Fight - You VS Who?

2 Corinthians 10:3–5 ESV

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

We are all in a Fight!

We are all in a Fight!

Everyday we all face opposition. Some of us are in a fight with identity, while some of you are fighting against depression. Here is the thing about a fight. It takes at least two to tango.

Share the story of the twins beating me up.

There is a natural inclination built within the heart of man to fight. To fight against injustice and evil. To fight against tyranny and genocide. To fight against each other for selfish ambitions. And when we get saved something happens on the inside of us. We are now brought out of the amateur bouts and brought up to a higher level of fighting.

My heart this series is to teach you how to fight! There are too many Christians that have no clue on how to fight. They are throwing punches with no power. They are aiming at the wrong enemy. And if you don’t learn how to fight their are consequences.

Listen to me closely, our God is a warring God. He is fighting King. And His children need to take up after their father. We need to learn how to throw a punch like Him. We need to know how to properly train, and how to recognize our enemy. Lets Start there.

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You VS Who?

This fight requires us to know who the opponent is. Your opponent is not just an opponent but opponents. The first is the most deadly. Smart and skilled in manipulation, distraction, and a devastating left hook. He commands the demonic forces in the unseen and thirst to destroy you.

The Devil

Genesis 3:15 ESV

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

2 Corinthians 2:11 ESV

so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

Satan and his angels fell from heaven

Isa 14:12-15

Isaiah 14:12–15 ESV

“How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.

Satan and his angels was ultimately and fully disarmed by Jesus Christ.

Colossians 2:15 ESV

He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

You are fighting a defeated foe. Going into this you must understand that Your FAITH in the work of the cross of Jesus Christ put you on the winning side and has given you the winning strategy and formula for victory. I.e. Like you seen this movie already and you know the lines.

or you heard this song before and know the meaning.

Satan opposes the gospel

2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Satan attacks individual believers

Its no wonder that whenever the gospel is preached, all of a sudden you can get extremely distracted. Or not feel good. But the moment you leave you are focused and healthy. hmmmm. Its no wonder when you give yourself to the truth of the gospel that you face immediate internal/external doubts.

Listen to me closely, Satan opposes the gospel! And what is the gospel (the good news) that he has lost! That Jesus won! Satan opposes the gospel because He cannot defeat a believers faith if their faith is rooted in the person of Jesus Christ.

Satan attacks individual believers

Luke 22:31–32 ESV

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

How does he know you are a believer? Well, he knows what Jesus looks like. He lost to him and I am sure he remembers everything about him. And when You begin to worship God, when you begin to fast and pray, when you daily pray in the Holy Spirit, you begin to look like Jesus. And the more you look like Jesus the more he desires to have his rematch!

If you lost to the devil: you lost your calling, your destiny, your purpose in life, you may even lost your identity. He can’t steal your soul if you are a true believer, but he desires to deceive you.

1 Peter 5:8 ESV

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

You cannot afford to lose to him! He is your enemy!

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The Flesh

This is the hardest one to understand sometimes. This enemy is not rooted in the devil. This enemy is with us everyday. This enemy desires to keep us chained to the way we used to do things and used to think. This enemy has kept christians ineffective, disobedient, and in-sensative to the Spirit of God.

Paul describes it as the passions of the flesh

1 Peter 2:11 ESV

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

Here it is: you live in this fleshly body. This body was born in sin and has a thirst for sin. When you get born again, the body doesn’t change but the spirit is born. Therefore, there is a war internally that .

Galatians 5:17 ESV

For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

The Flesh desires to make us captive to sin.

Romans 7:23 ESV

but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.

you cannot afford to lose to the flesh. If you lose everyday to the desires and lust of the flesh you create an atmosphere where sin is your master and you put more faith in what you see then in the one who saves your soul. You welcome in discouragement, depression, and defeat. You lose your identity as a child of God and you drift away from Him.

Everyday you have to train and fight to beat your flesh up. Not by saying NO to the flesh, but by saying YES to the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 9:25–27 ESV

Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

1 Cor. 9

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The World

John 16:33 ESV

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

1 John 5:4–5 ESV

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

The world we live in is anti Christ. Anti-Church. Now through this God still reaches souls and pulls them into the kingdom of God. We cannot to become like the world. If we are like the world we cannot reach the world. Instead, be in the world but not OF the world.

But he uses his church to do so by inviting them to church. for every 10 No’s you get, you may get 1 yes!

We must not grow weary in doing good, because at the right time we shall reap a harvest if we do not lose heart!

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Invite! Pray for! Reach out to! The world. The people in the world. That is how you fight back.

Lastly the opponent that brings fear. The Enemy that brings darkness.

DEATH

Death, what happens after we leave this plain of life? death desires to end things. To end dreams early, to end purpose prematurely. Death thinks it has the final say so. Death is a fight.

1 Corinthians 15:26 ESV

The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

Satan had the power of death.

Hebrews 2:14–15 ESV

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

The enemy of death was defeated at the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He made a public spectacle of death by rising from the dead! And whoever believes in Him shall not PERISH, but have eternal life. Therefore, we don’t fear man, the devil, the world, or death because Jesus has destroyed them all and is the undisputed champion!

Altar Call:

I’m call you to come to the altar today if you need to surrender to Jesus and put your faith in Him. Im pleading to those who have been fighting against God instead of the devil and the flesh. I’m calling those who need a breakthrough because the flesh is ruling your lives. I am calling those who when you get around the world you lose your purpose and your tired of that. I’m calling those who are tired of losing to sin, to the enemy. I’m calling those who feels as if you are under a spiritual attack from the devil and want freedom. Depression, guilt, shame, fears, nightmares, identity crisis, laziness, apathy, negative speech, filthy thoughts, shameful actions, FREEDOM is HERE!