understanding the spiritual war. 14% believe in ghosts 13% believe in witches but…

Understanding the Spiritual War

• 14% believe in ghosts

• 13% believe in witches

• BUT…

• 14% believe in ghosts

• 13% believe in witches

• BUT…

• 62% do not believe that the devil is real

• 52% of “born-again” Christians deny that Satan is real

We are in an invisible war: a war for your hearts and minds

Eph 6:12

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Originally, man was intended to rule on earth under God

Gen 1:26-27

Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

When Adam and Eve followed Satan’s lies, they lost their rulership

to him (he became the prince of this world) & they (and we) became

his subjects

1 John 5:19

We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

Angels are real. Demons are real. Satan is real, and he has declared war

on the people of GodRev 12:7-9, 12, 17And there was war in heaven, Michael and his

angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him….

Satan has declared war on the people of God

Rev 12:7-9, 12, 17"For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you

who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time…. So the dragon …went off to make war with [those] who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

He sets the ways of this world (satisfying body & mind)

Eph 2:1-3

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

Satan is dangerous

1 Peter 5:8-10

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.

The goals of the Enemy are:

• block communication with God• deface Christ-likeness• deprive Christians of God’s

blessings• rob us of our joy• damage our usefulness to God• ruin us mentally and emotionally

So he comes with:

• force: sickness, accidents, opposition from people and organizations

• fraud: tricks, traps, false teachings, and wrong thoughts

Tricks, Traps, False Teachings, and Wrong Thoughts

Rev 12:9

And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.


1 John 5:19

We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.


2 Tim 4:3-5

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things...

Satan himself has bigger fish to fry

• He is probably not concerned with you personally.

• We refer to his forces as “the Enemy”—like “Hitler”

• He has delegated you to lesser spirits who are subtle, powerful, & wicked

We face several ranks of demonic spirits who are:

subtle—indirect, using strategies

2 Cor 2:11

so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.


subtle—indirect, using strategies

Eph 6:11

Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.


powerful—numerous, vigorous

Rev 12:3-4

Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth.


powerful—numerous, vigorous

1 Peter 5:8-10Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your

adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.


wicked spirits—unseen, assaulting before we recognize, stirring up our flesh

1 Peter 2:11

Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.



Col 3:5-10

Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.



Titus 2:11-14

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,

Wicked spirits who keep us ignorant of Scripture

Rom 12:2

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

…Who feed us false teachings and half-truths

2 Peter 3:17

You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness,


Eph 4:14-15

As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,


Heb 13:7

Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.

…who inject false/ wrong ideas into our minds

2 Cor 10:5

We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,

…who use wrong friends to shape our behavior

1 Cor 15:33-34

Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."

…who use wrong friends to shape our behavior

Prov 12:26

The righteous is a guide to his neighbor,

But the way of the wicked leads them astray.

…who attack possessions, health, family

Matt 6:13

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

…who gain access to our thoughts, feelings, and will

Luke 22:3-4

And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve.

…who gain access to our thoughts, feelings, and will

Acts 5:3-4

But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?

Lessons from Satan’s Schemes

As a Christian warrior…

I pray for protection and help—especially when I am weak

Rom 8:26

In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;

I aggressively use the Bible to reshape my opinions, goals,

values, and behavior

Rom 12:2

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

I stay self-controlled, alert, and ready to resist the enemy—

monitor my mind1 Peter 5:8-10Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your

adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.

I live by spiritual priorities, by what pleases Jesus

2 Tim 2:4-5

No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.

I accept that I will live “counter-culture”

Gal 1:3-4

…the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age,

I accept that I will live “counter-culture”

Titus 2:12-13

instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,

I deny myself

Matt 16:24-27

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

I will endure hardship—God will use it to train me

2 Tim 2:3

Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

I will endure hardship—God will use it to train me

Heb 12:7-8

It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

I must avoid recapture: I watch out for traps

1 Tim 6:9-10But those who want to get rich fall into

temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.


2 Tim 2:25-26

with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.


Prov 29:25

The fear of man brings a snare,

But he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted.


Eccl 7:26

I discovered more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are chains. One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but the sinner will be captured by her.

I must avoid recapture: I carefully choose my teachers

Col 2:8-9

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

I must avoid recapture: I carefully choose my friends

Prov 12:26

The righteous is a guide to his neighbor,

But the way of the wicked leads them astray.

I must avoid recapture: I guard my heart (esp. with regard to money)

so I don’t prove unfaithful

Matt 6:24

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

1 John 2:15-17

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.



2 Tim 4:10

for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica;



I must learn to use the spiritual armor

Eph 6:13-17Therefore, take up the full armor of

God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,

I must learn to use the spiritual armor

Eph 6:13-17and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE

PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

How To Use the Armor

Belt of Truth-

• ID the attack; compare it to the truth and determine what is false and how it is false

Breastplate of Righteousness

• Do what is right; obey the Word and choose to think what is right

Shield of Faith

• Diligently continue to obey and think rightly; deny the lie—you’ll rob it of its power

Sword of the Spirit

• Memorized Scripture

• “This is what the word of God says about this situation, and I quote…”

Shoes of Preparation of the Gospel

• Share (or focus on) the Gospel when tempted

Helmet of Salvation

• Anchors your thinking in reality, enabling you to make correct decisions as you fight

understanding the spiritual war. 14% believe in ghosts 13% believe in witches but…

Documents

world forces

invisible war

great dragon

people of godrev

great wrath

god gen

commandments of god

false teachings