PreachIt.PreachItAudio.PDF Newsletter

What People Expect of a leader there are seven things sheep want from a shepherd:
They expect shepherds to be concerned for their safety. People want the assurance that their organization is wise enough to survive in turbulent times and will provide for their futures. A protector who is concerned with the welfare of his flock won’t hesitate to communicate the possibilities and the perils looming on the horizon.
They expect shepherds to know them by name. When a responsible shepherd enters the fold, his sheep respond to him because he calls them by name. We cannot underestimate the value of establishing a connection with every person on our team – even if that number is large. The bond is strengthened each time people hear us speak their names.
They expect shepherds to be gentle and kind. When people you serve are less than cooperative, it’s not an excuse for retaliation. As Dwight D. Eisenhower said about his war experiences, “You do not lead by hitting people over the head – that’s assault, not leadership.” If you feel the urge to lash out at those around you, get tough on yourself. That’s where discipline yields the greatest harvest.
They expect shepherds to rescue them. What is our response when one of our employees becomes distracted? Do we let him stay off course and struggle to find his way back, or do we stop what we’re doing and give him our attention? Jesus said a good shepherd would leave a flock of 99 to go after the lost sheep until he finds it. That’s true of leadership.
They expect shepherds to be unselfish. The president of a chain of stores was under pressure to cut costs. Much as he hated it, he was forced to eliminate the Christmas bonus for his employees. Later, the president was awarded a check of $20,000 for balancing the budget. He immediately divided it with his staff. People expect to participate in decisions that affect the quality, quantity, and climate of their work. It must be a partnership that includes rewards. When one succeeds, all succeed.
They expect shepherds to be sincere. A fellow who was flying to a business meeting found a bug in his salad. He fired off a letter to the airlines. By the time he got back to his office, a letter was waiting for him. He was impressed by what it said, until he saw a note stuck to the back, which said: “Send this character the regular Bug Letter.” Leaders can’t afford to be artificial. They must be genuine.
They expect shepherds to care deeply about them. If we truly don’t respect and love people, we should resign from any position of responsibility that involves personal contact. Sheep want shepherds who are sensitive and responsive to their personal and professional needs. As this sign posted on a bulletin board says, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

Binding and loosing

All of us, at one time or the other, have either been in a church service or read a message that someone had written and they used the words “binding and loosing”. A lot of times, even, these two words are used together, almost as if they were one and the same; however, these two are actually different words, with totally different meanings, but used together they are one and the same insofar as their legal description is concerned. That is to say that even though they each are different in the natural, physical realm, but when spoken of or practiced in the supernatural, spiritual realm, they are done in conjunction with one another. Let’s explore this a little further. To best get an idea of what we are talking about when we, as Ministers, speak of “binding and loosing”, we need to refer to our dictionary for a formal definition of these two words. Let’s begin with the word bind. There are several definitions, and one might get lost just trying to choose one that would apply; so, to prevent further confusion, we have combined several of the definitions here, and they are: To tie up, or secure as with a rope or cord; to hold or restrain with; to unite; to be tight or restricting. Next, let’s take a look at the description of loose. There are also several definitions, and we have also combined some of those for greater understanding, and they are: To let loose; to release; not fastened, restrained, or contained; not bound; to make less strict; to release pressure. When one understands the actual, literal definition of these two words, a light can actually come on, and our understanding of the terminology “bind and loose”, comes into focus, and we can see more clearly what the speaker is trying to establish in his message. For the most part, you hear this terminology more in the Full Gospel, or Pentecostal churches. Some folk who have never gone to a church of this denomination might never have heard it used, as it is not just a common, every day, expression used in sermons in all churches. I know that it is not always used in ALL churches, as I was raised for the most part in a Baptist Church, and when I began hearing the Pentecost preachers, and the Full Gospel Evangelists speak of binding and loosing, it took me back a bit. I became more focused on what they may have meant by that expression than on the total sermon, and it slowed me down some. That experience, along with a whole lot more, has given me an understanding of just how people can get confused, and by not understanding ALL that the preacher says, it can cause us to MISS what they are saying that we need to hear. You see, we preach a lot regarding the Scripture in Hosea 4:6, that says “My people perish for lack of knowledge.” This could very well be one of those instances of people perishing because they did not understand what the preacher was even talking about. We see some blank looks on some folk’s faces when this terminology is used. Some people do not have a clue what we are talking about. One would think that there is not much said in the Bible about actually binding and loosing, but we have found that upon researching and studying out this phrase, there are a lot of different places we can refer to in our Bible to help to make it more clear to those who do not understand. We’ll begin by referring over to the Book of Matthew, Chapter 18 :18 & 19—Jesus said: 18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again, I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For us to understand what Jesus said in those passages, we must understand what He was talking about. Therefore, we have already learned that when we bind something, we are tying it up, and that when we loose something, we are releasing it or letting it go. A good example of this is: I bind confusion off this person, and I loose freedom and clear-thinking to this person. Now we must state right here and now that we CANNOT and MUST NOT try to bind or loose in our name (or on our own accord). We MUST do so “in the name of Jesus”. Remember the Scripture in Acts 19:20, that says: And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? (You see, God had done some mighty works and performed miracles by the hands of Paul, and of course, Jesus. So, when the 7 sons of Sceva decided they would like to go and be able to do that, they found out really quick that the evil spirits did not have to obey them—We can only bind them in the name of Jesus. Suffice it to say, right here, that one must be born again and blood-washed in order to bind anything spiritually in the name of Jesus.) Those of us who have the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and have the gifts of the Spirit in operation many times will feel led to bind a particular spirit, and/or to loose a particular spirit. These are discerned by the Spirit of God and it becomes necessary sometimes to pray for a release of the bondage that a certain spirit or spirits has that person bound in. You see, when we talk about a person being in bondage, that means that a person is bound (or tied up, restricted) by something—usually by something that comes from the spiritual realm. Anything that comes FROM the spiritual realm has to be dealt with IN the spiritual realm. In 1 Corinthians 2:14 Paul tells us – But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned. When Jesus was here on earth, he performed many, many miracles, laid hands upon many, cast out demons, etc. from people. Jesus had two parts—He had the “man” side, and the “Spirit” side. The spirits knew Him and would cry out—Jesus cast them out by His Spirit, healed them by His Spirit, and in order for us to be able to do that, we MUST be born again Christians. That is why He said that whatsoever we bind on earth, will be bound in heaven, etc. He told us in John 14:12, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. Folks, this was not just for His disciples . . .it was for all of us! In Luke 10:19, He said, Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. This is where a lot of people get stumped . . . they have sometimes been taught that that was only for His disciples, but it says right there in HIS WORDS, that “he that believeth on me”. Folks, He was talking to US. To emphasize our point here, we must stress that this was Jesus talking here, and that while He was still here on earth, He was teaching the way in which we MUST come against the evil ones of the spiritual realm. OH, YES!!! The spiritual realm DOES exist! There are those of you who would rather not believe that there is, but we must ask you right now. . . What is God? (Spirit) Where is heaven (in the Spiritual realm) What is satan? (spirit) Where is he? (in the Spiritual realm) All of satan’s evil ones (spirits, demons—whatever you prefer to call them) are in the Spiritual realm. They are very real in our lives today. . . yes, in each and every one of our lives today. God has been revealing a lot to us lately, and He is really impressing upon us the fact that whatever happens in the natural realm happens in the Spiritual realm first. That is where the battles (the ones we don’t see) are fought out—in the spiritual realm. Satan has his workers (evil spirits) and God uses His angels to fight out the battles in the heavenlies. The outcome of those battles, are what actually manifests itself in our lives, here, in the natural realm. Our prayers are what moves God’s hand in our situations, and as we pray, He releases more of His angels to war for us. In order for us to be able to pray effectively, we must understand how God set it all up for us to be able to bind (tie up) the forces of the enemy, and how to loose (release) the good forces of God. This is where the binding and loosing come in. We need to all understand that once we have been saved, and we are living righteously we have the authority through the shed blood of Jesus to bind the evil ones that are sent to buffet, control, or harm us. We also have the authority to loose freedom, peace, and joy into our lives. Remember that Paul said in 2 Timothy 1:7, For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. We can bind ANY spirit that tries to interrupt, tear up, disturb, terrorize, control, or destroy us, and we have the authority through Jesus to loose mass confusion in the enemy’s camp, and loose total peace and contentment in our lives. Jesus defeated satan at the cross, yes, but that doesn’t prevent satan from sending forth his evil spirits to try to steal, kill, and destroy all of mankind. That is what he does—the battle starts in the mind and he convinces us that he has power. Remember, Jesus gave us power over ALL power of the enemy. Its time we stand up and use our power—greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. 1 John 4:4

Three things In life that, once gone, never come back

1. Time 2। Words 3. Opportunity
Three things in life that can destroy a person... 1. Anger 2. Pride 3.Unforgiveness
Three things in life that you should never lose... 1. Hope 2. Peace 3. Honesty
Three things in life that are most valuable...
1. Love 2. Family & Friends 3.Kindness
Three things in life that are never certain... 1. Fortune 2. Success 3. Dreams
Three things that make a person... 1. Commitment 2. Sincerity 3. Hard work Three things that are truly constant - Father - Son - Holy Spirit !!!

Expelling Demons

Actually, Christ places casting out demons before the speaking with new tongues. There is significance in this order. The intention is that the people shall first be fully delivered from demons before they seek the baptism in the Spirit and the speaking with new tongues. However, through lack of discernment and understanding, this is not practiced in the church today. The result is that people nowadays are quite often baptized in the Holy Spirit and speak with new tongues but still need deliverance from demons after that. It is time for the church to devote prayerful, open-minded study to the subject of demonology.
The New Testament Greek word for “demon” is daimonion. This is the diminutive form of another Greek word, daimon. In Greek mythology and folklore, these words were used to describe a special class of beings to whom were attributed varying degrees of supernatural influence or power. Various cults and superstitious observances centered in these beings, and they played an important part in the daily life of the common people.
In the King James Version the Greek word daimonion is often translated “devil.” However, this is incorrect. The word “devil” is formed from the Greek word diabolos, which means literally “slanderer.” In Scripture, this normally is reserved as a term for Satan himself.
Associated in the New Testament with the noun daimonion is the passive verb daimonizomai. The literal meaning of this verb is “to be demonized” – that is, to be in some way under the influence or power of demons. Thus the meaning of the verb is very general. In the King James Version this verb is usually translated by some phrase such as to be “possessed” or to be “vexed” by demons or evil spirits. However, there are no distinctions in the original Greek text to which these various different English words correspond. Some preachers have worked out elaborate distinctions between possession, oppression, or obsession by demons. However, there is nothing in the original Greek to support these distinctions.
Two other phrases normally used in this connection in the New Testament are “evil spirit” and “unclean spirit.” A comparison of Revelation 16, verses 13 and 14, would seem to indicate that the two phrases “unclean spirits” and “spirits of demons” are used more or less interchangeably. There are three main elements that are associated with the concept of personality. These three elements are: knowledge, will, and emotion. It is important to see that all these three elements of personality are found in the New Testament picture of demons.
Demons possess knowledge. In Mark 1:24, the demon in the main synagogue at Capernaum said to Yeshua HaMashiach, “I know who you are – the Holy One of God!” In Acts 19:15, the evil spirit in the man at Ephesus said to the seven sons of Sceva, “Yeshua I know [acknowledge], and Paul I know [know about]; but who are you?” Demons possess will. In Matthew 12:14, the unclean spirit who has gone out of the man but can find no place of rest, says, “I will return to my house from which I came.” In Luke 8:31-33, the demons in the man of Gadarenes displayed very strongly their will not to be cast into the abyss, but rather to be allowed to enter into the swine. Demons possess emotion. In James 2:19 we read, “Even the demons believe – and tremble!”
Another fact that attests to the personality of demons is their ability to speak. This is recorded in many passages of the New Testament. We sometimes can attribute the concept of personality to anything that is able to express its meaning in intelligible speech. By every standard, therefore, we see that demons display all of the attributes of personality. This is of tremendous importance. Christian believers are in no position to deal with demons successfully until they recognize that demons, beings that God originally created as angels that chose evil and rebelled against Him, are beings, not things. A demon is not a habit or a mental state or a psychological condition. A demon is a spirit being!
One means by which the presence or activity of demons may be detected is with the supernatural manifestation gift of the Holy Spirit called in 1 Corinthians 12:10 “discerning of spirits.” Many Christians that have been baptized in the Holy Spirit manifest some measure of this discernment, but quite often they do not fully realize the nature of this operation of the Holy Spirit, and therefore they do not make effective use of it. Discernment of this kind needs to be cultivated with regular exercise. For this reason, we read in Hebrews 5:14 of believers “who are of full age [maturity], that is who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” In the church today there are all too few believers who exhibit this mark of spiritual maturity.
If Christians are willing to exercise their spiritual senses, they will soon begin to discover that there are many different symptoms that commonly indicate the presence or activity of demons. Some of the most common of these symptoms are set forth under two headings: first mental/emotional related primarily to the inner nature and personality; second physical related primarily to the outward bodily appearance and condition.
1. Mental/emotional
Persistent or recurrent evil or destructive emotions or attitudes that can dominate a person, even contrary to his own will or nature e.g. resentment, hatred, fear, envy, jealousy, pride, self – pity, tension, impatience.
“Moods” – unreasonable, sudden, extreme fluctuations e.g. from talkative exhilaration to taciturn depression.
Various forms of religious error or bondage e.g. submission to unscriptural doctrines or prohibitions, unnatural asceticism, refusal to eat normal foods, superstitious observances of all kinds, all forms of idolatry.
Resorting to charms, fortune telling, astrology, mediums, etc.
Enslaving habits e.g. gluttony, alcohol, nicotine, drugs, sexual immorality or perversion of all kinds, uncontrollable or unclean thoughts or looks.
Blasphemy mocker, unclean language.
Persistent or violent opposition to the truth of Scripture or the work of the Holy Spirit.
Physical
Unnatural restlessness and talkativeness, muttering.
The eyes glazed or unnaturally bright and protruding or unable to focus naturally.
Frothing at the mouth, fetid breath.
Palpitation or unnaturally accelerated action of the heart.
Shunning, recoiling from, or fighting against the power of the Holy Spirit.
In many cases one of these symptoms alone would not be conclusive indication of demonic presence or activity. But where several of these symptoms are found together, the probability of demon activity is extremely high.
In addition to these symptoms, the New Testament indicates plainly that demons are often the cause of purely physical sicknesses or infirmities. For instance, in Luke 13:11 we read of a “woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.” As soon as this woman was delivered from this spirit of infirmity, her physical condition became completely normal Yeshua himself described her as “a daughter of Abraham” (v. 16). That is to say, she was a true believer. There is no suggestion that she was guilty of any special sin. The power of the demon was manifested solely in her physical body.
Again, in Acts 19:12, we read concerning the ministry of Paul in Ephesus, “so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.” Here “evil spirits” and “diseases” are associated together in a way that implies at times some kind of causal relationship between them. The following are some common mental or physical conditions that are sometimes caused by demons: insanity, insomnia, epilepsy, fits, cramps, migraines, sinus infections, tumors, ulcers, heart disease, arthritis, paralysis, dumbness, deafness, and blindness.
What are the conditions for deliverance from the destructive influence and power of demons? The first condition is a correct diagnosis. In 1 Corinthians 9:26 Paul describes his ministry as follows: “Thus I fight: not as one beats the air.” Where Christians are confronted by demons but do not realize the nature of their enemies, they are like a boxer who lashes out wildly with his fists but never lands his blows upon his opponent’s body. They may expend much time and energy, but they never make real “contact” with the unseen enemies who oppose them. For this reason, relatively little is accomplished. Once the presence and activity of demons have been correctly diagnosed, there are a number of further conditions for deliverance. Some of these concern the believer who is seeking to minister deliverance; others concern the person who needs deliverance.
The following are five important conditions that a believer administering deliverance, or “deliverance minister”, should fulfill:
1. The minister must recognize the authority delegated to him in the Name of Yeshua. Yeshua Himself said, “In My Name they will cast out demons” (Mark 16:17). Then, in Luke 10:17 we read, “The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your Name.” In Acts 16:18, when Paul spoke to the spirit of divination in the slave girl at Philippi, he said, “I command you in the name of Yeshua HaMashiach to come out of her.”
2. The minister needs the power of the Holy Spirit. In Matthew 12:28, Yeshua said “If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, sure the kingdom of God has come unto you.” He thus attributed His ability to cast out demons to the power of the Holy Spirit, the Ruach Hakadosh. Likewise in Luke 4:18 He attributed to the anointing of the Holy Spirit His ability “to proclaim liberty [or deliverance] to the captives … to set at liberty those who are oppressed.”
The minister must understand and apply to each case the relevant principles of Scripture that define the conditions for forgiveness of sins and the legal basis of redemption through the Blood of Yeshua.
The minister must often be prepared to provide both the time and place for intimate personal counseling. Generally speaking, the most unsuitable time or place is at the altar of a church during a public service!
The minister must beware of spiritual pride in any form. He must be motivated by sincere, God – given passion for the one who needs deliverance. In all the outreaches of the church today, there is no more needy or pitiful class of persons than those who require deliverance from demons.
We may now turn to the case of the one who needs deliverance: the patient.
Humility. The patient must, in humility, submit himself to God before he can resist the devil (see James 4:6-7).
Honesty. This demands a full and frank acknowledgment both of the patient’s condition and of any sins that may have contributed to that condition (see Psalm 32:1-5).
Confession. The patient must specifically confess to God all known sin (see 1 John 1:9). In addition, he may also have to make confession to the one who is praying with him for deliverance. This is implied by the words of James 5:16 “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another.” This speaks of confession not merely to God, but also to man. The order is first “confess” then “pray.”
Renunciation. It is not enough to confess sin without renouncing it. “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy (Proverbs 28:13).” “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:7). This sinner must forsake not only “his way” (any inward sinful leanings or desires, even though these are not expressed in outward acts). “Forsaking” must come before “mercy” and “pardon.”
Forgiveness. The one who desires forgiveness from God must first forgive his fellow men. Resentment and an unforgiving spirit are two of the most common hindrances to deliverance. In Hebrews 12:15, we are warned against “any root of bitterness.” Wherever bitterness has poisoned the heart, it must be totally removed, so that not even a root of it is left. There is special significance in the order of words in the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. First, “forgive us our debts [or trespasses] as we forgive our debtors [or those who trespass against us].” That is to say, our forgiveness from God is in proportion to our forgiveness from our fellow men. Then, “Deliver us from the evil one.” That is to say, forgiveness must come before deliverance. Without forgiveness, we have no right to deliverance.
When the patient has met the above five conditions, he is then in a position to claim the promise of Joel 2:32: “Whoever calls upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved [or delivered].” Calling aloud upon the Name of the Lord Yeshua HaMashiach normally sets in motion the process of deliverance.
It is important to realize that deliverance is normally a process. This process may be brief or long and drawn out, it may be intense and dramatic, or it may be quiet and scarcely perceptible. But whenever a person is delivered from a demon, there is some definite experience or reaction. When there is no definite experience or reaction, it is questionable whether deliverance has really taken place.
In this connection, certain very simple common sense principles apply. If there is a demon anywhere within a person, then that demon must come out. Unless the demon actually comes out, there has been no deliverance. Normally a demon will seek to remain in hiding rather than be compelled to manifest its presence and come out.
A demon is a “spirit.” The Greek word for “spirit”, pneuma, also means “breath.” A person’s breath normally enters or leaves his body through his mouth or nose. The same is true of demons/evil spirits. When a demon comes out of a person, it normally comes out through his mouth. At this point, there is usually some definite manifestation. The following are some manifestations connected with the mouth that commonly mark the culmination of the process of deliverance: a hiss, a cough, sobbing, screaming, roaring, belching, spitting, or vomiting.
The phenomena of screaming or roaring are referred to in Acts 8:7: “Unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed.” However, these are only two out of various possible phenomena connected in some way with the mouth. Experience has convinced me that different classes of demons exhibit different types of behavior. For example, demons of sexual uncleanness normally come out with some forms of spitting or vomiting (and quite often large amounts of slimy, mucous material are brought up in the process). The demon of fear normally comes out with a kind of hysterical sobbing or whimpering. The demons of lying and of hatred utter a loud roar. The demon of smoking addiction comes out with a cough or gasp.
It sometimes happens that demons virtually set aside the personality of the patient and manifest and express their own personality through him. At times, they take control of the patient’s organs of speech and use these to utter their own words. Sometimes this causes an obvious change of voice. A gruff, masculine type of voice may be heard out of a woman’s throat. It sometimes happens also that the demon within a person may understand and speak a language not known to the person himself. In such cases, the minister may exercise the authority delegated to him through the Name of Yeshua and may command each demon to name itself, thus revealing its nature and activity. The following are some of the names that I have heard given: fear, hatred, lies, doubt, envy, jealousy, confusion, perversity, schizophrenia, death, suicide, adultery, mockery, blasphemy, witchcraft. I have also heard a number of other names too obscene to print.
Today, by divine providence, the veils of convention and carnality are once again being drawn aside, and the church of Yeshua HaMashiach is being confronted by the same manifest opposition of demon power that confronted the church of the New Testament. In these circumstances, the church must again explore the resources of authority and power made available to it through the Truth of Scripture, the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and the Name and the Blood of the Lord JesusChrist

Armor Of God

So from this verse you learn that the readers of this letter were Christians but Paul still says that they need to put on the armor. This tells me that you don’t automatically have the armor put on you when you become Christian. So let us look at these verses.
Ephesians 6:10-17
10. In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].
11. Put on God's whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil.
12. For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.
13. Therefore put on God's complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].
14. Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God,
15. And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace.
16. Lift up over all the [covering] shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one].
17. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God.

Before I talk about the armor I will comment on the first three verses (10-13).
In the beginning Paul edifies them by saying: Be strong in the Lord, in his might and power. What does this tell us? It tells us that we need His power to resist the enemy. We cannot resist the enemy in our own power, but we need to use His power and when we equip ourselves with the Armor of God, we have his power.
The devil is not stupid; he has many strategies and deceits against us.
Many times we might say that he or she is my enemy, but people are not your enemy. Sometimes we might think; if only my wife could be different, or my mother. But your mother or your wife is not your enemy, but it can be spirits behind their actions that want to break your relationship. And it can even be an evil spirit behind your action too. So how can we get your mother or man or wife to be different? To yell at them and tell them how bad they are? No, you should pray for them. It can even be that the change needs to start with you. You need to put on the armor before you can help them.
Verse 13 talks about when we stand our ground and put on the armor we can win over the enemy. The enemy often tells us that we can’t win over our sin, or over sickness etc. But this is a lie from the enemy, because you can win total victory if you are obedient to the Word and put on the Armor of God.
Let’s look at the armor:

1. The truth as a belt
The belt of the armor helps you to keep your clothes on.
I remember one time I was doing a teaching in a church, and when I went up to the pulpit my belt broke. The pants I used were very loose so I almost lost my pants. During my speech I needed to hold my pants with one hand so they wouldn’t fall down. I can tell you that it was very disturbing.
To know the truth is very important because lies are the enemy’s only weapon. He deceives us with lies. Lies create disturbances, but the truth puts things in the right order and position. The truth (belt) will keep your armor together, if you don’t know the truth, the whole armor will fall apart. Jesus said that if you know the truth the truth will set you free.

2. The breast plate of integrity/righteousness
The breast plate is a very important part of your armor, because it is where your heart is. If the enemy hits you in your heart you are dead. The enemy tries to hit our hearts in many ways, but one way is to tell us that we are not righteous and that God doesn’t love us anymore. You know, religiosity kills, and it kills your spiritual life with God. Religion tells you your own works counts, and if you follow the religious rules you are righteous. If you have thoughts like: I am not good enough for God, God is not satisfied with me. Or it can be self-righteousness like: I read my Bible everyday, pray and do a lot of good works; now God will love me more. If you think like this, your spiritual life will surely die.

In the Amplified Bible it is actually translated as integrity. What is integrity? Integrity is to not lie about a thing, or say to other people what they should not do and do it yourself. You need to be real and not false. If you’re not real with God, God cannot help you. You need to have integrity in your life and with God to be protected from the enemy. Integrity is not to be perfect, but you are open and say sorry when you have erred. You cannot say that you have no sin, when you do and keep the protection. John tells us what integrity is:
1 John 1:6-10
6. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
7. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.10. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us.

3. Shod your Feet
When we have shoes on our feet we can move quickly and effectively. The Romans had nails under their feet, so they would have a good grip. When you get an opportunity to tell about the gospel of peace it is very important for you to be prepared to take that challenge. Another thing, we come with the gospel of peace, not with a gospel that judges people. Too many Christian make mistakes when it comes to this. They come with judgment and war instead of peace.

4. The Shield of Faith
Our shield protects us against the fiery darts of the enemy. The shield on a Roman solider covered the whole body, and they were totally protected by it, so the fiery darts from the enemy could not hit them. Faith is about trusting God and his truth. Faith is not a feeling, but a choice we make; we choose to believe that God’s word is the truth. The more we see the truth about God, the more faith we will have, and the enemy can’t harm us. By keeping your thoughts on God, His character and on His word, this will help you win victory in every circumstance.

5. The helmet of salvation
The helmet protects your head where all of your thoughts are. It is mainly in our minds that the attacks happen and it is here that the enemy is able to feed us his lies. Know your authority in Christ and let not the enemy come into your mind by his lies. Salvation means more than just being saved, it also means; delivered it means; to protect, to keep whole, to be set free. So God wishes to set you free from the lies of the enemy.

6. Sword that the Spirit wields
The sword on the armor is the only weapon we can use to attack. The sword is the Word of God and the Word of God is the truth, and the truth will set us free and deliver us from the lies of the enemy. There is enormous power in the word. When Jesus spoke the word, the will of God always happened. He needed only to speak one word and it happened.

Do it in prayer!
It is in prayer that we can use the armor, and when we pray we have a close relationship with God and we are protected. Prayer is communication with God. It is about having a relationship with God like a friend. He is actually your best friend, and remember too that you can also talk to him in that way.

The Importance Of Faith

If I were to ask you the question: "what is important in life", how would you respond? Undoubtedly, some would say that their family is important and I would agree. Some might say that their occupation is important, and that might be true. Still others would argue that their standing in the eyes of others is important, and I would disagree with that.
Importance is determined by the ultimate impact that a thing will have on you. The family is important because the relationships that we have with the members of our family can and will impact us for the course of our life. An occupation may be important because it will impact the way in which we are able to provide for our loved ones. Our standing in the eyes of others is not important because that will have no lasting effect on us.
Let me tell you something that is really important: FAITH! I know that faith is important because we read in Hebrews 11:6; "without faith it is impossible to please God." Did you hear that? It does not say that 'without faith it is difficult to please God' or 'that without faith you will not be able to completely please God' but 'that without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God'.
When I read this text I come to understand that faith is really, really important to my eternal condition. The next question would be: 'how do I get faith'? The answer to that is found in Romans 10:17 where we read that 'faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God'. If I want to please God I must have faith and if I want faith it will come from an understanding of the Word of God.

Lay aside every sin

Hebrews 12:1 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,"
The above text verse likens our earthly ministry to a race that we are all to run. Everyone knows that sin will take us off the right path and keep us from winning our race. However, there are some things that are not necessarily sin that can keep us from doing our best. These are the weights Paul is referring to. If God has placed you in a position of leadership, your race is to be the best leader you can be.
Most of my articles have focused on what to do to be a better leader. I like to dwell on the positive, but there are a few negative things (weights) I need to warn you about that can kill your ministry no matter how many good things you do. The sad thing is that some of the things that hurt you the worst are self-inflicted wounds; things you do that hurt your ability to do a good job leading. It's like shooting yourself in the foot and then trying to run the race at full speed; it just isn't going to turn out very well for you.
Seven ways people called to lead can shoot themselves in the foot:
1. Over Promise and Under Deliver. Ecclesiastes 5:3 For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words. Some leaders are always coming up with a new plan that they promise will save the day and take the ministry to a new level. While the idea may be a good one, they never seem to get the job done. They start out like a ball of fire, but after a few setbacks the new plan just fades away without a funeral. The leader really wants to make a difference and see growth, but for one reason or another the wheels come off the new idea and nothing lasting happens. The problem here is two fold: They fail to research and get advice and they fail to establish a workable plan to reach an obtainable goal. When I talk with folks like this I often find that they do not have a clear vision of what their goals are and they cannot explain precisely how the steps to the goal are measured. You must know what success is before you can hope to succeed.
2. Do Nothing Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. People need a reason to show up. Too many churches/ministries have nothing going on and wonder why the crowd doesn't grow. I once attended a church that only had two visitors in two years. The preaching was good, but they had no outreach ministries, no special days, or anything that might create a little excitement. They just went through the motions of having church. A former prime minister of France once said, "Great dreams attract great people, and little dreams attract little people. Little people cause all the problems. Without exercising practical methods of reaching the lost and developing programs that create mature Christians your ministry will dwindle and die. Those who want to see God work will go elsewhere and you will be left with no one but people who start trouble.
If people have no reason to come they will stop coming.
3. Break Trust Proverbs 17:9 He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends. Ministry leaders must work to win people's trust. We work with volunteers. We are not in business and can't use money to control people. We are not the military and we can't order people around. Our currency is trust. We gain trust when we keep promises and don't betray people's confidence. We lose trust when we repeat a matter, lie to, mistreat, betray, discourage, or use people.
4. Stay Ignorant James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. You do not need to be born with brains. You can borrow them. It would surprise you to know how many preachers there are that tell me they don't know how to lead. I'm not talking about youngsters; I'm talking about men who have been pastoring for years. They really want their ministry to grow but they are afraid to try anything great because they don't feel they can lead the ministry they dream about building. If that sounds like you, never fear! There is plenty of help available. You can visit churches that are currently going through your next step or have just moved through it. Our staff is always drafting off another ministry that has figured out what we need to do next. Hey, you are reading this newsletter. That shows you are reaching out and trying to do a better job. Just keep reading, visiting other ministries, reading your bible with leadership in mind, and asking questions. I promise that most pastors will bend over backwards to help you learn what you need to know.
5. Beat the Sheep 1 Peter 5:3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. (see also Luke 12:45&46) The bible is full of examples of people who took a great group of people and ran it into the ground by scattering the sheep. King Saul moved from building his people, to blaming his people, to beating his people, and he ended up losing his kingdom. Solomon's son Rehoboam took Israel at their greatest and split the kingdom in just a few days by being harsh and mistreating the people.
6. Be a Glory Hound John 7:18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. Nothing turns people off faster than a leader who thinks he is God's gift to mankind. These leaders are innately insecure and feel threatened if the Lord blesses anyone but them. I met a pastor once who attended a preachers meeting I was speaking at who castigated me for trying to help the men in his church become leaders. He said, "If I did like you are saying my men would take my church from me." After thinking about it for a while, I had to admit, he may have been right. When leaders seek all the glory for themselves two things happen: 1. God does not get the glory, and 2. people stop trying to please him because he is afraid to encourage them.
7. Be Absent Zechariah 11:17a "Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock!..." One of the realities of being a leader is that we have to supervise ourselves. I have met some leaders who have very little discipline and spend most of their days and nights pursuing personal goals and consequently neglect their flock. There is nothing wrong with leaders traveling and preaching in other churches, so long as the ministry is not neglected. In fact, in many cases it is a good thing, because it broadens your knowledge of how different people solve problems you are facing, and it deepens your understanding of what is possible. It may also serve as a way to stay fired up for the Lord because you get the chance to hear other men preaching that you may normally not hear. What we must watch is that we don't allow ourselves to become lazy or apathetic toward the ministry we lead just because there is no one looking over our shoulder telling us what to do. I heard it said that if you leave your ministry it will leave you. We need to diligently seek to grow our ministry and our flock must be the primary focus of our life. If it is not we should find something else to do.
Biblically speaking, leaders are people who are charged to help people abide in Christ and help them reach spiritual goals they do not know they can reach. To do this we must remember our battle is in the spiritual realm. We lead people by leading their heart. We are responsible for creating an environment that encourages people to step up to the plate and attempt big things for God. To be effective there are many tools found in the Word of God we must employ; but as we search for the right tools, let us remember that sometimes the best thing we can do is leave a tool in the box. As the title of this article implies, learning to be a better leader means we must learn what not to do as we search for what to do.