Category: Spiritual Warfare

The 7th Element of Spiritual Warfare

10/14/2018

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." Ephesians 6:18

Praying in the Spirit

"I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Luke 24:49

The Spirit is fighting with us.

“‘In the last days, God says,
    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
    your young men will see visions,
    your old men will dream dreams." Acts 2:17

Prayer is the breath of Christian life.

Prayer should be like oxygen for us.

Without prayer we will start to decay -- lack of prayer will make our hearts grow cold. We will just live in our heads.

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God." Romans 8:26-27

So many times we struggle on what to pray. We don't need to fret -- the Spirit prays for us. Praying in the Spirit is power. We are in a battle every day. Continue your connection with God always. We then will always be ready.

Pray individually and pray together. God will speak to you. It helps strengthen us. The Spirit will lift us up.

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him."
1 John 5:14-15

Pray according to God's will.

Recognize who God is.

Pray according to His will. What God has in store for us is always good. God isn't Santa Claus.j

A.C.T.S.

Adoration -- Confession -- Thanksgiving -- Supplication

Adoration - recognize who God is.

"in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.[a]" Proverbs 3:6

Confession -- without Christ there is no forgiveness.

9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

Confession is part of our individual relationship to God. Talk to God about everything.

Thanksgiving

"give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Salvation paid for at a great price.

God does give. His grace is sufficient forever.

Supplication=the action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly.

Come to me with your problems.

Lean on Me.

Give them to God and don't take them back. Give me enough for today. Think about your relationships. You need regular and frequent communication. God wants to be part of your life always. He wants to be in the forefront of our minds. God's "waiting on the Phone" for your call. Spend time with Him. Do we live in a prayerful way? Stop long enough to listen.
"Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord." Psalm 27:14

"I wait for the Lord

    more than watchmen wait for the morning,
    more than watchmen wait for the morning." Psalm 130:6

Wait for the Lord like a night watchman waits for the sun to come up.

Sometimes God blesses us with things we don't want. He can change us through things we don't anticipate.

Ask God to show you the blessing in the suffering.
Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

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The Sword of the Spirit

10/7/2018

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(This is the fourth in a sermon series on the armor of God. I forgot to bring the recorder this week so I can only give you notes.)

"Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Ephesians 6:17

The Sword of the Spirit is an offensive weapon. The Word of God is our offensive weapon against the spiritual forces that are against God and His kingdom.

Paul was very familiar with Roman armor and swords since he was guarded by Roman soldiers 24-7. The Roman sword was called a gladius.

It was a typical weapon for a Roman infantry soldier. See picture on right. It was a two-edged sword, very sharp, cut both ways.

It had two roles:

To Parry= a deflection of the enemy's weapons.

To Thurst/Slash= offensive move -- used on the attack.

We are supposed to attack satan and his kingdom with the Word of God.

The Word of God Attributes:

It is Perfect.

"The law of the Lord is perfect,
    refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
    making wise the simple." Psalm 19:7

It is Inerrant.

“Every word of God is flawless;
    he is a shield to those who take refuge in him." Proverbs 30:5

It is complete.

"I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll." Revelation 22:18-19

It is sufficient.

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,"
2 Timothy 3:16

It is alive and active.

'For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:12-13

Jesus used the Word of God (If Jesus Himself who is the Word of God used it, how much more do we need to use it when we are attacked spiritually?)

In Matthew 4, Satan first attacks Jesus by telling Him to turn the stones into loaves of bread.

Jesus replies with a parry stroke (a deflection of the enemy's weapon).

"Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[a]” Matthew 4:4

Then, Satan tries to use the word against Jesus. Jesus again parries with the Sword of the Spirit.

"Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[a]”" Matthew 4:7

And finally, Satan tells him to serve satan and Satan will make it easy for Jesus. Jesus uses a thurst, an offensive move. He attacks Satan with the Word of God.

"Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[a]” Matthew 4:10

Soldiers constantly train with their weapons to get better with them and to stay skilled with them. We too need to train in the specific use of the Word.

"Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ." Romans 10:17

Paul stayed to share the Word of Christ. He stayed till his job was done.

"He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”" Luke 11:28

"Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation," 1 Peter 2:2

We have to be craving the Word.

How much time do you spend in the Word? The Word should be well-worn.

In addition to the joy and blessing of it, of God speaking directly to us through the Word, think about the planning and the intention it took for God to provide us with the Word of God; to give us the perfect sword; a creation we can hold (and read) in our hands.

It gets harder and sharper the more you work with it. Layers upon layers of wisdom.

The only problem is we don't spend enough time in it.

We're at war.

Why aren't we sharpening our swords? What aren't we training with it?

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of Godthat brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile." Romans 1:16

What are you doing with it?

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The Helmet of Salvation

9/30/2018

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(This is the third part in now 4 parts about the armor of God.)

17 "Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Ephesians 6:17

Helmets are meant to protect your head.

To the left you see a Roman helmet, the kind most likely that Paul had in mind while writing the letter to the Ephesians. it has neck protection, face protection, head protection; you can tell what rank the solider is by the horsehair broom thing (don't know the name of it) on the top; it has a ledge above the eyes that stops arrows from above. It is the most important piece of armor the soldier wore. A soldier could sustain a wound in many parts of the body, but a head wound would take him out immediately and very likely prove fatal.

The head is vulnerable like our mind is vulnerable to spiritual attacks. A soldier never went anywhere without his helmet so he was always ready for attacks. If he wasn't wearing it he had it tied on his belt with the chin strap. We always needs to have our "helmet of salvation" with us.
The Roman helmet was the most identifying piece of the soldier's armor. Our salvation is to be worn in the same way. It's beautiful, important and should be worn out in the open for all to see.

We must work on our minds. Our minds have to be involved in our faith. If we can't control our minds, we won't be able to live the faith life well at all. Satan will attack our minds. We know this. We need to live purposefully and prepared at all times guarding our minds. Where our minds are, we are.

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2

It's very easy to fall into a worldly mindset. If you allow something to enter your mind it will affect it. This can be good or bad. We are to be renewing it -- a continual, daily thing.

Thoughts lead to actions. Actions lead to habits. Habits are hard to break and easy to fall back into even after we break them.

The helmet of salvation will protect us from:

1. Doublemindedness.

"Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do." James 1:8

We can't have it both ways. We have to be committed. We can't live for God and for the world. One or the other. Don't be led astray. Don't be lukewarm.

Pay attention to what's in front of you.

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
Matthew 6:33

Keep your eyes on the prize!

Satan will try and trip us up.

If we aren't facing forward we don't see the traps waiting for us. He disguises them. He is sneaky.

2. A Deceived Mind.

"But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning,your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ." 2 Corinthians 11:3

3 Steps Satan uses:
a. He casts doubt.
"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1
b. Denial.
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman." Genesis 3:4
c. Substitute a lie for God's truth.
“For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:5

How do we get the doubt out?

Focus on God. Focus on what is right. Daily, hold up the word of God. Daily fill your mind with the word of God.

"But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet." 1 Thessalonians 5:8

We must be protected to stand.

The world is a fallen place. We are surrounded by "fallenness."

Yet, this is not the end of the story. God will prevail in the end. God told us the ending for a purpose. The big picture is heaven.

Spiritually, we are what we think. Where our mind is, so are we.

That is where we have the most power to fight Satan. Focus on hope, on salvation.

"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:5

Someday we will exchange the helmet for a crown. The head covering won't be necessary anymore (in heaven).

We have to stay focused.

We are at war.

The Word of God is the blacksmith that forges our spiritual armor.

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The Boots and the Shield

9/23/2018

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I didn't get the sermon up last week (Sept 16) because our house was without internet for four days. Last week's sermon was the first of three sermons on the Armor of God. If you want to hear the first sermon click here. I won't include the notes to that sermon on this site, but if you really want them email me here and ask for them.

Today's sermon was entitled "The Boots and the Shield." The notes follow:

Take care of your feet.

15 "and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." Ephesians 6:15-16

Have your boots in good condition.

"fitted with the readiness"

Preparation/readiness = "Hetomasia" which means foundation, to stand firm. Without the peace of God, who are we?

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," Romans 5:1

Peace knowing God loves us. Most important element of our faith -- connection with God through Jesus.

"How beautiful on the mountains
    are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
    who bring good tidings,
    who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
    “Your God reigns!” Isaiah 52:7

How beautiful are the feet of the messenger. Can't carry the message if we don't have peace with God.

"Shield of Faith"

"In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." Ephesians 6:16

The shield is not attached to you. You have to pick it up daily.

The Roman shield was called a scutum. It was layers of hide and canvas over wood. It could cover everything but the soldier's helmet. It was big!

The square in the middle had a handle in the back where the soldier held onto the shield. The soldier could push it and punch with it like a weapon. We can do the same thing with our faith!

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for." Hebrews 11:1-2

Cover yourself with the shield of faith. You have no idea where from or what is coming to attack you. Trust in your shield of faith to keep you covered.

The shield could be soaked with water (canvas and leather remember) so it could distinguish flaming arrows that came at it. We can soak our faith with the water of the Spirit. Take up your faith in the battle. And take care of your shield, your equipment.

Our faith must be taken care of before the battle. Faith will be beaten on. We an built it up now. We can strengthen it. Nothing can take the place of the shield. Guard, protects, deflects. First defense against Satan. Without a strong faith we are just walking wounded people, totally ineffective for Christ. We never know when or where an attack will come. Satan will use anything, all the common everyday things to beat us down.

The shield covers the holes in the armor.

Jesus used His faith and the Sword of the Spirit.

8 "Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[a]” Matthew 4:8-10

It is written!

Know the Word.

If we choose not to strengthen our faith, that's our choice and our weakness is on us.

"You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless[a]?" James 2:20

"for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith." 1 John 5:4

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The 7th Element of Spiritual Warfare

The Sword of the Spirit

The Helmet of Salvation

The Boots and the Shield

Shannon Hinrichs

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