We're Waging War

Good day to you, to you and especially you. Thank you for joining us today. If you would, please click that share button and if you have not already done so subscribe to our YouTube channel at Love Christian Center, Douglasville. Amen? Amen.

O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.

This is your call to worship, let us pray.

The title of today’s message is, “We’re Waging War”

In a message Dr. Chuck Swindoll preached at Dallas Theological Seminary, he told the story of a receptionist who received a phone call from a man she didn’t know. The man said, “Is this the church that teaches about Jesus Christ? Are you the ones that has that teacher that urges them to follow him as their master? She was thrilled to hear this man ask that question and she replied, “Yes, you’re invited to come any time.” To which he responded, “No, I’m not interested, I’m a part of the church of Satan. All of us are working against you, and especially against your teacher. And I’m calling to tell you we will win.” Then he hung up the phone.

He then shared another story of another member being on a flight to New York and when the meal was served, the man next to her didn’t eat the meal. She looks over and says, “You’re not hungry? It’s late in the day, I thought everyone would be eating today.” His response was, “No we’re fasting.” She thought she was meeting a fellow believer. He continued saying, “I’m a member of a group of Satan’s followers; we’re fasting and praying to our master that at least one hundred marriages of Christian leaders will break up by the end of this year.”

Saints I’m here to tell you we are at war. We’re Waging War! But we shouldn’t be surprised because the Apostle Paul tells us this. Turn with me in your Bibles to Eph 6:10-12, reading from the NLT

Eph 6:10-12 -A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Today’s message is part 1 of a two-part message. Saints I need you to know, I need you to wake up and recognize we, are in a war. The title of today’s message is, “We’re Waging War.

It’s not the traditional war with an enemy you see. It’s not like the war in Afghanistan where our men and women spent twenty years fighting for a people who never learned to defend themselves. It’s not a war like the one where the Russians are threatening an attack on Ukraine.

The church was lulled to sleep by the absence of trouble in our land. We didn’t pray quite as much. Church became an option rather than a requirement. Religion became something many of our young decided was a buffet, they could take a little of this and a little of that, but leave that over there out. The divorce rate in the church became the same as that of the world. Laws have been enacted that go against the very Word of God, yet we can’t get a voting rights bill passed to protect the rights of every US citizen and stop these states from passing laws making it more difficult for certain people to vote.

We had a leader that pulled back the sheet of hate and bigotry and racism so we can now clearly see their faces.

A pandemic hit the entire world and the very thing that could end it, has been so politicized it’s now affecting our children at unprecedented rates. Children as young as 8 weeks old are contracting COVID even though everyone in their house has been vaccinated. We’re in a war and it’s threatening our children. It’s threatening to take away future generations.

Many churches closed their doors, not transitioning to online until we could meet again, but pastors took the opportunity to quit, because it got hard. Instead putting on their amour and working it out, they walked away from the fight, leaving the sheep to fend for themselves.

And without a leader the sheep scattered making them easy prey for the enemy. They started sampling from this ministry and that one, making no commitment to any of them.

I need to tell you about the war we’re in. I need to tell you that somewhere along the way we began to slumber, being in a state of semi-consciousness, unaware of the danger before us.

We often quoted 2 Chron 7:14 - If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Humble ourselves? But there’s pride all around us, it drapes us like a coat in winter and it’s a heavy coat that’s making us tired. Too tired to pray. The hood is pulled down over our eyes and our vision is obstructed so we’re not able to seek his face. And the wind whips so strongly that when we attempt to turn from our wicked ways, we’re slapped in the face and it’s just easier to keep going the way we were going—even if it’s in the wrong direction. We’re in a war.

And so, this Scripture is ineffective because the answer only comes from heaven, forgiveness of sin only comes, the healing of the land only comes IF we do all that other stuff first. But we’ve gotten too tired, we’ve given up too much.

We’ve let the world take the things and promises God gave to the church and turn them into symbols for wrong. When the internet first became popular, because some used it for wrong reasons, there were those who called it a work of the devil.

Saints we have got to stop giving power and tools and ideas and credit to the enemy. God made everything and without Him there was nothing made that was made. So if that’s the case everything here belongs to God and it can all be used to glory of God. We’re in a war and

• we must take back our territory and pray like Jabez “And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.”

• We must take back our children and recognize, “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.”

• we must take back our health and declare that, “with his stripes we are healed.”

• we must take back our marriages and remember, “The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord.” and husbands and wives, you are to, Submit yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

• We must start using our God given gifts for the glory of God, understanding that “… the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” The NLT says it this way, “… God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.” Not only can they never be withdrawn but he gave them for the edification of the saints.

• We must start living the promises of God, believing that, “… all the promises of God in him [Jesus] are yea, and in him Amen,”

• Church of God, we must earnestly and if necessary by force take back the kingdom of God, knowing “… from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it.”

We are at war.

Paul gives a final word as he comes to the end of this letter to the church at Ephesus. The first thing he says is to be strong in the Lord. You’re not in this battle alone, in fact it’s not even your battle, you’re drawn into it because you have chosen to be on the winning side. It doesn’t matter how much the opposers fast and pray to their little g god, they are still going to lose the war. The question is, how many battles will they win because the saints are snoozing?

I’m sounding the alarm, don’t hit the snooze button and go back into a stupor, WAKE UP! GET UP! IT’S TIME TO FIGHT!

Knowing you’re not fighting in your own power; you have the mighty power of God with and in you. When you pray, when you have the Holy Ghost living on the inside of you, you have God’s mighty power to help you fight.

So don’t worry, don’t fret and don’t be afraid. No matter what your situation may look like, fight. Fight like your soul depends on it. Your life is but a vapor in the realm of eternity, but your soul—your soul is what’s going to live forever in the presence of God.

Paul says to put on all of God’s armor—we’ll talk about that next time— but right now you just need to know to put it all on so that you’ll be able to stand firm, we used to say stand flat footed and fight. You put on the armor of God so you can stand firm against, ALL strategies of the devil.

All means, he’s got more than one strategy and so should we. If COVID taught us nothing else, it has taught us we have to get the Word of God out to the people in a way that is different than what we’d always done. It was time to take it to the people in ways never thought about before. The times of sitting, what we used to believe was, safely within the four walls of the church, Dillon Roof dispelled that belief, are over.

It’s time to get out the evangelism tools and

• go after those who have strayed away

• go after those who have missed the message

• go after those who are uncertain

• go after those who are confused

• go after those who are searching

It’s time to develop your strategies to win souls for the kingdom of God.

But as you prepare to fight, there’s always a preparation time, so as you prepare to fight, you must identify who the true enemy is.

Paul tells us, you’re not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies—it’s not people you’re fighting. That can be so difficult to understand and remember because

• it’s people standing before you

• it’s people who may attack you — but it’s the spirit in them that is attacking

• it’s people who will say all manner of evil against you — but it’s the spirit in them giving them the words to say.

• it’s people who kidnap and traffick children — but it’s the spirit in them who has no regard for human life

• it’s people who do wrong—but it’s the spirit in them that gives them the deed to do.

You have to know who it is you’re fighting, because

• when you fail to see the person and you only see the sin

• when you fail to see the person and you only see the problem

• when you fail to see the person and you only see the issue

you’ll forget that God wants to save their soul too and then you’ll decide they’re not worth saving. You’ll forget Jesus died for their sin too and whatever they’ve done—the bill has already been paid, you’ll forget that forgiveness is theirs for the asking.

You have to know, the fight is against evil rulers and authorities, [now get this] of the unseen world. We’re fighting against an enemy we cannot see. Now how does that work? How do you fight what you cannot see?

You recognize the enemy is there, that he does exist and

• you get on your knees,

• you get on your face,

• you lay prostrate before God

• and you pray

• you turn your plate down—and you pray

• you turn the TV off—and you pray

• you give up social media—and you pray

• you PUSH—pray until something happens

• you pray until God answers

• you pray until your situation changes

• you pray until that person changes

• you pray until you change

• you PRAY!

• and you pray some more, and you pray some more

There are mighty powers in this dark world, but when you have the light of Jesus, his light overpowers the darkness.

Let your let light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify, you? Nah, they’ll see your good work and glorify the Father in heaven. It’s not about you.

• You didn’t create anything.

• You didn’t give your Son to die for the sins of the world.

Then…

• You weren’t born of a virgin

• You weren’t the sinless Son of God

• You didn’t take a beating for anyone

• You didn’t give your life on a cross for anyone

• You didn’t raise from the dead

• You didn’t ascend back to heaven after 40-days

Don’t get it twisted, all that we do should be done to the glory of the Lord.

Not only do we have the unseen evil rulers and authorities attacking, but there are also mighty powers in this world, but no one is mightier than the creator of the heavens and the earth, the ruler of everything. Paul told us in verse 10 Be strong in the Lord and in his MIGHTY POWER. Yes, there are mighty powers of darkness but in the words of Chris Tomlin…

♪♪ Our God is greater, our stronger, God you are higher than any other, our God is healer awesome in power our God, our God. ♪♪

Not only are their unseen evil rulers and authorities and mighty powers in this dark world; there are evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Daniel tells us about those evil spirits in heavenly places in the tenth chapter named for him. This is where the 21-day Daniel fast originated, he says, “When this vision came to me, I, Daniel, had been in mourning for three whole weeks. 3 All that time I had eaten no rich food. No meat or wine crossed my lips, and I used no fragrant lotions until those three weeks had passed.”… Daniel goes on to describe what he saw saying no one else saw it, but nevertheless, they knew there was a presence, and they ran away and hid.

When you get serious about prayer, you’ll see things others may not see. Don’t be alarmed. Listen for the answer to your prayer.

The archangel Gabriel said to Daniel, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. 13 But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. [That’s the heavenly places] Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia.”

• Keep praying, your answer could be temporarily blocked and your angels are waging war in heavenly places to bring it to you.

• Keep praying, deliverance may be just a binding and loosing away.

• Keep praying, healing could be just a declaration away.

• Keep praying, your breakthrough could be just a day away.

• Keep praying, your prayers give the angels power

• Keep praying, your salvation may be just a request away

• Keep praying, Jesus is just a pray away

If the outcome of the war was contingent on your prayers, would we have power and be victorious or would we be weak and defeated. We’re waging war. Are you filled with the mighty power of our God? Or have you fallen behind due to lack of prayer.

• Are you feeling disheartened, deflated, and dejected? Check your prayer life.

• Is your world falling apart? How’s your prayer routine?

• Is everything you touch turning to dust? When’s the last time you earnestly prayed?

Our power lies in our connection to the Source. You can have a beautiful lamp, with a brand-new bulb, but if it’s not connected to a power source it can provide no light.

The same goes for you. When you disconnect from the source and try to go in your own strength, when you try to fix the problem yourself, when you make the decision yourself, you have just started a cascade of failure and where it will stop only you and God knows, because it’s only when you reconnect will you stop falling. It’s only when you reestablish God as the head, that you’ll stop failing.

How do you reconnect you ask? It’s through prayer, you acknowledge to God you were wrong, you repent, ask for forgiveness and give control back to Him.

Perhaps you’ve yet to make that connection, the way there is the same, it’s through prayer.

If that’s you, pray with me, Father God, I know that I’m a sinner, please forgive me for my sins. Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God and that you died for my sins. I give you my heart and my life, use them as you will, in your name I pray amen.

If you prayed that prayer for the first time, welcome to the kingdom of God. Now find yourself a Bible believing, Bible teaching church where you can first learn to be a disciple, then learn how to make disciples. Send us a message by tagging us on whatever platform you are watching this message or email us at [e-mail] and we will contact you.

If you are in the Douglasville, GA area join us on Sat, Jan 29 at noon for our open house at 3500 Hwy 5, Douglasville, GA 30135, then come back on Sunday, Jan 30 at 8:45 for Sunday School and 10:00 for our morning worship service. We will socially distance and mask are required. We thank you in advance for your cooperation.

If this message or this ministry has blessed you and you’d like to contribute to our work, you may give through CashApp at $LoveChristianCenter, Givelify at Love Christian Center, PayPal through our email at [e-mail] or you can mail your check to Love Christian Center, 3500 Hwy 5, Ste 101, Douglasville, GA 30135.

And finally, if you have not done so, please go to our YouTube channel at Love Christian Center, Douglasville and subscribe and share the message so we can reach as many as possible.

Join me on Jan 30 for part 2 of this message. Until then remember, we’re waging war.

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.