Spiritual Warfare 2

Why did we do this skit?

We are at war and it is time we learn to fight back!

There are two sides to being a Christian, one is the wonderful life Christ gives us…

The Bible says Christ came to give us life to the full.

Christ’s side of Christianity is lovely, healing, power, faith, tapping into Christ’s faith. having the power of Christ to do the things He did.

Natural and supernatural

But there is another side as well. The thief comes to steal that life…

The attack from Satan to destroy….

I Timothy 4:1

I Peter 5:8

Everything that God gives Satan wants to destroy.

Peace, marriage, family, health, church, leadership, life…

We must understand we live this way because of what happens if we do not. These schemes affect everyone.

Satan attacks in order to tempt us, deceive us, draw us away from God, fill our hearts with half-truths, lure us into pursuing good things in the wrong way; at the wrong time; with the wrong people.

They have purpose. Satan is not just randomly attacking us, he is trying to neutralize the very people God has filled with His Awesome Power.

They are all part of his plan to undermine our relationship with God!

It is like a snowball. Satan puts stumbling blocks in your life. You make a choice which leads to this, this etc.

If Satan is allowed to go unchecked, we lose out.

Cf. Adam and Eve, they once was in the garden but then they were outside naked, cold, alone, out of the presence of God, looking at that perfect Garden thinking how did I get here?

It all started with a little doubt a foothold.

Many of you may be saying how did I get to this point so far from God.

Good news….

You can start living in the power and authority that comes from Christ and His Spirit.

You can declare war on Satan and say no more. By the Power of the Holy Spirit that lives in me and the Blood of Jesus Christ that covers me….no more!

It is time to stand up and fight back and take back areas of our life.

Many understand the love side, but fall short on the enemy side.

I think that the sermons on: I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly is well preached

and I am thankful for it

but we have to preach the side that there is an enemy his name is Satan and he has come to take that life away.

If you want to get to that point where you are walking in the Spirit, you better be ready to fight.

The Bible says he is roaming the earth looking for someone to devour.

There is an attack.

Look around at all the evidence of the battle.

On our kids, violence, drugs, sex, everything under the sun is being thrown at you kids.

What can we do?

As Christians we must ban together and agree on a couple of things.

We can disagree on Communion, baptism, and other things but we need to start calling sin sin..

How did we get here?

82% of this nation professes to be Christian and look at this country…

Do you know what the second number is?

10% at no preference

How

We must agree on sin

There was a time in history that Christians got together in this nation and boycotted certain places, politicians, even rock music changed its tune. Remember the Beatles and the apologized, because of getting hooked up with garbage…

If there sells go down, changes will be made. If all the Christians of this country got together and said we are taking our morality back, it would come back.

If we start saying no more .

c.f. the Beatles and John Lennon

C.F. abortion

It is time for us to stand up and make a difference.

It is like the battle of David and Goliath

The Israelites in those days represent many Christians today, they were scared, intimidated, timid, living in deception, they did not know what to say or do.

Goliath represents the devil all the tricks, strategies, anything that comes against us.

Here comes David, I take this giant on He represents Spirit filled Christians

David said God will show me a way. We as Christians have a Bible right to know the strategies of the devil

See here we have all this power. We are fighting from victory and the power of the Holy Spirit but we are still struggling from day to day why????

The church is in distress… As soldiers we are lacking why?

Why is our faith so weak? Why don’t we see the miracles others see?

Some do. Some live in the Supernatural others do not why?

As an army we are lacking.

Have everyone stand up!!!!!

We are at war. Let me hear your battle cry. We are at war.

Ephesians 6:10-11

I. To begin with some in the church do not believe we are at war…so we lose some Christians in this battle right off the bat.

So we lose a few Christians

have half sit down!

But we are still an army right we are still at war….

Eph 6:10-12

II. Some believe we are at war but Satan is not the one who is ultimately responsible. No demons because if there are demons you have to cast them out and I don’t believe it.

So we lose a few Christians,

Half of the ones left sit down

But we are still and army we are still at war…

II Cor. 10:4-6

III. Some believe we are at war and the devil is behind it but the tools, the supernatural, say supernatural tools, God has given us is not for today and they are not for me.

So we lose a few more.

Have half sit down

But we are still an army we are still at war…

Eph. 6:10-18

IV. some believe we are at war and the devil is behind it and the tools that have been given are for me and today, but they don’t know how to use them..for instance what does it mean to pray in the Spirit?

Have half of the rest sit down.

For instance what does it mean to pray in the Spirit?

Here we are told to, not just pray, but pray in the Spirit.

In the power of the Holy Spirit, look at Jude 20 but what does that mean?

Prayer that is inspired and led by the Holy Spirit, but what does that mean?

Romans 8:26-27

I cor. 14:15

Folks there is power out there…if your prayer life is lacking pray in the Spirit.

We are not going to get into this today, but rest assured, you have a pray team that will pray in the Spirit on your behalf.

God will take the natural things…praise and worship, faith and prayer.

If they are done in Spirit and Truth, by the leading of the Holy Spirit,

God will take these things and give them power!

Look at this:

II Chron. 20:20-30 not on screen

King Jehoshaphat was being attacked by Moabites and ammonites and began to pray… then God’s prophet and was told the battle belongs to the Lord, not to worry.

Acts 16:25-26

Again Paul and Silas Paul was being followed by a girl that had an evil spirit

After several days Paul got fed up and said in the Name of Jesus Christ come out.

Paul got arrested beaten and put in jail.

What did he do?

Paul could have said God I am serving you, I have been shipwrecked, snake bitten, wronged, stoned and de-throned. He did not

Song songs and prayed.

Look what happened his chains came off, and so did everyone else’s.

By worship God in Spirit and in Truth, by developing a prayer life that is Spirit led and influenced, you can expect God to fight for you, and the chains that are holding you down to come off.

We want to know any attacks Satan is plotting against you. We want to know

We want to set our faith with you.

I have good news, the bad news is wrong.

Why is that important?

Let’s go back and look at II Cor. 10:4-6

it is important to understand our minds don’t work this way..

Tools we can use to combat Satan:

I. The belt of truth:

The belt holds all the other armor in place; without the belt a warrior would lose all the rest of his protective covering. If the belt of truth is lost then the rest of the armor of God falls off and we are defenseless; the belt of truth is an essential piece of armor.

Not just telling the truth, but living in the truth…

Satan works with lies…

He will use a little truth mixed with a little lie, you know what a ¾ truth is? A lie.

For instance Satan tells us there is a deal made with God that God did make with us.

If we are good, read our Bibles, go to church, give to the church…push all the right buttons, God will be good to us and everything will be ok

God did not make this deal. God says get ready this world is not a playground it is a battle ground. God says deny yourself and seek first the Kingdom of God.

God says this world will hate you because of Christ.

However, there is a reward for you when you reach glory.

There is a reward for you now, knowing you are pleasing me, but God’s rewards are not like satan’s rewards.

Lie. We are not valuable

Truth we are

We are valuable, we are powerful, we are over-comers, we have the victory. All these truths are the foundation of our fight.

II. The breastplate of righteousness

We are made righteous through Christ. Satan tries to get us to focus on our sins and past mistakes, don’t fall for it you are perfect in your Heavenly Fathers eyes…

Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ.
Satan does not want you to live a victorious life. “Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous” (Psalm 118:15 NIV).

Sin robs you of daily victory; sin takes away your joy. Satan wants you to focus on your sin; he knows if he can keep you from agreeing with God that he has rendered you ineffective and in time can take your life.

III. Feet fitted in the Gospel

Promises in God’s Word should bring peace to our lives.

The Gospel of Peace we stand united on God’s Word.

IV. Shield of faith

V. helmet of salvation

Our battle is in the mind.

VI. Sword of the Spirit

VII. Pray in the Spirit

\\