The Unseen War -The Enemy Within

Last week recap

Understanding the battle

Today we are talking about

The Enemy Within

Confronting personal strongholds

Not All Attacks Are The Same

We are going to talk about strongholds

Strongholds get into our lives and are so hard to get rid of

Right now we are watching an old tv show and so often they end the show on a cliff hanger and makes you want to see the next episode

In a way the producers just put a stronghold in your life because now you want to know what happens next

Story of Car salesmen trying to sell you a car

They are trying to get a stronghold to sell you a car

Sin is so much like this

We battle our flesh

Galatians 5:17 NIV

For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.

The flesh wants what is contrary to the Spirit wants

We have to deal with our flesh which wants us to pull away from God

What are some ways our flesh does this

Rather watch tv than pray

Rather look at social media than Read our Bible

rather hold on to bitterness than forgive

rather give in to temptation, than fight it

ect.

Strongholds do not develop overnight but over time

Strongholds become strongholds one compromise at a time.

and as we compromise the more difficult it will be to say no

We need to follow what

Colossians 3:5 NIV

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

if we are to do well in spiritual warfare we need to understand that we have to get rid of these strongholds

You might have heard the phrase “there is sin in the Camp” it comes from a story found in Joshua

Setup for Achan’s Sin. When taking over Jericho nothing is to be taken

Joshua heard from his spies that they only needed a couple of thousand men to take Ai

They lost 36 men and were chased out of the city

Joshua did not understand why and turned to God

Joshua 7:10–26 NIV

The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction. “Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them. “ ‘In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe the Lord chooses shall come forward clan by clan; the clan the Lord chooses shall come forward family by family; and the family the Lord chooses shall come forward man by man. Whoever is caught with the devoted things shall be destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to him. He has violated the covenant of the Lord and has done an outrageous thing in Israel!’ ” Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was chosen. The clans of Judah came forward, and the Zerahites were chosen. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward by families, and Zimri was chosen. Joshua had his family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was chosen. Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and honor him. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.” Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the Lord. Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. Joshua said, “Why have you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today.” Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.

When we allow these things to take ahold in our lives it is devastating to our walk with God Achan thought it would be ok, it was just stuff, but God saw it another way

we must as Colossians says Put it to death

we are set apart to live for more

Right now I want to take a moment for us to really give it to God, our strong holds,

Lets not let whatever it is act like Achan’s stuff and make us lose our battles

Time of Prayer

Worship

Let’s keep this going this week

Think of one person that you trust, and call them, talk to them about that stronghold

Ask them to help you keep away from it.

Starting a new Battle

Communion