Field Trip 1: On the Battlefield to practice Girding our Loins
This is our first field trip onto the battlefield where you will get practice girding your loins.
Click the link to view the video:
There are endless opportunities if you spend time on social media platforms such as Face Book/META, Instagram and more, where you can practice girding your loins.
Know that just because a post sounds right, does not mean that it is true in alignment with the Word of God.
The purpose of our wearing such powerful garments of warfare is to protect us from the onslaught of the enemy of our faith. You may have heard it said that the battlefield is on one’s mind. This is true.
Let’s take a moment to look at what Jesus taught us about recognizing the enemy on the battlefield. We are going to look at John 10: 1-10.
(Clicking the link will take you to the verses in the NKJV, ESV versions on the Bible Gateway platform. Once on the Bible Gateway platform you can change the translation to search any number of translation or language. You can also adjust the website to compare various translations. )
John 10:1-10 New International Version
The Good Shepherd and His Sheep
10 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
At the very onset, Jesus helps us to recognize the enemy because when it comes to fighting the enemy we are blind.
Remember that God’s Word tells us that our warfare is not against flesh and blood. We are not fighting something that we can see. This is one reason why it is important that we walk by faith and not by sight. Our physical eyes will not help us in the battle that is waged against us. We have to close our eyes in order to see.
So Jesus tells us that “he who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep”. (John 10:2) Jesus also tells us that “He is the door.”(John 10: 7) When Jesus spoke these things, while here on earth, the people did not understand what he was telling them. (John 10:6) The clue to understanding is found in Verse 3 where Jesus said, ” The gatekeeper (or doorkeeper) opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice.
To understand what Jesus was saying to the people while He was on earth, and what He is saying to us today, we need to know what the gatekeeper or doorkeeper is.
The Oxford Dictionary provides us with the following definition of Gatekeeper :
- an attendant employed to control who goes through a gate.
“fans had to show gatekeepers their vaccination record and matching ID to get into the stadium”
2. a person or thing that controls access to something.
“access to markets and customers has long been mediated by gatekeepers”
In the video that you watched at the beginning of this session, you learned about the subconscious mind and how it will reject something that goes against its beliefs. We also have God’s Word which tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. (Romans 10:17) So, in this consideration of John chapter 10, what you will find is that the gatekeeper is our ears, and what we choose to listen to.
Jesus tells us that He is the door. Therefore, if anyone comes to us with a word that does not encourage or incite one’s faith, that person is a thief and a robber. If someone comes to you speaking to you a word that is not centered, firmly rooted, and solidly confirmed by the Word of God, that person is a thief and a robber. About the thief, we are told that they come to steal, kill, and destroy.
Regarding the one who enters in through the door, we are told that the doorkeeper will open to him and that the sheep will hear his voice. (John 10: 3) We are also told that the sheep will follow this one. (John 10:4)
This is very significant because of what Jesus said in John 10: 26-27 to those who were in attendance at the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem that asked him to speak plainly to them about whether he was the Christ.
John 10:26-27 New King James Version
26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
What a stark contrast from what was told to the five foolish virgins and to those who were not doing the will of the Father. We will discuss their situation in more detail later.
Proceed to take the Module 2 Quiz
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