalf.
We did not hear from her till on the 19th of July, 2012 when she was in labour. She called, crying over the phone that my mum should pray for her. My mum told me about it and also asked me to pray for her too.
To the glory of God’s name, she gave birth like a Hebrew woman without losing blood at about 4 PM South African time. She was discharged that same day too. God blessed her with a baby boy.
Dearly beloved, there is nothing impossible for God to do. Is there any problem in your life, which had been disturbing you, making you to cry and worry? Stop worrying and crying, you have a Loving and Merciful FATHER, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the Uncreated Creator of all things, etc. go into your room today, knee down and talk to Him about your problems and they will be solved.
For Further Reading: Isaiah 12: 4-6 and Psalm 105: 2.
The blood of Jesus is a very powerful weapon; it is also among the most dangerous weapons against the enemy. The blood of Jesus renders complete havoc on the enemy and drowns the enemy. It completely wipes out everything that is of the enemy.
The blood of Jesus is both a weapon and armour. It is a weapon in the sense that when we are attacked by evil spirits and we plead or shout the “Blood of Jesus,” it forms a mighty ocean and destroys the enemy totally and never again will that enemy attack you again.
It is an armour when we cover and soak ourselves with it, i.e. when we say “I cover myself with the Blood of Jesus.” Whenever we cover ourselves with the blood of Jesus, the enemies will Passover if they sees us. This is what the bible signified in Exodus when it says thus:
The blood on the doorposts will be a sign to mark the houses in which you live. When I see the blood, I will pass over you and will not harm you when I punish the Egyptians. (Exodus 12: 13 TEV)
The blood of Jesus is also a cleanser; it atones and cleans our sins, setting us free from the bondage of sin. When we plead the blood of Jesus, the following happens:
1. It protects us from attacks
2. It breaks the chain of sin
3. It drowns and destroys the enemy completely and never will the same enemy disturb you again.
4. It atones and cleans our sins
5. It heals our spiritual wounds
6. It gives us the power to resist sin
7. The Blood of Jesus causes the devil to flee from you