In this last hour, we are at war with the devil and his demons; so we must arm ourselves against them. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). Each one of us must prepare and stay ready to fight night and day.

To arm yourself means you are prepared to face a struggle, resistance or war. You must be ready for people and the devil to come against you by equipping yourself with things that strengthen and protect you. Then you will have it made for the rest of your journey here on Earth.

You must stop looking to yourself or people for what you need in this final hour and look only to Jesus. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy [that was to come] that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2).

Trials and persecutions will come to all children of God; the Bible says they have been appointed to you. That no man should be moved by these afflictions [trials and persecutions]: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto (I Thessalonians 3:3). So when battles come your way, it doesn’t mean you have failed. Jesus suffered much in the flesh when He was on Earth, but it was not because He had failed; it was because He was doing His Father’s will.

You too will suffer persecution as long as you are on this Earth; but Peter said, Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy (I Peter 4:12,13). Arm yourselves like Jesus did, and you will win every battle.

You Will Suffer

The apostles knew what persecution was all about. Paul said, Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord [the Gospel], nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God (II Timothy 1:8). Are you using all the power Jesus brought? You must use that power to arm yourself. God has made it available to you and put it within your reach.

Peter said, Wherein [the Gospel of Christ] ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ [the Rapture] (I Peter 1:6,7). You are going to suffer in this world whether you are a saint or a sinner, so why not suffer for the will of God to be done? When you search the Old and New Testaments, you will find that all those who lived godly were persecuted.

The Lord never promised you a life free of troubles, but He did promise He would deliver you out of them all. The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles (Psalm 34:17). Words in the English language that end with “eth” mean to continue; so once you are delivered from your affliction or problem, you can stay delivered.

Paul tells us that he experienced God’s deliverance again and again. Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me (II Timothy 3:11). The devil hated Paul, and he would send a demonic angel to stir up trouble wherever Paul went.

Depend Only on God

You can’t depend on people when you are going through battles; you must lean on the right arm of God. Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness (Isaiah 41:10). God’s right arm has all the power, all the knowledge and all the wisdom you need; so never let the devil get the best of you in any battle.

You must let persecution drive you deeper in God. For he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh [the sins and weaknesses of the natural man] to the lusts of men, but to the will of God (I Peter 4:1,2). Arm yourself so you can live in the will of God all the time. Then His anointing will direct you in what to do and when, and it will guide you without you even realizing it.

It is time to stop depending on, listening to and yielding to the weaknesses of the flesh. If you want to win in all your battles and tribulations, you must live in the Spirit and not give over to the flesh. That is what Jesus did, and He is our example. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth (I Peter 2:21,22). Jesus brought to Earth all the power we need to walk in His steps.

Flesh Is Weak

If you are living holy, the devil can’t get to you while you are awake; so he will try to torment you in your sleep. That is why you must arm yourself with divinity and drive those spirits away. Never take your burdens to bed with you because if you do, the devil will send his devils to torment you with them while you sleep.

When the devil does come your way, remember that you have the most powerful weapon Heaven has to offer—the divine blood. Use that blood to spray those devils, and they will run. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7). Don’t let the devil push you around. You have the power in the blood to defeat that devil every time he comes against you, so never run from him. Instead, use the blood and make him run from you.

Self is no match against sin and the devil, and it always falls short when it comes to doing the will of God. If flesh and self could do God’s will, Jesus would not have had to come to Earth; but that wasn’t the case. Jesus said, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me (Matthew 16:24). You must first deny yourself and then take up your cross. It is not a cross of fear or destruction; it is a cross of taking Jesus to the whole world. We must hurry to get the Gospel to everybody we possibly can.

Because your flesh is weak, you must arm yourself with the Holy Spirit just like Jesus did. Only with Him living inside you will you be able to stand for God against anything that comes against you because only He can reveal the things of God to you. But God hath revealed them [the things of God] unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God (I Corinthians 2:10,11).

Everything you need for the rest of the journey will be revealed to you through the Holy Spirit. That is why it is so important to have Him and why the Bible says seven times in the Book of Revelation, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith (Revelation 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22).

When you live in and by the Spirit, the Bible says the Lord will grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man (Ephesians 3:16). The inner man is the soul, the part of you that will never die.

The Disciples Failed

Peter and the other disciples thought they were strong enough in themselves to stand for Jesus, but they weren’t. Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me (Matthew 26:36-38).

When Jesus was finished praying, He returned to the disciples and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:40,41).

Even though Jesus walked with the disciples as a man, they were still weak flesh; and they went to sleep when Jesus needed them the most. They were not spiritually armed and ready for what was about to happen that very night, and Peter proved he wasn’t armed when he cut off a man’s ear. Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear…Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it (John 18:10,11)?

Then Peter got angry when Jesus picked up that ear and put it back on the man’s head. And he [Jesus] touched his ear, and healed him (Luke 22:51).

Before that awful night, Jesus had told Peter, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice (Matthew 26:34). And Peter had boldly said, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee (Matthew 26:35).

But later that same night, Peter did deny Jesus three times. Then Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly (Matthew 26:75). Peter had backslidden.

The other disciples had not armed themselves properly either; and Jesus told them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered (Mark 14:27). Jesus was the shepherd, and the disciples were His sheep. When the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, the disciples all forsook him, and fled (Mark 14:50).

Before Pentecost, the disciples lacked divine strength and were not able to stand up to the powers of darkness; but after Jesus ascended to Heaven, He sent the Holy Ghost to live inside all those who would live holy and accept Him. Only after receiving the Spirit were the disciples finally able to overcome their weak flesh. They learned to listen to what the Holy Spirit was saying to them, and there is much strength in what He says. You must arm yourself with the Spirit, too.

Seek Protection in the Word

Jesus is warning us today to arm ourselves with the powers of the Almighty. You can’t depend on worldly weapons of the flesh, only onweapons that are mighty through God. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds [of the devil];) (II Corinthians 10:3,4). The Bride of Christ must be a holy terror to the devil and his kingdom.

One of our most valuable spiritual weapons is the Word of God. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (II Timothy 2:15). Study God, the Son and the Holy Spirit so you will know what they will and will not do. The Word tells you how to arm yourself and remain armed all the time.

There is life in every word of God that comes from Heaven; and that life gives you strength, wisdom and power. The Psalmist knew that; and he said, My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word (Psalm 119:28). Have you ever been so burdened that you felt as if your soul was melting within you? At those times, it is so important for you to be armed with the Word.

The Bible says, My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh (Proverbs 4:20-22). The Lord speaks to you through His Word; so whenever you are feeling weak, you can go to the Word of God and find all the strength you need.

When people don’t have the Word, they don’t know about the Virgin Birth or the message of the Cross. They don’t know about salvation when Jesus said, Ye must be born again (John 3:7). They don’t know about truth, righteousness or the spirit of holiness. They don’t know about the Holy Ghost baptism or how to receive Him when the Bible says, Receive ye the Holy Ghost (John 20:22).

Faith Brings Victory

You must be aware that you can tarnish your spiritual armor with your words. Be careful what you say because you are responsible for every word you speak, and you can never take one word back. Jesus said, Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment (Matthew 12:36).

You not only have to be careful with your words but also with your thoughts. Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (II Corinthians 10:5). Your own imaginations and thoughts will defeat you; but when you arm yourself with divinity, you will say, think and do the right things.

You can be an overcomer every day when you are armed with divinity and living by faith. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith (I John 5:4). Divine faith has all the strength, power, love and victory you need.

The saints of old were armed with divine faith; and with it, the Bible tells us they quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens (Hebrews 11:34). Only through God could they have done those things, and that same overcoming strength is available to you today.

You must be a true Jesus soldier. And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled (II Corinthians 10:6). When you are full of faith and obedient in all, you can defeat the devil. The Bible says, We are more than conquerors through him that loved us (Romans 8:37). You are a winner when the Lord walks in you. As God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people (II Corinthians 6:16).

David Armed Himself with Divinity

Young David did not wear any earthly armor when he faced Goliath. King Saul offered him his great armor, but David refused it because he said he had not tested it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these [Saul’s armor]; for I have not proved [tested] them. And David put them off him (I Samuel 17:39). However, David had proved the power of God many times, so he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field (I Samuel 17:40,44).

David knew he was armed with what he needed; and he boldly said to Goliath, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel (I Samuel 17:45,46). David was giving God the glory even before he had killed old Goliath.

Then David used just one of those five stones and killed that giant. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him (I Samuel 17:49,50). David didn’t need a sword or a spear because he had God, and you must know that you have God, too.

David was not armed with divinity just for that battle; the Bible tells us that later there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker (II Samuel 3:1). Why?—because David was properly armed and living right at that time, and Saul was not.

You will face many “Goliaths” in this life in different forms; but you can slay them all through God, the Son and the Holy Ghost, so never be afraid. Always make sure you are armed with spiritual things that will strengthen and protect you because without the power of God, you can’t do battle and expect to win.

The Armor of God

You must arm yourself by putting on the whole armor of God. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power ofhis might. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (Ephesians 6:10,13). There is nothing of the flesh in God’s armor.

The Bible tells us exactly what the divine armor includes. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness (Ephesians 6:14). No devil or demon can penetrate that breastplate of righteousness.

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15). Your feet must take you on the strait and narrow way all the time. The devil can’t erase the footprints of blood Jesus made and left for us.

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (Ephesians 6:16). That is not a shield of man’s faith but of God’s glorious faith, and you can’t just have it; you must use it.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17). You can’t separate God from His Word. That is why you have to study it and hide it in your heart. Jeremiah said, Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart (Jeremiah 15:16).

Not wearing the whole armor of God will make you a coward in the service of the Lord. The journey ahead will look too long and hard, and you will turn back. That is why you must use every piece of divine protection God has made available to you and claim the promise that says, The LORD will give strength unto his people (Psalm 29:11). God made that promise, so never say you can’t have His strength. As long as you remain righteous and armed, thus saith the Lord, you will never fail God.

Be Strong in the Lord

If you faint in battle, then you have not armed yourself like Christ; and you are just fighting in the flesh. If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small (Proverbs 24:10).

God does not fail, faint or even become weary; so you must arm yourself in the power of His might. Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding (Isaiah 40:28).

Jesus brought all the divine things we need to be strong and then showed us how to use them. But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God...By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left (II Corinthians 6:4,7). The things of God will truly strengthen and protect you.

Jesus showed us what it means to be properly armed. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin (Hebrews 12:3,4).

The Bride of Christ is in spiritual warfare, and human weapons won’t do her any good; only spiritual power will do the job. Jesus said, It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life (John 6:63).

Paul also knew that only the things of the Spirit were worthwhile. 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 (I Corinthians 2:14). People in the world don’t understand you because they are ignorant to what you have, and some even resent you for no longer being a part of them.

God Brings Victory Every Time

When you are properly armed, God will do anything for you. Now unto him [the Lord] that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us [the power of the Holy Ghost], Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen (Ephesians 3:20,21).

Many Christians in the past have been discouraged and unhappy because they thought they had to fight their own battles, but that is not true. God fights for His children; and when God is for you, the devil can’t do anything to defeat you. If God be for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)?

God is much stronger than you are, and He always wins; so rejoice knowing that He will fight your battles and give you the victories. Quit your worrying and know in whom you have believed. For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day (II Timothy 1:12).

If you have committed everything to God, you have nothing to fear because living with God is the safest way to live in this world. Before Paul was saved, he didn’t believe Jesus to be his safety; and he failed Him so much that he described himself as the chief of sinners. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief (I Timothy 1:15).

After Paul was saved, he gave his all to become just like Jesus. Then he was able to say, I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20).

Use God’s Strength

Once you are properly armed, it is time to accept, hold on to and use the strength of God because nothing less than His strength will enable you to face the powers of darkness in this last hour. The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger (Job 17:9). You can’t have clean hands unless you have a clean heart; and once you receive Jesus into your heart, His strength is there for you to use.

Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee [the Lord]; in whose heart are the ways of them. They go from strength to strength (Psalm 84:5,7). Divine strength will make you stronger and stronger, so you must never go from strength to weakness. You can’t be full of divine strength one day and have hardly any the next. You must be full of God’s strength every day. The LORD...is the saving strength of his anointed (Psalm 28:8).

Being armed and strong in the Lord will bring you great joy. For the joy of the LORD is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10). Paul said, Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness (Colossians 1:11). With divine joy, you can rejoice in the Lord no matter what is going on around you. Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength (Habakkuk 3:18,19).

Jesus brought all the strength we need, but many fail to use it because they look for strength from without instead of from within. When you are born again, God’s strength comes from within the soul. The Psalmist wrote, In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul (Psalm 138:3). Your soul will never die because it came from the breath of God, and it is eternal like God Himself.

You must always be seeking to know more about divinity so you will be armed and strong and ready to do all the work the Lord needs you to do. That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10).

The Importance of Divine Strength

Many people look for strength in vitamins, healthy foods, exercise and even in other people; and although those aren’t necessarily bad things, they will not give you the strength you need to stay on God’s path and tear down the strongholds of the devil.

You can find strength from other children of God who speak the Word of life to you, but beware of those who talk about the wrong things. You may be feeling strong and happy in the Lord until you run into someone who tells you about all their trials and troubles. Then suddenly, you feel weak, doubtful and anxious. Keep in mind that you don’t have to stop and listen to people like that. Just politely go on your way.

People love to give their opinions and say what they think about things, but it doesn’t matter what you or anyone else thinks; only what God thinks matters. God promised He would give you the answers you need, and He keeps His promises. Then you are to pass on the promises and thoughts of God to others to help them become stronger in the Lord.

God’s strength flows when children of God gather together in His name. Jesus said, For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20). That is why it is so important to gather in God’s house, and Paul warned against staying out of church. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching (Hebrews 10:25).

We are at war with the devil every day; but if you are properly armed against him, the power of the Lord will always wear down the enemy. Isaiah the prophet wrote: Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness (Isaiah 41:10). If you are not drawing on the strength of the Almighty, you are drawing on the strength of self and the world; and that won’t suffice when you are fighting against the powers of the devil.

Take On the Mind of Christ

One of the most important ways to arm yourself is with the mind of Christ. Paul said, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5). If you are living holy, you can have that mind. The Bible never tells you to acquire something you can’t have.

The Lord wants you to be fully equipped to face anything the devil brings against you. Peter said, Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind (I Peter 4:1). You must be ready to fight the devil at any time and learn to depend on Heaven to back you up.

The mind is a person’s intellect—the place where they process thoughts, reason and come to conclusions. When you take on the mind of Christ, you will always reason with Him and come to the same conclusions that He would. The Lord said, Come now, and let us reason together (Isaiah 1:18). You must have a mind that God can talk to at any time.

Without the mind of Christ, you will have no unity with divinity. You will be out of step with God and always running ahead of Him or lagging behind. Then you will want Him to fix situations that you have already made a mess of, but God doesn’t work like that.

Your human mind will always want to take detours to the left or to the right, and that causes confusion instead of clear thinking. The mind of Christ is clear, and it thinks deep. O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep (Psalm 92:5).

The Mind of Christ Brings Divinity

Your responsibility is to know the kind of mind the Lord wants you to have in every part of your life. In little things as well as big things, the Lord longs to give you the thoughts of Heaven; and because Jesus came and brought back what was lost in the fall, each person who is armed with the mind of Christ can have those thoughts.

The mind of Christ has been made available to all who have been born again, but you cannot claim that mind unless you are living holy. The Bible says, Be ye holy; for I am holy (I Peter 1:16). Jesus said, Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48).

The mind of Christ will give you wonderful peace. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7). You will have troubles and trials, but never let the devil rob you of Heaven’s divine peace. Just keep your mind on Jesus. Thou [Jehovah God] wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee (Isaiah 26:3).

You must have perfect trust in God so you cannot only have the mind of Christ but use it. Then you must learn to unload all your burdens on Jesus. He said, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).

The mind of Christ is an anointed mind that gives strength and greatness, so why use or depend on anything else? Jesus said, I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing (John 15:5). You must bear much fru0it for the Lord, and the fruit spoken of in that verse is souls. Your job is to sow and reap for the Lord’s Kingdom.

Paul Understood the Mind of Christ

Paul knew all about the mind of Christ, and he had it. He said, But we have the mind of Christ (I Corinthians 2:16). The mind of Christ has nothing to do with the amount of education you have. You get that mind by giving yourself completely to the Lord. The Bible says, The common people heard him [Jesus] gladly (Mark 12:37). The common people gladly accepted Jesus and His wonderful mind.

Paul wanted everyone to have the mind of Christ, but he couldn’t deliver the fullness of that mind and the deepness of God to those who still depended on themselves. Paul wrote to the Corinthians saying, And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk [simple things of the Gospel], and not with meat [deep things of the Gospel]: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able (I Corinthians 3:1,2).

You must have the meat of the Word because it has all the strength you need and more, and it gives you power over the devil and his kingdom. Paul told the Hebrews, For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For everyone that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil (Hebrews 5:12-14).

A lack of the Word causes carnal thinking. Paul said, For ye are yet carnal [have the spirit of the world]: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men (I Corinthians 3:3)?

The mind of Christ lifts you out of your carnal thinking and actions and enables you to realize just how much you need God. Paul said, For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God (Romans 8:6-8).

Do God’s Will

On the Day of Pentecost, around 120 disciples were baptized in the Holy Ghost; and immediately, they had the mind of Christ. For the first thirty-three years, the disciples of the Early Church did not argue or lose their temper. No one backslid except for Ananias and his wife, Sapphira. They lied to the Holy Ghost, and the angel of God killed them in order to keep that lying spirit out of the Church. You can read about it in Acts 5:1-10.

I’m sure you don’t want God’s judgment to fall on you; so let the cry of your heart be, “I must take on the mind of Christ.” If you will arm yourself with that mind every day, you won’t make mistakes you have made in the past. You will want only the will of God to be done in your life; and you will be able to say as Jesus did, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God (Hebrews 10:7).

Jesus told His disciples, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work (John 4:34). You too must want nothing but the will of the Father and always seek to do the Lord’s work. Jesus furnishes everything you need to fulfill God’s will, and you must use it all.

God doesn’t save people so they can do their own will because they can do that without Him. He sent His Son to Earth to die for us and lift us out of ourselves. Jesus didn’t have to give His life; He willingly gave it. He proved that in the Garden of Gethsemane when He said, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done (Luke 22:42).

Because of Christ’s sacrifice, you must live every moment you have left on Earth in the will of God; and you can only do that with the mind of Christ. All the faith of God works through that mind, and you will never arm yourself with a mind greater than His. It is a perfect mind that glorifies the Father, and it will operate on Earth just like it will in Heaven. Therefore, you have it made, and you are a winner.

Depend on the Spirit

With the mind of Christ, you can do everything God wants you to. The Apostle Paul knew that; and he declared, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me (Philippians 4:13). If you think you can’t do what God calls on you to do, then you are doubting His Word. Arm yourself with the mind of Jesus and say, “I can do this task through Jesus because He gives me the divine blood strength, life, faith, love, wisdom and knowledge to do it.”

The whole mind of Christ must be poured through each member of the Bride in this final hour so we can get the job done. Jesus said, He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water (John 7:38).

The Holy Spirit is the one who flows those living waters within you, and then He enables you to pour them out to others. When you have the Spirit living inside you, you will follow Christ’s footsteps and obey all of His teachings because the Spirit is the greatest teacher in the whole world. Jesus said, But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you (John 14:26).

Jesus said that the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of truth; and if you will stay busy with the truth, you will protect yourself from all that is false. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you (John 16:13,14). The Holy Ghost wants to keep your mind clear so He can guide you and show you things to come.

The Holy Spirit deals with you in perfection; and He will tell you again and again, “This is the way.” Nurture your relationship with Him daily and let Him use the mind of Christ through you. Then He will operate the nine fruits of the Spirit within you. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law (Galatians 5:22,23).

When people see the fruits of the Spirit operating in your life, they will know you are a true child of God. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh (Luke 6:44,45).

Make No Excuses

The Word of God tells you that you are without excuse if you reject what the Lord offers you. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse (Romans 1:20).

The Lord has offered you the mind of Christ, and there is no excuse for not having it. You are without excuse if you fight and war in the weakness of flesh and lose your battles. You are without excuse if you lean to your own understanding and travel foggy paths of confusion. The Bible says, Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (Proverbs 3:5,6).

The Lord cannot direct your paths unless you seek to learn all you can about Jesus. He said, Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls (Matthew 11:29). Learn Jesus and be free.

If you don’t arm yourself with the mind of Christ, excuses will come fast and easy like they did for people in the story Jesus told about a man who invited guests to a great supper. A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse (Luke 14:16-18).

An excuse is not a reason. When you use the mind of Christ, you will have reasons, not excuses, for everything you do. If you don’t have a reason for doing something, then wait and don’t move until you have one that agrees with God.

The mind of Christ makes no room for false condemnation because that is the devil condemning you. He will tell you that you’re wrong when you’re not; and if you listen to him, he will torment you to death. If you have reasoned with God and found no reason for condemnation, let what the devil says bounce right back into his face. The Bible says, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:1).

What if Jesus had believed all the things people said about Him? He would have been bothered and tormented all the time, but Jesus knew the truth and refused to accept any condemnation from man or the devil. Jesus said, Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32).

Be a Willing Worker

When you are armed and ready to be used by God, you are willing to do whatever God wants without any resistance. When Paul said he was ready to do God’s will, that meant he was willing to do it no matter what he would face. Paul was warned by a prophet of God that he would face trouble if he went to Jerusalem; but he said, I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 21:13).

Paul was ready to die for the sake of Christ; and when Paul was facing certain death on Nero’s chop block, he told Timothy, I am now ready [and willing] to be offered (II Timothy 4:6).

Are you willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to get the Gospel to every honest heart through-out the Earth? Paul said, Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate [the Gospel] (I Timothy 6:17,18).

When Peter was talking to the elders in the Church about teaching their people, he told them they must do it willingly. The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre [money], but of a ready mind (I Peter 5:1,2).

You must always be ready to go the extra mile for souls. Jesus said, And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain [two miles] (Matthew 5:41).

Be a Winner

The Jesus mind will win against all the powers of darkness; and today, there is more darkness on Earth than ever before. People commit all kinds of sins and then ask God to forgive them, but that won’t work. God only forgives those who ask with a sincere heart and a contrite spirit, and He hates hypocrites. Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees, Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me (Matthew 15:7,8). People are going to find out just how wrong they are when they land in hell.

Jesus bought us with a price, so we are not our own. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s (I Corinthians 6:19,20). I am a servant of the Lord, and I always give Him all the glory for everything He does. I can talk to the great I-Am as one man to another; and you can talk to Him like that, too, if you will use the mind of Christ and not the human mind.

You can be whatever the Lord wants you to be when you have the mind of Christ in perfection. Then you will take every step with Him, make His decisions instead of yours and use only His thoughts. Some of you get so worried about things you never would if you would just use the mind of Christ.

God has promised to give you everything you need. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). All of God’s promises are true, but every promise has a condition; and you must meet the condition of a promise before you can claim it.

You can’t afford to lose another battle with people or the devil because if you do, you will also lose souls. Each one of God’s children must fight for every soul that can be won because Jesus is soon coming. You will always be on the winning side when you use the name of Jesus. All of Heaven’s power is in that name, and all children of God have the authority and permission to use it.

In this last hour, your battles will be many; and your loads will be heavy. You will have to be armed every day with all the Lord provides and then depend on Him for both physical and spiritual strength. God wants the world to see the power of Heaven working in our bodies and in our lives. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s (Psalm 103:2,5).

It is God’s will for His people to be strong through His glorious power. The Bible says, Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus (II Timothy 2:1). The Lord is choosing an army of people from all over the world to fight for Him; and when you use His strength, you will be victorious. Use it to stand in the place God wants you to stand, and you can depend on it as long as you do your part and arm yourself.

Arm Yourself with Salvation

If you are unsaved today, it is time to get ready for the Lord’s return. But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer (I Peter 4:7). You will never make it to Heaven without Jesus in your heart, so it is time to bring those sinful problems to the Lord. You may think you can never live free from sin, and you can’t in your old, ugly self; but you can if you become a brand-new creation in Christ.

Lift your hands and let the Lord forgive you of your sins right now. Say this prayer: Oh, God, save my soul! I am so sorry for sinning against you, but I have come home; and I am going to serve you, Lord, for the rest of my life. I believe the blood of Jesus washes away all of my sins. Come into my heart, Jesus! Come on in!

If you meant that prayer, you can say, Hallelujah, He has come! Hallelujah, Jesus is mine! Now, you must go on to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost because you must have Him to go in the Rapture. Jesus said He would give the Holy Ghost to those who obey Him. And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him (Acts 5:32). Just praise the Lord with your whole heart until the Holy Ghost takes over.

Arm Yourself with a Miracle

If you are sick and afflicted today, you can be healed of any disease or affliction—AIDS, diabetes, heart trouble, lung trouble, cancer, leprosy, paralysis, or any other deadly disease. There is nothing the Lord cannot or will not heal. The battle is yours to win if you are properly armed and don’t run away. All you have to do is trust God.

Lord, I bring the people to you. You told me years ago that you would heal the people, and you have healed and delivered millions through this Jesus world outreach ministry. I come to you in the name of your precious Son, Jesus, and ask that you inject His divine, healing blood into the bodies of the people and their loved ones. Some of them may be dying, but they can be healed right now. Heal! in the holy name of Jesus. Heal!

The Lord is flowing His healing power through you right now to give you life. Only believe and claim your miracle. Jesus came to give you abundant life and a new and living way, but you have to live for God. Jesus healed sinners; but then He said, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee (John 5:14).

Watch as you and your loved ones get well, and then let me know about it. Always remember to give the Lord all the honor, the praise and the glory for every miracle you receive.

Keep arming yourself with more of God every day, and put all of your trust in Him. Always follow in the Lord’s steps and wear His shoes. Then you will be a winner who is walking the waters of life. May God’s richest blessings rest upon you is my prayer.