Warfare & Will Pt. 3: The Battle for Your ‘Heart’
Is God’s Will your goal?
Is the life a Disciple of Jesus Christ about what you want to do or what God wants?
Spiritual Warfare is both Offense & Defense
Matthew 6:9-13
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. (Offense)
- Has who God is captured your heart to the point where you revere Him?
- How badly do we want to enact Christ’s will?
- Are we willing to fight for His Will?
Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. (Offense)
- How are mundane things part of Spiritual Warfare?
- Our connection to our forgiveness is made real by how we forgive others
- Living by and in God’s Grace is enacting His Will
And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. (Defense)
- This is called asking for guidance (Prayer & Scripture)
- When we screw it up rescue us from being ensnared in habit forming sin
- The belief He can do it is the power that makes the difference
- The Amen is about agreement (Communal)
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (Offense)
- God’s will for our lives is living as though Christ is everything!
Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil. (Defense / Offense)
- Being sensitive to God’s Spirit and yielding to His leading
- Prophecies = God’s Point of View…Evaluating what is consistent with His Word
- Black and White Choices…Leave nothing in the ‘Fictitious Third Kingdom’
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
- God is who does it (Sanctification) but HE will not force it on you
- The desired result is Holiness / Set Apart
- He calls you to it (Relationship with Christ) and if so, He will change you
And here is where the battle is fought…
Ephesians 6:13-18
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.
- The previous verses describe the Spiritual Opposition (Why we have to fight)
- Because of that you need ALL the armor God supplies
- There is no ‘If’ the battle happen, it’s coming
- The whole point is to not lose any ground during the battle
Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.
- We have Ground! Our experience and trust in that ground makes up our ‘Heart’
- Truth is critical since our enemy owns the realm of lies and distortion
- Our righteousness is no protection, We need Christ’s! (Heart Issue)
- Do we have ‘Shalom’ with our creator because the Gospel is enough?
In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
- ‘In Addition’…you need it all. Any open spot will be exploited!
- More to it than owning a shield, you have to use it (Work it out)
- The arrows are coming, not if but rather ‘when’
- You head is the most vulnerable part, it houses you ‘Heart’
- ‘Heart Trust’ in the unshakable reality of your salvation is vital protection
- ‘Take’ as in ‘Keep & Use’… God’s Word is Offense & Defense
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
- Prayer pulls it all together
- Warfare Prayer (Learn & Practice next week)
1st Timothy 6:11-12
But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.
- Are you a Woman or Man of God? If you love God you will hate evil
- Offense as defense…busy going after God Will can keep you from evil
Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses.
- Spiritual Warfare is fighting for true ‘Christ Discipleship’ (God’s Will for Us!)
- But our ‘Identity’ as Christians, our ‘Heart’ for God cannot be treated lightly…
- If it is real, then actively and intentionally pursue what you have been called to!
Application Questions:
How well do you understand the specific ways your life can reflect of God’s Will?
Where does you everyday life intersect with God’s Grace and your distribution of it?
In what areas of your life do you most need God’s power to protect and deliver you?
How do you leverage your relationship with Christ to be joyful through hard stuff?
What are specific habits you could build to intentionally pursue sanctification?
What does it look like to practically apply and use of ‘The Whole Armor of God’?
How can fighting for the true faith help you know what to run from & what to pursue?