How to Fight the Spiritual Battle: Opposition From the Enemy

Eli, listening to a new beginning with Greg Laurie, a podcast supported by harvest partners for more ways to deepen and challenge your spiritual walk and roll and pastor breaks free online courses sign up and harvest outerwear anyone chooses to follow Jesus Christ will be severe opposition from the enemy today. Read more pressure we so often feel as we walk with Christ comes from our adversary. The moment you think you into a spiritual conflict. More on you. It's been said conversion is made in our hearts battlefield learn by temptation is the devil looking through the whole you is opening the door and inviting him in.

Many of us have our fingerprints on the doorknob and why we so today on a new beginning pastor Greg Laurie brings a spiritual environment were living the spiritual battle being waged all around.now we are all combatants in the fight over Justin walking with the Lord doing all the things you think Christian ought to do. All of a sudden you're just laws with spiritual attack you're getting hit with doubts you're getting hit with temptations. You're getting hit with all kinds of other problems and you're wondering what horrible said how I committed to bring this upon myself right.

What have I done to deserve such a fate. What it once longer. Why is God letting this happen to how many of you have ever had that happen right here and right pretty much everybody hears something to consider, and may not be happening because you're doing something wrong and maybe happily because you're doing something right and you are a threat to the devil. So this is something we need to be aware of. Listen, like it or not. The moment you became a Christian, you entered into a spiritual conflict, the devil effectively declared war on you.

It's been said conversion is made. Our hearts battlefield. Anyone who chooses to follow Jesus Christ will face severe opposition from the enemy and you have a choice in the spiritual battle you can win, you can lose. You can gain ground. You can lose ground to get this thing to them like a spiritual passive physical key you're going to go down buddy. You're going down so you gotta learn how to fight you to learn how to use the weaponry to God is given to you by the way the Bible frequently uses the images of war and conflict to depict the Christian life. Paul exhorted Timothy in second Timothy three to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ. He also wrote I bought the good by the Christian life is not a playground it's a battleground. But here's the good news we can win them this morning.

Here's some more good news. We are going to win in the end.

So if you feel like you're being a little overwhelmed right now just understand that God is with you and he is told you how to win in this spiritual battle. You know Jesus said the gates of hell would not prevail against the church and heard that statement before.

What is that mean we settle the familiar to hell will not prevail against the church. What you think that means I annoy them of the like with soundtrack. What is it mean when it says the gates of hell will not prevail against the church.

We have to go back to ancient times and the way they conducted warfare and we know that a common military tactic used by armies and that they was to break down the gate of the enemy's fortress with a battering ram right.

You've seen a lot of movies so the battering ram. Sometimes it's on fire.

It hits the warden gate and the gate catches on fire. The soldiers rush and then defeat the occupants of the fortress. So the idea is the gates will not prevail against the battering ram. So the idea here is, as we are moving forward is Christian as we are gaining ground, not just holding ground and hopefully not losing ground as were advancing into enemy territory. If you will with the message of the gospel. We are going to ultimately win the battle begins, a bell will not prevail against us or be able to stop so here we are now looking at what this battle is going to look like for us.

It's important we understand it, because to be forewarned is to be for arms when they say that again to be forewarned is to be forearm. So let's find out about this war and let's all look at Ephesians 6, verse 10. Finally, my brother, some reading from the new King James version, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles that's an old tiny word that means strategies indices set against the strategies, indices or wiles of the devil. 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 are just the supernatural world is talking about the rankings of demon powers that are out there just like in the military. We have rankings we have generals and corporals lieutenants and sergeants and Buck privates and all that will in the supernatural world are rankings of fallen Angels as well as rankings of holy angels anyway so were fighting against these posts in the supernatural realm.

Therefore, remember whenever you see the word therefore find out what it's therefore so in light of this, or therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be a little stand in the evil day, having done all, to stand.

So if you're taking notes here is point number one recognize this is a spiritual battle and I must be fought with spiritual.

Let me say that again recognizes is a spiritual battle and I must be fought with spiritual weapons. You fight fire with fire. And there's some key ways to overcome the devil and his demons because God is not left us in the dark here and he tells us first 11 put on the full armor of God, and that phrase put on carries the idea of once and for all.

Do it once and for all, or do it permanently.

The full armor of God is not to be put on and taken off.

You need to keep it on because were going to be in the battle of the final day the spiritual battle and will beget to heaven.before, so we keep the armor of God on and why number two. Because Satan is a super being and he's more than I can ever handle Satan as a super being is a powerful fallen angel. I no match for him. Nor are you verse 11 that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Teapot objective is to stay as far away from the devil as I possibly can.

Not to ski this close to what he's offering as I possibly can. The Bible tells a story in the book of acts about some guys called the sons of Skiba were identified as exorcists and there were trying to cast the demon out, by the way, the Bible never validates exorcists and validates casting demons out of people but there's no will biblical office of being in exorcists and so someone says I'm in exorcists. My gift is casting demons out for an appointment in the Bible. I do find demons being cast up another person with the specific gifting of exorcists. These guys were called in exorcists are exorcists rather and does so they try to cast the demon out, they said to this demon possessed guy, out of this person in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches because it seemed Paul good so they thought they could do it like it's a magic formula and the demon in the guy says listen I know Jesus and I know Paul but I don't know you, and then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them and attacked them with such violence. They fled from the house naked and bladder. That's what happens when you try to take the double line in your own strength so don't go that why communal name of Jesus and Paul know you better just then, in the Lord only and not go where you shouldn't be this is a picture of us trying to overcome Satan in our own strength. You know when there's situation and officer is called officer arrives.

A call for backup. Call for backup and we need to do the same wanted spiritual battle. We need to call for backup backup is the Lord himself Mr. Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message just a moment. So many listeners have come in the help they receive these daily messages God's word ministry and it often gets them through some of their darkest hours working here 20 and my dad had heart and when he passed away three days after that my husband and I tested positive for listening to your Encouraging Word and your books on audible have helped me through it with a smile on my face and joy in my heart I know there'll be more about running along the way, mainly because I'm a six-time cancer survivor that I know who gave me in my journey and I thank God for surface IQ as well. God bless you listeners are curing these messages using his word to comfort call him Pastor Greg studies impacted your life would you let him know drop an email to greg@harvest.org that's great@harvest.org nearing the end of our series of most requested messages past year and today Pastor Greg is giving us some powerful principles for spiritual battle.

Let's continue.

Number three the women, the spiritual battle I'm extending God strength, not my own to win in the spiritual battle I missed in God's strength, not my own. Verse 10. Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might, or literally strengthen yourself in the Lord. See what the devil wants to do is get she was far from God as he possibly can serve like our phones you know they keep coming out with new versions of every phone out there. Every new iPhone. Every new android phone and they do have all these features they had all I really want is a phone that has enough battery life to get me through the day. Really that's what I want about you I care about all this other stuff I don't care what color it is that I don't care about these extra feet just get me through the day because you want said battery drain. They get lower and lower. So you constantly plugging and recharging plug-in and recharging okay the ideas you want to state permanently plugged in to Christ and the devil doesn't want you to be plugged in the Christ you want to disconnect it.

So here's what you need to do. Start the day with the Lord. When you get up in the morning. Don't start the day with social media don't start the day checking your emails start the day with the word of God and with prayer and I will equip you to deal with all that stuff. That's going to come here way in your emails and in your tax and from other places so you need to get your day started the right way the devil doesn't want you to do that.

He wants you to do anything about that, but that's what we need to start stand in the Lord and the power of his might.

Again, I want to keep as much distance between the devil and myself as possible for comes out of this flee temptation and don't leave a forwarding address run from it and assume some of your thing will list the sounds scary Greg you're scaring me tonight. I don't want to hear this.you have a message about puppies and flowers that's coming later I'll get to that now. I really I know it's scary but let's just remember one simple statement greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.

God is more powerful than the devil and all the ice down on the Lord and in the power of his might and I don't dating Greg and the power of my mind because I can collapse quickly.

Just like you know Paul breaks down the various pieces of armor verse 14 Stan therefore, there is therefore against the light of this stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace and above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. So six pieces of armor are mentioned six pieces. The first three. The belt, the breastplate in the shoes were attached to the body, never to be removed. The second three. The shield the helmet and the sword were for specific purposes and methods of attack so it starts facing girded your waist with truth when he just use a more modern translation to put on the utility belt of truth. You know about and has his utility belt right all the cool little things will battling you through the people. That's how they notice that man right there looking throws, but think about a police officer. They put on that belt on the outside of their uniform. The call of the Sam Brown and on the Sam Brown.

They have a holster for the gun, a place for their costs. A place for by and asked, possibly, which is a little baton thing. The pullout and use are they might have other little items have little thing to hold a donut by they have nothing but time. So the other utility belt. They put it on and all their stuff there is flashlight all the things they carried is on that belt so we put on the utility belt of truth, the Roman soldier had a belt and on his belt. He had a sheath which was for the sword. Obviously, and also the breastplate was attached to the belt and John and the belt also pulled his mother pulled his little skirt okay because he wrote we were a toga told is basically just like a skirt and so would be down over his knees so when he's going in the battle he pulls it up above his knees and he cinches in the belt so it stays above the knees giving them freedom of movement. Now he pulls a sword out God have the belt on because of someone pulls her belt off off comes your breastplate. There goes your sword and your dressers fell to the ground you're looking stupid right so what is this evening.

Put on the belt of truth. Basically it's the same bottom line. If you're not working truthfully before God. None of the rest of this really matters. You know if you're living a hypocritical life. If you're saying one thing and doing another.

And this is ducking to work for you so you start with a truthful right relationship with God, then you have the breastplate of righteousness.

What is that mean the breastplate of righteousness will and certainly not the breastplate of self righteousness, as I will do anything for you. It's a breastplate of God's righteousness is not even the breastplate of your personal righteous living what it is is a representation of your stand before God. We talked about how we are justified, which means when you become a Christian, God forgive you of all of your sin and then he puts the righteousness of Christ into your spiritual bank account, so to speak. You stand positionally right before God I am a righteous man, you might still Greg I saw you driving here. I don't know about that. I didn't say always the right to say but positionally before God I am a righteous man. You're a righteous man.

You're a righteous woman. So I stand in this special relationship with the Lord and I bring this up because one of the doubles primary tactics is accusation.

You know he comes up to you. Keep terms you to think and impure thought menu sort of ticket for a test drive in the attached you. What a hypocrite you are.

You're not even a Christian you don't believe in Jesus bow me know blows against the breastplate, but this is righteousness where I'm not standing in my good works for what I've done for God I'm standing in what God has done for me. Very important number three we are to have our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. This is the footwear of the soldier it gave him, firm footed this and mobility on the field of battle. If a Roman soldier wanted to be effective in battle. He had to take care of his feet. One of the common tactics of the enemy of that date would be to take sticks that were sharpened and embed them in the soil so the Roman soldiers are dancing in the battle.

They step on one of those sharpened sticks or ghost of their foot neurotic commission they're knocking to march one step further.

So you want shoes that support you properly. I I was having some sort of the thing work. My shins were like Kenneth thinking then and I had these Nike errors and I kept thinking that was a solution. So I went to some store that sells athletic shoes. They got me on the treadmill and they said you know we know what your problem is your prone 80 that offended me. I slap the guy did he explain what a Mennonite apologize quickly guidance Latin, but donating which basically means that that my foot sort of rules and so he said you need more support you need errors like Nike errors. You need a firmer soul so I got sold shoes with former souls for when I run which is never. But still I have them now so what is the meaning of your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. It speaks of standing firm in gaining ground.

So when the enemy attacks.

I don't back down or just hold my ground. I tried to it dance. So let's put it all together. The belted to speaks of purity, the breastplate of righteousness, speaks of integrity putting on your gospel shoes are, you're having your beach out of the preparation of the gospel of peace, speaks of mobility and how do I gain ground. Very simple answer by proclaiming the gospel. That's how we advance in the spiritual battle.

Romans 1014 says, how can they call in Unless they believe in him, how can they believe in him unless they've heard about him and how can they hear about it unless someone tells them and how will anyone go until the molester said.

That is why the Scripture said how beautiful are the feet of messengers or bring good news to look at your feet for a moment speak can be beautiful, be right if you let those feet carry you forward with the message of the gospel important insight today on spiritual warfare, explaining God hasn't left us underequipped and unprepared for that battle. And there's more to come here on a new beginning as his message how to fight the spiritual battle continues. It's one of the most requested studies of the past year were so pleased to have Pastor Levi Lesko with us today. As you may know Levi as lead pastor of fresh life church with campuses in Montana, Utah, Oregon, and Wyoming and is offered the new children's devotional book were making available called roar like a lion, Levite, such an engaging book the art design is just wonderful and it's interactive with so many extra features, but explained the anchors in the book of one of those about damn glad you brought that up. You know my family loves to go to Disneyland would love to go with the Lori family when we have the chance. In one of the fun things to do additional NS look for the hidden Mickeys are these hidden Mickeys in built into the rise all around the park.

You can Google it and find them and it makes the fun. Just one more fun thing to do and you there and so we decided to put hidden anchors all throughout the book, like on page 22. There's one in the sushi tray and so as you're reading the kids and my kids love the squeal out hidden anchor hidden anchor it's built into the trestle of the roller coaster or that you know whatever and the science experiment of their group in a rude Goldberg machine and and then at the back of course as a whole. Intrigue on the anchor because Hebrew says if you have hope. It's like having an anchor in a storm in a boat that's anchored can be moved but it won't be totally lost because it has something holding onto it. That's really just wanted the things that we want this book to be because you know it's hard to teach kids about death. It's hard to talk about some of these things, but we have a whole entry on page 6 called, not the end where we talk about death and so my hope is that families would be launched and propelled into having difficult but important conversations through you know this simple tool that will make them in a facilitate such a thing. You know Levi know that the anchor is personal to you and your daughter Linea as I remember, as we said goodbye to her and had her little funeral service which was such a powerful, poignant and sad and yet hopeful day because of the hope of the resurrection, but I know the anchor was something that was important. You tell us why you personally use that symbol.

When you think of your daughter Len yeah yeah will, in addition to Hebrews 619 which gives gives a such a beautiful picture of having an anchor in and I'm even distiller gratitude and choked up a little bit thinking about that because I'm so grateful for your family coming out for the service.

He preached when his funeral were there with us in the snow that day.

You know, we love that symbol of the picture of hope and when the week. We were trying to get ready for the funeral. We couldn't find Linda's anchor necklace. We given each of the girls a little necklace with an anchor on it.

We can finally anchor necklace and Livvy said what I want her to be buried with mine so Livvy gave her anchor necklace and and we you know put that on when you in the in the cask of course we know she's with Jesus.

She's not wearing that she's here with Christ. But in in that casket. She's wearing this anchor in. We had an artist come in because the casket that we could get in time was, not not the only one we looked at the catalog and picked one out, but because it was Christmas week when she died. They couldn't get it in time and so we picked a very simple casket.

We had this artist paint a beautiful anchor on the lid of interest and so that's on there than my wife and I both had the anchored symbol tattooed on us is just a reminder of hope and I noticed some people may be subject to tattoos. That's never the point of this message, appointed as its it's for us a very important symbol of a truth that is the death is not the end.

So Levi and I have something in common. We both have children that went to be with the Lord, our son Christopher was unexpectedly called home to heaven through an automobile accident in 2008 and little Linea went to be with the Lord in 2012 and so we share this pain but here's what I love about what Levi and his wife Jenny have done and their family is is a peak in this pain and they've put it in the purpose they don't live hopelessly. They live hopefully and but they also live realistically say yes sometimes Christian Jenna would want to talk about the hard issues, but we should be afraid because the Bible addresses the afterlife. It tells us there's the hope of heaven that tells us of live in this life and so I appreciate the fact that Levi's pressed on.

You know not everybody does that. Some people have their marriages fall apart when a child dies or they have all kinds of other issues that develop later on, but Levi and his wife Jenny and the children have all pressboard the Lord bless them with a little son now as well.

And they're all pressing forward serving God of one of those efforts, the fruit of that is this brand-new book by Levi Lesko called roar like a lion inserted themed around the idea of a lion. He called his little daughter Linea Linea lion, and he wrote another book through the eyes of a lion that talks about all that they went through with saying goodbye the Linea, but this is a book that will inspire you and it's a devotional to read with your family especially your kids, so we hope you'll order your own copy of roar like a lion by Levi Lesko 90 devotions to a courageous faith.

Yeah, that's right, and will be glad to send this resource your way to thank you for your partnership in bringing the hope of Christ to so many. Each day we recently read a social media comment that said, I want to let you know you're a great inspiration to me. You've helped me through the toughest times this past year. Just being able to listen to you and watch you online you have made a difference in my life, and many others. Well, you know, that kind of encouragement could never happen without the partnership of listeners who help make these daily studies possible. If you partnered with us. Thank you and if you can make a generous donation right now would like to send you this wonderful new children's devotional book roar like a lion and will only be able to mention this resource. A short time longer. You can donate online@harvest.org or just drop us a note at a new beginning.

Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call us anytime at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 one Pastor Greg offers more insight on the spiritual warfare we face equipment God is provided to help us fight victoriously join us here on a new beginning. Pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie and I knew beginning of the podcast, made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God if this show has impacted your life.

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