A Mighty Fortress

A Bible Study for Women using the authorized King James Bible, the only inerrant Word of God

By Patricia Dowers

Introduction

Isaiah 54:17 says "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord." This has been a precious promise and comfort to God's people through the ages and especially today. On every side we are under spiritual and physical attack. Laws that once protected our lives are used against us. Schools are usurping our parental rights and planting unbiblical seeds in the minds of our children. All over the world believing Christians find their lives, homes, churches and way of life threatened by the enemies of Christ. In some places we find ourselves in the midst of battle, while in others it is still more subtle but very real.

It is wonderful to claim this promise of ultimate victory but we must remember that this is a promise for soldiers not for civilians. After all, doesn't the Bible tell us, as believers, there are no civilians, but we are all, both men and women, soldiers in the Lord's army? (I Tim. 6:12 and II Tim. 2:3) Soldiers do not sit back or hide and let others fight the battle. We stand strong, equipped and armed by our Captain until the victory is won. (Eph. 6:10,11)

Please join me in this Bible study to discover how the woman of God can be counted on to stand behind the Lord's banner for Him. We will search God's Word to learn about the armor, weapons and training He provides for us. Finally, we will celebrate the victory. I hope you find it exciting, empowering and especially pertinent in these unsettling times in which we live.

Please note: In this study, as in all others, it is important to read all Scripture references for yourself that you may know what God has to say.

Session I

Why do Christians need to be armed? After all, is not the Lord able to fight and win all our battles for us? The answer is YES, of course, but He chooses to include us. The Lord saved us to walk with Him, not to sit on the sidelines. He knows the victory is more glorious when we have participated in the battle and we do not need to look far to find a battle. Mostly, they find us. One just needs to follow the news to see that the world is in shambles on every side. Major weather events threaten and take lives, homes and whole communities. When people have lost so much that is dear to them, they tend to let down their guard against the spiritual subtleties of the prince of this world.

Scripture warns us to be vigilant even in weakness. Please read the following Scripture and answer the questions below.

Rom. 8:18 What gives us hope for the present suffering?

Rom. 13: 11-14

Why must we awake out of sleep?(v.11)

What must we cast off and what must we put on?(v.12)

How must we walk?(v.13)

Who is our ultimate armor?(v.14)

And what must we not allow?

The Lord knows that our flesh is weak but He has made provision for that. Please read I Cor. 10:13 aloud with your group.

What temptation is unique to only you?

Who can you count on for help?

"Faithful" is one of the names for our Lord and it is a promise that is trustworthy. (Rev. 19:11) He cannot lie.

This verse also promises that He will make a way to ___________ that ye may be able to ________ it.

As previously mentioned, these are difficult times when the economy is failing, governments and authorities are having difficulty maintaining order and peace. It seems that on the one hand our rights and liberties are taken away and on the other hand we are fed a new "morality" that flies in the face of all that is godly. The world is looking for someone or something to blame, and Bible believing Christians are the target. This is the reason we need to be spiritually armed and mentally and physically steadfast.

Many Bible prophecy scholars believe that we are approaching the end times. They believe there is nothing left to prevent the rapture or up-taking of the Church except the Lord's perfect timing. Satan knows this and is already putting his plan in place to thwart the work of God. Remember, we talked about his primary weapon of subtlety. There are many of his followers in the world today who are trying to prevent any more souls from trusting Christ for salvation or are confusing God's people with enticing lies. Please read Col. 2:8 with your group and copy it in the space below.

Putting on armor is humbling. It signifies that we are aware we are vulnerable. The Lord knows we are vulnerable and that is why He provides not only the armor but the instruction. Please read I Pet. 5: 6-10 aloud with your group. These verses contain specific instructions on what to do in preparation for battle and why.

v.6 What should we do?

Why?

v.7 What should we do?

Why?

v.8 What should we do?

Why?

v.9 What should we do?

Why?

v.10 What should we do?

Why?

Please join me in the next session to discover specific weapons that the Lord provides for us. Remember, if our weapons are from Him, they are proven and effective.

Session II

We learned in Session I, the importance of being armed for spiritual warfare. Next, we will visit God's armory. We find His armory in Scripture. I would imagine that very soon after man began to populate the earth, he found a need to make weapons. We are by nature, unruly, covetous of that which is not our own, fearful and suspicious of our neighbors. Through the years, fear and aggression have increased and weapons have become more sophisticated. We know this from history and we know it from today's news, but we are speaking of the physical world. What about the spiritual world? What weapons are effective against an enemy we cannot see?

Scripture gives us many descriptions of the enemy of God and believers in His Son, Jesus Christ. Satan, the once beautiful, angel of Light, cast out of Heaven with his fallen angels for attempting to be equal with God Who created him, is the prince of this world. His mission is to thwart the work of the Lord and take as many souls with him to Hell as possible (Isa.14:12-15). He was created and already fallen before the world began. He was present in the Garden of Eden and is the father of sin. Satan has moved through history ever learning how to cause havoc and keep souls from coming to Jesus. He is not everywhere (omnipresent) but has countless demons at his command. He is limited in many ways but this world is writhing with the damage he has done. He is committed and driven and will not stop until he is cast into the lake of fire which is God's promise to him (Rev. 20:10). Please read I Pet. 5:8 aloud with your group. How is Satan described and what is he doing?

There is no earthly armor that can defend against this mighty, spiritual foe, but the Lord does not leave us unprotected. Our powerful God has the ability to shield us with His own power and often, He does. Many times, however, He expects us to fight alongside our fellow believers with the might He bestows on us. There are many descriptions in the Bible of the spiritual weapons of the Lord and we will look at some of them but I believe there is no better place to start than the sixth chapter of Ephesians. Here, God uses earthly armor that is familiar to us and correlates it with our amazing, spiritual armor that when used properly, is invincible! Please read aloud with your group Eph. 6:10-18. Imagine putting on your armor piece by piece.

What must come first before putting on our armor?. (v. 10)

How much of our armor is required and why? (v. 11)

Who are our foes? (v. 12) (I count four)

What does God expect of us once we are armed? (v.13)

What are the first two pieces of armor? (v. 14)

What is the armor we wear on our feet (v. 15) and why do you think that is important? Please look at Rom. 10:15 for help with your answer.

What is the armor that is prefaced "above all"? What does it protect against, and why is it so important? (v. 16) I John 5:4,5 will help with your answer.

What are the final two pieces of armor and what do they represent? (v. 17)

There is a final instruction in v. 18 that we will examine further in the next session.

King David was the warrior king and certainly knew the importance of earthly armor. More than that , he knew where his true strength lay. When he faced the giant, Goliath, he thrust aside his earthly armor knowing it would not be effective against this formidable opponent. Instead he put his trust in the Lord, without wavering and won the battle. In Psalm 28:6,7 David praises the Lord and calls Him "my strength and my shield". Please read these verses aloud with your group and copy v. 7 in the space below.

Our days and these times can be so discouraging. We desire that the Lord not tarry and yet we worry that we still have unsaved loved ones. We try to live our lives for the Lord but our Christian values are unwelcome in most places and situations. The epistles of the New Testament were written in dark times such as these. Many of the writers were martyred for their testimony. They wrote these precious letters from the depths of their hearts and inspired by the Holy Spirit to give us strength and courage for our time. Perhaps your battle today is outside your home or it may even be inside. I Cor. 15:57,58 gives us solid assurance of God's presence. Please read these verses with your group and answer the questions below.

From Whom does our victory come?

I think it is just like our precious and loving Lord to tell us we have the victory before giving us our marching orders. What are the three things He tells us to do?

How are we rewarded?

Just as it is in earthly warfare, in spiritual warfare the enemy seeks to isolate us. He tries to convince that "you are just one person, or one family, or one small church. What can you do? Just give up and it will be easier for you." Do not fall victim to his lies!

II Cor. 10:3-6 reads like a pep talk from the Lord reminding us that we serve the God Who does not lose. His weapons and armor are tried and true, they do not fail and they are lethal. Please read these verses aloud with your group. If you are comfortable, discuss with your group how these verses encourage you today or in the past to continue to meet every circumstance with the powerful help of God.

Please join me in the next session as we learn about our training for the battle. Perhaps we can think of it as spiritual "boot camp".

Session III

The first essential part of any military training is to know and trust who is in command. We must be willing to give him our compete trust and obedience. After all, our lives are at stake. A battle fought with armed soldiers but without training and trusted leadership would be chaos and disaster. Please read Psalm 20:7 with your group and copy it in the space below.

Where do we find people placing their trust today? Humanism is a popular philosophy where

man places his trust in his own ability, his own intellect, and his own sense of justice and morality. Essentially, he has replaced God with himself. Wasn't this also the angel, Lucifer's (Satan's) sin? We can already see the results of this thinking in the confusing world in which we live today. It seems as though all personal beliefs are justified and protected except Christian beliefs and values.

Thank the Lord, none of this is a surprise to Him. He always wins the victory and He has supplied us with the best training manual possible, His own Word, the Bible. The Bible teaches us the first step in training is what we, as believers, do before anything. We pray. We have learned to pray when we rise in the morning, before eating, before making decisions, in supplication for others, in times of fear, in times of need, in times of blessing, and before retiring for the night. Please read Eph. 6:18 with your group.

How often are we to pray?

How are we to pray?

How are we to watch (or wait)?

King David always knew Who his Commander was. He was the Lord God. In Psa. 18:28-35 David describes how he trusted the Lord for his battle training. Please read these verses aloud with your group and answer the questions below.

In v. 28 Who is the source of our light?

In v. 29 what are the two activities the Lord allows us to do?

Applying this verse to our own lives, we may not be required to do these things physically but sometimes it certainly seems as though we do them spiritually and emotionally every day. What a blessing to know that we move forward on His strength and not our own!

In v. 30 what is perfect?

What is tried?

Our resources are unfailing and eternal!

In vs. 33 and 34 how does He strengthen us?

In v. 35 How are we held up?

The last part of this verse states "thy gentleness hath made me great." This tells me that our Lord is not the harsh drillmaster we imagine when we think of earthly military instructors but a patient Teacher, never willing to give up when we fail but gently picking us up and setting us back on track until He perfects us.

An important part of training is to model the skills and values learned during the training. We get our training from the Word of God, and under the ministry of godly preachers and teachers. The goal is to embed the training so deeply in the heart and mind that when we interact with others we are recognized as soldiers for Christ. Any time we fail we cast a sinful shadow on the Lord and our fellow soldiers. We also lose an opportunity to win the lost over to the Lord's army.

Please read I Thes. 5:5-8 together with your group.

Who are we? (v.5)

Who are we not?

What should we not do? (v.6)

What should we do?

There was a day in the military when if a guard fell asleep at his post he was executed as punishment. I have no idea if that is still the case, probably not, but it shows the seriousness of not being alert and vigilant (I Pet. 5:8).

V. 8 reminds us of two critical pieces of armor mentioned before. Of what do they consist?

No training would be complete without warnings on where and when to use our armor and acquired skills. II Cor. 6: 4-10 gives a running list of situations where we may be called upon to battle and stand for the Lord. For some who are new in the Lord's army this list may seem daunting. For others who are veterans some of these situations may be all too familiar. The important thing is to remember that Jesus Christ battles beside us and He has already won the victory. We will discuss His amazing victory in the next session but for now, Please read II Cor. 6:4-10 with your group and answer the question below.

How must we approve ourselves as ministers (or soldiers) of God? There are actually 28 situations in these verses by my count but for our purposes and to save space, please list 10 in the space below.

10.

I hope some of you included the last one; "as having nothing and yet possessing all things." To my mind this is a wonderful summary for the rest of the list. Jesus is our "all in all". What more do we need. For the victors, the battle is glorious, as we will learn in the next session.

Session IV

King David knew many battles. With the Lord on his side he also knew many victories. Some of them were narrow victories from his perspective, but not from God's. We can always trust that God's way is always perfect. David praised God for his victories in many of his psalms. Psalm 18 is a wonderful example of praise for a particular victory over Saul and his armies where David was vastly out-numbered. I hope you will read it on your own in its entirety but let us especially look at Psa. 18: 36-39. Please read these verses with your group and answer the questions below.

In v. 36 where was David putting his trust?

In v.37-38 what was David able to do as a result?

In v. 39 we see where David found his courage but also where we can find our strength and courage today. Who does the Lord subdue?

Please read Psa. 18:46 aloud with your group and copy it in the space below.

Below, you will find an old and often sung hymn written by Martin Luther. Luther was a man who knew close warfare with Satan and the human world surrounding him for most of his life. He was prepared to lose his life for the Lord knowing that victory was in the next life but the Lord was not ready to take His soldier home until he had fought the battle. Please ask someone in your group to read this hymn aloud and discus how dark and consuming the foe and the battle can be and how the Lord sustains and brings the glorious victory.

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God | Martin Luther 1529

A mighty fortress Is our God; a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and pow’r are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing,
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.
And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us;
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
That word above all earthly pow’rs, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth;
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

We know our times are difficult and often overwhelming. We bear our battle scars both emotionally and physically. The enemy comes at us so strong and almost daily that the only way we can rise above the smoke and ashes in these troubled times is to live in the Word of God and consume His promises. Please read I John 5:4, 5 together with your group and answer the questions below.

In v. 4, who will overcome the world?

How will we achieve that victory?

In v. 5, what must we believe?

There is no other way to get the victory over sin and death, and the world's most formidable foe, Satan. The greater the foe, the greater the victory over him. We have discussed the battle, armor and strategies of living for Jesus in this life, as well as the daily victories and comforts He gives us along the way. Now it is time to look ahead to the final victory and all of the glory and eternal peace and reward that comes with it. All of history is groaning and moving toward this end and many who are true Christians believe it is close. I know I do.

Please read I Pet. 1: 3-7 aloud with your group. In verses 3,4 Peter reminds us of who we are and what we have in Jesus Christ.

We are begotten again unto _____________________________.

To an inheritance ________________, _________________, and ______________________,

reserved in heaven for _______.

That is a promise from God and well-worth the battle!

In v.5 we read that we are kept by the____________________ through ______________________________________________________.

In v.6, wherein we greatly ________________ (What! Even through the battles?) Yes! It is only for a season that we experience the heaviness of temptations. Why does this need to be? That (v.7) the trial of your _____________, being much more _________________ than __________________________ might be found unto _______________ and _______________ and ________________ at the appearing of Jesus Christ.

Yes, we are living in dark times but Jesus will deliver us before the darkest of times. This world is destined to experience a final seven years of tribulation (see the book of Revelation) unlike anything it has seen before but Jesus will be back for us before that happens. The Lord gives us a glimpse through the window of His Word into the future of the final victory over the grave and the redemption of the newly glorified believers. The King and Captain of God's army is returning for us! Christians know this as the Rapture of the Church.

Please read I Thes. 4: 16,17 with your group.

In v. 16, how will the Lord descend?

Who shall rise first?

In v, 17, who will rise next?

Finally, what is the final promise?

The reality of being with our Lord through all of eternity and to experience the relationship with Him that was always meant to be, with perfect minds and bodies fit for His honor and glory is the best reward of victory imaginable. Until then, may the Lord help us to stand strong and be comforted in knowing that...

a mighty fortress is our God!