HOLY BARACUDA BATMAN

Greetings Batfriends. As super heroes go...I lean more toward the mortal. Don't get me wrong...I love Superman, Spiderman, The Flash, Green Lantern...but Batman was... and is my favorite.

Batman has morphed into various incarnations via the comic books, the 1940's movie serials, the camp T.V. show, and various stars as the Caped Crusader in the movies...but I liked the more human Crusader...without armour plated suits. One thing I liked was Batman's UTILITY BELT.

That utility contained everything from a Bat-a-Rang to Bat Shark Repellent. Everything he needed when crimefighting got rough...when you least expected it...Bats would pull out in the nick of time. Now I know that you must suspend you mind when you are reading or watching about Batman...but I don't mind doing that. I was with someone once at the premiere of the movie SUPERMAN..(You will believe a man can fly). As I was engrossed in the movie...a friend leaned over and whispered into my ear..."You know a man can't really fly?" I pity those who have to reason through fiction. I don't want reality in the movie. I want to enjoy myself.

The same thing with Batman and his gadgets. There is no way that everything that is in that utility belt...could fit into that utility belt...but I still like to see him whip it out and beat the bad guys...not with superpowers...but with muscle, brains, and brawn.
As a Christian...sometimes I wish I could have a God Utility Belt where when I am under attack by the devil...that I could whip out some tangible gadget...and beat the devil back...but I don't. But that does not mean that I am left defenseless against the evil one.

We have at our command an arsenal of weaponry that will get the job done. They are weapons of faith...that we must wield or we will be destroyed


"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not WAR ACCORDING TO THE FLESH, for the WEAPONS of our WARFARE are NOT of the FLESH, but DIVINELY POWERFUL for the DESTRUCT IONS of FORTRESSES. We are DESTROYING SPECULATIONS and every LOFTY THING raise up against the KNOWLEDGE OF GOD, and we are TAKING CAPTIVE to the OBEDIENCE OF CHRIST, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete."
(II Corinthians 10:3-6)

"Finally, be strong IN THE LORD, and in the STRENGTH OF HIS MIGHT. Put on the FULL ARMOR OF GOD, that you may be able to STAND FIRM against the SCHEMES OF THE devil. For our STRUGGLE is not against FLESH and BLOOD, but against (1) rulers (2) against the powers (3) against the world forces of this darkness (4) against the spiritual forces of wickedness...IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES. (Ephesians 6:10-12)

This is the ENEMY identified...the nature of the struggle...and the battlefield identified. The next word in this Ephesians passage is THEREFORE...which means it refers to what we just read...

"Therefore (because we are in this battle)...TAKE UP THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD..that you may be able to RESIST in the evil day...and having done everything to STAND FIRM." (Ephesians 6:13,14)

Because of this attack...we are called to take up the armor. If we don't take it up...we leave ourselves open to the attacks of the enemy. We are called to STAND FIRM...BE STRONG...STAND FIRM.

"STAND FIRM therefore...(1) Having girded your loins with truth (2) Having put on the breastplate of righteousness (3) Having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace (4) Taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. (5) And take the helmet of salvation (6) and the sword of the Spirit...which is the WORD OF GOD.

Once the armor is in place we now must activate with...ALL PRAYER AND PETITION...PRAY AT ALL TIMES IN THE SPIRIT (Ephesians 6:18) Prayer does change things...and it is a tool/weapon at our disposal...but for prayer to work...we must WORK THE PRAYER. As we PRAY...we are told that with this in view...BE ON THE ALERT WITH ALL PERSEVERANCE AND PETITION OF ALL THE SAINTS. (Ephesians 6:18) We are not in this battle alone...so pray for your fellow warriors. Paul requested that a focus of the prayer should be utterances given to him in the OPENING OF HIS MOUTH...to MAKE KNOWN with BOLDNESS...THE MYSTERY OF THE DEATH, BURIAL, RESURRECTIONS (the Gospel)...nothing more, nothing less. (Ephesians 6:19)

In this battle...we are not called to a passive stance. We are called to ADVANCE THE KINGDOM.

"And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time...the KINGDOM of HEAVEN has endured VIOLENT ASSAULT and VIOLENT MEN SEIZE IT BY FORCE [as a precious prize]..a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought for with most ardent zeal and intense exertion." (Matthew 11:12)

When Peter (petros...little stone...piece of the rock) received the revelation for the Father that Jesus was the Christ (the one with the yoke breaking, burden lifting, oppression removing power)...the Son of the Living God...Jesus replied...that Peter (petros..little stone...piece of the rock)...and that on the ROCK (petra...a huge rock) that he would build My church. The church is built on the massive rock revelation that Jesus is the Christ. The cause and effect of this is that the gates of hades (the power of the infernal region)shall not overpower it (the church) or be strong to its detriment, or HOLD OUT AGAINST IT.
(Matthew 16:18).

Well...that is just a taste of how we are to stand...the weaponry at our disposal. Next time we will look at some of the things we have in our UTILITY BELT to help us in this warfare.

Love and Advancing Kisses
Rod