Invisible War - Spiritual Warfare 101: What is the Invisible War?, Part 1

Demons, Satan, the powers of darkness.

There were real and they're actively at work in our world. The question is do you know how to recognize them and if need be. Go to battle against will over the next two weeks were going to look together at the enemies tactics his schemes and how to defeat them when the attacks stay right here back in just a moment. Part one of the invisible.

Welcome to this Wednesday edition of Living on the Edge with living only edge features the Bible teaching of Chip Ingram daily discipleship program.

If you're truly into Living on the Edge for the time the entire team extend a warm welcome that you begin to seriously invisible war.

Find out more about Chip. Visit our website Living on the Edge will see that for after the program because you're just about to join Chip for his message from Ephesians chapter 6 what is the invisible war, you and open your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 6 there is one key text verses 10 through 20 where the apostle Paul is going to explain spiritual warfare know what you need to understand if you will mentally go with me here is chapters 1 through three. He's telling them this is who you are in Christ, your brand-new creature you've been redeemed you been sealed with the spirit you have an inheritance.

God has made this brand-new thing called the church of Jew and Gentile men. Chapter 4 says, in light of all that God has done for you. I want you to want you to walk in the manner worthy of your calling. The word worthy we get our English word axis. It's a picture of those balances anything. Chapters 1 to 3 is all that God has deposited your new in Christ seated in heavenly places. Love more than you could ever be love.

It'll never ever change now live in a way where your belief in your behavior.

Tell the same story and then in chapter 4 he'll talk about how that is happened. The role of the church minute talk about life changing how that occurs in chapter 5 will talk about walking and purity. Talk about walking the light of being filled with the Holy Spirit what that looks like in your marriage. What that looks like with your children what that looks like in your employment and that day it with slaves and then after getting all that is going to say this new life and all those relationships in the spirit of God living his life after you is going to occur in a hostile environment you're in a battle and so beginning in verse 10 through verse 20. He's going to teach very clearly what the battle is where the battle is how to put on spiritual armor and how to actually experience the victory. The Christ is also given us so that you'll notice verses 10 to 12 inches. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil 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. I like you to underline the phrase be strong in the Lord and put a number one above that and I want you to move over and says put on the full armor of God, I want you to underline that number two there's two commands in this passage. The first is a general command and it's grammatically what's called the present tense in the passive voice. I'm going to give you for some of you Bible students you appreciate that another's will go on and what that is and it really doesn't matter. Here's what it means. It means this is something that you are commanded to do right now but the passive voice. It's something that that you have to allow it to happen to you. I'm commanded to do it but I can't make it happen.

So, for example, right below the general command. I basically took the text and let me give you an expanded translation. Allow yourself to be continually strengthened by the power already made available to you in your new position in Christ in your relationship with him.

The power that raised Christ from the dead.

Now also dwells in you. First and foremost, there's a general command to be strong in the power that God has already given us. Allow that power to work in and through your life. And then there's the specific command. This is how you do that you put on the full armor of God, spent some time talking about what that is what that looks like a very practically how to do that in the notice. The purpose clause that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil circle the words schemes we get our word strategies and and literally. It's a picture of literally holding fast standing firm. It's the idea that if you would understand that you when you trusted in Jesus Christ were taken of the kingdom of darkness and you were placed in the kingdom of light, then you were sealed with the spirit is spirit was deposited in your spiritual gifts were given to you or made a part of the body of Christ. You are now protected in a part of it now says this is all that you have. I want you to stand firm or hold on to what you already have and then he says the way you do that is by putting on the full armor of God, and then he gives the reason he says for our struggle, put a circle around that word is not against flesh and blood. In other words, the men and people and material world but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places, and so the specific command if you want sort of a little broader interpretation here.

Okay I'm going to be strong in the Lord. How do I do that by continually and repeatedly putting on this at specific points of time. The spiritual protection.

God is provided for you. The spiritual armor. This is the and what's called an heiress imperative in unlocking a throw a lot of great words around here early on. It's really important because an heiress imperative has a sense of urgency.

In other words, what you need to do is be ready and be urgent and ready and continually when the battle comes, you need to be strong in the Lord and you do that by appropriating this armor at any time at any moment when the darts of the enemy come goes on to say, for the express purpose of holding onto the positioning Christ as your bombarded by the tannic strategies designed to destroy you and render you ineffective and kingdom pursuits. The reason is it's because there is a real struggle and that word struggle you circled literally is a picture of a wrestling match. They would have the gladiators go in and Russell to the death and this is that word. This is serious stuff. This is in a little man in a red suit with horns and a plastic tail.

This is against the physical material adversaries.

That's not the problem, people, circumstances, organizations, but he's literally giving us a hierarchy. You know if you're in the military and other generals and majors lieutenants and sergeants and he's giving as I hierarchy of demonic forces rulers powers were for world forces of darkness spiritual forces of darkness than the heavenly places.

And so what I want to do is okay.

We got it general command, be strong in the Lord.

We have a specific man you do that by putting on the armor of God.

You do that so that you can stand firm against the schemes, strategies of a personal angelic being with the third of the angels who are seeking to destroy your life render you useless hurt you emotionally, spiritually, relationally discredit Christ and do anything possible to make your life miserable and get you to trust anything or anyone other than Christ. Now with that said, I want to give you five basic truths five things. This is 101. This is just directly with the Bible teaches about spiritual warfare. Are you ready basic truth number one is there is an invisible world that is just as real as the visible world, there is an invisible world is a world that you can't see, and I can't see that's just as real as the visible world there's there's a system there's angelic beings. There is a a world that is real as touching your skin kissing your child denied cutting a steak watching a sunset this very, very real and let me show you that from both old and New Testament.

If you have your Bibles.

You can look at second Kings chapter 6 and as you turn there. I'm going to be looking at about verses 14 through 17 and it's it's about the prophet Elisha, and Elisha has been used by God to frustrate a certain king's plans multiple times multiple times multiple times and I can never figure out where he is and they want to get in the so they finally find out what city he's in.

And I mean he sends Calvary chariots, soldiers, and they surround the whole city and so now they've got in the story will pick it up is his servant goes out early in the morning, and he looks out the city and he goes oh my, were done and so notice we pick it up knowing the attendant verse 15 the man of God had risen and gone out, and behold, an army with horses and chariots were circling the city and his servant said to him, alas, my master, what shall we do so he answered, do not fear, for those who are with us, or more than those with them.

Now I don't know exactly where the servant was coming from but I imagine he'd been with Elisha for a while it seemed do miracles. The great prophet of God. But I'm guessing right at this point he think you know my master is very godly, very wise very close to God.

He's just really bad at math as best I can tell you and it's me as all of them and you're telling me there's more with us than them.

And then it's very very interesting. Verse 17 then Elisha prayed and said, oh Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see in the Lord opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw behold the mountains were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha when they came down him. Elisha prayed to the Lord and said strike this people with blindness. I pray so. He struck them with blindness.

According to the word of Elisha, then Elisha led them back to that King. All I want you to get is theirs to realities and there's one going on all the time that we don't see in the New Testament will look at it, minute and second Corinthians chapter 10 apostle Paul will write to this church and he'll talk about a a warfare that's going on.

Not only is there is invisible world, but there's a battle going on in his visions, he says, look, it's not about flesh and blood. I don't know if any of you remember Francis Schaeffer.

He had a great impact in my early life and he wrote a lot. They had a tiny little booklet and his booklet was called to contents to realities, and it really changed my life. I read it. He was a philosopher and a brilliant guy and I did look free and all those things and traveled all around the world, but is just he said there's two concent two to realities. There is a material world world and in the material world.

There's a visible world and there's an invisible world and what happens in the invisible world has direct correlation and impact on the things that we see premise basic truth number one, there is an invisible world that is just as real as the visible world basic number two we are involved in an invisible war, a cosmic conflict that has eternal implications. He says in second Corinthians 10 for though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses we are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God and were taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ to the apostle Paul is saying I'm in a battle, but I don't battle flesh and blood in the same way. Spiritually, he says, and notice.

Notice the keywords. He says we have divinely powerful, pulling down fortresses, speculations, knowledge and thoughts. Here's what you need to get so often when people think about spiritual warfare they think of some scary movie and in the old days it was the exorcists in and now it's like you just noticed on TV just how many dark just dark stuff and there's all kind of spiritual being, doing all kind of spiritual things and what you need understand is that the great great majority of all spiritual warfare is not like that at all. There are some overtimes will talk about that 90% of spiritual warfare in the battle is in your heart and in your mind. The number one thing Satan is is a deceiver and he has a world system is a world system that he takes got what God says is good and he twisted and wants to give it to a good thing at a wrong time in the wrong way or with the wrong person. He takes beauty and he twisted.

He takes what is right and twisted to make what is wrong. He takes truth and makes it relative and then he makes it different. And then he has all kind of things where what he's doing deception. Deception. Deception. Deception and if he can get you to believe lies about God's goodness is kindness. How could a good God let this happen lies about you.

Your worthless your nobody you'll never amount to anything or if that doesn't work. You are wonderful you are entitled to everything you the most important person in the world lies about what makes you secure what makes you successful. If you just had enough money if you just had bigger muscles. If you just have those little purses that had the insignia on them so everyone would know how important you are.

If you just had a car that had little different emblem of the car that you have. If you go public and have so many patents then you're somebody. If your kids make the traveling team, you'll finally really be worthwhile if you get always right, and the lies are someway somehow your performance. You can either possess something or be something or impress people and somehow someway. The lie is that will bring joy and meaning and purpose and happiness, which is why we have people that are I would send the less than top 1% of the gene pool that are beautiful and talented go through relationships like other people go through underwear because no amount of money and no amount of beauty, but it white powder up your nose or we have athletes making 20 or 25 or $30 million a year that struggle in relationships. While I won't mention any names of current pros that seem to have their life completely met member when the sports page was about sports.

I want you to ESPN I find out more about who's getting beat up by what player might my point is, if that brings you what it's they win then theology of the enemy. When you have when you can become when you look then you'll but the even if that then arrives. I remember I did the chapel for the Seahawks of the guy who normally does. It was heard are out of town or something. I got a call from Seattle and I got to pay the normal chaplain can do it. Would you do it and they win the Super Bowl.

The year before us a picture do that in so doing, the chapel and you know, all the names and people you would know and have a lot of believers in God who sort of the right-hand assistant to to the coach. There was a really good guy would build a good relationship and so by doing chapel and I said what, what, what are the issues coming little bit about what's life with you guys and one by one by one they said something to me were were believers on but am so we thought we would miss what happened us but he said one of the most depressing thing that happens in the world is winning the Super Bowl because it's like this is the this is the weed if if he goes sort of the depression that happens like it's this is when I got a ring. I went to Disneyland I got a bonus but we we thought would be here in the believers said you know what we thought would be immune to that, but we all by the lie to some degree so that's what he wants us to know. He says you're in a spiritual battle look speculations knowledge of God and here here's the deal.

What you can find as much of spiritual much spiritual warfare is about you putting good things in your mind and renewing your mind so you look at life the way God looks at life so you are focused on the truth because when you know the truth and practice the truth that makes you free. Notice the apostle Paul goes on there was a situation with the brotherhood send and of the church was not handling the reconciliation very well and Paul's writing to them to correct that and he says in second Corinthians 44 and whose case the god of this world, Satan has blinded what their minds of the unbelieving, that they may not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Here's a little application that I would just like you to ponder is when you when you see that there's eternal implications people not believing in Christ is not primarily an intellectual issue is a moral issue. It's not that people don't understand, but there is an enemy, blinding people from understanding, making the connection. I mean if you just look at it logically the proposition of the gospel is like a win win win. How you turn it down. Unless your brains not working. We all know we mess up the Bible calls sin. We all know we fall short. We've all said things thought things done things for other people. We all know that we long to be forgiven.

We want life and purpose God in his great mercy sent God the son, who lived a perfect life to reveal what the father is like and then living a perfect life dies on the cross in our place. The pay for our sin. Literally the word is a tone he covers it. He rises from the dead improves its troop 500 eyewitnesses and this is some fairytale. This is another religion. This isn't like all you got, ponder this and then it starts out with this mustard seed of a ragtag group of semi-uneducated people save one they transform the world is the largest movement in the world and we we have some people in the name of Christ have done a lot of negative things, but I will say what when you see what happened last go around the world with me and and hospitals, orphanages, language, and it is been Christians, God's people salt like loving and he makes this offer.

I want you to know that no matter what you do. You could never make yourself right with me on your own. So my son died in your place, and he paid for your sin. He rose from the dead improves its troop and the offer is whosoever, by faith we believe and receive that gift has eternal life.

I mean, if someone said excuse me sir, you could never have $1 billion because matter how long you work and so I have a friend he would like to give that to you but you need to receive that by faith and put your trust in him.

In order for him to give you billion dollars would we we got guys too easy. It's probably a Robo call enough and and yet that that's the gospel. I mean, and if it's clear it's simple, it's the substitutionary work of Jesus.

But the issue is people's minds there blinded. This is why intercessory prayer so important.

There is a correlation between praying and beseeching God asking the father to cause his spirit to work in the heart of someone to open their eyes open their mind where they could lay down their pride or or or or feeling unworthy in order to believe and trust in what Christ has provided the question I have and you'll see this in your notes. When is the last time you honestly considered some struggle or relational conflict that was rooted in Satanic opposition and what I mean by this is that CS Lewis has wisely said the greatest error when it comes to spiritual warfare is to think far too much about Satan or to think far too little and I'm amazed that we have a modern mindset and somehow we just think everything's cause-and-effect. I did this and this happens I did this except look at the pervasive evil in the world all all human beings are made in the image of God have amazing dignity and value but there some unspeakable evil historically and currently mean a member of a member reading the story of a little 10-year-old boy who took a hammer and smash the head of a little securable Bureau kilter evil.

We seen Isis beheading people that's evil we know about what's happening whether it's Idi Amin or whether it was the Holocaust or things that were think. I mean there's amazing amazing. There is evil in the world and its pervasive and what I want to say is that everything that happens isn't just cause-and-effect or human problems. Now again extremes over here. I've been with some groups and yet that's right.

Rather, I agree with you I had a flat tire. You know those lap tidings of hitch. Every time you know and you know I need my wife, her legs, but you know we got the Bernie agreement that I really do that in you know I lost my job.

It's a bad boss.

The letting come in on time did a very good job. You know the devil yet listen very carefully. We take absolute personal responsibility for our behavior and our choices and that there is a cause and effect to those things and some things happen very difficult in the world because it is a fallen world, bad things happen to good people. There are tornadoes and hurricanes. God never designed the world to be this way. But there's also an enemy that tempts you in ways have you ever had a really close friend and you just can't explain it that there's there's a wedge that comes between you and no matter how many conversations like you just can't get it if you ever going about your life and maybe you're taking some spiritual steps and have what feels like an almost irresistible urge to sin or have you ever, I know this is a confession never had a really deep time to look.

I'm really talking with God and have and have a cuss word start to flow through your mind and then you go THE WORST PERSON IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD CUSS WORDS WERE BOTH NOT MUCH WE CAN BRING IN THEIR JUST MY POINT IS, HAVE YOU EVER SEEN GOOD PEOPLE IN A MARRIAGE, OR GOOD PEOPLE IN THE CHURCH ARE GOOD PEOPLE IN A SMALL GROUP, AND YOU KNOW THEY'RE GODLY AND THEIR GOLFING ARE BOTH GREAT PEOPLE AND IT'S JUST LIKE NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, THERE'S THIS IN THIS DIVISION, OR AT LEAST IN MY CASE. THIS USED TO HAPPEN ABOUT 9/10 SATURDAY AFTERNOONS I WAS A VERY SLOW LEARNER. WE HAD A SATURDAY NIGHT SERVICE AND I WOULD REVIEW EVERYTHING WORK, MESSAGE REVIEWED TO THREE HOURS IN THE MORNING AND THEN I WOULD GO IN AND YOU KNOW WHEN I HAD KIDS, WE WOULD DO ALL THE SPORTS AND THINGS YOU DO ON SATURDAY AND THEN ABOUT 2 TO 30. I WOULD DRIVE TO THE CHURCH. PRIDE GET MY HEART RIGHT FOR AN HOUR HOUR AND HALF, BUT ABOUT 130 AND OFTEN WHEN I WAS DRIVING AND I BE DRIVING TO CHURCH AND LITERALLY IT WOULD BE LIKE HIM IN THE LIGHT AND THEN JUST GET DEPRESSED, BUT I DON'T BUT I DON'T MEAN LIKE I'M STARTING TO LITTLE BLUE I MEAN IF YOU LIKE LIKES NOT WORTH LIVING. I DON'T PREACH HIS MESSAGE ON THE WORST PERSON IN THE WHOLE WORLD, AND EMMETT. IT WAS DARK DARK DARK AND WAS LIKE WHAT HAPPENED AND THEN I WAS STRUGGLING YOU KNOW UNITY YOU TO STUDY LUNG CONDONATION FOR YOU ARE A LOSER AND IT AND IT WAS JUST LIKE YOU. I PRAY AND PRAY AND GET THE GUYS TO PRAY WITH ME ANY FASTER.

HOW MANY WEEKS IT TOOK YOU TO REALIZE WHAT A SECOND WHAT I'M GOING TO PREACH GOD'S WORD. WHAT IS IT THIS IS DEMONIC ACTIVITY TO REALLY GET ME OFF MY GAME AND I REMEMBER THEN IT HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES.

OKAY OTHER THINGS LATER.

BUT I REMEMBER THAT WOULD HAPPEN AND FIND I GOT OKAY. I REFUSE TO ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN, AND I'LL SHOW YOU HOW TO DO THIS I WOULD PUT TWO OR THREE VERSES ABOUT WHO I AM IN CHRIST COMMANDED DEMONIC SPIRITS TO LINK BACK TO GOD BUT BUT IF YOU WOULD'VE ASKED ME GROWN-UP THAT'S THAT'S WEIRD STUFF KNOWING WHERE PEOPLE HAVE THOSE KIND OF EXPERIENCES YOU REALIZE THAT ADDICTIONS DEEP-SEATED ISSUES A PERSON MAY BE HAPPEN YEARS AGO MAYBE SOME SHAME THAT YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN NEVER GET OVER THERE IS AN ADVERSARY. I AM NOT SAYING IN ANY WAY EVERYTHING IS CAUSED BY THE ENEMY, BUT JUST FOR OUR PURPOSES.

WOULD YOU CONSIDER IF THERE ARE STRUGGLES THAT YOU'VE WORKED VERY HARD TRYING ALL THAT YOU CAN OR RELATIONSHIP OR SITUATION, WOULD YOU JUST POSSIBLY CONSIDER THAT THERE IS AN ENEMY THAT SEEKING TO DESTROY YOU, AND YOU CAN GO THE PHYSICAL. THE PSYCHOLOGICAL RIGHT SPIRIT YOU CAN DO ALL THESE THINGS, BUT IF YOU DON'T ADDRESS THIS. NOTHING WILL BE BACK WITH SOME ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ABOUT YOUR LISTENING TO Living on the Edge WITH CHIP INGRAM CHIPS TALK TODAY IS FROM A SERIES. THE INVISIBLE WAR.

WHAT EVERY BELIEVER NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT SATAN, DEMONS, AND SPIRITUAL WARFARE OF THIS POWERFUL SERIES WILL HELP YOU SORT OUT FACT FROM FICTION AND GIVE YOU CLEAR BIBLICAL INSIGHT ON HOW TO THINK ABOUT PREPARE FOR AND ENGAGE IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE AT Living on the Edge. WE BELIEVE SO STRONGLY IN THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS SERIES THAT WERE PREPARED TO MAKE YOU A VERY SPECIAL OFFER.

IF YOU AGREE TO LEAD A GROUP USING THE STUDY WILL GIVE YOU THE ONLINE STREAMING AND STUDY GUIDES. WE CAN PAY FOR SHIPPING TO GET YOUR FREE STUDY GUIDES IN THE ONLINE VIDEO JUST CALL US AT 1-888-333-6003 ORDER online at http://livingontheedge.org and if you like you need some help on how to lead a group will also find online coaching sessions@livingontheedge.org just click more and coaching for leaders get the free resources through the training and then get your group going will be amazed at what God reveals about himself and the victory that's already yours will chip in addition to the new video and Bible study curriculum.

We've put a lot of effort into another resource. Would you take a minute and tells about absolutely Dave were very excited about a brand-new tool we've created to equip you for spiritual warfare that every believer I meet every Christian invariably has to fight that there called spiritual warfare cards and let me tell you what they are, they can help you reveal number one who the enemy is number two how to unpack the lies he uses to distract and discourage us. Number three. It'll highlight the truth of God's word and then teaches you how to actually engage in battle. The fact of the matter is second Corinthians chapter 10 verse five says that we are to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and the only way to do that is you arm yourself with the power of Scripture to overcome spiritual attacks so you can stand firm against the adversary.

I don't think the average believer has any idea that the battle was in their mind, and these cards will really help you experience victory. This brand-new set of 53 cards organized in four different categories will help you remember your position in Christ appreciate the spiritual armor recognize your adversary and then pinpoint his lies on the flipside of each card are powerful scriptures for you to ponder and memorize so your equipped and able to engage in or check out the new invisible war. Scripture cards just visit us online at http://livingontheedge.org without your strip with his application for today as we close today's program. I ask you a question I asked when was the last time you considered that possibly some of the things that we think are just every day occurrences might in fact have a spiritual warfare component and as I ask you that know for sure were not saying there's a demon under every bush or all our problems are because of Satan or demons. What were saying is, yes, it's a fallen world and bad things happen yes we make bad decisions and there are consequences.

But in addition we are in an invisible battle and we need to recognize it and learn to deal with it. So right now I want you to pray. Dear God, will you show me if any of the issues I'm struggling with today.

Any relationship, any circumstance could be rooted in demonic opposition he will show you to have a great one. Just before we close thank those of you who make this broadcast possible through your generous giving Living on the Edge invests your gifts to purchase your time to create programs and provide resources to help Christians live like Christians Living on the Edge is been a blessing to you, would you consider sending a gift today.

You can donate online at http://livingontheedge.org or by calling us at 1-888-333-6003. Thank you in advance for your partnership with us. Well, I hope you'll join us again tomorrow and she continues his series invisible war. Now, this is Dave. Thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge