A Warrior's Heart: Lessons from the Spiritual Battlefield

I'm thankful to have Brother Cox as our senior Saints pastor.

He's now our longest tendered staff member and has been with us

a long time.

A long time.

I also want to recognize that he served in the Marines and we thankful

for the service that he gave to our country.

And so I'm so thankful he's come to preach for us this morning.

Come on, Brother Coates.

Thank you, Pastor, appreciate that.

Take your Bibles.

Second Corinthians, chapter two.

Second Corinthians, chapter two, if you would please.

Yesterday afternoon I went to see Brother Adolph Word he did not

know what I was coming there for.

And I asked if it was possible that he could be here today for our

Veterans Appreciation Day.

I said, now I understand if you cannot make it, cannot do it,

but certainly be a blessing to recognize our oldest church member

and our oldest veteran.

And I said, now don't push it.

He told me, I want to push it.

So here he is.

I tell you what, he's kind of a very much of delight.

After he had moved out of his daughter's home, son in law's home

and was put into a facility.

It wasn't long that he called his daughter back and said, you need

to move me.

And she said, why?

Because I can't find anyone any competition to play cards with

or dominoes with.

At 90 some years of age.

He was outsmarting them all.

And then I promised him something that I was reminded of,

got a phone call on his 100th birthday.

Brother Cox, you promised him a ride in your red Mustang, over.

So I was able to dress up in a Hawaiian shirt, a ride in the red

Mustang and reroll down the windows.

And he looked like a teenager all throughout.

Had a great time, a great ball.

He's a wonderful, delightful individual.

I hope you get the second Corinthians, chapter two says this

verse 11:10 to get an advantage of us, for we are not ignorant

of his device.

We're not ignorant.

Warriors.

Warriors going into battle, they can't about the enemy before

they go into fight.

It's called military intel.

That's an oxymoron, right?

Yeah, but we need to know the number of tanks, aircraft, ships,

strengths and weaknesses of the enemy.

We cannot go into battle being ignorant.

Today I'm afraid too many Christians have gone into the spiritual

battle, sometimes willingly, so they don't want to know.

Sometimes they don't even want to care and just let life happen

without the worries of having to fight their enemy.

Who does care?

We know somebody, the commander in chief who cares about

each and every one of us about that today.

Let's pray.

Father, thank you for each and every one of our veterans, so grateful

that they have come to serve our nation, serve our country, their

families who have made to be left behind by them and not know

what's going to happen to them.

We thank you very for your great love and grace and mercy.

But we thank you for bringing these veterans that we've honored

today home safe.

Thank you so much for it all.

For it's in Jesus precious name.

Amen to time.

We have to be reminded that we are in a spiritual battle.

One of the things that we should have is just that we are in

a spiritual battle.

We are in a spiritual war because we get too involved with

life.

We get too involved with making a living.

We get too involved with things they demand our time and take

our attention away.

That you don't want spiritual battle.

We're in a spiritual war.

2 Timothy 2, 4 says this.

No man that warreth tangleth himself with the affairs of this

life that he may please he whom to be a soldier.

Sometimes we are ignorant of the spiritual war that is before

us.

Some forget that what's happening is not something of man,

but of a spiritual nature.

And people like for example this election, you can get mad and

you get upset at individuals.

So please understand that uses politicians to promote blindly the

moral issues that we're today.

We should not be ignorant that we are in a battle.

But I do see too many Christians who are not the enemy

at all.

In fact, some Christians willingly give up, raise their hands

as I give up.

I don't want to fight.

I don't want to fight.

That is very sad when that takes place.

Whether or not you Christian, you and I are in a spiritual battle.

We are in a spiritual war.

And please let it cripple you up.

Please understand the enemy wants to harm you.

Please understand the enemy wants to do damage.

But we have a commander in chief that's not going to let that

happen to you.

We have a commander in chief who takes care of you and is able

to overcome our enemy Satan.

Secondly, our enemy Satan, we're not ignorant of him.

He is our archenemy.

Yes, and all that God created.

Since we identify as children of God, made by him and created by

him.

Satan has us in his crosshair.

We are targets.

He sets out ambushes for us.

He will take sniper shots.

He has landmines to cripple us spiritually.

And that where we lose our test.

Jesus Christ, from the very beginning of creation Satan wanted

his own world domain.

If you look at Isaiah chapter 14 we have the five I wills of the

Isaiah 14 · chapter mention

and he told this to God I will be like the Most High, I will exalt

myself above the I will go to heaven, I will have my own kingdom.

Who else boldly tells but the devil himself.

So anyone who names the name of Christ the devil's enemy but we're

not ignorant of that enemy because Satan doesn't care and we're

not ignorant of that enemy that he does not want us to succeed

in the Christian life.

Things we need not to be ignorant about.

We are in a war and you have an end does not want the best for

you in your life.

Thirdly, we're not ignorant devices he has devices there as we're

told in second Corinthians lesson each of us for we're not ignorant

of his devices.

Sometimes Satan appears on deep desires things that we really

really want to do down deep look good and act good as a Christian.

But sometimes we have down deep desires we side to us and it's

in those times Satan appeals to that verse 16 for that is all

that is in the world.

The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, not of the Father

world.

He appeals to our liars.

He appeals from that underground authority by which we

deterior than God and have more authority over God.

We don't want him sometimes to rule over do what we want to do and

we live our way that way.

So we have to make that what are we going to do and whom are we

going to serve?

Satan knows missions work and operate emotionally.

We don't operate spiritually.

The word of God we have it here before us.

It's our spiritual life, our spiritual guide but have needed jerk

reactions.

We act and react emotionally when things that's why his devices

are emotionally we are fearful.

When we shouldn't be, we're doubtful when we shouldn't be we're

or when we really should be.

We're not believing in the word of God when we really should

be emotionally and not spiritually Christian.

You and I are to operate on Fs of life.

Three Fs.

First of all, base your Christian life first the facts of

the Word of God.

There are people who say well, I just don't feel saved.

I just don't feel like being a Christian today.

It doesn't matter what you feel like.

What does the Bible say?

What's Jesus Christ done on the cross for you and your salvation?

Whether or not you feel like it.

It's a Fact secondly is your put your faith to the facts, live

by faith.

We Christians and not by sight walk by faith and not by sight.

That is our spiritual life, how we spiritually live.

And then thirdly the last F is your feelings.

Your feelings follow suit.

Let your feelings be the caboose for this generation over

here who's never seen a caboose are at the end of the train

usually read that follows the train.

That that's what's called the caboose generation.

Yeah.

Anyway.

Yeah.

So we are not ignorant.

He is.

And we're not ignorant of his devices.

He knows that we reactionally not spiritually.

So we need to understand sometimes his depression, disillusionment,

anger, bitterness, things that are unfair happenings in our lives

that go against us and hurt us in our lives.

If I might use an illustration from an admiral retired.

His name is William McRaven.

William McRaven, commander of what's called special operational

Command.

That means all Navy's, all Rangers, all Marines, all Air force

special.

And McRaven made this comment going to seal school.

He says some demands and commands were made of us that were

impossible for us to.

They were given to us on purpose knowing they could never

be done.

They was never going to be in the cards that it would ever happen.

And yet if through in our attempt we would get punished for

it.

We would have physical fold of that and if one man, that's all one

person just fouled up and what training we all paid for it.

Everybody had to do physical training.

Extra set of, extra set of pull ups and extra set of runs.

Now that wasn't fair.

Part of the SEAL training.

Christian, you're going to go through things in your life that

are not fair.

This world is not going to be fair to you.

This world's not going to applaud you for.

This world's not going to acknowledge that you're doing this

for God.

So they're ignorant of your struggles.

We are not ignorant of your struggles.

Now I realize I'm going to make a surprise statement, a surprise

to many of you.

So hold on, wait for it, wait for it.

Here it is.

We of the church staff are not ignorant.

You may think we are, but we're not ignorant that many of you

in church today struggle.

We're not ignorant of the fact many of you in church today have

pains, aches, illnesses, problems, issues that you're struggling

with each and every day.

Emotionally, physically, financial, marriage, bad habits,

struggles, even of your faith.

We're not ignorant of that.

That's why we pray for you.

That's why you're mentioned in our staff meeting where we pray for

each and every one of you in the midst of your struggles.

We are aware, we're not ignorant of these things.

We're not ignorant that you're vulnerable to the enemy during this

time.

We know that emotionally when you're strung out, this is when the

enemy can attack you.

This is where you're at the most weakest in your life.

We're not ignorant of that.

We're certainly well aware.

And because of that, we're not ignorant that if, for an example,

you focus on U.S.

staff or any Christian that try to make you spiritual, then you

are struggling in your faith.

Because understand this, nobody, nobody, nobody can be spiritual

for you.

That is on you.

That is on you.

You have to will, you have to decide, you have to choose.

Am I or am I not going to follow the Lord?

That is on you.

If you're wondering if God really cares for you during your

trials and tribulations and your doubts, and you doubt the sincerity

of his care like many of the disciples did.

Care us not, Lord, that we perish, the Bible teaches us that.

Cast all your care upon him, for he careth for you.

If you doubt that Jesus Christ cared for you even though he died

on the cross for you, then you are struggling in your faith.

If you're wondering if coming to church and doing all the Christian

things really matter, if it really works, I mean, I've heard

it over and over again to read your Bible and pray and be active

and be faithful.

But what if I've done all of those things and nothing works?

Then you are struggling in your faith, my friends.

It does work.

It does work.

Let me borrow something again from William McRaven in his SEAL

school started out 150 men that boiled down to 45 left in combat.

Navy SEALs are to do this.

They are to swim two miles underwater at night in the dark to

be able to go to shore, to be able to destroy their target.

Sometimes I have to hide out.

One of the areas of hiding out is what's called the mud flats.

SEAL training in between San Diego and Tijuana.

There were an area off the coast called the mudflats.

And there the trainees would swim to the coast and there in the

mudflats, they would cover themselves up in concealment.

There they would remain covered for hours.

In the middle of the night, it would be cold, it would be chilling,

it would be very unpleasant.

The only thing showing of them would be their heads above water,

above the mud.

But their whole bodies were wrapped in the mud.

Before long, you would have the shivering, the chattering of

the teeth, and people were shaking all over in the mud flat.

And then suddenly the instructors would say, okay, gentlemen,

if five men, if just five of you will quit, we'll get out of here.

If just five of you would give up, you can go back to the barracks

where it's warm.

Just five of you.

That's all you gotta do.

Just five, you gotta quit.

Hey, we can do this all night long, gentlemen.

We're warm.

We are dressed in warm clothes.

You're not.

You have eight hours until sunrise.

Just five of you.

All you gotta do is quit.

Suddenly, somewhere in the mudflats came some small voice started

to sing a song that was terribly, terribly off key.

And then another one sang.

And then 2, then 4, then 7, then 10, then 15.

Suddenly they started singing all over.

Christian, if you find yourself deep in the mud of this

world, if you find yourself deep and covered up and you're overwhelmed,

do like these seals sing.

Sing, Christians.

Sing like Paul and Silas at the midnight in the Philippian jail.

Sing.

Sing of the praises of God.

Sing unto the glory of God.

Sing what God has done for you.

Sing, get rid of the devil.

Sing.

That's what you've got to do.

And you'll feel warmer and you'll feel less covered by the mud.

Indeed.

Sing for the glory of the Lord.

And then, finally, we are not ignorant of who our commander is.

Our commander is identified for us in Psalm 24.

Who is this king of glory?

He's the Lord, strong and mighty.

The Lord mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, O ye gates.

Lift them up and everlasting doors, the King of glory shall come

in.

Who is this king of glory?

He's the Lord of hosts and the king of glory.

Our commander in chief, the Lord Jesus Christ.

He's the one in charge.

He's the one who knows how to fight against the devil.

He's the one who can give you peace and strength during the battle.

He's the one that will be willing to fight the battle for you.

He's a seasoned warrior.

He's fought Satan for over 6,000 years.

He knows what to do.

He knows how to lay him flat on his back.

He is our warrior king.

He willingly, willingly lay aside his crown.

In place of that crown, he took a cross.

He took that cross with him to Calvary and died for that.

Who does that?

Who is willing to do that?

Only one who loves you and cares for you so very, very Much

to defeat Satan and to win us, he had to die on the cross to forgive

us of our sins.

And then really to make sure Satan was defeated.

Oh, he rose again gloriously, the third day.

So he's done everything possible.

If you're here today, you've never, ever trusted Jesus as your

savior.

You don't know him.

You don't know for sure that you're saved.

You don't know that you're on your way to heaven.

Please understand, there's a warrior who fought for you.

There's a warrior who willingly gave himself up.

There's a warrior like these men who willingly showed himself

strong on your behalf.

Jesus is our warrior.

He fought for us from the cross.

When he says it is finished.

His work of salvation was complete.

Our sins were paid in full, judicially, fully served, fully served.

And militarily, the battle is won, the victory is yours.

By dying on the cross, the victory is yours.

As we wrap it up, dear lost friend, please understand, Jesus

loves you very, very much.

In full obedience to his heavenly father, he willingly did

this.

Understand this.

He never, never.

Like those seals and the mud flies, he never ever considered giving

up.

He never ever considered coming down from that cross.

He never ever considered disobeying his heavenly father.

He did it all for us.

Jesus Christ, our warrior.

He was obedient to the cross, the Bible says, even to the death

of the cross.

So at the invitation before you receive Christ, you must be aware

that you have sins that Jesus died for.

You must be aware you need to confess them and ask God's forgiveness.

Repent of your sins and understand he will save you.

Remember at the cross, God turned his back on his own son.

Because of our sins, you today at this altar can turn your back

on your own sins and say, I'm sorry, Father, forgive me.

I receive your son into my life Christian.

Consider the warrior chief Jesus.

He has given everything we need to live the victorious Christian

life.

In the Christian life, just come and believe and trust him.

One more illustration.

Admiral McRaven mentioned this.

In the middle of the SEAL compound is a big brass bell.

And he tells all of the SEAL recruits if the training is too tough,

if everything gets terrible for you and you can't take it anymore,

you don't want to go back to the mud flats.

You don't want to swim two miles underwater at night.

If you don't want to do any of this, just come up and ring that

bell three times.

Just ring that bell.

No one's going to try to talk you out of it.

No one's going to say anything to you.

No questions asked.

You just ring that bell, Christian.

Understand this.

The Christian life is not lived by chance.

It's lived by choice.

You choose.

You choose whether or not you wanna ring that bell.

You choose whether or not you wanna quit.

You choose whether or not you wanna get out of the Christian life.

You choose whether or not you wanna serve your savior who died

on the cross for you.

You choose.

You make that decision.

Don't ring that bell.

Don't ring that bell.

Jesus Christ never quit on you.

Jesus Christ never rang a bell to get out of the cross for you.

He died that we might have eternal life.

Every head bowed, every eye closed.

Understand?

We have a wonderful warrior who fights for us against the devil.

A wonderful warrior who did everything possible, taking our sins

on himself, that we might have eternal life.

If you're here today.