Leon Fontaine - Putting on the Armor
Hey, I want to welcome you to the program today. We are on a fascinating topic. And that is, that last time we covered quickly that there is an armor that is for the ebleiver, that Jesus wore, and that same armor that Jesus wore, we have access to. Now, it's talked a lot about but never been understood by the majority of the Christian world. And so, we're really diving in. And so, last, or the last message I just did, began to show you where Jesus, in the Bible, in Isaiah it talks about Jesus wearing this armor, and then we showed you, different verses. And then we went to Ephesians 6. Where it talks about the armor that is now ours. And under the revelation of Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul is unpacking this incredible armor.
And we showed you that, each piece of the armor, is actually a revelation, a principle that you must know, and you must have planted in your heart, so that you know that you know. Because when the enemy comes against you, you don't have to have a fight with him. But the wrestling it talks about in Ephesians 6, is with the wiles of the devil. The deceptiveness. So, what is he looking for when he walks around seeking to devour people? He's looking to see if you don't know, your rights and your privileges. He's waiting to see if you don't know what is yours. He's waiting to see if you do not know the doctrines of the Bible, and then if you don't, he has to mess with your head before he can mess with your life.
So, to know God's Word, God's Word is so precious, so amazing, so beautiful, that you'd better be in a Word teaching church that represents Jesus and understands faith, understands His grace. Understands the name of Jesus. And there's a freedom and a joy and a laughter that is yours. So, I'm diving right back into more pieces of the armor. And, so I want to encourage you if you missed yesterday's message, to get a hold of it, and I'm going to keep going. So, we talked about the truth, the belt of truth. We talked about the breastplate of righteousness, and we talked about the gospel of peace. Then it goes on to say, above all, taking the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
Now, I don't think there is a really deep, deep, deep thing as to how the Roman armor worked, and I think the apostle Paul is trying to bring this incredibly powerful teaching, and often Jesus would teach something by using an analogy or a picture from their world. That doesn't mean that every single little thing, unless he mentions it, you can apply. So this is just armor. So this is a shield. Now, you have to understand that when you are doing something in faith. Believing God for something. The enemy will attack. When the enemy attacks, he attacks your mind. The battlefield is the mind. And, he will attack with thoughts, he'll even attack with an emotion. A kind of a sadness or kind of a fear, kind of an oh no. But while, and it's always got to do with what you know, what you believe.
And so the shield of faith, what stops these things, you know, isn't screaming at the devil like so many have taught us. No, there are times I will speak up because, you know, my brain is just kind of getting funky on me. But I'm not screaming because the devil's not listening. Or I don't scream, but I'm not speaking out loud. It's because there are times that, I should have renewed my mind. Because the renewing of the mind is a daily thing. Staying filled with the spirit, is something you should be doing every day. And so, there's times when I'm just in the middle of something that I just speak out loud with strength. And, what's going on is I am again, just stirring myself up, planting God's Word in my heart, getting my mind off of what's trying to draw it off. And back on to the promises of God's Word. The direction Holy Spirit has given me.
And so I love speaking out loud, and will show that to you in a minute. But, it says take, then it, well it's talking about the shield of faith. And so, this is a huge topic. That you must believe right. And that you must continue in God's Word to keep what you believe at that forefront. The enemy will hit you to see if you believe something. You know, I watch UFC fighting, sorry for all of you who, you know, think that's wrong, but you know, I just like the art of defending yourself, etc. And I'll watch two men get into the ring. And they both believe they're going to win. Now you can see them both trying to own the ring when they get into the fighter's ring, and they're going to about to fight their opponent. They'll jump up and down and they'll go waaah! They're trying to stir themself up, because fear is pushing at both of their minds. Fear is trying to get them to go, I'm, this is a good guy, he's going to take me out.
You know, am I going to get hurt? And so you'll see this guy trying to jump up and down, running around the cage, making it his, you know, ring. He, everything he's doing, is trying to make sure that he feels like he's going to win. But here's the thing. When you watch that take place. Somewhere in those rounds, as two men are duking it out. You'll see one person hit the other person, attack the other person, put them into a hold, and this person all of a sudden their belief that they're going to win is shaken. And you can see it. And now they're on defense. They're not so sure anymore they're going to win this fight. And you can see them as they're on defense, and they'll fight the rest of the rounds. But you can tell which one confidently knows I'm going to win.
The enemy, like a football, when you're carrying that football for to get a touch-down, and someone hits you. You hit them hard enough, and he begins to get worried. Every time he grabs that football, and he runs for a touch-down, and he sees that other player coming at him, he begins to get worried because he hurt him so bad last time. The enemy is trying to get you fearful. And he's always, and so you've got to keep your faith, strong in God's Word. You've got to know the enemy's defeated. Know that you qualify. So, this issue about faith is crucial. Now then it says, the helmet of salvation. Alright. Salvation, well what is salvation? It literally means that Jesus came, and salvation, or Sozos, or Tiriah. He came, and He saved you from what? He saved you from literally, spiritual death which is separation from God. He saved you from sickness. He saved you from poverty. And that's actually in the Word, salvation. He saved you.
In fact, He saved you from the entire curse of the law, and He saved you for all the blessings. And so this helmet, that you are to wear, is a knowing that every promise is yours. This helmet, this salvation, you need to have a revelation under what salvation is. That you have been saved to, and saved from. I am saved from every curse, and I am saved to a relationship with God, and to every blessing. What a beautiful thing, when you get to know God and know His love, and then the benefits of knowing Him. And so do you even know what salvation is? So few do. Most people think salvation simply is to escape hell, to make heaven, and while you're on this planet you'll you know, it's probably going to be horrible but at least you're going to make heaven. And that's not what the word salvation means.
Yes, it's wonderful to miss hell and get to heaven. This salvation is for eternity. But this salvation also is for this planet. You know, the prayer, Thy will be done on, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. The blessings that are in heaven, is actually what He wants on this earth right now, you just have to know your rights and privileges, and how to access them. So, the helmet of salvation. You must know what you are saved from, and what you are saved to. Then it says, and the sword of the spirit. Which is the Word of God, praying always. Alright. Here we now have a weapon that goes out. This is a sword, that now begins to cut. And it says that the sword, see, all the other ones are defensive. Although they would fight with the shield.
You know, when they would get into a battle, you can see them stop a blow but they'd also hit someone and knock them out with that shield as well. But, most of these things are defensive. But the sword of the spirit is the Word of God praying. And this is crucial to know. You've got to know the Word. You've got to know the thruths of God's Word. You have to know where they apply. To not know the Word of God like, especially you start at from the cross to the throne. What Jesus did at the cross. In His death, His burial, His resurrection, and His seating at the right-hand of God. To not know these things, is to be literally, when the enemy walks around, seeking whom he may devour. He just knows where to attack you. Because he knows the Bible. Okay, he knows it. The devil is a creature who's been alive, a fallen angel who's been alive for thousands of years. His intellect knows the Bible. He's tempted Christians, and destroyed what they're doing, and got them off course, for thousands of years. And so your only hope is to know the Word, and then he has no hope.
Now, let's talk about the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God praying. Because, this is what Jesus did. Now, let me take you to a portion of scripture in Matthew. Now, in Matthew, we have a place where the enemy is tempting Jesus. And, let me just find it here, Matthew 4:1-11. This, you know, here's why this portion of scripture is pretty important. Jesus came to the planet, okay, He gave up whatever form He had before, okay? Because, the Bible says that He became man. Now, He didn't give up, okay, who He was as God. But, the Bible does say He gave up the rights and the privileges. He did not walk the planet as God, He walked the planet as a man. And all through the Bible it talks about Him being the Son of Man. He is, was a human being representing the human race, and because He wanted to show us how to walk this planet in a human body, being a human, He was anointed with Holy Spirit like we can be, okay?
And so, when we follow Jesus, we're actually learning how to respond, how to act, how to treat people, how to deal with demonic attack, how to deal with sickness, disease, how to deal with weather issues, how to deal with. Jesus came to show us, okay, what God was like, and to show us how to be as a born-again spirit-filled believer. So, here's Jesus, and listen to this story now that you've heard this. This is going to come alive. So, Jesus was led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. When He had fasted 40 days and nights, He was hungry. The tempter came to Him, alright? So, we don't see the devil punching Him, slapping Him, flipping Him around. Everything here is words that he tempts Jesus with. He says, if you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.
So, Jesus is hungry, hasn't eaten in 40 days. You'd be hungry. He's got a desire for food, so strong, that the devil is trying to get Him to obey him. The Bible teaches us that whoever you obey, that becomes your leader, you're following him. Jesus will never obey the words of the devil. So the devil said hey. Change, you know, change these stones into bread. And, but Jesus answered and said, it is written. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Let's stop right there. So He has a physical desire. And the devil's trying to get him to start obeying him, start following his suggestions. And, Jesus, instantly, there's one thing for example, He says that you know, it's not so much what you eat, but the words of God can sustain you.
But here's the thing I want you to notice. Jesus did not say, I'm the Son of God. Begone, in the presence of God like a fireball came off of Jesus and blew the devil into the next country. No. He continually said, it is written. And He's showing mankind. When you are born again, spirit-filled, any kind of attack that comes against you, your babies, your kids, your grandkids. You, your heatlh, your mind. Your body, your finances. This is what makes a difference between you and anybody else out there. Is to stand and speak, it is written. Doesn't matter what you think is the truth. That it is, it is written.
Now, if Jesus said, it is written, then I think you need to know that when you speak up, it's the Word of God that you're speaking. It doesn't have to be in perfect Elizabethan English, perfect King James. It doesn't have to be in perfect NIV, or in perfect NASB or whatever version of the Bible you're reading. Because the Bible's come down from a couple other languages anyway, and being, so, the issue is that the thought that the written Word that has been given to us, must be in your heart and mind. So, Jesus said, it is written. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Then it says, then the devil took Him up into the holy city, and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple.
So, that didn't work. Didn't work. Wasn't a single thing. The devil's trying to get Jesus to bow down to him. The devil's trying to get Jesus to listen to him. The devil's trying to get Jesus so that he can guide Him. He's trying to fool Jesus into obeying him in any way, even in little ways like this is just about bread. Why would Jesus, would God care? So. The devil takes him up into the holy city, sets Him on the pinnacle of the temple and says to Him. If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For, it is written. Now the devil's quoting scripture. It is written. He shall give His angels charge over you, and in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. Okay.
Now, here is where I'm going to mess with people's heads. When the enemy comes after you, and he's trying to get you to believe a lie, he's trying to get you to get off track. He quotes scripture. He will quote scripture. And he knows the scripture, so everyone thinks that when a horrible, evil, bad thought comes to you, that's the devil. Ah, you know what? For sure, he'll tempt you any way he can. But what I have found in my life, is that my mind will struggle sometimes with a scripture that I have, that someone uses incorrectly. The enemy can quote scripture. The Bible says the devil is, he'll come to you as an angel of light. You know, in all of my traveling, and all my amazing world, just you know, world-changer friends in ministry and on television. And the people that I respect that are walking the planet like modern-day apostles and prophets and pastors and teachers. I've never heard from any of them that the devil appeared to them in a bright light. None of them. Okay? I'm not saying there isn't, but I've never met one in all of my travels. And so what does he mean that the enemy, the devil is like, you know, that the Bible says that he will come as an angel of light, or as a light? Because light is like, a revelation. Light is trying to illuminate you.
You know, if you're out in the dark and you've got a flashlight, then you know, that's why the Bibel says you, that Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my pathway. In the dark, when you don't know where to go. The Word of God is your direction, your light. Your flashlight. The Word of God is your lantern that you're cdarrying to know where to go by looking at where to go. So here, he's quoting the Word. And you'd better know the Word. Because I've had lots of people tell me things who were Christians, and didn't even know that their fear, someone's trying to help me. Leon, be careful the Bible says, and they'll quote a scripture, and they don't even know that through their fear, and they're beautiful people. But through their fear, the enemy is using their fear to speak scripture at me. Trying to redirect me off of the path. The path might be hard right now. The path might have risks. The path that God has called me to, might have issues. And they're trying to look after me, like Peter was trying to look after Jesus, when Jesus said get thee behind me, Satan. Because Peter's fears were coming through his words to Jesus.
I just want you to know here, that the enemy can quote scripture. So, it says he quotes the scripture, and Jesus says back to him again. It is written again, you shall not tempt the Lord your God. Alright, so Jesus speaks the scripture. When you speak scripture and you believe it, it is the sword coming out. And it is dealing with the thing that is attacking you, and it is calmly placing you in the winning position of that battle. So, this hasn't worked for the enemy. So, again, the devil takes Jesus up to an exceedingly high mountain. And showed Him, someone's thinking right now, how come the devil has the ability to move Him around? Well, the very beginning, the Bible says that He was led into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. So, these temptations seem to be something Jesus had to go through to clarify His authority, His power, etc, as a human being walking the planet. Knowing the Word. So the devil takes Him up on an exceedingly high mountain. Shows Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory. And he says to Him, all these things I will give you, if you fall down and worship me. Alright?
We see the real thing that's going on here. Satan's trying to establish. Now the Bible says, that Satan is the god of this world. That Jesus was coming to the planet to strip him of his power, and to die so that mankind could have back their relationship with God. So, you know, so he says fall down and worship me. Now Jesus had to die to win what Satan says he would give Him. Jesus died for all the languages, all the countries, all the cities, all of mankind. And Satan's offering Him, if you fall down, I'll give them to you. Jesus said to him, away with you Satan, for it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve. Then the devil left Him. And behold, angels came, and ministered to Him. I want you to know, that something beautiful is showing us here, that the same armor that Jesus wore, is simply a revelation of who you are, and the authority that you have. And this teaching comes from scripture.
So when your mind is going crazy, like mine will do at times. And I'm going, I'm believing God for this money to go reach another language group. I'm believing God to plant another church, to raise up, you know, and touch another city. And all of a sudden the fear pushes, well who do you think you are? I will always speak the Word. And so that's why I memorize the Word, meditate on the Word. My mom and dad when I was a little boy, literally paid me, I think it was a nickel a verse, just to memorize the Word. I think I was in like, gradeschool. And you know, now when I look back, it was brilliant of my dad to do that. It was just kind of a fun game, and any verses I could, so I would memorize chapters of the Bible, and dad would pay me for it. And today, there's times I'll be gowing through life and verses will start rising up in my spirit. And I'll find now that anything I study, anything I study in the Word of God, that out of my spirit, because Holy Spirit brings all things to our rememberance. Anything I've studied in my entire life about God in the Word, anything I've listened to, Holy Spirit will simply grab those verses. And they'll start coming up on the inside of me.
And, then sometimes I even know where they are. And then I'll go find that verse. The Word of God will rise up in you. I want to challenge you, you need to know God. You need to know Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, but you need to know the written Word. Because if Jesus, needed to use the Word to win a battle, and then move on. When Jesus got done here, we have no other indication anywhere in His life, from here, He went on for three and a half years untouched, untroubled by the enemy. In fact, He says He's got nothing in me. No one takes my life, I lay it down. And so, when you know who you are, and Jesus knew the scripture because at age twelve, He was blowing the minds of the men and the teachers in the temple. He's, when He was twelve! Well, this is twenty-one more years ahead. Jesus knew the Word of God written to the human race, and He would use it and speak it.
And I want to challenge you today. This armor, this incredible blessing that you have. Jesus had this armor, He knew His rights and privileges. You must know your rights and privileges as a New Testament, New Covenant person. Get them, if you don't know them, follow us here. Get a hold of all the things that I'm teaching you. You know, go to leonfontaine com and just get fed on God's Word so that any time something rises up, there's no fear, there's no giving up on the inside of you. There's a fight that rises up, and you know it's written.