Summary: <p>The Christian Life is Warfare <br>The Christian life, click your heels together 3 times vs a lifetime of warfare. <br><br>We have to change our mindset. We get discouraged at the first sign of trouble vs He said trials would come so here is my chance to do warfare. Refusing to do battle is saying I'm allowed to lose my tempter, I'm allowed to have unconfessed sin, I'm allowed to be bitter. You have already believed the scheme. <br><br>Separate everything out between what u are responsible for and everything else. What u are responsible for and what the Lord is going to take care of. Those troubles are there to serve as the context for u to be strong in the Lord in.<br><br>Ephesians 6:10–17 <br>10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. <br>13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. <br><br>Doing warfare, putting on the armor is a way we imitate God: <br>Ephesians 5:1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. <br>Isaiah 59:17 17 He put on righteousness as his body armor and placed the helmet of salvation on his head. <br>Isaiah 11:5 5 He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment. <br><br>To be a Christian is to do warfare, to be a warrior: <br>Ephesians 4:22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. <br>The clothing we are to put on is the whole armor of God. <br>The Christian life is not just about quitting bad behaviors, its about proactively, progressively becoming like God. <br>Matthew 12:43 “When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order. 45 Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. <br>ILLUSTRATION: Squatters- u have squatters living in your house bc u stopped guarding the house. To rid your life of sin u must be vigilant, u must do battle and the final victory doesn't come until the end of your life whenever that might be. <br>Having won a battle u become vigilant, u are on the lookout for sin on the horizon bc u know it can move in and take over.<br><br><br>SCHEMES: <br>Ephesians 6:11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. <br>Schemes are tricks, things that look attractive, desirable, and perfectly legitimate on the front end but it's a baited and camouflaged trap. <br><br>V16 shemes - temptations to ungodly behavior 4:26-27, doubt, despair, persecution and false teaching. <br><br>Lying- taking off our armor and resorting to schemes<br><br>Nigerian emails promising u cash. Why do people fall prey to these? The cash. <br><br>Watermelon Farmer- your enemy is cunning <br><br>These can work 4 fold for our enemy. First there is the trap itself and then there is the damage it causes others, then there is the pride that comes in so we refuse to work through the healing process that leads to forgiveness but instead allow bitterness to come in and bitterness gives real estate in our lives to our enemy. So even if we have turned away from the original sin, the bitterness lingers and the enemy continues to dominate our lives. <br><br>Illustration- TruGreen organic garden and digging up the soil and replacing it otherwise I continue to eat the fruit of that pollution.<br><br>Here is where it is most challenging as a pastor or counselor. The person is attracted or beguiled by the evil but I see it for what it really is, a scheme and a trick and this can cause the person to distance themselves from the Christian community in order to rid themselves of any conviction. The person is convinced of the schemes beauty and benefit. <br>It's possible for a persons whole upbringing to be enmeshed in a scheme so that it affects them through their whole life bc they can't see it and when a counselor calls it out the person is tempted to ditch the counsel. <br><br>Illustration- community watch<br><br>SCHEMES give the devil entrance into your life:<br><br>Ephesians 4: 26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil. <br><br>A foothold- real estate you have allowed the devil to own in your life.<br><br>In the lives of Christians, as we noted above, the emphasis of the New Testament is not on the influence of demons but on the sin that remains in the believer’s life. Nevertheless, we should recognize that sinning (even by Christians) does give a foothold for some kind of demonic influence in our lives. Thus Paul could say, “Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” (Eph. 4:26). Wrongful anger apparently can give opportunity for the devil (or demons) to exert some kind of negative influence in our lives—perhaps by attacking us through our emotions and perhaps by increasing the wrongful anger that we already feel against others. Similarly, Paul mentions “the breastplate of righteousness” (Eph. 6:14) as part of the armor that we are to use standing against “the wiles of the devil” and in contending “against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:11–12). If we have areas of continuing sin in our lives, then there are weaknesses and holes in our “breastplate of righteousness,” and these are areas in which we are vulnerable to demonic attack. By contrast, Jesus, who was perfectly free from sin, could say of Satan, “He has no power over me” (John 14:30). We may also note the connection between not sinning and not being touched by the evil one in 1 John 5:18: “We know that any one born of God does not sin, but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.”<br><br>I'm allowed to lose my tempter, I'm allowed to have unconfessed sin, I'm allowed to be bitter. These things are giving a piece of real estate in your life to the enemy.<br><br>SHIELD OF FAITH <br>Ephesians 6:16 “hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.” <br>Paul describes not the smaller round shield but the shield that is able to protect the whole body. <br>Polybius, Histories 6.23 <br>first, a large shield (scutum), the surface of which is curved outwards, its breadth two and a half feet, its length four feet,—though there is also an extra sized shield in which these measures are increased by a palm’s breadth. It consists of two layers of wood fastened together with bull’s-hide glue; the outer surface of which is first covered with canvas, then with calf’s skin, on the upper and lower edges it is bound with iron to resist the downward strokes of the sword, and the wear of resting upon the ground. Upon it also is fixed an iron boss (umbo), to resist the more formidable blows of stones and pikes, and of heavy missiles generally.<br><br>Large shield tempted to throw it down when the fiery darts came leaving the soldier vulnerable. <br><br><br>SWORD OF THE SPIRIT <br>V. 17 “take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” <br>As we speak the words of Scripture they re accompanied by the work of the Holy Spirit and have the power of a spiritual sword. <br>Sword of the Spirit- the Spirit makes the sword powerful and effective. Rhema emphasizes the spoken word. <br><br>Jesus, when tempted by the Satan repeatedly quotes Scripture in response to Satan’s temptations (Matthew 4:1–11).<br><br><br>CONCLUSION: <br>We must be discerning enough to see the sin we allow in our lives for what it really is, a scheme of the enemy to keep us from being warriors.<br><br>Some of us are so locked into a scheme that we won't experience humility until the day of our judgment. <br><br>All these shortcuts, all this editing, we love Jesus but not the church or I love grace but I'm not into repentance. If it's not thee way it ain't no way.</p>
