War Is Hell

 

Welcome To The Fight!!!




You did it! You made the decision to be baptized! You rejected the magic of Satan and accepted God’s Holy Spirit. Something doesn’t feel right, though. This whole following God thing is harder than you thought it would be. Satan has been attacking you constantly, whether you realize it or not. He doesn’t handle rejection very well, and like a jealous ex, he desperately wants you to take him back. Now comes the bewildering part. You chose to follow God and dedicate your life to Him, but now what? Where do you go from here? It’s easy to become complacent and feel like we have achieved everything we needed to do with baptism. We get bogged down by the world's cares and begin to lose sight of the passion for God that made us choose Him in the first place. We lose sight of our mission. Post-baptism bogging down is extremely common, not just post-baptism, but at every stage of our walk with God. It’s easy to lose sight of our mission in the whirlwind that life is, and once we lose sight of it, it’s hard to return to it. It takes a bit of a wake-up call for us to recognize that, ‘Hey! We aren’t where we are supposed to be anymore!’ Funny thing, though, this phenomenon only occurs when we are no longer putting God first in our lives. 


Mat 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 


When we aren’t putting God first in our lives, our focus shifts from the goal of our mission onto worldly cares. When we put God first, our worldly cares no longer seem important but practically align themselves, as Christ tells us in Luke 12.


Luk 12:27-31 "Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 

"If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more [will He clothe] you, O [you] of little faith? 

"And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. 

"For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. 

"But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.


We need to keep our focus on God. Satan is after us, and one of the times we are most vulnerable to his influence is right after baptism. This is an all-out war and the most important and the most brutal fight of our lives. It’s not a metaphor; it’s literal. We are in a real war, and we need real weapons to fight against Satan. God has provided us with these weapons and something even better. Angels of protection. 


Psa 34:7 The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them.


We are not in this alone! Far from it, in fact! God sets His protection around us to keep us safe as long as we stay close to Him.


Jas 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse [your] hands, [you] sinners; and purify [your] hearts, [you] double-minded.


However, we are still required to do our part in the fight, and for this, we are provided with weapons of war. The armor of God. These are our weapons with which we can both defend and fight back against the devil’s onslaught. 


Eph 6:10-18 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual [hosts] of wickedness in the heavenly [places]. 

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. 

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 

and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 

above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 

praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints–


Once again, the use of these weapons comes not from our own strength but from the strength of God. How do we implement these weapons in our daily battles?


The Belt of Truth


Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth,


Our first weapon, the Belt of Truth, is a defensive weapon. The sword belt is what supports your primary offensive weapon and needs to be strong. If it fails, you could lose your weapon. Notice we are told to stand and fight. There is no running and hiding from this fight. We either stand to fight and win, or we run and lose. Truth is an essential weapon in any war. We have had a front-row demonstration of just how important it is in the past few years. With lie after lie from the government and news media about elections, vaccines, and diseases, we have been given an ample demonstration of weaponized lies. At the same time, those who tell the truth are canceled and silenced. The devil hates the truth. If your base of support is not constructed from the truth, everything else will fall. We have heard a lot about ‘My Truth’ recently. This simply isn’t possible and makes for very flimsy support. There is only one truth, God’s truth. God is truth.


Deu 32:4 [He is] the Rock, His work [is] perfect; For all His ways [are] justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright [is] He.


 We cannot each have our own truth that changes when it’s convenient for us. God’s truth is a burning repellent to those who are under Satan’s influence. The world says you can change your gender and become whoever you want to be just by believing it. God’s truth defeats this completely. 


Gen 1:27 So God created man in His [own] image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.     


Mat 6:27 "Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  


Mat 5:36 "Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.


You can’t change the color of your hair or your height just by thinking about it, let alone change something as genetic-specific as your chromosomes. This is truth and cannot be changed. Truth is not subjective. Satan is the Father of Lies, making the truth a highly effective weapon and defense. The bible, also known as the sword of the spirit, is supported by the Belt of Truth. How do we put on truth? We make sure everything we do and say is supported by truth. We make truth our anthem. We serve God with truth, for that is the only way we can serve Him! When we use what is true, our defense is at its strongest.


1Sa 12:24 "Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.

    

And this takes us straight into the next piece of our armor.


The Breastplate of Righteousness 


Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,


What suit of armor would be effective without a solid breastplate to protect our vital organs? What are the vital organs we are protecting?


Pro 4:23 Guard your heart with all vigilance, for from it are the sources of life.


Well, there’s one. Our hearts are vital to our survival. Hearts plural? Yup. Our physical heart, emotional heart, and our spiritual heart. We aren’t concerned so much with our physical heart; after all, to die physically is nothing. What we should be most concerned with are our emotional and spiritual hearts. If we catch an arrow through our spiritual heart, the death we die is a little more permanent. How do we catch arrows through our hearts? Any spiritual attack that drives us away from God is a successful arrow to our heart. We can recover, but better that the arrow never strikes home in the first place. 


Webster's dictionary defines righteousness as acting in accord with divine or moral law: free from guilt or sin.


Divine law… Wait. Oh no! Don’t say it! Does this mean that we still have to obey God’s law? I thought it was done away with!!! It says so right here!


Col 2:14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.


See? The law was nailed to the cross! Wait, it was, wasn’t it? I don’t see the word law in there, and the word for handwriting literally means a note of debt in greek. The word translated requirements is the greek word dogma which literally means doctrine or ordinances as referring to manmade doctrine and decrees, or the ordinances of the temple. Well, this looks like we can read this a couple of ways. 


Rom 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.


Paul says the law of God is still in effect, so what else could this be talking about? One thing that was nailed to the cross was our note of debt in the form of our sins. 


Mat 6:12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 


Another thing nailed to the cross were the priests' temple ordinances. They weren’t done away with, but Christ fulfilled them when He became our High Priest. We no longer need physical ceremonies to come before God. The temple ordinances don’t really fit here, though, because they were never a note of debt against us. The only thing that fits here is sin. Righteousness is, therefore, the adherence to God’s law. 


Deu 6:25 'Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us.' 


How does righteousness protect our hearts and act as a breastplate? Our heart is really our emotional center; it is how we become emotionally attached to things. Therefore a breastplate of righteousness would protect us from becoming attached to things that are detrimental to our spiritual life, things that are the opposite of righteousness. Becoming too attached to the material things of this life is a genuine danger, even more so becoming attached to things we shouldn’t be attached to at all.  


Mat 13:22 "Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 


Some examples of things we can become too attached to are books, movies, houses, cars, guns, and a host of other things. Anything we can become attached to is a potential danger if we let it start to become as important to us as God is. If we pursue righteousness, we won’t be in danger, for that endeavor will take up the first place in our hearts. This is how we guard our hearts with righteousness. 


The Boots of the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace



The next piece of armor we must put on is our boots. 


Eph 6:15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;


These boots pertain to our spiritual mission, so what is our mission?  


Mat 28:19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 

teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."


Our mission is to teach the nations everything Christ taught, from the ten commandments He gave us in the Old Testament to the spiritual law He gave us in the New Testament. They all still apply, and we are supposed to be teaching them. This is our divine mission from God. Putting these boots on means that we take our mission with us wherever we go. We mustn’t be afraid to preach the gospel of Christ wherever it comes up. As Peter says,


1Pe 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always [be] ready to [give] a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 


The fulfillment of this is to be our utmost focus; hence it directs our steps wherever we go. We are preparing the way for Christ’s return by preaching the gospel. To use a trite expression, we are witnessing to the world the glory and majesty of God. You would be amazed at how often you can start a biblical discussion just by asking someone what church they go to. Most people are willing and eager to talk about their church, and we must be just as eager to talk about the true Church, the body of Christ. 



The Helmet of Salvation



We will take the next few pieces of armor out of order because I want to cover the shield last as it segways into the next part of this topic quite well. That said, we’ll cover the helmet next. Like the breastplate, the helmet also protects our vital organs. Our brain or mind is our most valuable part of ourselves that we are born with. We can think and reason, and most importantly of all, we can beat the rest of our body into submission with our minds. 


1Co 9:27 But I discipline my body and bring [it] into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.   


Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation,


Mind control is an extremely valuable skill to learn, and it’s the skill that sets the elite warriors apart from the run-of-the-mill soldier. Navy Seals aren’t really any stronger than your average marine, but what sets them apart is their mental discipline. They don’t allow anything to distract them from their mission, and their minds can push their bodies far beyond what they would normally be able to endure. We are called to be elite warriors for God; thus, we must learn mental discipline. 


1Ti 6:11-12 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.


Rev 3:11 "Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.


Mat 11:12 "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.


1Co 9:24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain [it].


2Ti 4:7  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.


Heb 12:1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares [us], and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,


We are called to be tough men and women, though more so men since we are the protectors, leaders, and providers. We must train our minds daily in the word of God and fight for the kingdom of God like our crown depends on it, because guess what? It does.

We understand why our minds are so essential to protect; now, how does that have anything to do with a helmet of salvation?


Salvation: Deliverance; Liberation from the effects of sin; Victory


Psa 3:8 Salvation [belongs] to the LORD. Your blessing [is] upon Your people. Selah


Salvation belongs to God; He is the only one who can deliver us from our sin. He also gives us our victories! We cannot achieve victory without God, and we certainly cannot win our war without Him. There is no way for us to make it into His Family without Him doing it for us. We certainly still have a part; God doesn’t just hand everything to us. We still have to work for it. God gave David the victory, but David still had to kill the giant. 


Act 28:28 "Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!"


Act 13:47 "For so the Lord has commanded us: 'I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.' "


Part of our mission is carrying the news of this salvation to the world; this is part of the gospel of peace, the most crucial aspect. Christ’s sacrifice is our salvation. When we keep our focus on our salvation, our victory, and the finish line, our minds won’t stray. This is what the helmet of salvation does for us. 



The Sword of the Spirit



We’re ticking right along! Only two pieces to go! There is a lot more to say about each of these items, and they could each have their own article. These are just brief overviews to get us started. 

The second to last piece of equipment we will cover is the only strictly offensive weapon we have. It’s one of two offensive weapons, but the other one has a defensive property as well. Our sword is quite literally a sword. When we draw our swords, evil powers tremble. When we wield it effectively, there is no weapon more deadly. 


Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;


The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. The Bible on our bookshelves. To wield it effectively, we need God’s Holy Spirit. We can wield it without God’s Spirit, but it would look something like the scrawny guy at the gym trying to wield a full-length broad sword. Not very effective and is more likely to hurt himself than fight anyone off. What are a few toes or a leg, though, right? They are excess body parts anyways. The sword of the Spirit is a bit more dangerous than that, however.


Heb 4:12 For the word of God [is] living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.


Hoo boy. Just a bit more effective than a broad sword, ay? Misused, it can completely take you out of the race for the kingdom of God and lead you off on a totally wrong path. Appropriately used, however, it can defeat the strongest of our foes. It’s the same weapon that Christ used when facing Satan. Sure Satan tried to use the same weapon, but he was no match for the master swordsmanship of our Savior. It might have just looked like a word duel to our physical eyes, but I guarantee you that if you could see in the spiritual dimension, it would have been a sword fight of epic proportions. So how do we wield the sword? We need God’s Spirit, and we need rigorous swordsmanship training. Committing it to memory certainly helps. It’s hard to wield a weapon you don’t have in the first place. Daily reading of the Bible will certainly help with this as well as making your kids memorize scripture. Now, what if we get into a situation where our mind goes blank, and we can’t remember a single scripture? Fear not! The rest of our armor functioning properly will keep us from getting wounded, and this is where the spirit part of the sword comes into play. 


Luk 12:11-12 "Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. 

"For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say." 


Remember, we are never facing our battles alone. God is always by our side as long as we stay close to HIm. He will give us the words to say. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.




The Shield of Faith



Eph 6:16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.


Finally, we have the shield of faith, our most effective defensive piece of armor, because it is also an offensive weapon. What is the favorite weapon of the evil one? Deception! His favorite way to implement this weapon is by way of doubt darts. If he can hit us with doubt, our faith and our relationship with God wavers. Our faith in God is the number one way to quench these fiery darts. Our faith is portrayed here as a shield. Shields are dual-purpose; they can both deflect and smash. Our shield is no different. We can use it to attack, and we can use it to defend ourselves. In order to use our faith effectively, we need God’s Spirit. Without His Spirit, we can’t wield our faith anymore effectively than we can wield our swords. 


Hab 2:4 "Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.


Rom 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."


Jas 2:18 But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.


We have to live by faith, and that is our strongest connection to God. We must pray for it day by day! Faith isn’t something that comes from inside us; it’s something God gives us.


Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; [it is] the gift of God,


Rom 10:17 So then faith [comes] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.


To build our faith, we must spend time in the Bible, and more than that, we must act upon our faith. Having strong faith does no good if you don’t use it. Faith is built upon the trust that God will do what He says He will. 


Jas 2:18 But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.


Eze 12:28 "Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "None of My words will be postponed any more, but the word which I speak will be done," says the Lord GOD.' "


A lack of faith comes from an inherent doubt that God will do what He says He will. Remember doubt? That favorite tool of the Devil? It drives a wedge between God and us. We cannot allow it to take root in our lives.





Brother, Where Art Thou?


In the armor of God, we aren’t given anything to protect our backs. None of the armor we are given covers our backs. Why? Why would our most vulnerable position be left completely unprotected? God has our backs for sure, but what else? The soldiers Paul is basing his analogy on weren’t solo fighters. They fought together as cohorts, and every man’s shield covered his brother. They had each other’s backs. There was no need for armor on their rear because your brother was covering it. We are not lone wolves, solo fighters, or gladiators in the Church of God. We are Navy Seals. We can fight alone if we need to, but we fight much more effectively as a team. Every man needs a brotherhood of warriors to fight alongside, and every woman needs a sisterhood. This is why we are given the basic command to not forsake the assembling together of ourselves at the very least on Sabbath. We need warriors to fight beside. 


Heb 10:25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as [is] the manner of some, but exhorting [one another], and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. 


No man is an island unto himself. Without a brotherhood of men as dedicated to the same cause as we are, we will have a near-impossible time of it.


Ecc 4:12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.


For true manhood to reign, we must keep the company of men. True masculinity can only be learned from other men. True men are warriors of the highest order, men of courage and faith, mental and, if possible physical strength. We need a brotherhood for spiritual support. This is the army of Christ. It’s not an organization; it’s not a congregation; it’s small scattered bodies of the faithful fighting the good fight. One who attends church is not automatically one of the faithful. Many who attend church are just benchwarmers, only Christians on Sabbath and certainly not warriors. The Body of Christ is composed of those small, faithful groups of warriors. Often these warriors are embedded within a larger congregation, but these are those who stay faithful. The first fruits are a tiny bunch, but they are warriors beyond compare, living life in the footsteps of our General, who fought the hardest battle of all for us. Christ dueled the Devil in a sword fight and won! He then descended into the grave and defeated death itself. Because of this, we no longer have a fear of death! Once you find a band of fellow warriors, treasure them and back them up. Fight for them, your fellow Gabriyels, your fellow warriors of God. 


John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.








Send It! 



In every war, there are a few key things to have well established: your lines of communication with central command and your supply lines. In war, you need open communication to call in fire support, radio for backup and receive orders. In our spiritual warfare, it is much the same. We need an open line of communication with our commander on high. What is this line of communication? 


Eph 6:18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints–


As you might have already guessed, it’s prayer. Prayer is one of the most important assets we have in the war; it gives us direct access to God 24/7. How do we pray correctly? Well, there’s always the so-called “Lord’s Prayer,” for an example. There’s also another example Christ set that we can look to. I have included the whole prayer here for your convenience. 


John 17:1-26 

1 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, 

2 "as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. 

3 "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 

4 "I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. 

5 "And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. 

6 "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 

7 "Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. 

8 "For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received [them], and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. 

9 "I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. 

10 "And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. 

11 "Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We [are]. 

12 "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 

13 "But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. 

14 "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 

15 "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 

16 "They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 

17 "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 

18 "As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 

19 "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. 

20 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 

21 "that they all may be one, as You, Father, [are] in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 

22 "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 

23 "I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. 

24 "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 

25 "O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. 

26 "And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare [it], that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."


Christ prayed for each of us just as we are supposed to pray for our fellow warriors. He loves each one of us, laid His life down for us willingly, and prayed a prayer such as this, knowing what He was about to go through. 

There are many prayers throughout the Bible we can learn from, but suffice it to say that prayer is vital as it is our only line of communication with our headquarters. We can ask God for anything and should be asking Him daily for His Spirit and strength. 





Now Put It On!


Sun Tzu in The Art of War said that in order to defeat your enemy, you must know him. We have met the enemy, and he is us. After Satan, we are our own worst enemy. Defeating the man of sin is just as real of a battle as battling spiritually and often just as hard.* We need the armor of God for both battles, for they together compose the larger war we face.

When it comes right down to it, you cannot separate any pieces of the armor from the other, for they all depend on each other and God’s spirit to be effective. We’ve been baptized, but that is only the beginning. We still have a long, hard fight ahead of us. We must trust in God to see us through and do our part to stay close to Him. Ultimately that is what the armor of God is all about. It’s not us doing everything; it’s how we draw close to God, and sticking close to God is how we stay firstfruits. The war is real, and we must fight it every day. Keep the faith and trust in God! The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD.


26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will. 

28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 

29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 

30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. 

32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't he also give us everything else? 

33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one--for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 

34 Who then will condemn us? No one--for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us. 

35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 

37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow--not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. 

39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below--indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.   


Rom 8:26-30, 32-35, 37-39



© Kyle Bacher 2022



*See: How I Committed Adultery

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