Spiritual Warfare (Part 2); Winning the Battle in the Spiritual Realm

By Tony V. Hammack

These notes are best when used in conjunction with the audio or video. To listen to the audio (podcast), click here. To watch the video, click here. 

This week we're going to focus in on discussing how to win the battle in the spiritual realm, more specifically the second heaven.

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

1. Remembering
2. Reminding
3. Reinforcing

C.  Don’t love life so much as to shrink from death.

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

1. When a person yields to cravings 
2. When a person allows lust of the eyes 
3. 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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Spiritual Warfare (Part 1); Winning the Battle over Self

By Tony V. Hammack


These notes are best when used as an outline and in conjunction with the audio or video. To listen to the audio (podcast), click here. To watch the video, click here.
 

1. The Three Battle Grounds,
1. Self
2. The World System
3. The Heavenly Realms

1.  Winning the Battle over Self

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

The mercy of God is exhibited in sending His perfect sinless son to die on the cross for a perfectly sinful humanity.   It's important that we view our own sacrifices in the light of His sacrifice.

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.

The image is represented by Barabbas. We are Barabbas, the sinful, getting pardoned so a sinless Messiah could die in our place.

Followers of Christ
Christianity 101 – Flies in the face of the false gospel that teaches God is more concerned about your comfort than your character. More concerned about you being blessed than your obedience to Him. More interested in your bank account than your son-ship.

Matthew 16:24
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

1. Self consists of 3 parts
     a. Body
     b. Soul (Mind, Will, Emotions)
     c. Spirit

The Body
Matthew 26:41
"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

The Soul
Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

The Spirit of Mankind
Lost Men don’t have a living spirit within them.
1 Corinthians 2:10b,11
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

Dead to Sin
Romans 6:11
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

The Battle for the Mind
2 Corinthians 10:4,5
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

The Battle for the Will
Romans 6:16
Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?

The Battle in the Emotions
John 14:27 – Troubled Heart
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John 14:1 – Troubles
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me.
2 Corinthians 1:3,4 – All Troubles
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

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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The Brick

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown.. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, 'What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?'

The young boy was apologetic. 'Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't
know what else to do,' He pleaded. 'I threw the brick because no one else would stop...' With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. 'It's my brother, 'he said 'He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up.'

Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, 'Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me.'

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took
out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay.. 'Thank you and may God bless you,' the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk
toward their home.

It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to
remind him of this message: 'Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!' God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice to listen or not.

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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Tennessee Football

Forwarded By Tony V. Hammack

This is a statement that was read over the PA system at the football game at Roane County High School, Kingston, Tennessee, by school Principal, Jody McLeod.

"It has always been the custom at Roane County High School football games, to say a prayer and play the National Anthem, to honor God and Country."

Due to a recent ruling by the Supreme Court, I am told that saying a Prayer is a violation of Federal Case Law. As I understand the law at this time, I can use this public facility to approve of sexual perversion and call it "an alternate life style," and if someone is offended, that's OK.

I can use it to condone sexual promiscuity, by dispensing condoms and calling it, "safe sex." If someone is offended, that's OK.

I can even use this public facility to present the merits of killing an unborn baby as a "viable! means of birth control." If someone is offended, no problem...

I can designate a school day as "Earth Day" and involve students in activities to worship religiously and praise the goddess "Mother Earth" and call it "ecology.."

I can use literature, videos and presentations in the classroom that depicts people with strong, traditional Christian convictions as "simple minded" and "ignorant" and call it "enlightenment.."

However, if anyone uses this facility to honor GOD and to ask HIM to Bless this event with safety and good sportsmanship, then Federal Case Law is violated.

This appears to be inconsistent at best, and at worst, diabolical. Apparently, we are to be tolerant of everything and anyone, except GOD and HIS Commandments.

Nevertheless, as a school principal, I frequently ask staff and students to abide by rules with which they do not necessarily agree. For me to do otherwise would be inconsistent at best, and at worst, hypocritical... I suffer from that affliction enough unintentionally. I certainly do not need to add an intentional transgression.

For this reason, I shall "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's," and refrain from praying at this time.

"However, if you feel inspired to honor, praise and thank GOD and ask HIM, in the name of JESUS, to Bless this event, please feel free to do so.. As far as I know, that's not against the law----yet."

One by one, the people in the stands bowed their heads, held hands with one another and began to pray.

They prayed in the stands. They prayed in the team huddles. They prayed at the concession stand and they prayed in the Announcer's Box!

The only place they didn't pray was in the Supreme Court of the United States of America- the Seat of "Justice" in the "One Nation, Under GOD."

Somehow, Kingston , Tennessee remembered what so many have forgotten. We are given the freedom OF religion, not the freedom FROM religion. Praise GOD that HIS remnant remains!

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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Talking Dog for Sale

A guy is driving around the back woods of Arkansas and he sees a sign in front of a broken down shanty-style house: 'Talking Dog For Sale ' He rings the bell and the owner appears and tells him the dog is in the backyard.

The guy goes into the backyard and sees a nice looking Labrador retriever sitting there.

'You talk?' he asks.

'Yep,' the Lab replies.

After the guy recovers from the shock of hearing a dog talk, he says 'So, what's your story?'
The Lab looks up and says, 'Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA. In no time at all they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping.'
'I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running. But the jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn't getting any younger so I decided to settle down. I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security, wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a batch of medals.' 'I got married, had a mess of puppies, and now I'm just retired.'

The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog.

'Ten dollars,' the guy says.

'Ten dollars? This dog is amazing! Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?'

'Because he's a liar. He never did any of that.

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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