The Battle Is Real And You Are On The Front Line

Text:

Ephesians 6:12 NKJV

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Introduction

Prayer

The Realm of the Spirit Is Real

2 Kings 6:15–17 NKJV

15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16 So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

“The enemy first wants the world to believe he does not exist. Failing that, he wants the believer to believe he is not presently active.”—A modern paraphrase of an observation by John Wilkinson

We are everyday people. I hope none of us thinks the world revolves around us. If we do, life is about to become very difficult, because most people are simply trying to live their own lives.

Because of that, we sometimes fail to think about the spiritual realm. Even when people agree that a spiritual realm exists, they often do not see themselves as important enough to be affected by it.

I fall into this trap quite often myself. When I was in Bible college, those of us preparing for ministry were told that there was now a target on our backs.

I am a pastor, and as I said on Sunday, this is a calling, not a career choice. I take that calling very seriously. Aside from that, however, I am simply a man trying to do what God has called me to do.

Here is my point, most of you are just people, you are just people trying to live your life provide for your family and serve God.

What has occured to me is this. Every day people are on the front limes of the spiritual battle. The scary thing is we dont realize it.

Before I go further I wanna say that when I talk about spiritual warfare, it I always come up against two extremes:

The First Extremes is people who refuse to take responsibility for anything in their lives everything is the devil or an attach of the enemy— Everything is not an attach. We have free will. We have an effect and impact on our own world. Not everything is the Devil.

The other thing is equally as dangerous, that is that there is no greater power than ourselves. This goes back to the John Wilkinson quote.

How Am I on The Front Line?

Consequences that lead to change

A mother refuses to continue giving money to an adult child who is using drugs. The child accuses her of being cruel and says, “If you loved me, you would help me.”

But continuing to rescue him may help the addiction survive. The boundary may become the consequence that finally moves him toward treatment.

The enemy can use guilt to make someone undo a healthy boundary. That is why people need to understand that love does not always remove consequences.

Regret over parenting

A parent looks at the struggles of an adult child and begins replaying every mistake made while raising them. The enemy turns conviction into condemnation:

“You ruined your child. Everything happening now is your fault. You have no right to speak into anyone’s life.”

There may be real mistakes to acknowledge. The parent may need to apologize and make amends. But after repentance, the battle is refusing to live under permanent condemnation.

We cannot return to the past and raise our children again. We can tell the truth, make amends where possible, love them faithfully now, and move forward.

Words spoken in anger

A husband and wife are already under financial pressure. During an argument, one says:

“You never do anything right. I cannot depend on you.”

The disagreement may end in twenty minutes, but those words can remain for years. The enemy uses one angry moment to reinforce a person’s deepest insecurity.

The battlefield was not merely the argument about money. It was the moment when frustration became a weapon.

Words spoken to someone in recovery

A person relapses, and someone says:

“I knew you would never make it.”

That sentence may confirm every lie the person already believes about himself. He may hear it as proof that change is impossible and that there is no reason to try again.

The truth must still be spoken. The relapse should not be excused. But truth can be spoken without destroying hope:

“What happened is serious. You must take responsibility for it. But this failure does not have to become the end of your story.”

Casual words from a leader

Someone comes to church already believing that nobody notices them. The pastor, ministry leader, or trusted friend is distracted and speaks sharply to them.

The leader may forget the moment by lunchtime. The other person may carry it all week.

That does not mean leaders can never make mistakes. It means our position gives our words additional weight in the lives of others.

Gossip disguised as concern

Someone says:

“I am only telling you this so you can pray.”

But the information spreads, trust is damaged, and a person’s worst moment becomes public conversation.

The enemy often does not need to invent a lie. Sometimes he only needs us to repeat a truth that was not ours to tell.

Discouraging someone’s calling

A young believer shares that he feels God leading him to serve, teach, sing, or lead. Someone responds:

“You are not ready for that.” “People like you do not do things like that.” “You will probably quit like you always do.”

There may be areas in which the person genuinely needs growth, but careless words can cause someone to bury what God is developing.

Correction should help people mature, not convince them that they have no value.

The exhausted person at work

A believer has had a terrible morning, arrives at work irritated, and treats everyone harshly. A coworker who knows that person is a Christian concludes:

“Faith does not make any difference.”

That does not mean believers must pretend everything is fine. It means that the way we carry pressure can either discourage or strengthen the people watching us.

The person who believes he is insignificant

A man thinks, “Nobody pays attention to me. My words do not matter.”

Then he tells another person:

“I believe in you.” “I have seen you changing.” “Do not give up now.” “I am proud of the progress you have made.”

He may never know that those words kept someone from walking away, returning to drugs, abandoning a family, or giving up on life.

That is the other side of your point: the enemy is not the only one who can work through ordinary moments. God also uses the words and actions of everyday people.

I think your strongest transition into the section about words could be:

For me, the front line often appears in the power of my words. I have preached many times that words have power, but there is another side of that truth: my words have power in the lives of other people. In one moment, I can reinforce the lie they are already fighting, or I can speak the truth that helps them keep standing.

And the central sentence underneath the point may be:

The enemy often enters a situation through pain, but he spreads the damage through our reaction to it.

We need to be aware of the spiritual implications of our everyday life.

You are more spiritual than you think.

Romans 8:9 NKJV

9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

1 Corinthians 6:17 NKJV

17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

1 Corinthians 3:16 NKJV

16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

You have more influence than you think.