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The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
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.”
Today we continue our series based on the apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians The theme is “Making a New World”.
Today we are talking about Getting Ready for a Fight.
Text
Ephesians 6:11 NKJV
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Scripture Reading
Ephesians 6:10-20 NKJV
The Whole Armor of God
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,
20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Prayer
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
Introduction
Boxers preparing for a world championship fight put in a lot of work.
They spend months and months training for the event.
Promoters work hard publicising and promoting the fight.
Millions of dollars, tremendous energy, and a multitude of hours go into preparation for the event.
Paul spoke of believers getting ready for a fight.
He described the Christian life as one of continual conflict.
Battle must be waged daily against the most relentless enemy from who there is no reprieve.
Today we will look at some ways we can get ready for our daily battle against the enemy.
- We need to know the enemy.
The enemy is know by name.
The enemy of believers is satan, the great adversary, the slanderous accuser, the malignant foe of the followers of Christ.
No believer needs to be deceived about his true identity.
The enemy is identified by nature.
Ephesians 6:11 says, Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Wiles means schemes laid for spiritual disaster.
Satan wages warfare with deception and sneaky assaults.
2. We need to put on the equipment.
We need the girdle of truth.
Verse 14, Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth.
Truth is seen in the person of Christ and in the relationships of Christians.
We need the breastplate of righteousness.
Again verse 14, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
Righteousness shows moral integrity.
It protects us from the tricks of satan.
It helps us withstand the multitude of attacks and enter the conflict without fear.
We need the shoes of peace.
Verse 15, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
The Roman soldier wore strong sandals that protected his feet but also allowed him to stand in a slippery place.
It is peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ that enables us to stand firm in difficult places and to move swiftly in opposing the enemy.
We need the shield of faith.
Verse 16, above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
The Roman soldier carried a huge door like shield, usually made of wood and covered with leather.
It protected him from the enemy’s weapons.
For believers, faith forms such a shield.
We need the helmet of salvation.
Verse 17, And take the helmet of salvation,
The word take means to receive from God’s hand something He has prepared for us.
Salvation is such a gift.
3. We need to rely on another resources.
We have the resource of the Bible.
The second part of verse 17 says, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
The sword of the Spirit is the weapon of offence, the weapon of attack.
The gospel message placed in the hands of the Christian warrior must be used with skill.
We have the resource of prayer.
Verse 18 is clear, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints
Praying in the Spirit describes the true character of prayer.
It is offered under the guidance of the Spirit, in fellowship with the Spirit, and in dependance on the Spirit.
Soldiers fight more valiantly and harder when they know they are not alone.
The soldiers can remain in close, clear, personal communication with the commander.
Around the Christian warrior stand countless other warriors who are ready to offer encouragement and help.
Conclusion.
Are you winning battles daily over the devil?
If not, you need to get ready for a fight.
Satan seeks to divert your attention away from the Lord.
He opposes all good that God wants to accomplish in your life.
To meet the opposer, you need to put on the equipment God has for you.
When you get your equipment in place, you can use the Word of God and prayer so that you will be a winner.
Until next time
Stay in the Blessings
I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.
When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.
Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!
You’re important to God, and you’re important to us at www.refinerylife.org
When it comes to prayer, we believe that God wants to meet your needs and reveal His promises to you.
So whatever you’re concerned about and need prayer for we want to be here for you! Or even if you just want to say Hi, you can contact us
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