<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Ephesians 6;11&amp;12<div><br></div><div><b>11. &nbsp;Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.</b></div><div><b>12. &nbsp;For we are not contending with flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>As helicopter pilots in Viet Nam,&nbsp;<span>b</span><span>ody armor was issued in the form of a ceramic&nbsp;</span><span>breast plate which we sort of rested</span><span>&nbsp;on our thighs, and then strapped into place over our chest area,&nbsp;</span><span>as we sat in the pilot’s seat of a Huey. &nbsp;</span><span>Our pilot’s</span><span> seat was also armored, there was even a sliding metal&nbsp;plate</span><span>&nbsp;on either our left or r</span><span>ight side of our seats, </span><span>depending on which seat, left or right we sat in</span><span>. &nbsp;The poor door gunners had nothing except bulky flack vests. &nbsp;T</span><span>hey also were issued ceramic chest armor, but did not wear it</span><span>, instead they would sit on them. &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;Our helmets were just plastic, they</span><span> were not much</span><span> pr</span><span>otection, although the visor (</span><span>which could be</span><span>&nbsp;lowered over our eyes in combat assaults)</span><span> would save our eyes from shards of windscreen and even small fragments of metal torn away by small arms fire.”</span></div><div><br>I take the time to explain this just to point out that such ‘protection’ did not shield my&nbsp;heart from fear.</div><div>It was not the body armor that gave me&nbsp;strength&nbsp;to face those who wanted to kill me, but rather a hope and belief that God was with me and&nbsp;would protect me. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Our protection in spiritual warfare is not physical, but spiritual. &nbsp;We know even death can&nbsp;not harm us. &nbsp;We have the Life and love&nbsp;which can never&nbsp;be taken from us.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Our enemy is not our fellow man, not the drug addled&nbsp;Criminal, or&nbsp;hate filled&nbsp;Muslim, or the fanatical&nbsp;Communist Chinese, or the fascist&nbsp;Progressive Socialist&nbsp;Leftist. &nbsp;They are all&nbsp;children of darkness who&nbsp;desire to enslave or&nbsp;destroy us and our&nbsp;witness to the God of Truth and Life, (who will someday be their Judge).&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;Our enemy is the devil and his fallen angels, now called demons, (but formerly had titles and ranks such as Principalities, Powers, Thrones, and Dominions). &nbsp;These all continually&nbsp;lust to move us off the ‘high ground’, the certainty of our faith and salvation, the very love of God. &nbsp;That is why Paul exhorts us to <i>“stand” </i>do not yield up the Light of God’s Truth to <i>“this present darkness.”</i></div><div><i><br></i></div><div>The <i>“heavenly places”</i>&nbsp;are not some crystalline&nbsp;celestial throne room in another&nbsp;dimension. &nbsp;They are our very own cleansed hearts, minds, souls, spirits, and bodies which are now the dwelling place of God by the Spirit and the Word.</div><div><br></div><div>The spiritual war we are now recruited into by virtue of&nbsp;our belonging to Jesus, is the struggle to love and care for even our enemies, to not surrender&nbsp;our hope and faith,&nbsp;especially when they threaten and actively&nbsp;seek to frighten and&nbsp;silence&nbsp;us. &nbsp;We wage this war by faith, loving those who hate us, praying for them,&nbsp;continuing to proclaim God’s truth of the Gospel of Christ’s victory over sin and death.&nbsp;In Christ, we&nbsp;with Jesus and the martyrs pray&nbsp;for the Father to forgive&nbsp;those who are&nbsp;seeking to&nbsp;kill&nbsp;us.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div><i>“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of&nbsp;God; for it is written, ‘Vengence is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’&nbsp;No, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.’ &nbsp;Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” &nbsp;</i>(Romans 12;19-21)</div><div><br></div><div><i>“Greater is He who <u>is&nbsp;</u><u>in you</u>&nbsp;than the one&nbsp;who is in the world.” &nbsp;</i>(1 John 4;4)</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, grant us wisdom to abide in your Word of&nbsp;promise to us. &nbsp;It is&nbsp;our perfect armor in this war You have recruited us into. &nbsp;Bless us with the peace of Jesus which is not of this world and gives us courage to face even earthly physical death. &nbsp;For You have given us Christ’s victory over all death and evil. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</div><div><br></div><div><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Ephesians 6;11&12
11.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.12.  For we are not contending with flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
As helicopter pilots in Viet Nam, body armor was issued in the form of a ceramic breast plate which we sort of rested on our thighs, and then strapped into place over our chest area, as we sat in the pilot’s seat of a Huey.  Our pilot’s seat was also armored, there was even a sliding metal plate on either our left or right side of our seats, depending on which seat, left or right we sat in.  The poor door gunners had nothing except bulky flack vests.  They also were issued ceramic chest armor, but did not wear it, instead they would sit on them.   Our helmets were just plastic, they were not much protection, although the visor (which could be lowered over our eyes in combat assaults) would save our eyes from shards of windscreen and even small fragments of metal torn away by small arms fire.”
I take the time to explain this just to point out that such ‘protection’ did not shield my heart from fear.It was not the body armor that gave me strength to face those who wanted to kill me, but rather a hope and belief that God was with me and would protect me.  
Our protection in spiritual warfare is not physical, but spiritual.  We know even death can not harm us.  We have the Life and love which can never be taken from us. 
Our enemy is not our fellow man, not the drug addled Criminal, or hate filled Muslim, or the fanatical Communist Chinese, or the fascist Progressive Socialist Leftist.  They are all children of darkness who desire to enslave or destroy us and our witness to the God of Truth and Life, (who will someday be their Judge). 
 Our enemy is the devil and his fallen angels, now called demons, (but formerly had titles and ranks such as Principalities, Powers, Thrones, and Dominions).  These all continually lust to move us off the ‘high ground’, the certainty of our faith and salvation, the very love of God.  That is why Paul exhorts us to “stand” do not yield up the Light of God’s Truth to “this present darkness.”
The “heavenly places” are not some crystalline celestial throne room in another dimension.  They are our very own cleansed hearts, minds, souls, spirits, and bodies which are now the dwelling place of God by the Spirit and the Word.
The spiritual war we are now recruited into by virtue of our belonging to Jesus, is the struggle to love and care for even our enemies, to not surrender our hope and faith, especially when they threaten and actively seek to frighten and silence us.  We wage this war by faith, loving those who hate us, praying for them, continuing to proclaim God’s truth of the Gospel of Christ’s victory over sin and death. In Christ, we with Jesus and the martyrs pray for the Father to forgive those who are seeking to kill us. 
“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengence is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ No, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.’  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”  (Romans 12;19-21)
“Greater is He who is in you than the one who is in the world.”  (1 John 4;4)
Prayer:  Merciful Father, grant us wisdom to abide in your Word of promise to us.  It is our perfect armor in this war You have recruited us into.  Bless us with the peace of Jesus which is not of this world and gives us courage to face even earthly physical death.  For You have given us Christ’s victory over all death and evil.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”

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