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A review from last week
Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.
I. How to win the Spiritual War over Self
A. View God’s Mercy
B. Crucify Self
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Consider the possibilities when we win the battle in the spiritual realm. Watch this 9 minute video where groups of people all over the globe are experiencing a mighty revival.
Winning the Battle In The Spiritual Realm
We know from scripture that there is a "Third Heaven" from the writings of Paul and he described what he saw as paradise.
The Third Heaven
2 Corinthians 12:2-4
2I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. 3And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— 4was caught up to paradise.
The Second Heaven
It’s generally accepted that the first heaven is the visible world or cosmos. It’s also generally accepted, considering first century Jewish thought, that the second heaven was a place of chaos. Some believe this is the realm between the dwelling place of God and the dwelling place of man. It’s possibly the place where the Prince of the Persian kingdoms resisted the heavenly messenger in Daniel chapter 10.
Daniel 10:12,13
12 Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.
Our Struggle
Ephesians 6:12
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.
Possibly referring to the second heaven.
A Peek into the Second Heaven
2 Kings 6:17
And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
Keys to Overcoming The Devil
Revelation 12:11
They overcame him (The Accuser) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
A. The Blood of the Sinless Lamb of God
B. The Word of their Testimony
- Remembering
- Reminding
- Reinforcing
Have you ever noticed how people tend to only remember the first two ways to overcome listed in Revelation 12:11? Why do you think that is?
Understand the Devil’s Tactics
Tactic #1
Being Opportunistic
Luke 4:13
When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
From the above passage what does it tell you about the tactics of the devil?
We know that Jesus eventually considered his disciples friends from the scripture below.
John 15:15
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
Tactic #2
Using your closest friends
Matthew 16:23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
John 13:27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.
What conclusions can you draw from Matthew 16 and John 13 as it relates to the tactics of the devil?
Tactic #3
Intimidation and opportunistic – Roaring Lion
1 Peter 5:8
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
The only people the Devil devours from the Christian ranks are those who allow themselves to be devoured.
1 John 4:4
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
Tactic #4
Doing Nothing
Lulling you to sleep before the attack
Matthew 26:41, 45
41"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.
45Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"
Tactic #5
Play on the Sinful Nature
Devil’s Entry Points
- When a person yields to cravings
- When a person allows lust of the eyes
- When a person boasts of what he has and does - pride
Genesis 3:6
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was 1. good for food and 2. pleasing to the eye, and also 3. desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.
Satanic Attack against Jesus
Matthew 4:2 – A Craving is Present
2After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."
2. Matthew 4:8 – Something that appeals to the Eyes is Present
8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9"All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."
3. Matthew 4:5,6 – Trying to Get Jesus to Boast inappropriately to Prove he’s the Son of God.
5Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6"If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: " 'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'[b]"
Jesus overcomes the Devil by understanding correctly the word of God and declaring it to the situations the enemy placed before him.
Jesus is a master swordsman wielding the Word of God!
Ephesians 6:17
The Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.
The devil will push the same buttons in your life. You must study to show your self approved a workman who rightly divides the word of truth if you want to overcome the attacks of the enemy. The devil will continue to use the same tactics against you.
Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke.
1 John 2:16
For everything in the world—1. the cravings of sinful man, 2. the lust of his eyes and the 3. boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.
Dealing with principalities in the second heaven.
Intercession
Ezekiel 22:30
"I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.
2 Chronicles 7:14
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Take some time and pray about your area in the world. Ask God to show you what principalities are affecting the thinking of people and pray for the Lord to move those principalities out so the Glory of God can pour into your sphere of influence.
If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here. Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V. If you live in Batesville please tune into KCCJ - 106.9 FM to listen to contemporary worship music. Jubilee Family Church 45 Thunderbird Dr. Batesville, AR 72501 (870) 793-9124
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