"Sizing up the Enemy"
Date: 12/4/18
Our Prayer: Let's Pray
Heavenly Father, Your warrior prepares for battle. Today we claim victory over Satan by putting on the whole armor of God! We put on the girdle of truth! May we stand firm in the truth of Your Word so we will not be a victim of Satan's lies. We put on the breastplate of righteousness! May it guard our hearts from evil so we will remain pure and holy, protected under the blood of Jesus Christ. We put on the shoes of peace! May we stand firm in the Good News of the Gospel so Your peace will shine through us and be a light to all we encounter. We take the shield of faith! May we be ready for Satan's fiery darts of doubt, denial, and deceit so we will not be vulnerable to spiritual defeat. We take the Sword of the Spirit! May the two-edged sword of Your Word be ready in our hands so we can expose the tempting words of Satan. By faith we warriors have put on the whole armor of God! We are prepared to live this day, this week in spiritual victory! In Jesus' name, we pray, AMEN.
Our Scripture: Let's Read: Ephesians 6:10-19
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,
Week 1:
Sizing up the Enemy There is an invisible enemy scheming against you and me, a "reign of terror" you might say. But His number is up… the game is done… you've been directly authorized by God to stop him. How? By "armoring up"… and "activating" the strength of God in you through targeted, specific, precise, and detailed prayer.
Let's recap Reading: (Ephesians 6:10-19)
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,
Day 1: Wrestling Match:
I pray you will be able to get these study books if you are going to follow alone with us. I will be sharing as much as I can; I will read each day reading of these books. There are five days of reading in each study; Read Ephesians 6:12 now.
There is nothing like writing out Scripture to imprint it on your heart and encourage you to implement it in your actions. We'll be doing it a lot throughout our study. So turn to Ephesians 6:12, in your Bible or on page 7 of your workbook, and write it in the space provided below.
Reading back over it, circle what the Bible says you are not wrestling against, then underline the four entities that you are wrestling against.
In the book there is a circle she wants us to write the name of the most difficult person, most pressing problem, and/or most overwhelming circumstance you're facing in your life right now. Mention several if you'd like. Take your time. You'll be referring back to this list several times throughout your study.
_________________________
In what ways are you currently "wrestling" with this person or circumstance?
"Everything that occurs in the visible, physical world is directly connected to the wrestling match being waged in the invisible, spiritual world.
Write the last sentence, then rewrite it in your own words.
Read:
Ephesians 6:10-12, Ephesians 1:3; 7-8, 13, 18-21, Ephesians 3:14-19, 2 Kings 6:15-17
• The enemy may be invisible, but he is not fictional. The more you disregard him, the more damage he is free to do.
• Being a believer doesn't give you immunity from the assaults of the enemy, but it does give you access to the power of the Father - His power to defend you as well as reverse what's been done to you… the key to winning the fight is realizing you're connected to more spiritual brawn than is coming against you.
• Prayer is able to change the trajectory of your life.
• The first step in utilizing my spiritual resources is to recognize them.
• The first key to understanding how spiritual blessings connect with spiritual armor and weapons to pin down the enemy is VISION• Whatever or whoever you are "struggling with" is not your real problem. The most troubling things in your life - things you perceive with your five senses - are not your real issue. Wrestling with them verbally, emotionally, financially, even physically, is a waste of precious time and energy.
• Everything that occurs in the physical world is directly connected to the wrestling match in the invisible, spiritual world.
Day 2: Undisguised:
Read:
Acts 19:11-41, 2 Corinthians 11:14, Ephesians 1:3, 20-22, 2:6, 3:10, 6:12, John 8:44, 2 Corinthians 4:4, 10:3, Revelation 20:10, Colossians 2:15, Philippians 2:9-11, Hebrews 2:14, 1 John 3:8 •
As we live our beliefs about the spiritual realm, we tend to make one of two mistakes:
1. We overestimate his impact in our life.
2. We underestimate him and miscalculate the impact of his influence on us.
• We tend to focus on what is visible and physical, instead of zeroing in on the invisible and spiritual. We aren't quite sure how to engage and defeat him.
• Spiritual victory is directly connected to your ability to "undisguise" the enemy. Vision, i.e. realizing the riches made available to us through Christ, helps us detect the enemy under the surface of life's pressing difficulties.
• The names of the enemy reveal his character, intention and activity (adversary, slanderous, alluring, tempter, steers entire societies, a tribe, condemns, liar)
• The enemy's calling card is deception. His deceptive tactics are specifically designed and personalized to keep you from experiencing abundant life.
• I have the home court advantage. Christ is seated in the "heavenly places" - the symbolic posture of a king whose army has already won - and YOU are seated beside him according to Scripture! The enemy KNOWS this.
• Satan has been disarmed, embarrassed, overruled, mastered, rendered powerless, and all his hard work destroyed. Through Christ, we can bring the victory of heaven into our experience on earth.
• Satan cannot destroy you - the best you can do is to make your time on earth futile and unproductive, to suffocate you with sin, insecurity, fear, and discouragement until you are unable to live freely and fully. He can't "unseat" you, but he can intimidate you and render you ineffective and paralyzed.
Day 3: Lazy Days:
Read:
Ephesians 6:10-19, Philippians 2:12b-13, 1 Peter 5:8
• The enemy's goal: to distract, discourage, divide, and disable you. He celebrates lethargic Christian living. Our inertia work to his advantage - rolling out the red carpet for his entrance into the unlocked door of our indifference and despondency. THAT's why he works so hard to beat us into discouragement, discontentment, doubt, shame, guilt, hopelessness.
• You don't have to be afraid, but you DO need to be alert and on guard.
• You must believe and receive, then USE what God has given you! Putting on the armor ACTIVATES the strength that God has already promised to give.
• The call to armor up is urgent and resolute. We must "plug in" to access God's strength.
• Lazy Christianity is not an option… we are called to action - firm resolve, forward movement - prayer, righteousness, faith - serious, strategic, intentional.
Day 4: Bait Selection:
• Detecting the enemy's strategies is the first step in defeating him. He is the master at choosing the right kind of bait to snag you. The greatest fears and anxieties in your life are clues to some important spiritual information about your vulnerability. Prayer and spiritual armor allow you to detect his plans/attacks before they unfold! You can sabotage his efforts!
• His strategies are personal, targeted against yours:
• Passion: your whole desire for spiritual things - Ephesians 6:10-20
• Focus: directing your weapons toward the wrong enemy - 2 Corinthians 11:14
• Identity: magnifying insecurities - Ephesians 1:17-19
• Family: dividing your home - Genesis 3:1-7
• Confidence: reminding you of the past - Revelation 12:10
• Calling: amplifying fear and anxiety - Joshua 14:8
• Purity: convincing you to tolerate sin - Isaiah 59:1-2
• Rest and Contentment: overloading your life/schedule and pushing you beyond your limits - Deut. 5:15
• Heart: keeping old wounds fresh - Hebrews 12:15
• Relationships: creating disruption and disunity among your friends and shared community in the body of Christ - 1 Timothy 2:8
• Two questions to consider:
1. In what ways do I post the biggest threat to the enemy and His purposes?
2. What are my flesh's tendencies, innate passions, and weaknesses?
• Keep an eye on your areas of greatest strength and your areas of greatest weakness. Those are likely targets! Be ready, prayed up, and standing guard!
Day 5: Strategy Session:
Read:
Ephesians 6:18-19
• Prayer. This is how you Take Stuff Back, In Jesus' name.
• Prayer is the divinely authorized method that activates your spiritual armor and makes it effective.
• Unless prayer is a vital and thriving part of your life, you will never achieve spiritual victory.
• Prayer is the connective tissue between you and heavenly places - and that is where spiritual battles are won.
• "With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf…" – Ephesians 6:18-19
• Prayer is the linchpin that holds the armor together.
• What is your personalized, prayer strategy? Girded in thanksgiving and gratitude for what God has already done… punctuated with promised from His Word…
Prayer that ASKS God to open your spiritual eyes, to alert you to the enemy's intentions, and to give you the proactive courage to lay down your fallback…
• In spiritual warfare, as we detect enemy activity and deploy the different pieces of armor, our prayers need to be fervent and specific, strategic, and personal.
• The enemy is going to be sorry he ever messed with you as you… shut him down in JESUS' NAME!
Verse 12 "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
Each Week Study "Overcomers" by Dr. David Jeremiah
Week # 1 "We are overcomers"
Read: (1 Samuel 17:1-51)
The Overcomer's Challenge: (2 Samuel 21:19-22)
The Overcomer's Character: (1 Samuel 17:26)
The Overcomer's Conquest: (1 Samuel 17:43-48)
The Overcomer's Calling: (1 Samuel 17:34-37; Romans 8:31)
Nuggets: Week #1 Suit Up!
"Our spiritual clothing can determine the success of our spiritual life in this world."
Questions:
1). The battle is ____________.
2). The enemy is ____________.
3). Read these scriptures (Ephesians 1:3; 1:7-8; 1:13; 1:18-20; 2:5-6; 3:10) Explain each one.
4). Our weapons are not what?
5). What do (Isaiah 59:17-18) talks about?
6). In (Corinthians 10:3-4) describe what our divinely powerful weapons can do.
7). Name some of Satan's names that reveals his overarching methodologies of attack against God's people.
8). Pray a fervent, precise, effective prayer right now.
9). What are your strategy to walk in peace?
10). Read James 5:16, explain
11). According to Scriptures (John 8:44, 2 Corinthians 4:4, Revelations 20:10), what is the enemy's most calling card?
12). The cross and the resurrection were the final steps in sealing the claim of victory over Satan's kingdom; name some.
13). What practical parameters can you put around your life to safeguard yourself from the enemy's attempts to bait you in these areas of your life?
14). Read (John 16:33), what did Jesus say He has overcome?
15). How is (Romans 12:21 ) a principle for all challenges? Either we _____them or they______ us.
16). What principle of overcoming is found in (2 Peter 2:19)? What happens to us if we do not overcome life's challenges?
17). What danger is always lurking, even after we overcome a challenge? (2 Peter 2:20).
18). Cite a problem you have overcome in the past. Have you been able to avoid "relapsing"?
19). Why is (1 John 4:4-5) the reason we know we can overcome life's challenges?
20). What role does faith play in your certainty of overcoming? (1 John 5:4)
21). How did David prepare himself for battle with Goliath? Why did he take only a sling and stones?
Prayer:
Remember This. . . .(Isaiah 54:17)
"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord."
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