Back to School Day - Armor of God

Your children, grandchildren, nephew, nieces are headed back to school.

The War

· Our children are under attack!

· That is not an overstatement or exaggeration

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5 ways our children are under attack

1. Self worth

How the Enemy Spiritually Attacks Our Kids:

He teaches our kids to base their self-worth on their outside appearance, on their accomplishments and on their possessions. He teaches them, that life is all about them and their pleasure, and that they need to ignore that voice of conviction that tells them the difference between right or wrong. He reminds them of their faults and failures and is quick to condemn our kids for their mistakes.

2. Body Image and Sexuality

How the Enemy Spiritually Attacks Our Kids:

He tells our kids that they’re not uniquely made, but that they’re simply a result of a random combination of genes that’s taken millions of years to create. He convinces our kids that they are mere animals with physical desires that deserve to be met, and that sexual pleasure is just one of those desires that should be fulfilled without any emotional attachment. He convinces some that perhaps God made a mistake in giving them the wrong gender, leading to all kinds of deep identity issues about what it means to be male and female. He uses television and the media to oh-so-subtly promote certain body shapes as ideal over others. He convinces them that every measure must be taken to achieve these ideal body images, including those that lead to eating disorders and drug abuse.

3. Influences

How the Enemy Spiritually Attacks Our Kids:

Instead of just surrounding our kids with bad influences (he knows that's too obvious of an approach), he does everything in his power to (subtly) keep the good influences out. He keeps our kids away from God’s word. He keeps us too busy and distracted to influence our kids the way that we need to. He convinces them that truth is relative and not absolute, and therefore, influencing others toward godliness is irrelevant and judgmental against others’ beliefs. He convinces them that they can’t make a difference and that they really don’t have the power the change things anyway, so why even try?

4. Purpose and Calling

How the Enemy Spiritually Attacks Our Kids:

He distracts and confuses our kids, telling them to use emotion to guide their decision-making instead of seeking to align their passions with what God is already doing. He doesn’t want our kids to understand or appreciate their unique personality and talents that God has divinely given them. He encourages our children toward laziness and to be content with seeking self-pleasure and the easy way out. Through mindless pursuits, he keeps our kids numb to the better life of magnificent beauty that comes from following God’s wild and wonderful best path.

5. Money, Possessions, Work

How the Enemy Attacks:

Like Eve in the Garden, he teases and tempts our kids with good looking “fruit” (worldly possessions) that he promises will solve their problems and bring fulfillment. He convinces them that they need to do everything they can to get ahead (including compromising their values, if need be) because having lots of money and possessions is the ultimate goal. Through a spirit of ingratitude, he keeps them insecure, empty and preoccupied with thoughts of what they do not have so that they’re always looking for more.

Christians are not living on a cruise ship but a battleship

· We have a real enemy

But we are not without Weapons!

Ephesians 6:10–18 (NLT)

10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

· Our Power comes from the Lord!!

o He who has supreme power!

· God is not asking us to be strong in our selves –

o We are strong in Him

o Through relationship to God

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.

· We are not waring against other people

· But against Principalities

o They are unseen but very real

Because this is True…

13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. (shield)

15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.

16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.

17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion.

Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

Let’s break down the armor of God.

1. Belt of Truth

· There is no such thing as “your truth”

o There is “truth”

§ Its like “perception is reality”

§ No “reality is reality”!

o God loves us so much – He sent His Son (Jesus) to die, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life!

o That is Truth!

2. Breastplate of righteousness

· We have received His righteousness – His rightness

· So, we behave rightly!

· You want to win the battle over the devil

o Do what is right according to the Truth of God’s Word!

3. Shoes of the Gospel

· Our Goals is not goods and services

· Our Goal is the Gospel

o You want to defeat the devil

§ Tell others about the Good News of Jesus!!

§ The devil will run away from the Cross

· Shoes of Peace! Get it – The Gospel brings peace to other’s lives and brings peace to yours!

4. Shield of Faith

· I believe

o I believe I am saved

o I believe I will be saved

· I behave in a way that shows I believe

o I will worship Jesus

o I will service Jesus

o I will do what Jesus wants me to do

What we see are Satan’s attacks in the form of insults, setbacks, and temptations. But the shield of faith protects us from Satan’s flaming arrows. With God’s perspective, we can see beyond our circumstances and know that ultimate victory is ours.

5. Helmet of Salvation

· My mind is protected because of the Cross of Christ

o I have the mind of Christ

o My mind is a battlefield where Jesus is the Victor!!

· I will keep my mind on the things above and not below

· I will think of good not evil!!!

o 1 Thessalonians 5:8 (NLT) But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.

· Philippians 4:8 (NLT) And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

6. Sword of the Spirit

· The Word of God

· I will live according to the Word and not the World

o John 15:18–19 (NLT) “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.

o 19 The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.

7. Pray in the Spirit

· The Spirit helps us pray

· The Spirit Prays through us

The War is Real

The Weapons are greater

2 Corinthians 10:3–6 (The Message)

3 The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will.

4 The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture.

5 We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.

6 Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.