Quote:
"There is no neutral ground in the universe. "Every square inch, every split second is claimed by God, and counterclaimed by Satan.” -C.S. Lewis

review:
-Recognize the battles going on
-Recognize the lies of the enemy…replace with God’s Truth
-Recognize your weaknesses, that’s where the Devil likes to strike most. Truth: We will struggle to overcome our temptations or defeat the demons that we continually FLIRT with. Accountability is a necessity for everyone. Healthy and holy boundaries are good for us as we pursue God's best.
-Recognize the power we have in and through Jesus to stand firm in faith!
-Resist the 'drift' - the enemy will try to disrupt your relationship with Jesus and try to do all he can to dilute your connection with Christ
-Resist the 'labeler mindset' - we have one enemy, and it's not other people.
-Resist the extremes of self-reliance and self-condemnation. Stay humble and recognize your need for God. Don't buy the accusations from the enemy. Satan is our biggest accuser, but Jesus is our Greatest Advocate! (see: Zechariah 3, John 15 and Romans 8)

Being a believer in Jesus, doesn’t give us immunity from the assaults of the enemy, but it does give us ACCESS to the power of the Father – his power to secure you, defend you and be FOR your good. In Ephesians (whole book) – the Apostle Paul made sure believers recognized that as new people who have been granted new life in a new family with new relationships - they still would have to endure spiritual warfare.
-Believers must stand in the armor of God - to stand against the devil’s schemes.

QUOTE:
“Just because we’re under attack, doesn’t mean we’re unprotected.”
-Tom White (a believer’s guide to spiritual warfare) GOD has given us incredible power and ‘gear’ to utilize as we RESPOND and navigate life with Jesus – standing firm in faith against the Devils’ schemes.

Belt of Truth

Quote:
“Remember, the enemy’s overarching device is deception. He shades reality with enticing and alluring colors, seducing us away from black and white principles. He propagates fantasies, causing temporal and insignificant things to somehow appear immensely valuable and favorable. He hides consequences in the fine print while highlighting only the parts that appeal to our shortsighted, self-gratifying flesh. His packaging is so clever that unless we know what’s true – we easily fall prey to his ploys.” -Priscilla Shirer (The Armor of God)

Jesus said ‘you will know the truth and the truth will set you free’ – having the belt of truth is about strengthening the “core of you”, in the truth and promises of God.

Breastplate of Righteousness

“Guard your heart” – it’s the important, source seat of your life. We’re to have our heart/life protected by the righteousness of Jesus.

You no longer have to strive for your own perfect righteousness – that only leads to legalism and discouragement.

You no longer have to settle for comparative righteousness – trying to ‘just be better than others’ – that actually deceives you.

You’ve been gifted and given the imputed righteousness of Jesus, that now defines you and declares you innocent before all accusers.

Shoes of Peace

The Greek word for ‘peace’ in Ephesians 6:15 is (eirene), it’s the NT parallel for the OT word: shalom. Shalom never referred to an absence of chaos or turmoil. Rather it referred to a deeply entrenched sense of harmony, health and wholeness in the middle of chaos and the normal ups and downs of life.
When instability abounds, yet you remain steadfast; when disappointment and confusion are near, yet you’re still capable of walking with God-infused confidence, stability and steadiness. = A divinely given ‘sure footing’ in life.

We can stand with God’s peace surrounding us and we become dispensers of God’s peace into the circumstances & relationships around us…

Shield of Faith

A shield is a defensive weapon. When we talk about taking up the shield of faith – we’re meaning that we’re going to live as - what God says about things is actually true. Faith is acting like God is telling the truth. We don’t have to be distracted by our enemy’s deception, accusations, twisting of truth… we can trust God to be who He is and do what He says.

Helmet of Salvation

Protecting our minds with the reality that we’ve been rescued by the salvation of Jesus and his work on the cross. (see Galatians 5:1) Being saved: is not just a saving from danger – but also a restoration to wholeness and prosperity. We don’t have to listen to the old tapes and condemnation from our enemy. Our minds can be transformed, protected and rewired with God’s truth.

Sword of the Spirit

As Jesus did in Matthew 4 – he countered the lies and twisting of things from Satan with the truth of God’s Word. We’re to know the Word, be in it and have it within us. It’s “alive and active” – life-giving and able to help us counter the schemes of the enemy and the lies of the world.

Prayer

=prayer moves the heart of God and joins His activity - invading the circumstances and relationships in our world…it’s agreeing with God, seeking Him to release more of his hope / activity to bring about godly change!

The devil can discourage a person, but he cannot defeat the person who won’t give up. Get back up. Go again with God’s strength.
= see Ephesians 6:10

You're never stronger than when you’re depending on God.

We approach life FROM THE VICTORY given us in and through Jesus. We’re on the winning team. Let's claim this promise in Romans 16:20 - so that God can 'stamp out' any enemy activity in our lives and across our land. Let's seek and ask God to do so...

NEED PRAYER? ....we've got some of our prayer team and pastors available following service to pray with you. Or you can text the word "prayer" to our phone number: #520-300-9001 to submit your prayer request or submit one via our app. We look forward to partnering with you in prayer.