Battle Ready

One of my goals for this building and the expansions we are working on is for it to be a blessing. I like to summarize it this way:

We want to get the church into the community and the community into the church and not just on a Sunday morning.  On Thursday we had our annual trunk or treat:

We gave out about 60k pieces of candy We had 30+ carsAnd we saw somewhere around 2k people come through.It was a huge accomplishment and blessing 

The winner was crazy chicken lady and second place was sweet on Jesus

Today after church we are hosting a chili cook-off for the Barajas to raise money for Wesley Stevens new leg.  This is what we do. We are blessed to be a blessing.  This morning:

Why is it important to talk about spiritual warfare? What does it mean to be battle ready?

It’s important because we need to understand that spiritual warfare is real—and understanding it also means taking personal responsibility. Not everything is “the devil.”

Some things are from God, and some are simply the natural consequences of our choices, sometimes it just seems that things happen, and yes sometimes it is spiritual warfare.

Ephesians 6:11–18 CSB

Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints.

Late to work?

This could be spiritual warfare. This could be the enemy trying to sabotage your life, your interaction with co-workers. It could be that you are making a difference in the kingdom and driving back the forces of darkness and the enemy wants to make you miss a divine appointment.

But it can also be that stayed up too late and did not set your alarm clock and then decided to stop and get a coffee on the way to work.

Fighting with Your spouse?

This absolutely can be spiritual warfare. I’ve seen it numerous times in my life and in the life of others were for some reason you and your spouse just keep going at it, and there is no rhyme or reason behind it.

It can be that you have godly marriage that is causing others to examine their own marriage and decide that they need to make some changes. You could be causing others to say I want a marriage like that.

It can also just be the natural consequences of you being selfish. Or you not taking the time to prioritize your spouse.

Ephesians 5:25 CSB

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her

Ephesians 5:33 CSB

To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband.

Husbands are supposed to love their wives and be willing to die for her. This is not just step in front of a truck for her but be willing to die to himself for her.

Wives you are called to respect your husband. Build him up.

Maybe it is spiritual warfare but maybe you just have a bad marriage. Maybe you are you spending too much time with your friends and are always complaining about your spouse.

Lost your job?

This can be spiritual warfare too. The enemy can be trying to remove you from a position of influence for the kingdom of God. Maybe every time you go to work you are sharing the Gospel. Maybe the kingdom of God is invading your workplace and people are coming to the knowledge and truth of Christ.

It could also just be that you’re bad at your job. You don’t show up for work. You cause problems in the office.

These things and so many more can be spiritual warfare. Satan means adversary. It means opposed. Maybe the enemy is opposed to you but maybe you are your own worst enemy. My caution is always examine things first.

The enemy can use anything to attack us and we can cause our own problems too.

Could it be God blocking you?

I think sometimes, some people, can give the devil a lot of credit but sometimes it is God blocking or stopping you.

Acts 16:6–7 CSB

They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia; they had been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. When they came to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.

Paul wanted to go and preach to these people but God stopped them. Jesus for some reason stepped in and said no.

1 Thessalonians 2:18 CSB

So we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us.

Another time they wanted to go and preach and Satan hindered them.

The same thing happened, hinderance, but the cause was different.

This can happen at lot in our lives. We can want to do something and feel called to it. We can have a desire for something and God can be stepping in and saying no. Or the enemy can be getting in the way and messing up our travel plans or goals.

How do we know which is which?

My question is this, which direction does it move us? Towards Jesus or away from Jesus?

Does it move me toward Jesus or away from Him?

Does it bring peace or fear?

Does it produce life or despair?

Does it remind me that God is in control, or that life is chaos?

When it is the enemy or even our own flesh, a lot of times, not always, it moves you towards condemnation, anxiety, despair, and other things that make you feel alone.

The enemy is a liar and a deceiver.

The enemy is a counterfeit and can do miracles too.

2 Thessalonians 2:9 CSB

The coming of the lawless one is based on Satan’s working, with every kind of miracle, both signs and wonders serving the lie,

Don’t think just because there was some miracle that God was producing it. We see signs and wonders and think, well God must be in it.

No, not necessarly. We have to test it and see.

1 John 4:1–3 CSB

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming; even now it is already in the world.

We have to test things, we are called to be on guard. We have to put on our armor.

Armor of God

The armor of God is to be the Christian’s lifelong companion.

John F. MacArthur

What does it mean to be battle ready? It means we stay in a position of readiness. The Armor of God is not a one-time done deal it is a daily practice where we submit ourselves to God and trust in his protection, provision, and paths.

When it is spiritual warfare there are things we can do, and these things are not last resorts but things we should be doing all along.

We wear the full armor of God, we don’t want to leave the house half dressed.

Truth like a belt

We first put on the belt of truth. This is the truth of God and a proper examination of things.

Search your life to see if you have given the enemy access.

We must learn to objectively examine our lives. We are too close so we will get it wrong, but we can practice and let the truth of God examine our hearts.

Ephesians 4:25–28 CSB

Therefore, putting away lying, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another. Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, and don’t give the devil an opportunity. Let the thief no longer steal. Instead, he is to do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share with anyone in need.

There is a right and a wrong way to do things. There is a proper and improper order to things.

If I’m engaged in spiritual warfare, one of the questions, I’m asking myself is, are there areas in my life I am not walking in the light? Are there areas I am walking in darkness. Am I watching things you should not?

Am I holding on or unforgiveness or bitterness?

It can be all sorts of things you can ask,Are you dabbling in the occult? You might think well I am not playing with tarot cards or anything but are you giving your mind over to the things of the enemy? Are you allowing things into your home that you should not.

We have to examine things and find the truth. When we do we find freedom, this is what Jesus says,

John 8:32 CSB

You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Wear the truth, hold the truth, love the truth, allow the truth to set you free and protect you.

Righteousness on Your Chest

The breastplate of righteousness does not just protect our heart like we would think of it. It goes deeper than that. It protects our very lives. It protects our soul.

Proverbs 4:23 CSB

Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life.

The breastplate of righteousness protects our heart, our soul, our very life. The enemy wants to attack this. He wants to destroy our very lives.

John 10:10 CSB

A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.

He is looking to take our lives and Jesus wants to give us an abundant life. The long and short of it is this, the enemy wants to kill you, if he can’t he will settle for neutering you. Jesus wants you to live an abundant life and produce fruit.

So we protect our heart and soul with righteousness. But not our own.

Isaiah 64:6 NLT

We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.

Our own righteousness does not cut it. It is not going to protect us. It cannot save us. Instead we trust in Christ’s righteousness.

2 Corinthians 5:21 CSB

He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Jesus became sin for us, and we became righteous. It was the most lopsided exchange in history. The art of the deal is lost on this. Jesus got the short end of the stick and we got everything. Now we have it and we trust it to protect us.

When the enemy comes to attack our hearts and souls we are protected by Christ’s blessings.

Shoes of the Gospel of Peace

We wear shoes of peace and bring the gospel with us everywhere we go.

Romans 10:15 CSB

And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.

This is one of my all time favorite verses. We bring the gospel and peace with us. When we walk into a room people should be like yes there is a Christian here. Peace and good news is here.

Instead, so often we bicker and back bite. We complain and grumble. We should be known as people of peace but sometimes if we are honest we are known as what we are against. Yes we are against things but our peace should be the thing we are known for.

Christians, we can disagree on all sorts of things but in the end we should be concerned for peoples souls. We should be known for loving people and bringing them into the kingdom.

Jesus tells a parable about a man throwing a banquet or a party. The guest he originally invited come up with all sorts of excuses on why they cannot come. So he tells his servant.

Luke 14:23 CSB

“Then the master told the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges and make them come in, so that my house may be filled.

We go out with the shoes of the Gospel of peace and invite everyone in.

Shield of Faith

Faith is our shield. When the enemy fires arrows of lies and attacks we hide behind the shield of faith. We rest behind it. His arrows cannot penetrate it.

Galatians 2:20 CSB

I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

We live by faith. We move by faith. We operate in faith. This is how we live as Christians. It is all by faith.

Isaiah 7:9 CSB

If you do not stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all.

If you are standing before two options. Trying to decided which one to chose, trying to ascertain which one God might be calling you to, you will chose one by faith. Either way you will move by faith.

Faith is how the believer does everything. We trust Jesus for eternal life, and then we trust that He can protect us and direct us.

We do not just stand there and let the enemy shoot at us. We hide behind faith in Christ.

A Helmet of Salvation

We put on the helmet of salvation and trust God.

Romans 12:2 CSB

Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

We renew our mind with the truth of God. When we first come to Christ often times we do not realize how bad we really are. We think oh yeah I did this or that I guess I need salvation. But then our minds start to become renewed, we start to see things from God’s perceptive and we realize I am horrible.

When this happens the enemy wants to come in and remind us of that. He wants us to see the wickedness in our flesh and shrink back. But we don’t, we press forward and trust in the salvation God has given us.

When the devil reminds you of your past, remind him of his future.

We have to return to our salvation constantly. Always going, no I am saved by Christ.

The Sword of the Spirit

Finally we take the Word of God.

We get into the Bible and let the Bible get into us.

People often ask, ‘How much Bible is enough?’ My answer—until you get it right.

We keep coming back to the Scriptures. We keep reading it and we keep finding new things. Every time I think I have this book figured out I find something new.

[The Bible is] shallow enough for a child not to drown, yet deep enough for an elephant to swim. - Augustine.

We are never going to reach the end of it. There is always more.

And it is our weapon. We hold it, we bury it in our hearts, we defend and attack with it.

I have heard so many stories of people with dementia and Alzheimers who are or have tragically lost most of their memories but they can still recite Scripture.

We learn how to use it and that it is alive,

Hebrews 4:12 CSB

For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

When we come to the Scriptures we understand that it reveals truth to us and we do not tell it what to say.

Sometimes I read the Bible and say oh that was wonderful, other times I say ouch that hurt.

It is both medicine and amputation.

It both heals and wounds.

It comforts and corrects.

The Word of God is our guide. When in doubt we ask, what does the Bible say about this.

My encouragement, my challenge to you is to get into a paper Bible. I use my phone for my morning devotional but nothing beats a physical Bible.

Pray at all times in the Spirit

Under girding all this is prayer. We pray in the Spirit. This is not just a heavenly prayer language, or other languages, but praying according to the will of the Spirit. We trust Him to lead us, guide us, protect us, nurture us, and deliver us.

We pray and trust that the Spirit will be there for us.

Be Battle Ready

We need to be battle ready every day. Not out of fear of what might come but standing in faith in what Jesus has done. He has claimed the victory and we get to walk in that victory everyday.

We walk with a belt of truth

a breastplate of righteousness

in shoes of peace

with a shield of faith

wearing a helmet of salvation

and yielding the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.

We do not fight the battle for victory, we fight from victory.

This is what it means to be battle ready!