Spiritual Warfare Why?
February 17, 2010
1. Why the battle?
• If God is so powerful why doesn’t He get rid of the demons that attack us?
• When you ask this question how are you feeling?
2 Corinthians 4: 1-6 special interests in 3 and 4 (NET Bible)
4:1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, just as God has shown us mercy, we do not become discouraged. 4:2 But we have rejected shameful hidden deeds, not behaving with deceptiveness or distorting the word of God, but by open proclamation of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience before God. 4:3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing, 4:4 among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God. 4:5 For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. 4:6 For God, who said “Let light shine out of darkness,” is the one who shined in our hearts to give us the light of the glorious knowledge of God in the face of Christ.
• What was Paul feeling when he wrote this section of Scripture?
Paul was fighting against the fallen angels to preserve the Gospel. The rulers of this world (the defeated) were trying to veil the Gospel with lies of works to make it unattainable.
• Satan is our enemy; Ezk 28:14, Rev. 12:4, Eph. 6:12
• Spiritual warfare is the battle for souls Luke 4:8-9, I Cor. 4:3-4
• Spiritual warfare takes place in the mind Eph. 6:12, I Cor. 4:14
• Spiritual warfare begins the day we are born
• Satan uses deception to blind the mind Ephesians 6:12, Daniel 10
2. How do I fight?
We fight from the position of victory and with authority
• How are we supposed to attack our enemies?
• Do we use our words and our hands?
2 Corinthians 3:183:18 And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
• What if you had never failed as a child? No bike wrecks, no hot water incidents, no failed attempts at walking on water?
• How would you respond in the face of adversity?
Romans 8:26
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how we should pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings.
Don’t make the mistake of assuming that you have authority therefore you will not be attacked.
Our goal is to advance the kingdom of God on Satan’s territory, through the power of the Gospel, which transforms lives, bringing the lost to salvation (Matthew 28:18-20)
The Armor of God: Our Weapons
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Ephesians 6:11-17
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.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
(http://www.truthnet.org/Spiritual-warfare/5Spiritual-soldier/Spiritual-soldier.htm)
Next Week:
What CAN the devil do to us?
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Won't U B Mine, Again?
Not everyone participates in Valentine's day. Debi and I don't do much for Valentine's it is a holiday made up by Hallmark and we refuse to pay them to say something that we should be saying every day.
Debi says she loves me all the time, she starts our days by getting up about a half an hour before me, she takes the dogs out and starts coffee. It isn't that big of a deal... making coffee? But that is one of our love languages. I love coffee, the fresher the better! After tending to me and the kids she scrubs, washes, primps, prods, brushes and paints to accent the beauty that her mother and father passed on to her. Why does she do all this so early in the morning? So she can go to work and provide our family with much needed funds and health insurance.
She is the softer of the two of us, she is the one that the kids go to for a hug and a shoulder to cry on. She shares children's church responsibilities with some of the ladies at church. She cleans the cars. She directs the cleaning of the house. She supports her kids in all they do. She even finds time to encourage other people's kids so they can be better people. (We have been told of wedding plans before actual parents.) Why does she do all this?
It is her nature. God gifted her with an extra ability to love. He knew she was going to marry me.
Proverbs 31:10-31 (ESV)
10 An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar.
15 She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.
Ok so she doesn't sew for me, she is still perfect in my book!
So Debi we have been best friends for a long time... When we get old and senile we can be NEW friends. There is no one that I would rather meet all over again!
Won't you be mine, again?
Debi says she loves me all the time, she starts our days by getting up about a half an hour before me, she takes the dogs out and starts coffee. It isn't that big of a deal... making coffee? But that is one of our love languages. I love coffee, the fresher the better! After tending to me and the kids she scrubs, washes, primps, prods, brushes and paints to accent the beauty that her mother and father passed on to her. Why does she do all this so early in the morning? So she can go to work and provide our family with much needed funds and health insurance.
She is the softer of the two of us, she is the one that the kids go to for a hug and a shoulder to cry on. She shares children's church responsibilities with some of the ladies at church. She cleans the cars. She directs the cleaning of the house. She supports her kids in all they do. She even finds time to encourage other people's kids so they can be better people. (We have been told of wedding plans before actual parents.) Why does she do all this?
It is her nature. God gifted her with an extra ability to love. He knew she was going to marry me.
Proverbs 31:10-31 (ESV)
10 An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar.
15 She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.
Ok so she doesn't sew for me, she is still perfect in my book!
So Debi we have been best friends for a long time... When we get old and senile we can be NEW friends. There is no one that I would rather meet all over again!
Won't you be mine, again?
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Biggest Loser
February 10, 2010
Biggest loser… to win the prize they must work hard. If they want to keep the weight off they have to stay off the couch and in the zone. Even a small step backwards will send them home from the contest.
I get called to the hospital and asked why did dad die of cancer? Well he smoked for 65 years… Don’t be surprised if you die because you over eat, drink to excess, smoke, fail to put on sunscreen or refuse to put on your seat belt. When your family asks me why you are dead would it be wrong to say “because he was stupid”?
Athletes that train hard for the Olympics must continue to train even if the Games aren’t for a couple of years. As the Games get closer they increase the intensity of their workouts and they actually sit down and plan the Peak of their performance to coincide with the exact time of the Olympic event they are to participate in. To make sure they are ready for that one major event they train all year long… they don’t just let themselves go to pot between the Olympics.
Our military also trains with the mission in mind. We have units that are in different stages of readiness. One unit may be preparing to respond to an emergency or battle while another has just gotten back from a battle and are in the stand-by mode. Rest, relationships and rebuilding. During the down time they are still running and shooting so they don’t forget what their mission is.
Our Spiritual lives are just like that. It is impossible to stay at your peak of spiritual preparedness but you should never forget that you are on standby so you can respond with the Gospel at a moment’s notice.
The difference between God’s Army and man’s army is that we will get instant spiritual adrenalin supernaturally when we need it. We can be filled with the Spirit at God’s request instantly. We need to be familiar enough with Spiritual Warfare to know when we need it.
2 Tim 2:21
So if anyone purifies himself from these things, he will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.
To stay in the fight we need to be prepared for battle. We go to church on Sunday and we pray, praise and worship. Too often when we are getting into the car we yell at our families’ just minutes after leaving our weekly pick me up. Then we don’t return to anything Godly during the week. We leave the spiritual stuff to church leadership.
We must learn to put Spiritual Disciplines to work for our marriages, our families, and Christ’s Church.
Full Armor of God Ephesians 6:10-20 (HCSB)
10 Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. 12 For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. 13 This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. 14 Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, 15 and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. 16 In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word. 18 With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and stay alert in this, with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. 20 For this I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough in Him to speak as I should.
Over the next couple of weeks we are going to look at these Spiritual Disciplines: (table of contents for Don Whitney's "Spiritual Disciplines For the Christian Life)
· Bible intake
· Prayer
· Worship
· Evangelism
· Serving
· Stewardship
· Fasting
· Silence and Solitude
· Journaling
· Learning
· Perseverance in the Disciplines
Biggest loser… to win the prize they must work hard. If they want to keep the weight off they have to stay off the couch and in the zone. Even a small step backwards will send them home from the contest.
I get called to the hospital and asked why did dad die of cancer? Well he smoked for 65 years… Don’t be surprised if you die because you over eat, drink to excess, smoke, fail to put on sunscreen or refuse to put on your seat belt. When your family asks me why you are dead would it be wrong to say “because he was stupid”?
Athletes that train hard for the Olympics must continue to train even if the Games aren’t for a couple of years. As the Games get closer they increase the intensity of their workouts and they actually sit down and plan the Peak of their performance to coincide with the exact time of the Olympic event they are to participate in. To make sure they are ready for that one major event they train all year long… they don’t just let themselves go to pot between the Olympics.
Our military also trains with the mission in mind. We have units that are in different stages of readiness. One unit may be preparing to respond to an emergency or battle while another has just gotten back from a battle and are in the stand-by mode. Rest, relationships and rebuilding. During the down time they are still running and shooting so they don’t forget what their mission is.
Our Spiritual lives are just like that. It is impossible to stay at your peak of spiritual preparedness but you should never forget that you are on standby so you can respond with the Gospel at a moment’s notice.
The difference between God’s Army and man’s army is that we will get instant spiritual adrenalin supernaturally when we need it. We can be filled with the Spirit at God’s request instantly. We need to be familiar enough with Spiritual Warfare to know when we need it.
2 Tim 2:21
So if anyone purifies himself from these things, he will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.
To stay in the fight we need to be prepared for battle. We go to church on Sunday and we pray, praise and worship. Too often when we are getting into the car we yell at our families’ just minutes after leaving our weekly pick me up. Then we don’t return to anything Godly during the week. We leave the spiritual stuff to church leadership.
We must learn to put Spiritual Disciplines to work for our marriages, our families, and Christ’s Church.
Full Armor of God Ephesians 6:10-20 (HCSB)
10 Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. 12 For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. 13 This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. 14 Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, 15 and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. 16 In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word. 18 With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and stay alert in this, with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. 20 For this I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough in Him to speak as I should.
Over the next couple of weeks we are going to look at these Spiritual Disciplines: (table of contents for Don Whitney's "Spiritual Disciplines For the Christian Life)
· Bible intake
· Prayer
· Worship
· Evangelism
· Serving
· Stewardship
· Fasting
· Silence and Solitude
· Journaling
· Learning
· Perseverance in the Disciplines
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Winter weather
Have you been outside today? It was chilly this morning. I have lived in Missouri all but five years of my life and I am surprised at how fast a man can become accustomed to mild winters.
I was at the hospital the other day, visiting one of our members, and one of the volunteers commented on how bad the weather was, she asked if I had a hard time getting to the hospital in the ice. I told her that I took my time and stayed away from the least traveled roads. I also mentioned that I knew how to drive in bad weather because I grew up in the Midwest and we had a lot of bad weather. She went on to tell me that the Triad “ALWAYS” has bad weather and she should know how to drive in it too. I don’t think that this area “always” has bad weather but it does get bad weather every year, there is a big difference
It isn’t uncommon to have bad weather in our lives too; it is just something that happens. When people go through storms we always think, “Well bless their hearts”, and “thank God it isn’t us”. In the past I have been without electricity for two weeks because of ice. It was terrible, I had the flu and it was my birthday that week. It was cold and we started getting some rain. The ice started to build up on the trees, it looked beautiful at first, it started getting thicker and when we went outside it was deathly quiet. You know what I mean, the snow absorbs all of the sound and you can’t even hear cars till they are right in front of your house. All of a sudden, like a squirrel rifle going off I heard the first tree limb break. In the next three days we had several thousand more limbs break and if you drive through Missouri today and look at the trees in the creek bottoms you will still see some of that damage. That happened in 2000; it will take years for all the forests and log jams in the creeks to clear up.
Life is like that too. We have storms, some worse than others, the ones we can dodge we do, and we are glad they didn’t happen to us. Have you ever watched the news and gone in to hug you children while they slept? Kind of glad they didn’t have to go through what ever you saw on T.V.? Life is that way for a lot of people, always waiting for some storm. God doesn’t want us to have to weather stuff like that. He wants us to have joy to get us through the rough stuff, not wollering in self-pity waiting for our next calamity.
I know God could stop our storms, but we have to be able to help others get through their storms and if we didn’t have any experience fighting our own battles what good would we be? In John 10:10 Jesus says, “the devil comes to kill steal and destroy but I come to give us life and give it abundantly”.
Do you have joy in your life? Storms come and storms go, God will let them stay so that we are stronger and more able to help our fellow man. Are you going through a storm right now? Is it tough going through it alone? If you don’t have a church I would invite you to come to CrossPoint and find out what it is like to be supported by people that love you. If you do have a church, I would encourage you to see your pastor or other maturing Believer and get some helpful prayer for your storm. If people know you need help they are more likely to come to your aid. Don’t let the devil destroy you. We aren’t equipped to handle storms alone. Accept the abundant life that Jesus offers.
Have you been outside today? It was chilly this morning. I have lived in Missouri all but five years of my life and I am surprised at how fast a man can become accustomed to mild winters.
I was at the hospital the other day, visiting one of our members, and one of the volunteers commented on how bad the weather was, she asked if I had a hard time getting to the hospital in the ice. I told her that I took my time and stayed away from the least traveled roads. I also mentioned that I knew how to drive in bad weather because I grew up in the Midwest and we had a lot of bad weather. She went on to tell me that the Triad “ALWAYS” has bad weather and she should know how to drive in it too. I don’t think that this area “always” has bad weather but it does get bad weather every year, there is a big difference
It isn’t uncommon to have bad weather in our lives too; it is just something that happens. When people go through storms we always think, “Well bless their hearts”, and “thank God it isn’t us”. In the past I have been without electricity for two weeks because of ice. It was terrible, I had the flu and it was my birthday that week. It was cold and we started getting some rain. The ice started to build up on the trees, it looked beautiful at first, it started getting thicker and when we went outside it was deathly quiet. You know what I mean, the snow absorbs all of the sound and you can’t even hear cars till they are right in front of your house. All of a sudden, like a squirrel rifle going off I heard the first tree limb break. In the next three days we had several thousand more limbs break and if you drive through Missouri today and look at the trees in the creek bottoms you will still see some of that damage. That happened in 2000; it will take years for all the forests and log jams in the creeks to clear up.
Life is like that too. We have storms, some worse than others, the ones we can dodge we do, and we are glad they didn’t happen to us. Have you ever watched the news and gone in to hug you children while they slept? Kind of glad they didn’t have to go through what ever you saw on T.V.? Life is that way for a lot of people, always waiting for some storm. God doesn’t want us to have to weather stuff like that. He wants us to have joy to get us through the rough stuff, not wollering in self-pity waiting for our next calamity.
I know God could stop our storms, but we have to be able to help others get through their storms and if we didn’t have any experience fighting our own battles what good would we be? In John 10:10 Jesus says, “the devil comes to kill steal and destroy but I come to give us life and give it abundantly”.
Do you have joy in your life? Storms come and storms go, God will let them stay so that we are stronger and more able to help our fellow man. Are you going through a storm right now? Is it tough going through it alone? If you don’t have a church I would invite you to come to CrossPoint and find out what it is like to be supported by people that love you. If you do have a church, I would encourage you to see your pastor or other maturing Believer and get some helpful prayer for your storm. If people know you need help they are more likely to come to your aid. Don’t let the devil destroy you. We aren’t equipped to handle storms alone. Accept the abundant life that Jesus offers.
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