How to Fight the Spiritual Battle | About Our Spiritual Armor

Today's episode of a new beginning is brought to you by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God. Learn more@harness.org and while you're there, browse our library and free e-books designed to help you grow in your faith. Many believers of other ways they never use their sore pastor Greg Laurie Quinto are sure to defend against the lies and attacks from our store for someone like one just to forgive him I said that's out works will be clothing save lives.

Firefighters turned out pants and jacket police officers were More soldiers of this helmet as we learn today Christian soldiers specialty clothing as well. Too many of us don't know much about today on a new beginning pastor Greg Laurie helps us get to know our six patient harm and how we can use spiritual Bibles and turn to look chapters Ephesians chapter 6 the title of my messages how to fight the spiritual battle verse 14 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 breastplate in the shoes were attached to the body, never to be remove the second three. This shield the home at the sword or for specific purposes and methods of attack so it starts rising girded your waist with truth, we just use a more modern translation to 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 Bell also pulled his welder pulled his little skirt okay because he wrote we were told that a tug is basically just like a skirt and so would be down over his knees. So what is 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 because I have the belt on because of someone pulls your 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 walking 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 than this is docking 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 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'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 key 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 but Romeo blows against the breastplate, but this is righteousness where I'm not standing in my good works. What I've done for God I'm standing in what God is 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. It speaks of standing firm and gaining ground 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 so the way we gain ground in the spiritual battle is by sharing our faith. Delegate this for 16 above all, underline the steward above. Also, Paul's no distinguishing this piece of armor from the rest of Bob all he says, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one so the Roman pseudo-the Roman army was amazing and that's why they defeated so many of their enemies because they work together and they would march in the battle with the shield for the first part of combat and when the initial barrage of flaming arrows came they would all get them up and lock their shield from the front from the side and on top to and all the zeros would land on top of the shield so they knew the arrows were coming and they were ready for them when they came so where works in real life is double will fire his arrows at us. You never know when it's going to help Satan's flaming arrows are swift and silent there's no advance warning of their arrival. You can wake up in the morning and the enemy can hit you with the flaming arrow or a fiery dart for your feet even hit the floor can happen in the middle of the night. Maybe you thought of complete despair. You might be gripped with the thought of intense fear and terror. What if this happens to me. What if that happens to my family.

One of this other thing happened.

It can be thought of hatred toward somebody. It could even be a blasphemous thought.

It's so crazy and from love Field to thinking how could that thought even come to me. Remember, it's not a sin to be tempted. Just because the double fires of flaming arrow at you. That doesn't mean you've done anything wrong. You're not the twisted one. He is a twisted one, you put up here shield and identify the source of it from Satan. I rejected I'm not getting even entertaining for a moment.

I didn't think of it, and I'm not going to play around with it. That's how you resisted know what these things are coming from because the doubles clever dessert. He said the attempt to, and that he'll talk you for being tempted.

How could you be so twisted to think that I didn't think it was like worshiping this thinking thoughts would come from.

It came from hell it came from Satan to flaming arrows so that I reject that because I forgot to photo resist the devil and what will happen he will flee from you.

So understand the source of these things so the helmet of salvation.

This is so very important because obviously the helmet protects your head and you know that most temptations come in the form of your thoughts right they always start with a thought. I think any temptation you never given into a batch in every instance it started right here and you know you entertained and so you have to wear a helmet. I rent a motorcycle and and I have to wear a helmet and I hate helmets. By the way, but I know that there good and they protect your brain, which is a nice thing to keep intact if possible, so I and the same when the spiritual battle to get to get a kit in the realm of your thinking so you want to protect your mind and key so there's one last weapon in our spiritual arsenal and that is a sort of the spirit. This is the only weapon that is offensive. In other words, if I'm going against my enemy. I'm not going to throw my helmet out okay are comfortable helmet that's like in the work very effectively. I got to beat them to death with my breastplate.

That's not practical. I'm not going to attack you with my shield or you know through my gospel shoe out of or something like these are not effective weapons. These are not weapons. These are defensive tools that the soldier uses, but this sword. This is how I attack. And of course it says the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God see many believers have all their armor in place but they never use their sore they leave it in the sheath they talk about it.

They study it, but they never actually utilizes sword and spiritual battle the sender. This the devil knows the authority of the word of God. As I mentioned earlier, he will try to keep you from it at all costs.

He will do everything you can to see that we either keep our swords. She or that we don't even put them on the first place.

That's why he attacks God's word in your life, because he knows the power of Scripture. Mr. Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message just a moment, you know, there's nothing lying here in the word of God worshiping the Lord together. I will encourage you to join us for something we call Harvest at Home every Saturday and Sunday harvest.org you join Christians literally from around the world as we worship and we study the word of God together. So join us for Harvest at Home and harvest today. Pastor Greg is presenting the final message in his series, the afterlife and the eternal good insight on emerging victorious spiritual battle. Let's continue one of the greatest things you can apply your mind to is the memorization of the Bible. The memorization of that.

I want to do what I can remember Bible verses that you can like it. Okay, let's start with one Jesus wept.

Say that Jesus wept.

Now you know Bible verse. That's one never get a move on. I still remember Bible verses that I learned when I was 17 years old and verses that I just committed to memory and you know you can do it because you've all kinds of stupid song lyrics in your head. You have lines from movies that you can quote it will in your head. You have stats and scores of games that have been you know played over the years in your head. You have other information that you put in there you can make time for the Bible. It's a commitment. It's a discipline, but memorize Scripture you say why do I need to do that because memorize Scripture as a weapon against sin. Someone 1911 says I word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against you. Then Psalm 37, 31, says the word of God is in his heart, his steps do not slip sheet.

Here's how works so Satan comes to you and he says you just send let's say you have sent any sin. God will not forgive you. You have no relationship with God not find the plot, the sort and use it. That's not true because it is written first on one night if I confess my sin. These people and just to forgive me my sin and cleansing from all unrighteousness. Just like that that's I use a sword. Remember Jesus when he was tested in the wilderness with it with three primary attacks from the devil. One of them was when, after he had not eaten for 40 days and 40 nights.

Can you imagine a hunger he would've been sword is a double-dip comes on Thursday when you turn a rock into a piece of bread and what is Jesus say it is written, you shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.Jesus get it just said, look, I'm Jesus, you're not get out of here. Jesus could have banished the devil driven them away with just a word, but Christ gave us an example of how to deal with temptation by quoting Scripture. So we do the same thing the devil whispers in your ear. God will not hear your prayers. God will not hear what you think God is not listening to you I come back with the word of God. First John 514. This is the confidence we have in him, we ask anything according to his will he hears us. So I called the Scripture. Sometimes I quoted out loud. I quoted out loud. The devil can hear it and I can hear so I'm reminded of what the word of God says. Maybe the devil says you should be afraid. You know I'm in a destroyer you we quote Scripture Psalm 27, one the Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear the Lord is the strength of my life, of whom then shall he be afraid, and then second Timothy 17 God is not given us a spirit of fear but of power love and a sound mind. The devil says what you need to worry, worry right now. No, actually I don't because in total from Philippians 46. Don't worry about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known on the got that's out works know the word of God.

Memorize the word of God.

You quote the word of God and I will help you when you're being tempted. But if you don't know God's word clever little things you read on Instagram are not going to help okay is all kinds of clever little things you can read a nice little Saints, but you need the word of God that's with the devil is afraid of and that's what he responds to and that's why it is called the sword of the Spirit Q1 lasting a minimum, a close. The final ingredient to winning the spiritual battle. In addition to putting on the armor of God, and you know the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit and having your fee chart of the preparation of the gospel of peace. This is really important. Prayer. Prayer would give her 17 the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful of this and with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.

Supplication is when you're praying for someone else. Worship is when you're bringing glory to God intercession you're standing in the gap supplication you're praying for someone petition. You're asking the Lord to help you but the word of God and prayer are inseparable. Listen to this, the word of God enlightens us in prayer enables us, we see that again the word of God enlightens us but prayer enables us the word of God reveals the will of God. Prayer enables me to do that will is an excellent illustration of this in Exodus chapter 17 showing how God's word and prayer work together so the nation Israel is facing off with the Amalekites on the battlefield and Moses told Joshua to send men to fight the Amalekites.

He would stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in his head, interceding for them. So when he held that staff up. They knew Moses his prey. So is praying and when the staff is up there waiting. Then he deal Moses all his arms are getting tighter so your proposals are gone, they start losing, they put them out. Companies are winning again so two guys they were going to help oral mode right ones name Aaron.

The others named her they grab each end of the staff. They hold up Moses coming on with his arms, and so the soldiers saw Moses for this step up praying and they prevailed in the battle so it shows how prayer in the word of God go together and that is why we need to proclaim the word of God and then we need to be praying the power in the spiritual battle does not come from what we know it comes from who we know it's all about Jesus and it's all about a relationship with Jesus and so let me just close by asking do you know Jesus, let me say something that you need to understand if you're not a Christian. Journal match for St. he can pretty much wreck a lot of havoc in your life but if you're a follower of Christ.

Your under his protection is ID tag is attached to you and so you have that guarantee of protection for the non-Christian. They have nothing and you think you're going to keep the devil away with the crucifix have a crucifix. He hates crews of the concurrence of our crucifixes.

What I have holy water. There is no holy water. Oh well, yeah, you need Jesus. That's the only thing Satan fears when we restate that that's the only one Satan fears because of the power of Christ and when Jesus comes in lives and the life your under his protection. In a sometimes people say that Christians can be demon possessed.

How absurd you think God's and do a timeshare program I Jesus here and sometimes demons live over here. None of this is like if Christ is in the South is the sole occupant of the house drives everything out.

So when he comes in all that demon power that was maybe in me in some way shape or form is gone and I'm protected someone new is in the house and when the devil comes not united to say Lord, would you mind getting that.

And when Jesus answers the door trusting the devil's not coming, but if price is not living in your house in your life, you're vulnerable. You need Jesus. Jesus Christ, the son of God who came to this earth and live the perfect life of anyone and died on the cross for your sin and paid the price for every wrong you've ever done. And then he rose again from the dead.

Now he stands at the door of your life, and he knocked and says if you'll hear his voice and open the door. He will come in, have you asked Jesus to come in your life.

Yet there might be some of you here that and you're just worried you're full of anguish and have a lot of problems you're facing and you just think of this is so hard. Will there someone who said that we should cost of our care upon him because he cares for us because they let me take your troubles. Let me take your cares let me take your anxieties, let me carry it for you. Come here. Let me put my arms around you. You're safe with me. You need to come to Jesus you don't want to be out there for one day without you don't want to be out there for one hour without he'll forgive you and you will enter into a relationship with him if you don't have that relationship with Jesus. Let me extend an invitation to you now to believe in him because he's ready to come into your life but you have to say Lord save me Lord forgive me.

I don't know what mess you're in right now or what troubles are facing or whatever they are.

God is greater whatever you're facing. The outcome of your life. Do not say yes to see noted Jesus in your for me or against me. So this is an either or proposition.

You don't say yes I want Jesus you're affectively think I don't want Jesus in my life and you have that ability to make that choice.

Notice the wrong window make it say yes to him, you will not regret it. But spray father I pray now that your Holy Spirit will convict and convince every person that's listening or watching wherever they may be.

Show them their need for you and help them to come to you and believe in you right here right now so we asked for your Holy Spirit to work in the heart of those that need to take this next step in Jesus name I pray for Pastor Greg Laurie and if you know you need to make that kind of change today in your relationship with the Lord. Pastor Greg will help you with that before today's addition of a new beginning wraps up yesterday. I really enjoy those fixer-upper kind of programs on TV you will take an old home and renovated yeah maybe it's because I'm of frustrated non-carpenter, myself, and I'd love to be involved in a project like that yes but it's always a big deal when they have a problem with the foundation you know when there's a foundation problem.

Everything stops until they get it corrected yet to and you know with our spiritual lives. When there's a problem with the foundation of our faith. It can bring our spiritual growth to a stop down, but we have a special resource that can help with that. Yes we do.

It's called the new believers guide to effective Christian living. You know Dave, I'm just like you.

I love the idea of doing home repair, but I'm not very good at it. If my wife sees me walking the valves with a hammer. She's alarm were you going for what you trying to fix because I will inevitably make whatever I'm trying to fix. Worse though, I love to go to the hardware store and look at all the cool stuff. Hey, maybe I'll try this not very good in that area, but I'll tell you what one area that I think I can help you win is in rebuilding your spiritual foundation and you gotta keep that strong because if you don't have your electrical and plumbing in actual foundation right all the rest is really of no consequence. And that's true spiritually to sometimes we forget the basics basics like regular Bible study having a prayer life being an active part of the church, sharing our faith basics like how to know God's will. How to resist temptation, how to share your faith idea with all of this in more in this resort that simply called the new believers guide to effective Christian living and it's a very understandable readable book, you can keep them in your back pocket. You might even have a few extras on hand to give out to someone that could use some encouragement but I think that you will be encouraged by this book is well this is for the person that's new in their faith. And it's also for the person that might find themselves stuck spiritually again.

It's called the new believers guide to effective Christian living and we have a copy with your name on it.

That's right, and we hope you get in touch today so we can get it on its way to you were sending this helpful resource to thank you for partnering with us to. These studies can continue to come your way were so thankful for listener support. Candidly it's the only way we can cover the costs of making the studies available. So thank you so much for your generosity and when you contact us today with your donation. Be sure to ask for the new believers guide to effective Christian living. You can call 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24 seven phone number 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org will Pastor Greg, you mentioned our need to come to Christ for forgiveness of sin into a study yeah maybe there's somebody listening who would like to do that like to take that step. Maybe you could help them with that right now, I'd be delighted to listen if you would like to accept Jesus Christ into your life right now.

By that I mean if you would like your sins are forgiven and have the assurance that you will go to heaven when you die. Would you pray this prayer with me, Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner but I think you for dying on the cross for my sin and rising again from the dead. I'm sorry for my sin, Lord, and I turn from it now and I put my faith in you to be my Savior, my Lord, my God, my friend. Thank you for loving me and calling me and accepting me in Jesus name I pray, amen. Listen if you just pray that prayer in minutes.

I want you to know on the authority of God's word that Jesus Christ has just come to take residence in your heart. The Bible says these things we write to you the believe in the name of the son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. Listen we want to send you some resources that will help you grow spiritually. So here's Davis some details and let me say God bless you and welcome to the family of God. Yeah those resources Pastor Greg mentioned are all included in something we call our new believers growth packet. It'll help you get started. Living your life for the Lord. Can we send it your way. Just ask for the new believers growth packet. You can call us at 1-800-821-3300.

We can take your call anytime around the clock that's 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org click two words know God will join us for some powerful insight. Pastor Greg helps us focus our perspective on eternity. Join us here on a new beginning. Pastor and Bible teacher Greg Flory and beginning Greg Laurie podcast made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign up for daily devotions and learn how to become a harvest partner harvest.org