A New Way of Seeing - Part 1
Last week – we AFFIRMED what God is doing to mature us. We affirmed:
1. Christ has given me a new identity! I am a saint of God, chosen by Him, a royal priest, a full-fledged member of His holy people and I belong to God – and I’m going to live like it!
2. Christ has filled me with His Holy Spirit! Daily, I will welcome the power of the Holy Spirit to fill me and to overflow into every area of life, enabling me to do the impossible in Jesus Name!
3. Christ has given me a new responsibility! Everything I possess is a gift from Him, so I’ll use it all for His purposes and glory!
4. Christ has set me free! I’m no longer in bondage to my past, to Satan or to the religious regulations of man. Instead, I’ll live in outrageous freedom fulfilling every one of God’s plans for my life!
5. Christ has shown me the truth of the Gospel! I’m fully alive in Christ and I will live this life to worship Him!
6. Christ had given me a new family! Christ’s church provides me the support I need to carry out my journey, as I give others that same support in return!
7. Christ has called me to be mature! Putting aside lesser things, I’m getting into the fight and moving forward in the things of God’s kingdom with the goal of becoming like Jesus!
Now – because this is true – because God has us very clearly moving forward together as a church family – we can count on one thing:
Satan isn’t happy and He is going to do whatever he can to stop you and us from putting these affirmations into practice!
So, it seems appropriate that we learn God’s ways to do battle – so that not only can you stop him from harming you, but you can defeat him.
I want to teach you about spiritual warfare.
"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. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:10-12
The rest of the chapter is devoted to a detailed description of the armor of God – and we will get to that – just not today.
When you are faced with attacks against your true spiritual self – remember you belong to Christ – remember He has made your heart good – remember He has given you His Indwelling Holy Spirit – remember you aren’t who you used to be – and Paul tells us that the very first thing to do is…
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.”
A huge key to spritual warfare is found here: When you are facing trials, troubles, temptation, struggles, discouragement, deception, distraction – the very first thing to do is to…
1. Take Your Eyes Off The Problem And LOOK to God for Solutions!
“Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power” – the Greek text literally means: RECEIVE STRENGTH FROM THE LORD WHO POSSESSES SUPERIOR MIGHT AND POWER!
What do we usually do when facing these kinds of problems: We focus on them. BIG MISTAKE – because by focusing on the trails, the temptations and the testing – we give them MORE POWER than they really have and we DENY GOD the opportunity to bring HIS POWER into the situation.
But when we look to Christ for strength – He provides it. Every time. In fact, you don’t have to wonder if Christ will provide you with the strength in times of problems – you can CLAIM His strength because He has promised to provide it!
Psalms 50:15 says…
"…call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."" Psalms 50:15
We will honor Him because He will come through and prove Himself to be praiseworthy.
"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." 1 John 5:14
Now, it is clearly God’s will that you have victory over Satan – so approach God with confidence that He will give you exactly what you need to do so!
God’s power is sufficient for your problems. Marital problems. Financial problems. Physical problems. Job problems – they aren’t what matter – what matters is the source of your strength. Any of those problems can take you out – when you fight them in your own strength. But they become absolutely impotent against the superior strength of a person of faith!
That’s why Paul declared:
"I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13, NIV.
Most people have a terrible misunderstanding about Satan’s power. They think he is co-equal in power to God. WRONG. Satan is a created being – created by God. The Creator is always greater than the created.
So, given that God is greater than Satan and that He lives in you by faith – the very first thing to do when facing spiritual warfare is to LOOK TO GOD for the strength that only He can provide.
If I focus on my problems – all I’m going to see is my problems. But, when I willfully choose to focus on God in times of trouble – I will experience His power at work in my life – and I will have victory over the problems that come my way!
Now – look at Ephesians 6:11
“Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes." Ephesians 6:11
Paul says –
2. If You Are Going To Go Into Battle – Get Dressed For Battle! Ephesians 6:11
“Put on…” – this is action. So many people say: “what am I to do?” when they are facing tough times. Here’s what you do – ‘put on’ what God gives. Look to Him in faith, and take what He gives you. It will be exactly what you need to do battle. Listen to His voice – and receive His word.
Paul says: “put on the armor of God” – the KJV says: “put on the whole armor…” – better translation. You will need everything God has to give you.
During the Los Angeles Riots that followed the Rodney King trial, they send the National Guard into the streets to try to restore order – without providing them with bullets for their guns. How stupid is that!?
Yet, if you are going to win in your battle against satan – you’d better have everything that God gives you in order to fight!
Read verses 13-18 and you’ll see the list of the armor pieces…
• Belt of truth
• Breastplate of righteousness
• Feet fitted with readiness
• Shield of faith
• Helmet of salvation
• Sword of the Spirit
• Prayer in the Spirit
Each one of these pieces point to a vital truth and reality about Christ being present in your life! This is vital because it is Christ who fights for us! Try to fight the devil in your own strength and you’ll be toast – but fight in the power of Christ and you’ll win – every time!
Now notice what Paul says about fighting:
‘…so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes…”
“YOU CAN” in the Greek speaks to CAPABILITY. You and I need the armor of God so that we become capable to fight. The negative side of that is that without the armor we stand naked and vulnerable. But the positive side is this: As I put on the whole armor of God – God enables me to do exactly what is needed in order to have victory!
In fact – Paul says… “you can TAKE YOUR STAND…” – He is saying: In Christ you will be ESTABLISHED and MADE ROCK SOLID against the attacks of the enemy!
Aren’t you tired of being a spiritual pushover – falling prey to anything and everything that the devil dishes out? Wouldn’t you prefer to be ESTABLISHED AND ROCK SOLID in the battle?
Put on the whole armor of God.
3. Get To Know The Enemy’s Tactics. Ephesians 6:11
Now Paul says what we are standing against is the DEVIL’S SCHEMES. The Greek says: ‘diabolos methodeia’ – The methods of the devil. Satan is methodical and repetitive in his attacks. He’s not very original and he’s not very bright.
Haven’t you seen him use the same old tricks over and over and over and over again to set you up for a fall? And the tragic thing is that we get tripped up over and over and over again.
• Why does an advertisement for a sale at the mall trip up some of you and not others?
• Why does a scantily clad woman on TV create lust in some of you and not in others?
• Why do some of you lie in times of stress when others tell the truth?
• Why does BUFFET mean overeating to some and selective eating to others?
Because Satan has tactics that are custom designed to mess you up.
They are called STRONGHOLDS. Places in our lives where the enemy has set up camp. Strongholds are the result of some weakness in our life – whether current or past – that has yet to be brought under the authority of the Lord.
Fortunately there is hope. God’s Word says:
"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." 2 Corinthians 10:4
As we grow in our ability to fight with the weapons of God, the strongholds in our lives will be revealed and uprooted!
You don’t have to stay stuck. I don’t either. We must not attempt to fight with the weapons of the world – we need the power of the Holy Spirit to invade this territory and reclaim it for Christ!
Doctors, Psychologists, counselors, 12-step groups have a place. But unless we take a truly spiritual approach to this – we will only be trimming the weeds. We need the Holy Spirit to uproot the roots of strongholds and replace them with the fullness of Christ’s power.
How do we do this? We begin to explore the deeper things of life with the Holy Spirit as our guide. The Bible says that…
"…the Spirit of truth… will guide you into all truth..." John 16:13, KJV.
It’s seems like wisdom would suggest that we ask the Holy Spirit to recognize the methods of the devil so that we can take our stand against them.
CONCLUSION:
"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. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:10-12
Christ is teaching you a new way of living. In order to become genuinely Spirit-filled people – we must embrace what He is teaching. And as we embrace Him, we must have our eyes opened to things as they really are.
There’s a fascinating story in 2 Kings 6 about Elisha and his servant:
"When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked. "Don’t be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so that he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all round Elisha. As the enemy came down towards him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, "Strike these people with blindness." So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked." 2 Kings 6:15-18
The enemy looks strong to the eyes of man. This creates fear and terror. But – there is more to the story than what we can see. We need spiritual revelation. We need our eyes opened to what is really going on.
Elisha prays: “Open his eyes that he may see…”
And God gives revelation.
The servant sees things as they really are: “he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha…” God spiritual forces abound!
Today – if you are going to learn to fight the enemy of your soul – look to Christ and ask Him to open your eyes to things as they really are.
1. Christ has given me a new identity! I am a saint of God, chosen by Him, a royal priest, a full-fledged member of His holy people and I belong to God – and I’m going to live like it!
2. Christ has filled me with His Holy Spirit! Daily, I will welcome the power of the Holy Spirit to fill me and to overflow into every area of life, enabling me to do the impossible in Jesus Name!
3. Christ has given me a new responsibility! Everything I possess is a gift from Him, so I’ll use it all for His purposes and glory!
4. Christ has set me free! I’m no longer in bondage to my past, to Satan or to the religious regulations of man. Instead, I’ll live in outrageous freedom fulfilling every one of God’s plans for my life!
5. Christ has shown me the truth of the Gospel! I’m fully alive in Christ and I will live this life to worship Him!
6. Christ had given me a new family! Christ’s church provides me the support I need to carry out my journey, as I give others that same support in return!
7. Christ has called me to be mature! Putting aside lesser things, I’m getting into the fight and moving forward in the things of God’s kingdom with the goal of becoming like Jesus!
Now – because this is true – because God has us very clearly moving forward together as a church family – we can count on one thing:
Satan isn’t happy and He is going to do whatever he can to stop you and us from putting these affirmations into practice!
So, it seems appropriate that we learn God’s ways to do battle – so that not only can you stop him from harming you, but you can defeat him.
I want to teach you about spiritual warfare.
"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. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:10-12
The rest of the chapter is devoted to a detailed description of the armor of God – and we will get to that – just not today.
When you are faced with attacks against your true spiritual self – remember you belong to Christ – remember He has made your heart good – remember He has given you His Indwelling Holy Spirit – remember you aren’t who you used to be – and Paul tells us that the very first thing to do is…
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.”
A huge key to spritual warfare is found here: When you are facing trials, troubles, temptation, struggles, discouragement, deception, distraction – the very first thing to do is to…
1. Take Your Eyes Off The Problem And LOOK to God for Solutions!
“Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power” – the Greek text literally means: RECEIVE STRENGTH FROM THE LORD WHO POSSESSES SUPERIOR MIGHT AND POWER!
What do we usually do when facing these kinds of problems: We focus on them. BIG MISTAKE – because by focusing on the trails, the temptations and the testing – we give them MORE POWER than they really have and we DENY GOD the opportunity to bring HIS POWER into the situation.
But when we look to Christ for strength – He provides it. Every time. In fact, you don’t have to wonder if Christ will provide you with the strength in times of problems – you can CLAIM His strength because He has promised to provide it!
Psalms 50:15 says…
"…call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."" Psalms 50:15
We will honor Him because He will come through and prove Himself to be praiseworthy.
"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." 1 John 5:14
Now, it is clearly God’s will that you have victory over Satan – so approach God with confidence that He will give you exactly what you need to do so!
God’s power is sufficient for your problems. Marital problems. Financial problems. Physical problems. Job problems – they aren’t what matter – what matters is the source of your strength. Any of those problems can take you out – when you fight them in your own strength. But they become absolutely impotent against the superior strength of a person of faith!
That’s why Paul declared:
"I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13, NIV.
Most people have a terrible misunderstanding about Satan’s power. They think he is co-equal in power to God. WRONG. Satan is a created being – created by God. The Creator is always greater than the created.
So, given that God is greater than Satan and that He lives in you by faith – the very first thing to do when facing spiritual warfare is to LOOK TO GOD for the strength that only He can provide.
If I focus on my problems – all I’m going to see is my problems. But, when I willfully choose to focus on God in times of trouble – I will experience His power at work in my life – and I will have victory over the problems that come my way!
Now – look at Ephesians 6:11
“Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes." Ephesians 6:11
Paul says –
2. If You Are Going To Go Into Battle – Get Dressed For Battle! Ephesians 6:11
“Put on…” – this is action. So many people say: “what am I to do?” when they are facing tough times. Here’s what you do – ‘put on’ what God gives. Look to Him in faith, and take what He gives you. It will be exactly what you need to do battle. Listen to His voice – and receive His word.
Paul says: “put on the armor of God” – the KJV says: “put on the whole armor…” – better translation. You will need everything God has to give you.
During the Los Angeles Riots that followed the Rodney King trial, they send the National Guard into the streets to try to restore order – without providing them with bullets for their guns. How stupid is that!?
Yet, if you are going to win in your battle against satan – you’d better have everything that God gives you in order to fight!
Read verses 13-18 and you’ll see the list of the armor pieces…
• Belt of truth
• Breastplate of righteousness
• Feet fitted with readiness
• Shield of faith
• Helmet of salvation
• Sword of the Spirit
• Prayer in the Spirit
Each one of these pieces point to a vital truth and reality about Christ being present in your life! This is vital because it is Christ who fights for us! Try to fight the devil in your own strength and you’ll be toast – but fight in the power of Christ and you’ll win – every time!
Now notice what Paul says about fighting:
‘…so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes…”
“YOU CAN” in the Greek speaks to CAPABILITY. You and I need the armor of God so that we become capable to fight. The negative side of that is that without the armor we stand naked and vulnerable. But the positive side is this: As I put on the whole armor of God – God enables me to do exactly what is needed in order to have victory!
In fact – Paul says… “you can TAKE YOUR STAND…” – He is saying: In Christ you will be ESTABLISHED and MADE ROCK SOLID against the attacks of the enemy!
Aren’t you tired of being a spiritual pushover – falling prey to anything and everything that the devil dishes out? Wouldn’t you prefer to be ESTABLISHED AND ROCK SOLID in the battle?
Put on the whole armor of God.
3. Get To Know The Enemy’s Tactics. Ephesians 6:11
Now Paul says what we are standing against is the DEVIL’S SCHEMES. The Greek says: ‘diabolos methodeia’ – The methods of the devil. Satan is methodical and repetitive in his attacks. He’s not very original and he’s not very bright.
Haven’t you seen him use the same old tricks over and over and over and over again to set you up for a fall? And the tragic thing is that we get tripped up over and over and over again.
• Why does an advertisement for a sale at the mall trip up some of you and not others?
• Why does a scantily clad woman on TV create lust in some of you and not in others?
• Why do some of you lie in times of stress when others tell the truth?
• Why does BUFFET mean overeating to some and selective eating to others?
Because Satan has tactics that are custom designed to mess you up.
They are called STRONGHOLDS. Places in our lives where the enemy has set up camp. Strongholds are the result of some weakness in our life – whether current or past – that has yet to be brought under the authority of the Lord.
Fortunately there is hope. God’s Word says:
"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." 2 Corinthians 10:4
As we grow in our ability to fight with the weapons of God, the strongholds in our lives will be revealed and uprooted!
You don’t have to stay stuck. I don’t either. We must not attempt to fight with the weapons of the world – we need the power of the Holy Spirit to invade this territory and reclaim it for Christ!
Doctors, Psychologists, counselors, 12-step groups have a place. But unless we take a truly spiritual approach to this – we will only be trimming the weeds. We need the Holy Spirit to uproot the roots of strongholds and replace them with the fullness of Christ’s power.
How do we do this? We begin to explore the deeper things of life with the Holy Spirit as our guide. The Bible says that…
"…the Spirit of truth… will guide you into all truth..." John 16:13, KJV.
It’s seems like wisdom would suggest that we ask the Holy Spirit to recognize the methods of the devil so that we can take our stand against them.
CONCLUSION:
"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. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:10-12
Christ is teaching you a new way of living. In order to become genuinely Spirit-filled people – we must embrace what He is teaching. And as we embrace Him, we must have our eyes opened to things as they really are.
There’s a fascinating story in 2 Kings 6 about Elisha and his servant:
"When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked. "Don’t be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so that he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all round Elisha. As the enemy came down towards him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, "Strike these people with blindness." So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked." 2 Kings 6:15-18
The enemy looks strong to the eyes of man. This creates fear and terror. But – there is more to the story than what we can see. We need spiritual revelation. We need our eyes opened to what is really going on.
Elisha prays: “Open his eyes that he may see…”
And God gives revelation.
The servant sees things as they really are: “he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha…” God spiritual forces abound!
Today – if you are going to learn to fight the enemy of your soul – look to Christ and ask Him to open your eyes to things as they really are.
posted by Doug Love at 11:34 AM
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