STEPPING INTO ABUNDANT LIVING – SPIRITUAL WARFARE
John 10:10 NLT “10 The
thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a
rich and satisfying life.[1] KJV
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:
I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more
abundantly. (NIV)
10 The
thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have
life,(A) and have it to the full.(B)
(AMP)
10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill
and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in
abundance (to the full, till it [a]overflows).
(MSG)
6-10 Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea
what he was talking about. So he tried again. “I’ll be explicit, then. I am the
Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep stealers, every
one of them. But the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who
goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture.
A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have
real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
Illustration. The
Good Shepherd at the gate. At night sheep were kept in an enclosure with a
single opening, the gate. The shepherd slept in the doorway so that no wild
beast could attack, except over his own body. Jesus as the “Gate for the sheep”
interposes His own body between us and sin and Satan. He actually gave His life
that we might have life. He truly is the Good Shepherd.
The thief, that is, a false shepherd,
cares only about feeding himself, not building up the flock. He steals sheep in
order to kill them, thus destroying part of the flock. But Christ has come
to benefit the sheep. He gives life which is not constricted but
overflowing. The thief takes life; Christ gives it to the full.
We will be looking at the enemy’s schemes that he
uses to rob, kill and destroy
How does the enemy mess with us?
He gains entry from…
§
our sins/ negative choices
§
our beliefs
§
deception
§
occult/ satanic practices
§ sexual encounters
§
unforgiveness/ unresolved anger
How does the enemy mess with us?
He gains entry from…
§
our sins/ choices (discuss mood/mind altering
substances – hmmm.. that’s why they call them ‘spirits’)
You belong
to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s
desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for
there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language,
for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Then the
Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The
serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
Do not
worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a
jealous God.
§ sexual encounters 1Cor 6:12-20
12 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.” The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”[b] 17 But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.[c]18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
§ unforgiveness/ unresolved anger - Ephesians 4:26-27 New International Version (NIV)
26 “In your anger do not sin”[a]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.
How do we deal with the strongholds? How do we do spiritual warfare?
1. Get dressed for battle daily
The Armor of God – Ephesians 6:10-18
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
2. Submit & Resist
James 4:7
New
International Version (NIV)
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
3. Seek to understand your Identity/
Position in Christ
So, my
brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of
Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was
raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.
You,
however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit,
if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have
the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
4. Apply James 5:16 to your life – Seek help & prayer support
16 Therefore confess your sins to
each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a
righteous person is powerful and effective.
5. Use the tools available to you: Inner Healing Prayer, The Steps to Freedom
(Neil Anderson) Great books: Victory over
the Darkness, The Bondage Breaker
For
though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world
does.
2
Corinthians 10:2-4 (in Context) 2
Corinthians 10 (Whole Chapter) Other
Translations
The weapons we fight with are not the
weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have
divine power to demolish strongholds.
Steps & inner
healing prayer cover: Entry points
discussed earlier – non-Christian experiences, lies we believe/ areas of
deception, unforgiveness, areas of rebellion/ sin/ idolatry, pride, addictions/
bondages/ strongholds – (lust, jealousy, gossip, lying), sexual bonds – soul
ties, generational sins/ curses
6. Speak the truth
OUT LOUD when under attack
7. Continue mind renewal & pray that for others as well 2 Timothy 2:25-26
New
International Version (NIV)
25 Opponents must be gently
instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a
knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come
to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them
captive to do his will.
WE
NEED NOT FEAR SATAN/ SPIRITUAL WARFARE… WHY?
But you
belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those
people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who
lives in the world.
STEPPING
INTO ABUNDANT LIVING – Spiritual Warfare
GROUP WORK
1. Share
some of the teachings or experiences you have had with regard to spiritual
warfare?
2. As
you consider some of the ‘entry’ points/ ways the enemy gains a foothold in our
lives.. what are those that you need to close the door on? Renounce? Get assistance to move beyond?
3. Of
the 6 things to do in warfare, which were surprises/ new information?
4. How
will you put what you learned tonight into practice?
[1]Tyndale
House Publishers: Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 2nd ed. Wheaton, Ill.
: Tyndale House Publishers, 2004, S. Jn 10:10
[2]Richards, Lawrence O.: The Bible
Readers Companion. electronic ed. Wheaton
: Victor Books, 1991; Published in electronic form by Logos Research Systems,
1996, S. 687
[3]Walvoord,
John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas
Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the
Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 2:310
No comments:
Post a Comment