Are You Sure You have Your Armor On? – Part 2

Please read Are You Sure You have Your Armor On? (Part 1) to have context for this blog. This article might be for those who feel like they have strayed too far. If that’s you, or someone you may know, then remember these words of Jesus found in Luke 15:3-7

3 And He spoke to them this parable, saying, 4“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, does not leave the ninety nine in the open field, and go after the one having been lost, until he finds it? 5 And having found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And having come to the house, he calls together the friends and the neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep, the one having been lost!’ 7 I say to you that in the same way there will be joy in heaven over one sinner repenting, rather than over ninety nine righteous ones who have no need of repentance.” BLB

In fact, if you are feeling you have “gone too far,” I urge you to do this now. Say out loud: “Holy Spirit, have I gone so far that Jesus cannot rescue me?” What did you get? There is only one biblically legal answer. If you are not sure you got the Lord’s response or you are not getting anything and would like some help, find the Book My Sozo button on this website and complete the application for a Sozo ministry session. In a sozo session, we will facilitate an encounter between you and Jesus. Let Jesus ‘find’ you, wherever you are, and allow Him to restore you to His flock.

I had not gone astray. I was not living in sin. I had fallen into a satanic trap of “thinking the world’s thoughts” instead of keeping my eyes on Jesus and thinking with His unclouded, glorious, heavenly mind (2 Cor 2:16). I was almost convinced that God did not want to heal me, but the Holy Spirit would not allow me to fully buy into that lie.  

I find it pays to constantly check in with the Holy Spirit to make sure every thought running through my mind is from the mind of Christ. My thoughts about my left knee especially were more clouded with my physical experience (pain, discomfort, weakness, etc.,) than coming from the mind of Christ.

It may be impossible to take every thought captive to make it obey Christ, but with God, nothing is impossible. Let’s look at the context of that phrase, taking thoughts captive. We find it in this portion of 2 Cor 10:3-6

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, 6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete. NASU

To take a “thought captive” you must first be aware of it, focus on the thought and then ask, "Jesus, is this thought from You?" If He indicates it is not His thought, then it does not fit in the mind of Christ. Reject it. Verbally, out loud, renounce it and ask Him to give you His thought to replace it. Meditate on His thought and find Scripture texts that support it. In this way, your helmet of salvation will be strengthened, even calibrated to protect you from thoughts that do not fit in the mind of Christ.

The helmet of salvation is a heavenly piece of war equipment. It protects our minds and helps us discern between the thoughts of heaven or the mind of Christ, vs our own thoughts or the subtle thoughts of the enemy. The helmet of salvation is not a static piece of war equipment. It is dynamic and powerful in supporting and protecting your mind in every battle you face.

Our salvation is the work of Jesus who came to sozo us from our sins (Mt 1:21.) Jesus is the same today, yesterday and forever. Sozo is never 'one and done.' It is ongoing and active. The Greek verb sozo means to rescue or save, to heal, to deliver and to make whole. Some add “to be given the favor of God” which is consistent with the wholeness Jesus brings us.

Remember Part 1 was about making sure you have your armor on. In the process of doing this, the Holy Spirit showed me thoughts I was having that are not consistent with the mind of Christ. Such thoughts do not fit in a mind covered with the helmet of salvation. Such thoughts are not to be tolerated or entertained in any way. Want to know what those thoughts were?

The Holy Spirit was revealing to me that my enemy, who is a very subtle influencer, gains power over us when we believe his lies. The enemy had been subtly influencing my thoughts for months regarding healing. My left knee had been very ‘loudly’ letting me know it was not happy. The pain in my left knee, along with the physical weakness was distracting me. The thoughts that came to me were incessant –maybe the orthopedic surgeon was right. Maybe it’s time to get a knee replacement. This pain is not going away. You used to lay carpet for a living. You did damage to your knees, so it’s all your fault.

If you believe a lie, you empower (give your power to) the Liar.

It was those last two lies that Holy Spirit used to show me the stronghold the enemy was building in my mind. The Liar is so subtle! It is true I used to lay carpet for a living. It is true that work is hard on the back and knees. But the clincher was this, "so it's your fault." That is a self-condemning statement. When our heart condemns us, we have no confidence before God. But God is greater than our heart! God knows everything (1 Jn. 3:20).

Rom 8:1-4

8 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. NASU

"Walking in the Spirit" is something we are all learning to do, daily, denying the self inside that wants to be as God, grabbing hold of our cross and following Him. Part of this process is found in doing what Jesus said in Matthew 7:7-8. Ask and keep on asking. The answer will be given to you. Seek and keep on seeking, you will find what you are looking for. Knock and keep on knocking until the Lord of Glory opens the door for you.

If I had continued in the thoughts that were coming to me about my physical pain, and never asked the Lord, "Lord, is it Your will for me to get another knee replacement?" I never would have heard His response that led me to look at what I was thinking.

That led to weeks of conversation between us. I would remind Him of His Word --1 Peter 2:24 "...by His stripes we were healed." He would ask me questions like, "Are you in agreement with My Word?" "Do you trust Me?" Finally, one day the Holy Spirit said to me, "Bill, ask Me what you are believing about you that I don't believe."

I asked Him, "What am I believing about myself that You don't believe?" He said, "You do not believe you are an overcomer." Ouch! That stung, in a good way. It was true. I did not believe I was an overcomer in Christ. In continued conversation with the Lord, He led me to the root cause of why I did not believe I was an overcomer. I forgave those who were responsible for building that lie in me. I renounced the lie that I am not an overcomer and asked Jesus to plant the truth deeply in my heart. He did. With the Holy Spirit's help, I have been stewarding that little plant and nurturing it with the Word and more conversation with the Lord. I believe the words of Leanne Payne when she said, "All healing comes from hearing God speak to you personally."

Several days after I published Part 1, the Holy Spirit led me to do this. First thing in the morning, declare your mind to be cleansed in the blood of Jesus. Cleanse your body, joints, organs, bones, sinews, of all inflammation, disease or weakness. Cleanse your body, soul and spirit in the blood of Jesus and declare wholeness to your whole being in the name of Jesus. 

“The first hour of the morning is the rudder of the day.” H.W. Beecher

I have been doing this for about two weeks now, the first thing in the morning. With the Holy Spirit’s constant presence and help, I take thoughts captive and bring them to Jesus to make them obedient to Him. In following the Holy Spirit, this becomes a virtuous habit, not a religious ritual. In relationship with God, I am being transformed into the likeness and image of Jesus. I am having the time of my life! The enemy’s subtle influence has been exposed and heaven’s thoughts, thoughts that fit in the helmet of salvation, thoughts consistent with the mind of Christ are becoming dominant.

Are we there yet? No, but I have no doubt my Shepherd, by His Spirit, left the 99 and came to rescue me. He’s carrying me on His shoulders. He’s full of joy and His joy is my strength.

Blessings and love to all,

Pastor Bill Kline

July 7, 2025