BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

When he sees us coming his way, dressed in the spiritual armor described in Ephesians 6—wearing the belt of truth and breastplate of righteousness, our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, holding up the shield of faith, and looking at him through the faceplate of the helmet of salvation—the devil doesn’t know who’s in that armor. He just knows he’s looking at God’s fighting suit. So as far as he’s concerned it’s either the Father God Himself or His Son, The LORD Jesus Christ. “But Brother Copeland,” you might say, “God and Jesus are perfect. I’m not. Sometimes I sin or make mistakes. Won’t the devil see that and realize it’s just me inside that armor?” Not if the moment you sin you immediately repent and run to the throne of grace. Jesus is always there and He’s faithful and just to forgive and to cleanse you of all unrighteousness—instantly, right on the spot. There’s nothing the devil can do about it, either, because your righteousness isn’t based on your own perfect performance. It’s a gift from your heavenly Father who sent Jesus to be made “sin for us…that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). The New Testament leaves no doubt about this. It tells us that we, as believers, qualify to wear God’s armor and wield His authority not because we never miss it, but because by faith in Jesus we’re in Him. He’s the head and we’re the body. Even in a natural sense, the head and the body don’t have two different identities. When I walk into a room no one ever says, “Here comes Brother Copeland and his body.” No, the head and the body are one. They have the same identity and the same name. That’s how it is with us and Jesus. We’re one. We have the same authority He does. We wear the same armor, and we have the same all-powerful Name! Hebrews 2:11-14 says it this way: "For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee…. Behold I and the children which God hath given me. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." At times, when you put on the armor of God, you may feel like it’s too big for you. You may be aware that you have some growing to do spiritually before you fill it out. But that doesn’t change the fact that, according to those verses, The LORD Jesus Christ has called you His brother. You’re born of God just as surely as He is. You and He have the same DNA. Spiritually, you’re identical twins. It’s no wonder the devil is terrified of you. It’s no wonder he flees when you resist him! You bear the Name of the One who conquered him in awesome, awful combat in the pit of hell. You bear the Name of the One who destroyed him and stripped him of his authority. The all-victorious One who, “having spoiled principalities and powers…made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:15). Don’t you ever let the devil threaten you again. Don’t you ever let him keep you “under the circumstances.” When dark clouds gather on the circumstantial horizon, just lock your wings upward by faith in the Name of Jesus. Take your place, seated with Him in heavenly places—“Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named” (Ephesians 1:21)—and ride high above every storm. V ************************************************************ Points to Get You There: Riding Above the Storm You don’t ever have to be under the circumstances. You don’t have to just hunker down under their onslaught, like the rest of the world does, and do your best to make it through. You can ride in victory over every storm. Here are some points to get you there. 1) Take refuge in the Name of the One who is far greater than any storm. Proverbs 18:10: “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” 2) Believe in that Name and use it to exercise authority over the devil. Mark 16:17: “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils….” 3) Remember that this is not optional, God has commanded you to do it. First John 3:23: “This is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another.” 4) The Name Jesus inherited through His work of redemption is God’s own Name and there is none greater. Philippians 2:9-10: “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.” 5) As a joint heir with Christ, that Name belongs to you just as surely as it belongs to Jesus. Ephesians 3:14-15: “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.” BVOV : 9

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