1 Corithians 13
If I speak with the tongues of men and of messengers, but do not have love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophecy, and know all secrets and all knowledge, and if I have all belief, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am none at all. And if I give out all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but do not have love, I am not profited at all. Love is patient, is kind, love does not envy, love does not boast, is not puffed up, does not behave indecently, does not seek its own, is not provoked, reckons not the evil, does not rejoice over the unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth, it covers all, believes all, expects all, endures all. Love never fails. And whether there be prophecies, they shall be inactive; or tongues, they shall cease; or knowledge, it shall be inactive. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part shall be inactive. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought as a child, I reasoned like a child. But when I became a man, I did away with the childish matters. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know, as I also have been known. And now belief, expectation, and love remain–these three. But the greatest of these is love.
How does a person walking in this kind of love, totally selfless, and without thought or regaurd for themselves, fight in a battle against the dark things of this world?
I guess the place that we would actually need to start would be, who and what is the fight against? The fight is against selfishness–every thought and imagination, every high thing that would raise itself against Yahuah. It is this selfishness that we are called to wage war against. It is this gross darkness that we are called to tear down, bring to nothing, bring into obedience to the Master. The Master is Love, Truth, and Light, and therefore our warring causes darkness to be enlightened, lies and deceptions exposed and transformed into the image of Truth, and the self-centered exaltation of a pride-filled existence would instead be brought low, highly reguarding others, that they may love Yahuah their Elahim with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength. This is the outcome of our warring, and is great commission that we first see given to Adam in the garden (part of our created purpose) and is expounded upon many times throughout the scriptures.
We see the great commission in Genesis 1:26-28. And Elahim said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the livestock, and over all the earth and over all the creeping creatures that creep on the earth.” And Elahim created the man in His image, in the image of Elahim He created him–male and female He created them. And Elahim blessed them, and Elahim said to them, “Bear fruit and increase, and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over all creatures moving on the earth.”
The commission is expounded upon in Isaiah 61:1,2, and again in Luke 4:18-19:The Spirit of Yahuah is upon me, because He has anointed me to bring the Good News to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send away the crushed ones with a release, to proclaim the acceptable year of Yahuah.
We further see the commission expounded in Matthew 10:7-8:”And as you go, proclaim, saying, ‘The reign of the heavens has drawn near.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the leapers, raise the dead, cast out demons. You have received without paying, give without being paid.”
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not fight according to the flesh. For the weapons we fight with are not fleshly but mighty in Elahim for overthrowing strongholds, overthrowing reasonings and every high matter that exalts itself against the knowledge of Elahim, taking captive every thought to make it obedient to the Messiah, and being ready to punish all disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
In the previous verses we have seen that we are supposed to bring all things into subjection, to rule and have dominion in this earth, to bring freedom and healing, making whole that which is broken, etc, but how? What weapons do we have? How do we fight? What protects us from attack?
Ephesians 6:10-18…be strong in the Master and in the mightiness of His strength (His strength comes from His peace; there is peace within Him, because in Him all things are in agreement; He is never divided within Himself, and it is when we come into agreement with Him that we too will walk in the same strength, walk in Him). Put on the complete armor of Elahim, for you to have power to stand against the schemes of the devil (the schemes of the devil are simply to cause conflict in your thinking through deception, and therefore stealing peace in your relationship to Truth, with Yahuah). Because we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against authorities, against the world-rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual matters of wickedness in the heavenlies. Because of this, take up the complete armor of Elahim (we do not put on the armor of God to protect our junk; this suit of armor does not allow us to remain in an unchanged state, but as we take on these things we are transformed into His image), so that you have power to withstand in the wicked day, and having done all, to stand (we fight by standing agaist these things, standing agaist selfishness; as we pull down strongholds in our thinking, and come into agreement with Yahuah, by simply standing we defeat the enemy; we stand in His completed work, we stand in His victory, and it is in this place that there is rest). Stand, then, having girded your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace; above all, having taken up the shield of belief with which you shall have power to quench all the burning arrows of the wicked one. Take also the helmet of deliverance, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of Elahim (the finishing blows to the enemy are not vicious, are not out of revenge, and actually they are not done with any thought of self, but they are the Truth of His Word; the finishing blows are simply standing on the Rock, the Word, standing in Him), praying at all times, with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, watching in all perseverance and supplication for all the set-apart ones (as we begin to stand in victory in the smaller arenas of our own thinking, we can begin to reach outward, praying for those around us, standing in the gap for them, encouraging them to take on this armor as well).
In this post I just wanted to explore what it is that we are warring against, and how we fight this battle. This is the epic battle of good and evil, light and dark, self and selfless. I started this post with 2 Corinthians 13, talking about love, because this is who Yahuah is, this is who we are to be becoming, this is how we battle, and anything that would raise itself against this way of thinking is what what tear down. Yahuah is Love; our purpose is to return that love to Him, and to be dispensers of His Love to this earth. Halleluyah!!!
1 Corithians 13 If I speak with the tongues of men and of messengers, but do not have love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophecy, and know all secrets and all knowledge, and if I have all belief, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am none at all. And if I give out all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but do not have love, I am not profited at all. Love is patient, is kind, love does not envy, love does not boast, is not puffed up, does not behave indecently, does not seek its own, is not provoked, reckons not the evil, does not rejoice over the unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth, it covers all, believes all, expects all, endures all. Love never fails. And whether there be prophecies, they shall be inactive; or tongues, they shall cease; or knowledge, it shall be inactive. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part shall be inactive. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought as a child, I reasoned like a child. But when I became a man, I did away with the childish matters. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know, as I also have been known. And now belief, expectation, and love remain–these three. But the greatest of these is love.
How does a person walking in this kind of love, totally selfless, and without thought or regaurd for themselves, fight in a battle against the dark things of this world?
I guess the place that we would actually need to start would be, who and what is the fight against? The fight is against selfishness–every thought and imagination, every high thing that would raise itself against Yahuah. It is this selfishness that we are called to wage war against. It is this gross darkness that we are called to tear down, bring to nothing, bring into obedience to the Master. The Master is Love, Truth, and Light, and therefore our warring causes darkness to be enlightened, lies and deceptions exposed and transformed into the image of Truth, and the self-centered exaltation of a pride-filled existence would instead be brought low, highly reguarding others, that they may love Yahuah their Elahim with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength. This is the outcome of our warring, and is great commission that we first see given to Adam in the garden (part of our created purpose) and is expounded upon many times throughout the scriptures.
We see the great commission in Genesis 1:26-28 And Elahim said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the livestock, and over all the earth and over all the creeping creatures that creep on the earth.” And Elahim created the man in His image, in the image of Elahim He created him–male and female He created them. And Elahim blessed them, and Elahim said to them, “Bear fruit and increase, and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over all creatures moving on the earth.”
The commission is expounded upon in Isaiah 61:1,2, and again in Luke 4:18-19 The Spirit of Yahuah is upon me, because He has anointed me to bring the Good News to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send away the crushed ones with a release, to proclaim the acceptable year of Yahuah.
We further see the commission expounded in Matthew 10:7-8 “And as you go, proclaim, saying, ‘The reign of the heavens has drawn near.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the leapers, raise the dead, cast out demons. You have received without paying, give without being paid.”
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not fight according to the flesh. For the weapons we fight with are not fleshly but mighty in Elahim for overthrowing strongholds, overthrowing reasonings and every high matter that exalts itself against the knowledge of Elahim, taking captive every thought to make it obedient to the Messiah, and being ready to punish all disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
In the previous verses we have seen that we are supposed to bring all things into subjection, to rule and have dominion in this earth, to bring freedom and healing, making whole that which is broken, etc, but how? What weapons do we have? How do we fight? What protects us from attack?
Ephesians 6:10-18 …be strong in the Master and in the mightiness of His strength (His strength comes from His peace; there is peace within Him, because in Him all things are in agreement; He is never divided within Himself, and it is when we come into agreement with Him that we too will walk in the same strength, walk in Him). Put on the complete armor of Elahim, for you to have power to stand against the schemes of the devil (the schemes of the devil are simply to cause conflict in your thinking through deception, and thereby stealing peace in your relationship to Truth, with Yahuah). Because we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against authorities, against the world-rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual matters of wickedness in the heavenlies. Because of this, take up the complete armor of Elahim (we do not put on the armor of God to protect our junk; this suit of armor does not allow us to remain in an unchanged state, but as we take on these things we are transformed into His image), so that you have power to withstand in the wicked day, and having done all, to stand (we fight by standing agaist these things, standing agaist selfishness; as we pull down strongholds in our thinking, and come into agreement with Yahuah, by simply standing we defeat the enemy; we stand in His completed work, we stand in His victory, and it is in this place that there is rest). Stand, then, having girded your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace; above all, having taken up the shield of belief with which you shall have power to quench all the burning arrows of the wicked one. Take also the helmet of deliverance, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of Elahim (the finishing blows to the enemy are not vicious, are not out of revenge, and actually they are not done with any thought of self, but they are the Truth of His Word; the finishing blows are simply standing on the Rock, the Word, standing in Him), praying at all times, with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, watching in all perseverance and supplication for all the set-apart ones (as we begin to stand in victory in the smaller arenas of our own thinking, we can begin to reach outward, praying for those around us, standing in the gap for them, encouraging them to take on this armor as well).
In this post I just wanted to explore what it is that we are warring against, and how we fight this battle. This is the epic battle of good and evil, light and dark, self and selfless. I started this post with 2 Corinthians 13, talking about love, because this is who Yahuah is, this is who we are to be becoming, this is how we battle, and anything that would raise itself against this way of thinking is what what tear down. Yahuah is Love; our purpose is to return that love to Him, and to be dispensers of His Love to this earth. Halleluyah!!!
