The Unseen War

Understanding The Battle

Welcome to the first week of our new series

There is a reason we have to understand the battle and there is a reason why this is the first sermon in the series and that is, if you do not understand what is going on, we will never be effective in our battle

Sparing with the not white belt and being beat over and over

I did not understand the battle I was in.

So What is our Battle?

Ephesians 6:12 (NIV)

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Most of us when we think of battles we think war, guns, tanks, jets and so on,

Paul is telling us that our warfare is vastly different and more important then any earthly battle

1 Peter 5:8 NIV

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Lets look at this verse for a moment.

Story of hunting the mountain Lion

Be Alert And Sober Minded

We must always be ready for battle

The Devil is prowling around looking to devour.

Be Alert, we must never let our guard down.

Could you imagine being on the front lines of a war zone and letting your guard down

Or how about, if you knew someone was going to attack you at some point in that day would you decide to lay down and sleep, of course not

Temptation can sneak in and give the enemy a foothold in your life that will make the battle more difficult to win.

So if this battle is not against flesh and blood, what do we use to fight this battle.

First

We Cannot Ignore It

we have to understand that there is a battle.

We have to understand that we are in it

we have to understand its not something that is going to go away

second

We Have To Use The Tools God Has Given Us

to often we read our Bible in passing

But The Bible is a Sword

Hebrews 4:12 NIV

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

The Bible is not merely a book but a transformative and discerning tool that can bring conviction, guidance, and renewal to our lives.

We use the Bible in our warfare to we understand what God is asking us to do,

We get to know God Better

We learn From those before us

it is a needed weapon, in fact there is only one other weapon other than the Bible and that is

Their being lukewarm spiritually was evidenced by their being content with their material wealth and their being unaware of their spiritual poverty. Christ used strong words to describe them: wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.

John Walvoord

Prayer

A couple of verses I would love to go through

Matthew 26:41 NIV

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Colossians 4:2 NIV

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Ephesians 6:18 NIV

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

How do we expect to do well if we are not talking to the One who is in charge?

Our time with God is the most important time of our day

Christ made it a point to be in prayer often

Luke 5:16 NIV

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

These are the tools we have to fight with in the most important battle we will ever face

if you are just praying when you want something, or for your food, or treat it like a check list item then how are you going to be effective in spiritual warfare?

If you are only reading your Bible here, or when you feel like it, how are you going to be effective in spiritual warfare?

We need to be treat Prayer and the Word of God like the Life saving, soul turning, hope giving tools they are. and not something that we just kind of do when we have time.

We need to treat this warfare differently then we have been, this is a fight for our very souls and the souls of others.

Our battle is to literally empty the gates of hell

communion

Matthew 26:26–28 NIV

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.