AUGUST 11, 2026 Psalm 147:1 Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful. With the opening of this psalm, as in the previous psalm, the first word written is Hallelujah (translated as “Praise the Lord!”). In fact, this is the case for every remaining psalm as well signifying that all […]
AUGUST 10, 2026 Psalm 146:10 The Lord shall reign forever—your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord! Most of you have likely heard of the Jewish celebration called Rosh Hashanah, which means “head of the year.” Some casually refer to it as the Jewish New Year because this day marks the beginning of the civil year […]
AUGUST 9, 2026 Psalm 146:7-8 He executes justice for the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; the Lord raises those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. Among the many wonderful things that the Lord has promised to do on our behalf, Jewish commentators call special attention […]
AUGUST 7, 2026 Psalm 146:5-6 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps truth forever. In the previous devotion, we addressed the fact that God protects and provides for those who trust Him and are faithful to walk […]
AUGUST 6, 2026 Psalm 146:5-6 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps truth forever. It is common in Scripture for the words “the God of Jacob” to be used to make a point about the Lord’s faithfulness. […]
AUGUST 5, 2026 Psalm 146:3-5 Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; in that very day his plans perish. Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God. No man is an island unto himself; at some point […]
AUGUST 4, 2026 Psalm 146:1-2 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! While I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. This psalm picks up where the previous one left off — with a pledge and exhortation to praise the Lord. I find it interesting, and […]
AUGUST 3, 2026 Psalm 145:21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, and all flesh shall bless His holy name forever and ever. This psalm began with an emphasis on praising the Lord; it is dedicated as “A Praise of David” (meaning, a song of praise written by David). For the third time in […]
AUGUST 2, 2026 Psalm 145:18-19 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them. In consideration that the verse says God will “fulfill the desire of those who fear Him,” why […]
VOE Magazine, 1983
Put On the Whole Armor of God
“Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:13).
There are three forms of attacks from Satan, and they can be likened in military terms to:
The experience of temptation, whether directly or indirectly, is a straightforward assault. When the enemy keeps the pressure on, this may be called “oppression”.
A blockade is when the enemy surrounds the area. This implies that, for a period of time, the enemy is surrounding our lives with destructive devices set for the kill. Satan does not possess the area but prevents it from functioning properly.
The invasion or occupation is where the enemy controls our lives, and the person is brought under the control of demonic power. (This can happen when a person willfully rejects the gospel and the touch of God on their lives.)
The attack of temptation can be dealt with as Christ Himself dealt with it. Notice in Matthew 4, at the temptation of Christ, He did not deal as much with the temptations as He dealt with the tempter! We are preoccupied in dealing with our temptations. “Why is this happening to me? What have I done to deserve this?” Christ was tempted, but He went to the root of the temptation, Satan, and cut him apart with the word of the Spirit, the Word of God! “Resist the Devil and he will flee from you.”
An attack of bondage is less common among Spirit-filled Christians. A bondage is a habit, a way of life, or a personal relationship that has hold on a person, and the strongest resistance cannot shake you free from it.
I am finding more people coming to our crusades who have personal habits in their lives. Is there a remedy? Yes, a thousand times yes! Whatever the habit, I find that loosing the individual according to Matthew 16:19 brings the greatest results.
“And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shalt be loosed in heaven.”
We are given the authority from Christ to bind and loose.
Despite what some skeptics say, I have seen this method free many people from bondage in their spirits, especially to an unclean habit controlling their flesh.
The third attack is demonic control. For a person to be delivered, a Spirit-filled Christian would need to cast out the evil spirit(s) by the power of God.
In Ephesians chapter 6, verses 14-17, the apostle Paul gives us a list of the weapons of warfare. Five of these weapons are defensive weapons, and one is both defensive and offensive:
– The helmet of salvation covers the mind;
– The breastplate of righteousness covers the heart;
– Loins gird about with truth will undergird you in battle;
– Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
– The shield of faith will quench the fiery darts of the wicked;
– The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, can protect you from an attack of the enemy, or you can use it on a frontal attack.
Remember, this is not our armor; it is God’s armor! It is not our faith; it is God’s faith. It is not our power; it is God’s power. It is not our gospel; it is God’s gospel. With this in mind, is it any wonder that we can be hindered but never defeated?
This armor must be put on BEFORE you go into battle. Some Christians are caught off guard, and when an attack comes, they are running around trying to gather a piece of armor here and a piece of armor there. They get hit with a fiery dart and then wonder what happened!
Remember this when fighting a spiritual battle of any kind:
Put on the armor and keep it on at all times. It’s as easy to wear as “putting on Christ!”
