First, I chose six books to evaluate concerning the breastplate. I will keep the authors names and book titles anonymous. I’ll just read the basic information and then move from book to book. Let’s begin.

This Is true; however, I believe Paul had one purpose, even though he used two different examples that can be applied in describing this full Christian armor that we are to put on. One, and I’ve said this before, Paul was a prisoner more times than I’m sure he liked. He saw what the soldiers wore. He saw their uniforms and the kind of weapons they used, from swords to shields to helmets. So, we can use the times Paul lived in as reference points. However, as we go further into this armor, I want to point out the spiritual aspect of all the elements listed here in God’s armor. I believe Paul went beyond what he could see the soldiers wearing from the knowledge he obtained from Christ Himself. And because Paul was also a student of the Old Testament, he knew what righteousness in the spiritual sense symbolized. As a result, I don’t view the breastplate like most authors do. Yes, Paul saw soldiers and was trying to identify with the people in his life, but that’s not all Paul did. There was a deeper meaning than what Paul saw, and he related that poetic knowledge from God using those examples. For instance, he used the soldiers and their uniforms to make his point, but Paul was not that shallow. He was much deeper than that. Just read his letters to see how Paul goes beyond what he could see to make his point. You will never really understand this breastplate of righteousness if you don’t understand what it means in the Old Testament, where I believe Paul drew from to make the point.

Spiritual warfare has been around from day one. Spiritual warfare with these evil forces is not something that was created in the New Testament, it’s been here since Adam and Eve sinned. Even before Adam and Eve sinned there was spiritual warfare, but because of their sin, it intensified because Satan and his minions are not just dealing with one or two characters any longer. They have dealt with billions of people throughout the ages. That’s why the Bible tells us wide is the passageway leading to destruction, but narrow is the way leading to God; to Christ Himself. So even though Paul could see the soldiers and identify with them and make a comparison in the material sense about what a Christian should wear spiritually, I’m saying he goes deeper than that. He truly understood what Christ’s message was and what Christ revealed to him, (in my opinion) in his training period after he was blinded and then could see. Paul could also draw information from the Old Testament, and you might not know that. So, as I read from these authors, they all focus in on the Roman soldier’s uniform because that’s the comparison and the only comparison Paul was making to poetically say what a soldier of Jesus Christ should wear in a spiritual sense. To continue with this author, we read,

“The breastplate of righteousness. This piece of armor covered the front of the soldier’s body, from the neck to the upper part of the thighs. It protected the vital organs. I believe that Paul is referring here to the righteousness of Christ which we receive when we trust Him. [Okay.] Satan is an accuser, and he attacks us by reminding us of our sins. It is through faith in Christ that we have his righteousness imputed to us, put to our account.[No problem with that at all.] It is important to make a distinction between imputed and imparted righteousness. When a sinner trusts Christ and is born again, the very righteousness of Christ is put to his account, and this never changes.”

I do have a problem where this author wrote, “When a sinner trusts Christ and is born again, the very righteousness of Christ is put to his account, and this never changes.” It can change. Start living a life of unbelief, start living a life opposite of trusting Jesus for your salvation. Do you think God’s righteousness will never change and never leave you? Do you think you won’t grieve the Holy Spirit? Faith in Jesus redemptive work is how you get it in the first place! If I gave you the name of this author you would say, “What! How could he say that?”

I’m not going to get into the difference between imputed and imparted righteousness. I think they made a whole big deal out of nothing. It is just more fancy terminology that tries to confuse the Christian believer.

Again, no, it’s not, “once God has declared you righteous,” or reconciled back to Him. Once again, continuing trust and confidence want Christ did for us is what we must have to keep God’s righteousness imputed into our lives or it will change.

You’ll find that several of these authors are more concerned about emotions and feelings. If this was true, then why is this breastplate even in Ephesians 6:14? It’s there to protect us when we are physically attacked, and the devil works on our conscience with guilt that we are falling short and not living up to God’s standard. We will never live up to God’s standard; I will never live up to God’s standard. It is impossible; therefore, the breastplate of righteousness is there to protect us from the onslaught of the devil’s accusations that brings us down and makes us feel unworthy to be a child of God. This book falls short in describing and defining what the breastplate of righteousness is.

You must understand all the benefits of righteousness, and there are many benefits that Christ allows us to participate in along with Him. My whole goal in these next few weeks is to give you a better understanding of what Christ has done for us, why it was important for Him to step in, and it’s not just for the shedding of blood for the remission of sin, without which there is no hope. You have heard me preach on it and you have probably heard others preach on laying up your treasures in heaven. There are rewards that come by laying those treasures up in heaven. In the chapters to come, I will make clear all the wonderful benefits here and now that we have once we understand what righteousness is. At the same time, I don’t think anyone can completely explain it because it is that overwhelming of a subject, but in the Old and New Testaments, Christ gives us a better picture of what those benefits are if you have eyes to see and ears to hear. That’s probably the most important key point up to now, and once you understand and see for yourself in God’s Word what they are, you’ll say, “Sign me up. I cannot believe I did not understand this before, but I do not want to miss out on any of the benefits that I can receive through Christ Jesus.”

And that’s all. With this author there were no shortcuts. That is all he says about the breastplate, and it found me wanting. Moving on to the next one we read,

I wish I could see your faces to see if you can remember what I’ve been saying. Remember I told you that most authors and scholars of God’s Word place these weapons and the definition of them as defensive weapons? Yes, they can be used as defensive weapons, but I’m telling you that parts of the spiritual armor are not justdefensive weapons. Each one of these weapons are offensive weapons. This breastplate of righteousness is a signpost, a billboard for lack of better words, announcing to Satan what kind of energized being we are now through Christ. Satan will not walk over our lives. He will not be victorious if we have as our banner this breastplate of righteousness as a signpost sending a message to him: you can come at us, but we will put on one hell of a fight through Christ Jesus by applying what He has given to us in His Word, listed here as part of the armor. I know I’m speaking in a lot of generalities right now, but I will get into detail on everything I’m saying.

The word holiness is thrown around so liberally by author after author. First, I don’t think they know what it really is. They throw it around so liberally, almost like a guilt stick, pounding you, and if you don’t live your life as a holy servant unto God somehow you are going to fall short and the devil will have his way with you. When I see authors use the words holiness or holy in print, I almost want to cringe every time. It takes a lot more than that, but many try to define this in one or two sentences or maybe a paragraph or two at the most to define the things of God’s Word in these 66 books. However, in the Bible we are just given a glimpse of what we need to concentrate on to get us home. I’m trusting that when we get there that our minds will be opened to all the vast knowledge and wonderful riches that God has for us. I believe our minds will continuously be expanding throughout eternity. I know I’m jumping all over the place, but I cannot help myself when I read these things and express the opinions that I have based on God’s Word and to come against these kinds of authors who try to explain away things without really explaining anything!

“In another sense, putting on the breastplate of righteousness refers to the practice of righteousness. Holy living makes it a lot more difficult for the devil to trip us up. [Actually, live holy all you want and see how the devil trips you up even further than you ever imagined.] Living right, doing good, and obeying God’s commands will be a sure protection against the attacks of the enemy.”

I have no problem with obeying God’s commands, but living right and doing good is back to some kind of formula of what to do and what not to do; a system of works to produce holiness and to energize this breastplate of righteousness, but that’s not what God’s Word says, so, let’s move on to the next author.

That sounds good when you are putting a sentence together, but what the heck does that mean? I can give you a simple definition or explanation of what it means, but I would have to do more work explaining that particular sentence than it is worth.

Again, it all sounds good, but what does it mean? Here is another author,

There you go. They only compare what they believe Paul was identifying with, what he was seeing every day of his life as he was walking through the streets or as a prisoner in the Roman system. Once again, the armor is much more than what Paul saw when he was penning these verses in the letter to the Ephesians. It goes a lot deeper than just making the comparison about the soldiers wore and what a Christian soldier should wear.

I could accept uprightness even though it is incomplete, but right living? Once again, it is saying that it’s something that we could accomplish, but we can’t. Only the Spirit implanted in us can accomplish it, and all our best efforts will fall short.

If that is true, we would fail every day. Even though I might try to apply some of the principles of God’s Word, especially when it comes to telling the truth, for instance, it’s going to make me about as righteous as a turnip, because anything that implies that my efforts produce righteousness is going to fall short and it’s not from God’s Word. That’s why most of these authors don’t have a clue about what the breastplate of righteousness is. There is nothing that I can develop with my own efforts and understanding to make me a better person. You may think I am against being a better person. I am not, but I think God’s Word changes a person and I think faith changes a person for the better. Let faith in God’s Word change the person, not our efforts, because most of the time we’re influenced by a material world that has more impact on our conscious and subconscious than we realize. When you start intertwining the two together, what looks like it is coming from God’s Word is just adopting what the material world says and putting religious tones to it. We fall short in trying to live a life that is right thinking and believe it give us God’s righteousness. Listen to this:

Okay, enough of that one. I think you get the picture but let me read one more.

The analogy that he is making here between Job and righteousness breaks down. Job was not very righteous when that force field, that shield, surrounding him where Satan couldn’t touch him, broke down or was removed by God. Eventually God had to come and straighten him out. Job wasn’t very righteous. I probably wouldn’t be either, suffering what he suffered, having everything and losing everything; family, money, too sick to even live. I probably would not be very righteous at all, so I am not pointing fingers here. This author is saying, “what Paul is saying here is that this should not be. We should not give Satan handles to grasp easily.” First, Satan didn’t have a handle on Job’s life at all while the shield was up, so this is a bad analogy.“Instead, we must live righteously, as Job did, so Satan and everyone else can see that we are God’s true children and his faithful servants.”

Do you see why I get so aggravated? I have book after book, and they all say the same thing and gets us no closer to understanding what the breastplate of righteousness is. So, let us return to Ephesians 6:14 where Paul writes,

Righteousness is dekiosuna in the Greek with a very short definition, right with God. We only become right with God through Jesus Christ. It is His righteousness that puts us back on the right path with God and being right with God through Jesus Christ is the only way of even obtaining that type of righteousness. God’s judgment for us was placed on Jesus, which now allows God’s righteousness to flow back to us through the Holy Spirit. Through Jesus we are reconciled back to the Father. There is no other way. That judgment was for us, but Christ stood in for us and God put that judgment on His Son, so now we are reconciled back to the Father. Now His righteousness can flow back to us through the Holy Spirit which puts us in a position of reconciliation with God once again. There is no shortcut and there is no other explanation. That is the only explanation. Go to Philippians 3:7. This is where Paul is counting all gain as loss, meaning all the things that he ever achieved really were worthless to him if he lost Christ. Paul writes,

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, [All those material things which the world so values and wants to get their hands on and accumulate are considered dung.] And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness….”

Paul spends a lot of time, especially in the Romans’ letter, describing what his own righteousness would be, or our own righteousness if we follow our own way in how we perceive things. In this case, what he was talking about was how we react to, apply, and live out the Mosaic Law, but we can never even come close to living that Mosaic Law; no one ever has except Christ. Only He fulfilled every jot and tittle of it.

Some Jewish scholars say there were 611 commandments; others say there were 613 commandments in the Mosaic Law. Some include the Ten Commandments, some do not. It doesn’t really surprise me, but whatever number they come up with, it is always around 600 laws, the number of man. Only Christ Jesus fulfilled the law. Of all the 613 laws, 365 have negative restrictions, things that you could not do, and 248 laws had positive commands, things that you should do. There is a new fad in Christian foolishness going around today that we should still try to apply the law. Listen to the most famous Christian broadcasting channel and once in a while they have some of their talking heads saying that the law is not abandoned in the New Testament. My friend, the law is dead. The only law we live now is faith and love, because Christ commanded it in John 15 — it’s about love, about faith, and what our hope is in. Read it for yourself and then try to live by those 613 commandments. I’ll bet if I were to ask, there’s not a single person, including myself, who could recite even 50 of those commandments. Thank God we are no longer commanded to keep the law. I don’t let the devil beat me over the head that I didn’t do this just right or that just right. I say, “Get behind me Satan. I am covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.” When I finish these messages, you will understand that your loins are girded, you will understand the truth that Paul was speaking about was spiritual warfare, and how important this breastplate is as a banner that goes before us as an offensive weapon to send a message.

I had one message come in that said: “As you were reading, I was looking closer at the armor and concluding that the only true offensive weapon listed was the sword. The others are used in conjunction with the sword and shield and are used to assist and move the sword forward.”

No, they are not. They are all independent of each other for a purpose, but when combined all those weapons work together to make one mighty soldier of Jesus Christ who knows how to use each individual weapon for its purpose. Wait until you find out in the coming chapters what this breastplate symbolizes, then you will want one for yourself. To obtain it, however, you must put on Christ. If you want righteousness in your life, put on Christ. The short answer is put on Christ. Paul said it in his writing in Philippians 3:9, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:” Having your own righteousness is like having Satan as your banner that goes before you. It is that simple. That’s not the only place Paul says this. Go to II Corinthians 5:17. Here Paul writes,

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away [including the Mosaic Law; the 613 commandments]; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation [to God.]; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses [Not imputing my sins and shortcomings to me any longer. He put that on Christ.] unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. [That is the promise.] Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him [Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin [that is why He fulfilled every aspect of the law]; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him [in Christ].”

As part of righteousness, in Ephesians 5:9, Paul writes about the fruit of the spirit,“(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)” In the Greek, when translated correctly, goodness is agathosune; generous giving. And again, righteousness is dekiosuna; the same dekiosuna in the breastplate of righteousness, and righteousness is also an attribute or fruit of the Spirit. Furthermore, the word truth in this verse is the same word used in Ephesians 6:14 “having your girt about with truth”, that is, the truth being what is true in the matter under consideration. However, this attribute of the fruit of the Spirit is discernment meaning we discern what is true in the matter under consideration, which is God’s Spirit in our life; the indwelling Spirit that is brought into our life because we are now a container where God’s righteousness can dwell because of our faith in Him, His Son and His blood. God gives these attributes and gifts to those who are listening. For example, in Galatians 5:22, we see generous giving; we want to give, and nothing will stop us. So, the focus of these verses is righteousness, dekiosuna, and truth, discerning what is true in the matter under consideration.

Whether it is in your job, with your family, or with a decision about your future, you can ask God to energize that gift in you to direct your life and discern what matter is under consideration through the view of God’s Word. It’s a wonderful gift, and it is not only the truth of the Gospel we are talking about, it is the truth and discernment. In addition, righteousness is a fruit of the Spirit to prove what is acceptable unto the Lord and it is needed for generous giving. There are many phonies and ‘prosperity doctrine’ people to lead you astray, but once you give, you have given to the Lord, and whether the stick is crooked or straight, it will not matter. God sees the heart, your willingness, and hilarious way of giving knowing your intention in that gift was pleasing to Him because you handed it over in obedience. We need righteousness and discernment or how else will we prove what is acceptable to the Lord? It’s important to understand Ephesians 6:14 and about the breastplate of righteousness. That is why I’m laying the foundation in this part the series about what righteousness God is looking for. It is not ours; it is Christ’s righteousness that now indwells in us by faith and through faith in His Son.

With that, go to Romans 4, where we see what righteousness is and how we get it. First, it is imputed. We have read that over and over, but I do not impute righteousness. In a short definition, it is imputed by faith in God’s Son; faith in what He did on that cross for our benefit. He will not leave us nor forsake us. But how did righteousness come or get imputed in the Old Testament? It is no different in the Old Testament than in the New Testament, and we have a glimpse here in Romans 4. Beginning in verse 1 we read,

In other words, if it was all about works and doing good deeds, Abraham would not need God; He could boast in himself.

“For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed [really pisteuo– trust and confidence in] God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.”

It doesn’t matter if you lived in Abraham’s day or today, if you want God’s righteousness, you must trust Him, you must believe that He is not a man to lie but will carry out His word; and what He says is as good as done. Skipping to verse 20 we read,

He staggered [or wavered] not at the promise of God through unbelief [the opposite of faith]; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. [What God said would come to pass.] And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him [it does not just apply to the past]; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we [not believe, but] faithe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was raised up from the dead for our benefit which now gives us the right to be reconciled back to the Father to be right with Him, and God now looking at us through Jesus cannot say no.

How are we imputed with righteousness through faith in Jesus and His Word? Don’t doubt God and His Word, don’t stagger, don’t waver, and don’t live life in a state of constant unbelief. Live in a trusting state so therefore you too can be imputed with God’s righteousness. Without God’s righteousness, there is no container that can hold the Holy Spirit. That is a must. It is a requirement. Faith gives us God’s righteousness and God’s righteousness now allows us to be a container for the Holy Spirit to carry out His will, denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Jesus.

Many of the authors I shared with you referred to Isaiah 59, so let’s look at it. Isaiah is reproving Israel on God’s behalf, but this can also be applied to our individual lives, just as when I taught from Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, I will help thee.” Yes, Isaiah is talking to Israel, but we can also apply this to our own personal life. It begins in verse 1,

Skipping to verse 8, “The way of peace they know not: and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths; whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace. Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness.”

Now go to verse 12, “For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them; In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.”

This sounds like a miserable state to be in, but this was the state of Israel at the time. And today, people walk around in that same state until they understand and trust in the blood of Jesus Christ in their lives.

Verse 15 continues, “Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment. And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him [This is his presentation of Jesus that was still yet to come]; and his righteousness, it sustained him.”

There is no problem with that if you want to apply that part to Ephesians 6:14, but the following is where a lot of scholars take this verse and misapply it. In verse 17 there are two parts. The first advent and the second advent, which has not yet happened. It tells us,

“For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, [See the connection there?] and an helmet of salvation upon his head [That is still yet to come in the Ephesians’ teaching, but now draw a line; that is the first advent, and here comes the second.]; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.”

That has not yet happened, but it will happen. So, verses 16 and 17 are talking about someone who will bring salvation and his righteousness shall sustain us. That is true and that is what happened when Jesus Christ came, and now through Him we can participate by enjoying and applying all the benefits of that righteousness that are freely given to us. It is also part of what comes with grace. Grace is unmerited favor. It is nothing we deserve or can earn; it is given to us as a free gift. I’m sure most of you understand that grace is given to us as a free gift, but with that free gift comes the benefit of righteousness. As we move forward in this study, I want to explore what those benefits of righteousness are that are given to us. We must be aware of them and know how to apply them, and when you know how to apply them and wear them, you will be a banner for the Lord. Have you ever seen an old movie and noticed how the big flags or banners go before the army announcing who and what they are? For us, once we know how to apply the breastplate of righteousness, we announce to the devil and the unseen world what we are. The world will never understand, but the unseen world understands everything about this spiritual fight. With God’s banner, we announce to them that although they may be mighty and many, our God is greater, we carry the banner of righteousness before us, and He will defeat them.

This verse is taken out of context constantly, “For he put on righteousness as a breastplate,” because it has nothing to do with Ephesians 6:14. Furthermore, Paul uses the armor imagery in Ephesians 6, but Isaiah uses it in a significantly different way than Paul. Paul does not speak of God or Jesus wearing the armor, but of God’s people wearing the armor. In Isaiah Jesus is wearing the armor in His first advent, but Paul was not describing Jesus in Ephesians 6:14. Paul says we are to put on Christ, there is no doubt. However, His Father had a purpose for Christ in His first advent and He still has not fulfilled the second purpose in the Second Advent. Paul was describing something different. Again, Paul doesn’t speak of Jesus wearing the armor, but of God’s people wearing the armor. Ephesians is not found in Isaiah. Also, there are two words used in the Old Testament for breastplate. The first one is shiryown, which is a breastplate like full-body armor and the word is used at different times in the Old Testament. One of the more popular places that you probably will remember in your own studies and messages that you have heard is when Saul tried to put on his armor on David, but David could never wear Saul’s armor. The breastplate of righteousness in the Old Testament is an entirely different word with different implications; that is shiryown.

Now I want to read from the Apocrypha from the Wisdom of Solomon, which was not written by Solomon, by the way. Many believe the Apocrypha should be in the Bible. Originally it was, but it was taken out, including the earlier manuscripts going back to 300 and 400 AD. The Wisdom of Solomon was written sometime around 250 BC probably in Alexandria, and we will probably never know who the original author was, because all those records were most likely destroyed. People still argue about who could have written it, but that’s not the subject matter. Tonight, I want to point out where the Wisdom of Solomon might have been referenced by Paul. Remember, Paul was a scholar trained in every way in the Torah, all the Mosaic Law, and in books that were written outside of that law, including the Wisdom of Solomon. And the author of this book may have drawn from the Wisdom of Solomon 5: 15-20. This is the King James translation; see if this doesn’t sound familiar to you,

Therefore shall they receive a glorious kingdom, and a beautiful crown from the Lord’s hand: for with his right hand shall he cover them, and with his arm shall he protect them. He shall take to him his jealousy for complete armour, and make the creature [us] his weapon for the revenge of his enemies. [We are weapons of God’s righteousness.] He shall put on righteousness as a breastplate, and true judgment instead of a helmet [which is still yet to come.].”

“He shall take holiness for an invincible shield. [Speaking of the faith.]

His severe wrath shall he sharpen for a sword, and the world [a better word is universe] shall fight with him against the unwise.”

Some scholars think Paul was drawing from the Wisdom of Solomon in some of the analogies and comparisons he used in Ephesians 6. Whether it was from the Wisdom of Solomon or some other source, whether it was hanging around Roman soldiers and trying to compare the two, that is fine. Maybe it was a combination of it all, but I contend where Paul drew most of his information was from the Old Testament, which I will go to in the next message.

For now, I want to end with some good news for those who still want to fight this good fight of faith as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Isaiah is my favorite book in the Old Testament and chapter 41 is the foundational message of this ministry. In December 2005, I went through hell because of the havoc created in my life and the people around me. Go to Isaiah 59:1,

Whatever you are facing, He can hear you. His hand will not be short in reaching you.

Don’t let them. Let faith stand in the gap. Let faith in the blood of Jesus Christ take hold of your life and let no one convince you that your life of sin will keep you from it. You will keep on sinning, but in that process become more like Christ and keep on trusting in Him.

Isaiah 41:10 tells us, “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.”

That’s why it is important for us to understand what God’s righteousness is. It is not defined in one or two sentences or even a paragraph. It is much deeper and has much more meaning to it with many benefits. Once we understand that, we can apply it to our lives thanking Jesus Christ for giving us the opportunity we have now to not only understand the verse, but to use it as a banner that goes before us in our daily life in this spiritual fight. He will be our right hand of righteousness. Verse 11 in Chapter 41 goes on to say,

Now apply “they that war against thee” in a spiritual sense, and not just to the people we see here and now. As Paul explained it, we don’t fight against flesh and blood, but we fight against principalities and powers, evil forces, fallen angels, and powerful beings. “… they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.” I have news for Satan and his army; with God on my side, with His right hand of His righteousness imputed in me, Satan and his minions shall be as nothing. Claim that today for yourself. Verse 13 continues,

“Fear not; I will help thee.” There is not a message I have not preached, there is not a message, a verse, or a chapter in this Book that doesn’t have some type of spiritual warfare implication. I am training soldiers. I am making you aware of what the breastplate of righteousness and all the weapons listed that are part of the armory are to be used for and how to use them, not for fleshly purposes, but for the Spirit to be directed and guided by God to fulfil His purposes.

He is holding my right hand with His righteousness. He has extended His right hand with His righteousness holding on to me saying that we will be in a fight, but your enemies will be as nothing and as a thing of nought. I might go through hell here on earth, but I pity my enemies throughout eternity.

I have only just begun on this subject. In fact, I have barely even touched it. That is why there isn’t just one or two explanations. Righteousness is a subject matter that has been neglected for centuries. It is simple to understand, and it is simple to understand how we are imputed with it, but it is made complicated with a smoke screen, so you don’t receive true prosperity and all the benefits of God’s righteousness that are available to you. I plan in the next chapters to reveal those benefits.

To be continued…

Copyright 2019 Faith Cometh By Hearing

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In 2 Corinthians 9:7 it reads, “God loveth a cheerful giver.” The Greek word for cheerful is Hilaros which means when someone is prompt to do something, they are ready in mind, with a joyful heart. In the Septuagint it also means to cause to shine. Today I am looking for Hilaros Givers who are ready and full of joy for the opportunity to cause others to shine by hearing, learning, and growing in God’s Word.

Join with us today and participate as a Hilaros Giver. If you wish to participate use the following link: http://www.teachingfaith.com/giving