SUITING UP FOR SPIRITUAL WARFARE Part 2: Having The Strength For Being Victorious

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” Ephesians 6:10 (NIV)

After the word, “Finally” the following sentence indicate the one essential ingredient necessary for experiencing victory in spiritual warfare over Satanic attacks. This is not just a good suggestion that might be consider but essential element that necessary for overcoming the enemy during spiritual battle. Failure to utilize this ingredient is doomed to failure whereby you are defeated by the enemy. In other words, you can’t win over Satan unless you include this essential ingredient. THAT’S WHY IT IS CALLED: ESSENTIAL!

What is this essential ingredient that is so necessary in gaining the victory ins spiritual warfare? It is strength! Our enemy, Satan, is a strong adversary and it is essential that we are stronger than him. Satan is a formidable adversary that requires us to be even more formidable. When a soldiers engages in hand to hand combat it is usually the one who is the strongest that prevails. So, it is imperative that we know that we have much greater strength than our enemy, Satan, if we are going to be victorious in overcoming him during our times of spiritual battles.

In this verse we are told that we need to gain our strength in two areas. I say two but to be honest they are both from the same thing. However, you can’t avail yourself to the second area unless you first receive the first area. What are these two areas of strength:

FIRST AREA OF STRENGTH: THE LORD JESUS HIMSELF.

What does the verse say,

“Finally, be strong in the Lord …”

The spiritual strength that allows us to experience victory in spiritual warfare comes from us being Strong “In The Lord”. There are two important things to notice from this sentence.

First, Our strength for overcoming spiritual warfare emanates from Christ himself. Christ is the source of the necessary powerful for gaining the victory in spiritual warfare. Listen to what the Apostle John says in 1 John 4:1-4,

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (NIV)

In this verse the Apostle John is talking about not believing every spirit but to test them to see if they are of God or not. Spiritual warfare has a lot to do with deception. Satan will use false prophets that sound real good but are not of God. John calls this the spirit of the anti-christ.

But then in verse four John makes three powerful points . These three points should provide hope to all of God children, especially those of His children who are intentionally engaging in the mission of our Lord. What does he say? He says,

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (vs. 4).

• First John says: That we who follow Christ are from God. Because of Christ;’s death, burial and resurrection and our faith in Him as Lord we now belong to God. God is our master and our Lord. Satan no longer has any claims over us. We have been bought back by God. We now belong to him.

  There’s an old gospel hymn I grew up singing. It’s called NOW I BELONG TO JESUS written by Billy Speer. Listen to the lyrics and let their message sink deep into your heart and soul.

  (v. 1) “Jesus, my Lord will love me forever,
  From Him no pow'r of evil can sever,
  He gave His life to ransom my soul;
  Now I belong to Him;

  (Chorus) Now I belong to Jesus,
  Jesus belongs to me,
  Not for the years of time alone,
  But for eternity.

  (v. 2) Once I was lost in sin's degradation,
  Jesus came down to bring me salvation,
  Lifted me up from sorrow and shame,
  Now I belong to Him;

  (v. 3) Joy floods my soul for Jesus has saved me,
  Freed me from sin that long had enslaved me
  His precious blood, He came to redeem,
  Now I belong to Him;

We truly are from God! Why? Because God bought us, owns us through the precious blood of Jesus when He died on the cross. Here’s a clear Biblical principle that we need to get very clear in our mind: Because Jesus bought and paid for us through his death on the cross, his burial and his resurrection from the grave, we now belong to him and as such everything we need, including the power to be victorious in spiritual warfare, is provided to us from him.

• Second John says: We have overcome them: Who’s the “them” he is talking about? It’s the evil spirits that it referred to just a few sentences earlier. Here’s a most important fact that we must understand in both our mind and our hearts. Because of Christ’s death and resurrection and through our faith in Christ as Lord, we have already become the victors. The war has already been won. While there still may be some individual skirmishers still going on the - the war has already been won. Because of Christ we no longer need to fear death, the grave or even sin. THE VICTORY HAS ALREADY BEEN WON BY CHRIST!

• Finally John says: The one who is in us is greater than the one who resides in the world. Through our faith in Christ, Christ baptized us into the Holy Spirit and now through the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives Christ himself is living His life, not only in us but also through us. The strength we need to prevail in spiritual warfare is the same strength that Christ used to overcome Satan and now through the Holy Spirit Christ himself lives in us and Christ who has already defeated Satan can do it again but this time through us.

  There’s an amazing story of what happens when you try to engage in spiritual warfare without having Christ in your life. It’s found in Acts 19:11-20.

  There were seven sons of Sceva living in Ephesus during the time of the Apostle Paul and his missionary journey into Ephesus. These seven sons of Sceva had seen and heard about how the Apostle Paul healed the sick and casted out demons and, for whatever reason, wanted to do the same but didn’t have a personal relationship with Christ. Then one day these seven brothers found a demon possessed man and tried to command the demon to come out of him. Then the demon responded back to them,

  “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?’ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.” (v. 15, 16 NIV)

  Here’s a lesson we can learn from this story. If you don’t have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, you don’t have the power to overcome in spiritual warfare.

  Did you read what the demon man said to those seven brothers right before he gave them pound down? He said, “… Jesus I know and Paul I know about …”

  Don’t let his statement escape you too quickly! He said that he knew Jesus. Of course he did. Demons are nothing more than fallen angels who followed Satan in the great rebellion. That demon had seen Jesus, the Son of God, before He was born of a virgin, in Heaven sharing the Glory of God the Father. This knew exactly who Jesus was and feared him.

  But then the possessed man said a second thing: I know about Paul. The Apostle Paul was on this demons radar. He knew about him, he had heard the spiritual rumors about Paul, probably from other demons and he also knew that he didn’t wanted to mess around with Paul because Paul was a born again, Spirit filled with the life of Christ being lived out through him. Though he had never personally encountered Paul, he knew he didn’t want to because of Jesus who lived in and through him. You see this demon knew that Paul had the power to defeat him because he had Christ living in him.

  But for these seven sons of Sceva this demon also knew that they were not Spirit filled and Christ didn’t live in them and as a result they had no fear of them. 7 to 1 meant nothing to that demon possessed man. Why? Because that demon knew that no mortal man could defeat him, only the person who is strong in the Lord by having the Lord himself living in and through him.

So if we are want to be victorious in spiritual warfare we first need to be strong in the Lord. Our walk with Christ needs to be strong; our prayer life needs to be strong in Christ; our desires and will need to be submitted to Christ.

SECOND AREA OF STRENGTH: IN CHRIST’S POWER!

Now we need to refine our focus to one specific area of being in Christ and that is to be also “In His (Christ’s) might power. In other words, we need to make sure that when it comes to spiritual warfare we are utilizing the power of Christ and not our own power.

Well then one has to ask themselves this very important question: If one is in Christ is it possible to attempt to do things (like spiritual warfare) in some other strength like our own?

And the answer to that question is an resounding

“ABSOLUTELY YES”!

“For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.” Galatians 5:13-17 (NASB)

In these few verses in Galatians we see that it is not only possible for Christians to live a life of sinful desires but that it is something so probable that we are admonished to guard against it. Please understand, being tempted to live a life in the sinful flesh is part of spiritual warfare.

But there is a remedy to becoming over whelmed with spiritual warfare and that is to intentionally choose to live a life by the Holy Spirit, to be filled by the Holy Spirit, or to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. These verses are very clear, if we are walking in the Spirit we will not carry out the desires of the sinful flesh or another way of saying it is that we will not over overcome during spiritual warfare. We will be the victor!

Listen to what God says to Zerubbable through the prophet Zechaiah about the kind of power necessary to accomplish the Lord’s work and experience victory,

“So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LordAlmighty.” Zechariah 4:6 (NIV)

The key to experiencing the strength that is necessary to being victorious in spiritual warfare is to first make sure you have a personal relationship with Christ and second is ensure that you are daily walking in the Spirit of God so that you are plugged in to the power source.

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Suiting Up For Spiritual Warfare: Part 1

At the end of the book of Ephesians the Apostle Paul begins to teach and instruct on spiritual warfare and the need for putting on the armor in order to have victory. Here’s what he says,

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes …” Ephesians 6:10-11 (NIV)

The book of Ephesians was a letter sent to the church at Ephesus reminding them of all the things that Paul had taught them personally when he was with them. The teachings and instructions contained in this letter were the same teachings that Paul gave to all the new believers, in all the churches that he started. You see almost all these same teachings and in almost the same order Paul taught in the book of Colossians. We also see these same topics of instruction given not only by Paul but also by the Apostle Peter.

Obviously, these particular teachings were consider by Paul, Peter and actually all the rest of the Apostles as vital for the spiritual health and protection for the saints. In the Book of Acts, chapter two, where it says that the new believers devoted themselves to the Apostles Teaching, it could very well be referring to these teaching and trainings we find in Ephesians, Colossians and 1 Peter.

But the very last teaching and instruction we find in Ephesians deals with spiritual warfare and suiting up with the armor necessary for gaining the victory. Verse 10 starts off with the word, “Finally”. In other words, Paul is wrapping up his letter and letting the readers know that this is the last topic he is going to teach on. After teaching about who Christ is, our salvation in Christ, living a life worthy of our call, how to treat our parent and kids; our husbands and wives; and our masters and our slaves Paul ends with this topic of spiritual warfare and the armor necessary for victory.

Why at the end? Why not at the beginning or the middle?

I believe it is because of the urgent importance of the subject dealing with spiritual attacks and how to handle them. Now don’t get me wrong I believe that all of the topics and lessons contained in the Ephesians are very important! If they weren’t I don’t believe that they would have been in the Bible to start with. The Bible tells us that all of the Bible is vitally important to the life and vitality of God’s people.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV)

Since all these topics are contained in the Bible - they are important and they are useful. They are useful in teaching us the truth, rebuking us when we do wrong, correcting us on how we are suppose to act, and how to live a life that is pleasing to God. So, please understand that all of scripture is important, useful and comes from God.

However, I do believe that some topics and instructions are more urgent than others. The word “Urgent” is an adjective that means:

• a state or situation requiring immediate action or attention.

• an action or an event done or arranged in response to a pressing or critical situation.

• a person or their manner earnest and persistent in response to a pressing situation.

Spiritual warfare by its very nature requires immediate action because of the critical situation that it creates and as a result should be the earnest and persistent response of every follower of Christ. The nature of spiritual warfare is a critical and pressing situation that should cause all of God’s people to take it seriously.

While other topics found in Ephesians are important and useful not all of them are urgent like those of spiritual warfare. And that’s why I believe that the Apostle Paul taught on it last. With spiritual warfare being the last thing the recipients would read insures that it is also the foremost thing they will remember.

Why would the Apostle Paul want to make spiritual warfare the foremost thing for people to remember? Because it could quite possibly be the first thing that a new believer experiences in their new life in Christ.

Think about it for just a moment. Do we really think that Satan is going to be alright with the fact that another one of his slaves has just been liberated by the Gospel and defected from his kingdom into the Kingdom of Heaven?

Of course not!

Satan hates it. He can’t stand it. Every time another persons surrenders their life over to the Lordship of Christ Satan has a little less rulership over this world. He is just a little bit closer to the total defeat he will eventually experience. And that’s just not acceptable to him! And, he’s going to fight back.

One of the first groups of people that spiritual warfare will come too are those new believers in Christ. Satan wants to make sure that even though they are free and their sins have been forgiven, they are going to suffer for their treason. He is going to hit them hard and fast. He may not own them anymore, they may now belong to Christ but Satan wants to neutralize their effectiveness in their service to Christ. And so he attacks them.

As a result of this reality the Apostle Paul knows that these new believers need to be quickly prepared for the spiritual attack that will be coming. And what better way to accomplish that than by making this topic the last thing they hear to ensure it’s the first thing they remember.

Another group of people that spiritual warfare will hit are those who are intentionally joining Christ on His mission of making more and more disciples. All Christians are called to follow Christ and where is Christ leading us?

• To a life on mission.

• To a life of making him more disciples!

• To a life of sharing the Gospel to those still held as slaves to sin and blinded by Satan.

In a very real sense every Christian is called by Jesus to be spiritual freedom fighters, liberating those held captive by Satan through the sharing of the Gospel of Christ. It’s not just what we do but in a very real sense it is who we are. It’s our purpose, reason and mission for living in this spiritually dark world.

And when Christians begin to take hold of this new identity and intentionally try to live it out, the demonic forces of this world will respond and fight back.

Why?

Because every time we share the Gospel with a lost person in this world we are picking a fight with Satan. That’s right, I did say, “WE ARE PICKING A FIGHT WITH SATAN!”

Let’s get real for just moment. Does anyone really think that Satan is going to be alright with us coming into his kingdom and liberating his slaves? Do we really think he is going to stand at the entrance of his spiritual concentration camps and yell out to us, “Come on in. It’s o.k. I’ll let you free my slaves.”

Of course not! That kind of thinking is absurd and naive.

The truth of the matter is that Satan is going to fight back. He is going to do what he did with Job and later Peter. He will go before God, present himself alongside the angels and ask permission to sift us like wheat with the intent to cause us to curse God to His face. Take a look at what the Bible says,

“… One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’ Satan answered the Lord, ‘From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.’ Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.’ ‘Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.” Job 1:6-12 (NIV)

While there are a whole lot of great spiritual truths to learn from these few verse here are just two important lessons we need to learn today.

1. Satan will ask permission to attack us spiritually

2. God will give him permission to do it.

In other words Satan not only wants to spiritually attack us he is also willing to go before God to get permission to do it and God, at times, will grant him that permission.

Spiritual warfare is unavoidable from both God’s and Satan’s design and perspective. At this point let me reassure you that God and Satan have totally different intentions for wanting and allowing spiritual warfare in our lives. Real quickly we know that Satan wants it to use it to cause us to curse God to His face (destroy our faith) but God want to use it to make us stronger in our faith.

So yes, if you are going to be obedient to Christ by joining Him on His mission of making disciples then you are a target for spiritual attacks by Satan and the demonic kingdom.

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3 Things To Expect From God When You Join Him On Mission!

" Yes, He (God) has humbled me and shown me what I am, revealing Himself as a present, a very present help in times of trouble.  And though He does not deprive me of feeling in my trial, He enables me to sing, 'Yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation ... Now I am happy in my Saviour's love.  I can thank Him for all, even the most painful experiences of the past, and trust Him without fear for all that is to come."  Hudson Taylor

In this video I am going to share 3 things you can expect from God when you decided to join Him on His mission!  They are taken from the above quote of Hudson Taylor and is verified with scripture.  THEY WILL BE CHALLENGING TO HEAR AND ACCEPT! But they will also, once made part of your life, prepare you for whatever assignment the Lord sees fit to give you as part of His mission.  

Watch, Listen & Be Challenged!

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3 Principles For Worshipping God!

While worshipping God will include more than these 3 principles, it will definitely include these three.  I chose them because they are often forgotten and not mentioned. These 3 seem to reside underneath the covers hiding away from most of our attentions. However, they are important reminders that if our worship is going to remain unadulterated and pure before a Holy Righteous God they need to be kept in check.

PRINCIPLE #1:  We're To Worship God Who Needs Nothing!

How many times have we praise people for their work and effort for the purpose of encouraging them. Praise in that sense is done because we think the person needs it.  But God doesn't need our praise. God doesn't get discouraged that causes him to need others to build him up.  God doesn't need us to boost His ego.

We don't worship God because he needs it. We worship Him because He DESERVES IT!  

Our motivation for worshipping God doesn't come from a sense of God's need but out of a sense of God's worth.

"Because your love is better than life,  my lips will glorify you." Ps 63:3 

PRINCIPLE #2:  We're To Worship God Even Though We Don't Feel Like It!

Listen to the words of Job after his family was killed and property was stolen.

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,  and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” Job 1:21 (NIV)

What was Job doing?

• First he makes a declaration of truth
• and then Job begins to praise God - he begins to worship God!  

Let me ask you a question! At that moment, after hearing about the murder of his children and all his property being stolen, do you think Job "FELT" like worshipping God?  Of course NOT!  But he did it any how!  

Do you think that King David felt like worshipping God after the death of his baby with Bathsheba?  Of course not! But that's exactly what he did. He bathed, he changed cloths and he went to the temple to worship God.  Do we truly think that Paul and Silas after being beaten and thrown into jail in Philippi felt like worship God while chained in stocks?  Of course NOT! But that's what they were doing.

Worship isn't intended to praise God for the wonderful and great things that He has done for us exclusively. It is also intended to worship him even when we are morning and saddened by the events of life. 

We worship God not because we feel like it but we worship Him because He is worthy of it!

"In a loud voice they were saying:  'Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,  to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength  and honor and glory and praise!” Revelation 5:12 (NIV)

PRINCIPLE #3:  Worship Of God Includes Meeting Other People's Need!

"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."  Hebrews 13:15-16 (NIV)

Did you read what are the sacrifices we're to bring to God for worship that will please Him?  

• It is doing good
• and sharing with others who are in need. 

 It's not just our songs we sing and the prayers we make but it also includes how we treat people and how we look out after them by meeting their needs.

"I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God." Phil 4:18 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul considered the gifts of support he received as being a fragrant offering and an acceptable sacrifice that is pleasing to God. 

After you leave your fancy church buildings and go out for lunch do you even give a consideration the homeless person in the park that may or may not get a meal that day?  Do we really think that God is please with our songs when we ignore the needs of others around us?

Let us worship God but lets worship him the way He wants to be worship and for the right reason!