To understand and pursue the high calling of God in Christ, we must understand that we will constantly be given choices. Those who are given to fatalism will have a hard time comprehending this, much less liking it, but it is true and is actually very much a part of every Christian life. This is why the Lord put the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden. It was not to trip up Adam and Eve so they would sin, but there could be no true obedience unless there was freedom to disobey. There can be no true worship unless there is freedom not to worship.

         When we start to see that God’s basic purpose until the end of the millennium is restoration, and we take on His mind and heart for restoration, everything that is happening in the world and in our own lives begins to take on great clarity. In this way, we can see the ultimate goal of our maturity, and we can also see the next step. We can also see the next step for those around us, and we can help them along the way.

The famous quote from Walt Kelly is, "We have met the enemy, and he is us!" I think that is true for a lot of people who want to blame everything on the devil, or want a one-time deliverance session and expect to be totally set free from their carnal nature and be instantly made perfect. However, in this case, we have met the enemy, and he is the enemy.

As we began to address last week, we know from the clear prophecy of Scripture that the end of this age will be the hardest time the world has ever known. At the same time, we also know that it will be the most glorious for those who serve the Lord. For those who abide in the Lord, who have built their lives on His kingdom, there should be no fear of things to come. In fact, the hard times are birth pangs which will ultimately result in the birth of the kingdom of God on the earth. The "mother," through which the birth will come, will be the church.

We cannot really address the possessing of our Promised Land and what it means for the church without examining eschatology, which is the study of the prophecies of the end of this age. This is an often confusing and controversial subject. For this reason, a large percentage of the body of Christ simply avoids it now. This is easy to understand, but it is not really the way to deal with either confusion or controversy.

The fruit of the Spirit is listed in Galatians 5:22-23:
 

Last week we discussed how crucial it is to esteem the value of life. It is the reason why this was the first test of Solomon’s wisdom, as it is a value that is fundamental to wisdom. However, history teaches us that this is a value that gets harder to hold on to the more difficult the times become. At the end of this age, during the greatest times of trouble that the world has ever known, the devil, the one who was the murderer from the beginning, will be unleashing his last and most desperate fury upon the earth in an attempt to kill all that he can.

As we continue our study of the full armor of God, the second half of Ephesians 6:17 states that we must also take up “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” The sword is part of the armor that is used for protection, but it is also the only offensive weapon that we have been given. First let us consider how it is used defensively.