Prayer and Spiritual Warfare, Part 2

Because you are now in NJ and when that happens. Dr. Tony Evans is earthly is no help at all. What this is. The alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, author, speaker and pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas Texas and president of the urban alternative. Some of the situations we face in life insurmountable, and for good reason.

They are without God today will explore how petitioning the Lord is the only way we can overcome the evil one. Once he set his sights on us. Let's look at Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10 through 18. As Dr. Evans begins 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 described this one specifically by calling it the evil day, the evil day, the 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 here is talking about when you are under major attack when your world is being shattered dreams of being destroyed your hopes are being dim 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, he says when that day comes when that period of time when you're under major also comes out.

I want you to understand 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 plan should show not 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 on this sermon so I did anybody here know what I'm talking about when I talk about evil day he will day when you're under massive spiritual soul. 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. He says the first thing I want you to understand 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. The 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. He first of all wants to set the stage by saying on the 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 home 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 said during that time, I want you to grab more tightly your faith. Don't loosen it up, stand firm. Now let me explain why this is so important. The evil day is principalities and powers and world forces. This means you are under attack. This means that this attack is coming from the devil and demons.

It is unfortunate that far too many Christians have lost sight of demons demons are angels that went rogue demons are the spiritual Mafia that attacks us in the spiritual that brings about our pain in the physical and the Bible has an answer to demons, the answer to demons are angels.

So here's how this works the Bible to class every Christian is been assigned an angel and the job of the angel is to look after the well-being of the believer.

Every Christian has an angel is assigned to you by God. One of the jobs of your angel is to throw toward the demonic attack that is coming against you, because angels know how to find angels so when the demonic angel comes to bring pain and wish defeat in your world and in your life you have an angel. The Bible says when we pray we indicate God the Holy Spirit who activates the angel assigned to you to deal with the demonic oppression that is coming against you intelligence the Nelson is the key says pray in the spirit. Verse 18 I don't just pray meaning just have conversation but he says I want you to pray. Chris is with me. The Bible talks about the role of the spirit is to deliver the mind of God first Corinthians chapter 2 verse nine and 10, but just as it is written, things which I have not seen aunt here and not heard, and which is not been entered into the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love you for to us God revealed that the my have an urge to us God revealed them through the spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the death of God.

The reason why you must pray in the spirit is because the spirit will do a Google search for you. He says the Spirit searches searches of God the Spirit searches spirit googled the mind of God and because the spirit all information available to him.

He can give you things I have not seen he could deliver things air have not heard, he can show you stop that never even entered in to the hot on the imagination of man say when you and me evil day. That means about getting help when you and he will day. They have limitations that they can do for you and you relate something that I have not see here have not heard the imagination is not conceived. You made the supernatural to enter into the natural and guess what the Holy Spirit does keep the locals because God knows law anybody you know to googled God we get this problem evident that this problem that the problem look at this problem. Jane had this problem. They don't know anybody who can help up long-term health.what's in our system that man does not have that you can make available to them. You better be able to pray now being in the spirit is opposed in Scripture to being in the flesh to be the spirit. Let me start with the participle he want you to be in the spirit he doesn't want you visiting the spirit to be in is an environmental term that means it's how you rolling you not just see you are in church right injured in the building culture but you will going to leave church so you will no longer be in church so you're in church right now because you're in this environment, but at the benediction you going to leave church so he would no longer going to be in it you will rebid the physical location of church so this is a temporary experience so you actually visiting church and you're in it for a limited period of time.

Verse 18 says all all all all so he is not want you visiting and exiting. He once you in the round of the spirit. What is the realm of the spirit, the realm of the spirit is a spiritual mindset in Romans chapter 8 verses 1 to 13. Read when you get home. He gives this extended discussion about the spirit and he says when you have the spirit you have the modeling of the spirits of this has to do with how you think the mind is your fault.

He wants you to think spiritually not clearly want you to think biblically, not worldly he want you to think the mind of Christ, not the mind of man. What far too many Christians do is they switch from AM to FM all of us in our concept AM and FM and those are two totally different frequency you push. I am going to one frequency you put FM UA another frequency. Far too many of us of believers switch frequencies in charge with Holy Ghost frequent after church we were frequent we keep switching frequencies and wonder why we don't experience the power of prayer. God says don't you switch me off because when you switch me all you will get what Google tried to pull up. That's why he says be on the alert. Why does he tell you to be on the you don't want to miss it when it shows that you don't want to miss God when he is moving you don't want to miss God what he wants to show you some you've never thought of before. Never heard before.

Want to miss God what he wants to bring somebody in your life you didn't expect who has an answer that you were looking for. So you better stay in contact with me so that I can reveal through your praying, and activating business dress code so you're not walking around spiritually new because you put on Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ is ruling so your operating in the spirit not in the flesh. Dr. Evans will share a story about how not to treat prayer when he comes back in a moment with more this lesson from his current series igniting kingdom. Prayer this two-volume 12 message collection will teach you to take your prayer life to the next level and experience more of the intimate connection and two-way communication. It's intended to provide would 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. Small group or Bible study class 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 when you visit Tony Evans.org again that's Tony Evans.org or call her 24 hour resource request line at 1-800-800-3222. Select one of our helpful team members, assist with your request.

That's 1-800-800-3222 with Dr. Evans will return with part two of our message right after this also husbands and wives. The source of our authority as believers. Understanding the concept of grace, meaning spiritual battlements are all important subjects that seem as different as night and day surprise you to know there's a common thread running through all you can discover what it is like taking the corresponding lesions in the Tony Evans training center one by one into the powerful themes of this book and make new discoveries about what Jesus didn't accomplish how to maintain unity home church spiritual armor is all about.

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I wake far too many of you spiritually. Prayer is an afterthought and emergency thought.

It's not a lifestyle of how we will want to show you again.

Galatians 5 Galatians 5 says this about the spirit.

Verse 16 but I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh will be in opposition to one another so that you may not do the things that you please.

He says there is a battle and as a battle between the spirit and the flesh. Let me define the flesh flesh is the desire to please self independently of God. The flesh, the desire to please yourself as opposed to pleasing God. We all battle with the flesh the desire.

This is what I want in God.

I know you want this over here but I don't want what you want.

I want what I want. That is the craving of the flesh, let me clarify something being in the spirit is not necessarily an emotional experience, you get better football games baseball games basketball games concert you get emotional. Nothing wrong with an emotional high. But if that emotional is not connected with the mind of Christ. It is purely emotional. It is not spirituality. He says walk in the spirit so let's follow that your walking.

What are you doing your moving, moving. So to be in the spirit is not a passive thing you are operating on what God said acting like God is telling the truth. You are moving euphemism of walking in the Bible means to live according to so this is how you roll because you're moving with the mind of Christ not doing that on Sunday morning when the church when you go to work. Working with the mind of Christ when you're being a husband or wife you doing that with the mind of Christ.

When you are dealing with Frederick doing that with the mind of Christ, the mind of Christ put you in the realm of the spirit we are operating when operating.

That way he says it will overrule the flesh that many times people say I'm praying.

But nothing is happening, but let me explain, if you catch a fish.

You pull the fish out the water. This is what the fishes will be doing his mouth is going to be opening and closing skills are going to be flexing you know what that page is trying to do survive, but that fish is going die. The reason that this is going die is he's trying to do it in the wrong environment doing the right thing wrong environment and we did doing the right thing, but you're doing it in the wrong environment the right thing will work or if we as humans went into the water and tried to breathe and saw the email and exhale you doing the right thing.

But you do it in the wrong environment. Many Christians pray they doing the right thing, but that doing it in the flesh that doing it in the wrong environment doing the right thing in the wrong environment the right thing will work. So just because you say your prayers in the morning say grace at dinner and bedtime prayer. That's the right thing. But the question is have you been walking in the right environment because of you, not walking in the right environment doing the right thing won't work. In fact, it can help to get quick so he says all all all all I want you to become slow with being in my presence walking in the flesh he says will put you in a spiritual graveyard walking by the spirit and he you know because you no longer having to force things when you're in the spirits but the Bible calls the spirit of women, a wind that blows you know you have to airport you walk into your gate, but the right mix using moving sample. So when you walk into your gate, which none moving sample is all your human. This is all your energy you made your own. But when you step on the moving sample Stillwell Stillwell but you are writing the same effort you got something on the link you pulling you along the Bible says the Holy Spirit guides us close up while you should not put your walking on compound walking on some undergirding you walking on some strength because you walking with the mind of the spirit, consistent with the revelation and work of God so that he can override and so you begin to flow, even though you still have to walk and even though you may have a ways to go.

He says pray always in the spirit spiritually because he is lonely out his mobile.

So we cry out to God.

Trust God that you have your evil day, what you will do we make prayer a lifestyle walking in the spirit, a lifestyle not a visit. Don't treat the spirit like a tree church so just come for a visit know he says you roll with me and you stay in contact with me all day every day short long fast so when we contact God if the timing is wrong,slow, if the request is wrong will say no. If we are wrong he'll say grow.

But if the request is right. The time is right, we are right. Sooner or later they go so I want this to be known as a house of prayer and praise God for great music. Praise God for preaching all that's critical to worship. But if we don't make contact with heaven. All we did was come to an event of religious credit.

We as a church will cry out to God. When God meets you in your evil day, however, that happens sometimes. He takes you through it. Sometimes he delivers you out of it and sometimes it does give you the strength to deal with it doesn't all cutaways but however you decide to do it. You'll know he's right there in the midst he changes your perspective in the midst of your evil day, and you know you can go a long way with a change of Dr. Tony Evans wrapping up a powerful lesson on prayer and spiritual warfare. Don't forget you can get the complete 12 lesson series igniting kingdom prayer on CD or instantly downloadable MP3s as a thank you gift when you make a donation to help us keep Tony's teaching on the station will be wrapping up the series on Monday to visit Tony Evans.org today to make the arrangements or get some in person help from one of our friendly resource team members by calling 1-800-800-3222 day or night. That's 1-800-800-3222 or online it Tony Evans.org and Tony Evans.org is also the place where you can find out how to stream the powerful film journey with Jesus, you know, Jesus never traveled more than 300 miles from the place he was born his life change the world.

He never wrote a song get more songs have been written about him than any other person in the world and in the feature-length journey with Jesus. Dr. Evans and his family take you to the holy land to explore just what made Jesus life so remarkable and so impactful make journey with Jesus part of your Easter reflection this year. Find out more@tonyevans.org when were facing a crisis big or small.

We have two choices. Listen to our feelings or listen to our faith on Monday. Dr. Evans will explain how our choice affects how we pray and how God answers hope you'll join the alternative with Dr. Tony have brought you fighting made possible by the generous contributions listeners like