Prayer and Spiritual Warfare

When the bank and shall not, when you don't need to be centered on the person of Jesus Christ Dr. Tony Evan says God can cover you, like no one else doing the supernatural to enter into the natural because God knows all anybody you know this is the alternative with Dr. Tony Evans on the speaker, pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas Texas and president of the urban alternative for many people. Prayer is just a friendly thank you to God before a meal but today Dr. Evans explains how easily you can become your only defense when things get desperate.

You want to turn to Ephesians 610 as we join him. Finally, be strong in the strength of his might. Put on the full armor of God so that you will 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. Therefore 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, and 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 fiery arrows of the evil one and take the helmet of salvation the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God, with all prayer and petition, pray at all times in the spirit and with this interview will be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints that he reversed 18 again with all prayer and petition, pray at all times in the spirit and with this in view be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all Saints now father as we come into your presence based on your word that I was not here only from what is written, but from what the Holy Spirit wants to do with what is written for transforming our own hearts and lives in Jesus name, amen.

When you live long enough, it becomes pretty clear that life is not a playground but a battleground when you live long enough, you come to realize that life is not always easy what we cherish those times of fun and frivolity and play and excitement. We dread those times of pain and anguish and struggle someone and say that life could be described as being bittersweet has those sweet moments that we cherish and embrace those bitter moments that bring us the key is and pay Paul is writing he concludes his treaties to the church at Ephesus to talk to them about the battleground of life we call it spiritual warfare. But not just talking about any kind of battle.

He describes this one specifically by calling it the evil day, the evil day, the evil day is when all hell breaks loose on you the evil day when you are overwhelmed. Yes, life has its normal ups and downs but that's not what he's talking about.

He's talking about when you are under major attack when your world is being shattered dreams of being destroyed your hopes are being damn and where you look out and all you see is the light of an oncoming train because that evil day, the day when the hell is after you and your name is come up.

He says when that day comes with that period of time when you're under major also comes out. I want you to understand how to how to approach this because he says on that day you going to leave the strength of the Lord burst normal stuff is not the work and play in church showing up for work.

He says on that day you going to be the supernatural, and so he goes into these verses leading up to the subject of prayer to tell us how to approach this time in your life in my life.

I want to make sure that I'm not wasting my time of this sermon anybody here know what I'm talking about when I talk about an evil day evil day when you're under massive spiritual soul. Let me remind you that everything visible and physical is preceded by that which is invisible and spiritual everything visible and physical is preceded by that which is invisible and spiritual. So Paul wants you to know if you want to address in the time of your attack visible and physical. You need to do it from the perspective of the invisible and spiritual. It gives you the time that he uses throughout the book of Ephesians of the heavenly places, heavenly places means the spiritual realm. What he saying is that when you are under assault when your life is being shattered. You're trying to be in the will of God are trying to walk with God. But you're being attacked.

The well-being is being attacked. The dreams of being attacked.

Your help is being attacked your stability of being attack resources are being attacked. Your future is big attacked you are just under assault. He says to those times you have to view things from the location of heavenly places all the spiritual realm. If you're going to be strong to walk through work through times of those attacks wants to set the plan in place for how you make it through the evil day for those who raise your hand because you been in the evil day. This will matter to you. For those of you not yet been to the evil day keep living it's coming when you're under assault in your stability your world is being shaken present during those times. Three times he says I want you to stand firm stand firm stand firm. Don't quit, don't quit, don't quit because the temptation is easily the throwing the tile when your world is collapsing right in front of your rights. He says the first thing I want you to understand is that you wrestle not against flesh and blood. In other words, people are the source of your problem. They may be the conduit for your problem but they're not the source of your problem. For we Christians wrestle not against flesh and blood principalities and powers in world forces that are located in heavenly places on the spiritual realm.

So if you address the resource without addressing the source. All you've done is created a delay to come back up again because you've not gotten to the root of the problem with just addressing the fruit of the problem addressing the physical world. When the problem attack is emanating from the spiritual world is like a policeman arresting the gun instead of arresting the person who pulled the trigger. There are resting the resource the vehicle and not the source but God was merely the vehicle, the person pulling the trigger was the source, so they arrest the source, not the resource. And so what he is saying is both soft and spiritual.

He first of all wants to set the stage by saying on the evil day when you're in this season of attack. I want you to stand firm which means to hold your ground in the Lord is strong in the middle to hold your spiritual ground. It is easy to be swayed and moved off of center when you're suffering.

It is easy to be swayed and move off of the source of your hope when you're going through it.

You see, no exit sign. It is easy to be moved, but he says during those dark when you are under assault in your world is being stripped from right underneath you because it the evil day, he says. During that time, I want you to grab more tightly your faith. Don't loosen it up, stand firm. Reminds me of the story back in Western days of the father and son who were trying to escape the prairie fire but the fire was moving so fast that they could not outrun it. The father took his son to a parched parcel of land and he stood as the fire swept around the sun looked at his father and said run that run run run.

He said no son we go stand right here. He said that the fire is all around us. You gotta run. Daddy run. He says we cannot run this file. Son we go to stand right here sunset but why we go to stand right here today when the fire is all around us. He says son when you look around usually wet with standing has already been burned and is already been taught so the 5K hardware with standing because the fire has already been so even though we're surrounded by fire with save in the midst of fire because when we are standing has already been on the five when you are under the fire suppression when you under the fire of the evil one when you're on the file of demonic attack when you're on the file of suffering. He says you take your stand on the ground where Jesus Christ is already been burned for you by Jesus Christ is already suffered for you, you grab a hold of the strength of the Lord has to offer. You do not run away from God.

When you are in the evil day, you have to run to God when you're in the midst of the evil day, because you are now engaged in spiritual warfare and we got to stand strong in the midst of a battle that humans can tell us how to win when your world is very good chat in whatever way it's being attack is not the time to run from them at the time the run to win is not the time to invade them. If the time to embrace and he says, stand firm hold on to your faith in the strength of our Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of the suffering the pain and in the midst of the struggle.

Dr. Evans will tell us one of the first things we need to do to prepare for spiritual success when he comes back in a moment with more this lesson from his powerful series igniting kingdom.

Prayer this two-volume 12 message collection will take your prayer life to the next level so you can experience more the intimate connection and two-way communication.

It's intended to provide.

We like to send you a copy of this powerful series is her gift so you can review it on your own or share it with your family or Bible study group only ask is that you make a contribution to help us keep Tony's teaching on the station just request the igniting kingdom prayer series today Tony Evans.org it's right there on our homepage or reach out to our resource Center for some in person help at 1-800-800-3222 that's 1-800-800-3222 with Dr. Evans will come back right after this joint Tony Evans in urban alternative August 6013 unforgettable journey through Alaska's unspoiled paradise from his majestic mountain peaks to the mighty forest green meadows teeming with wildlife to the spectacular ice flows. This unique cruise opportunity will also give you the chance to hear like changing teaching from Dr. Evans other gifted teachers as well as worship with some of today's most talented artist join us August 6013 spots are filling up quickly, so book your room of choice today Tony Evans.org for spiritual success are of God, because you I want you to get dressed for the back that when you are in a military parade.

They show the weapons when you are no more you use the weapons evil day.

This is not Showtime at the Apollo. This is done when you gotta get dressed. He said you gotta put on truth put on righteousness and peace.

He goes on, he said, you gotta put on faith, he said, you gotta put on the helmet of salvation that he said you gotta use the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. It gives me six pleas of the spiritual arsenal or spiritual, that the believer is to utilize when it comes to taking a stand in the evil day or when you're under spiritual attack and spiritual oppression. That's affecting your physical, financial, circumstantial, emotional, family well-being, take your stand harder than you ever taken before but put on this, but now you may not remember all the pieces of the so let's make it easy because moments chapter 13 verse 14 says put on Christ. If you can't remember all the pieces.

Remember this one put on Christ. Why, because he says I want you to put on truth. Jesus says I am the way, the truth of the life. He said I want you to put on righteousness. Scripture says Christ is God righteousness. He says put on peace. Jesus said in this world you will have tribulation, but I give you my piece. He says put on the helmet of salvation.

Scripture is clear Jesus is the author and finisher of our salvation.

And then he says put on the word of God use the sword of the Spirit. John 11 says in the beginning was the word the word was with God the Word was God. Verse 14 and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus says he is the word so if you don't remember truth. Remember Jesus if you don't remember righteousness.

Remember Jesus if you don't remember.

Please remember, Jesus. If you don't remember faith. Remember Jesus if you don't remember the helmet of salvation. Remember Jesus if you don't remember the Bible. Remember, Jesus because Jesus is the full God.

You put on Christ to become centered in this is not believe in God. This is centered in God's son, who is the revelation of God. The manifestation of God who is the power of God to manifest himself, particularly in the evil day want to do it all the time but you better do it can be evil day when the doctor don't have answers when the bikers don't have your friends don't have answers and shown up when you don't have answers you need to be centered on the person of Jesus Christ and all the tools that he offered you what you said. You gotta put a moment where you are in the fight of your life. You better pray like you've never prayed before. The way you put on Christ.

That is practically utilize him to equip you to move through the battle you face is with prayer. A lot of people want to pray and spiritual warfare who have not pray till I got the spiritual, but now that there is an emergency they need thought too many of us use prayer like I'll spare tire in a natural, we wanted there in case of those flat but as long as nothing is going flat. We just keep rolling alone, but when some go flat. We want to go to the trunk. We want to pull out the spare we want to take off the flat we want to put on the spare we take the flat to the tire place fix the flat we take off the spare we put on the flat that's now been repaired.

The spare is now back in the trunk until we go flat again.

So we use Jesus as a spare tire when light goes flat when he was the be all four tires rolling along now live as the centerpiece of our existence when he talks about the evil day will you notice all the time. He uses the word.

He deals with the scope of prayer. The seriousness of prayer is that we have a bad evil day, but notice he says all prayer all times. He says all perseverance, all petition all the saints. Last time I checked all leaves all and as all of it all means.

He says you are to maintain contact with me in the battle that you are facing, you are not merely to visit me. You are to stay in touch with me.

Now most of us know what's that you touch me because I see you pulling out your phone during the service. I know you know what staying in touch me but look down try to hide the phone try to make it look like they read the verse from the Bible when they when I noted that we because that doing all that's what that so so so I don't but what that is staying in touch. You walk around which our phone in your pocket, walk around with that in your purse. Some of the walk around with the idea some thought walk around what it meant. Next they want to stay in touch and so they carried the phone with what we do is we are satisfied with saying grace when satisfied with the prayer before bed. While we follow sleep but when all hell broke loose on you. You better stay in touch with the living and true God. He says you stay in touch with me and you do it all all all all all obviously… Get on your knees all day did not talk about big closet all day is all about staying in touch with him all day. That's why first Thessalonians 517 says pray without ceasing.

In other words stay in touch with me sometime this will be why you driving you and God will be having a conversation. Sometimes you walk into the car to get in the car to start the top to begin driving. You will be in touch with me when you get out the car and on your way to your office and I don't have a brief conversation when you walk to the bathroom during the day you will have a little quick conversation with me about what you're facing and what you're going through those formal times of devotion and formal times of prayer. Sometimes it will be in the middle of a conversation with somebody you can probably talk, but you will think my thoughts in your mind and communicate with me with your mind up during those times because your big it's the evil day hell is out to get it out to get you. You don't need more people you believe what happened to you better get on Dr. 2011, reminding us God is the only one who can solve the toughest problems we face. To learn more about the power of prayer and spiritual warfare. Request a full-length copy of today's lesson on CD or digital download. It's part of the two-volume 12 message collection called igniting kingdom prayer and it can be yours with our thanks when you make a donation to help us keep Tony's teaching here on the station just visit Tony Evans.org today to make the arrangements or if it's more convenient color, 24 hour resource request line at 1-800-800-3222 about one of our team members, assist with your request.

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Some of the situations we face in life seem insurmountable, and for good reason. They are without God tomorrow. Dr. Evans will explore how petitioning the Lord is the only way we can overcome the evil one. Once he has his sights set on joints. The alternatives with Dr. Tony advances brought to you by the made possible by the generous contributions from listeners like