Walking in Warfare

Greetings, everybody. This is John Ewart, the senior

pastor at Englewood Baptist Church in Rocky Mountain, North

Carolina. Thank you again for joining us

on this episode. I do hope that you've gone back

and listened to the other episodes.

We've recorded several now in The Walking in prayer format

just to kind of help you. Our original thought, you know,

was always that maybe you're walking through the

neighborhood, walking around the mall, walking around the track,

or maybe you're driving and you're listening to these.

But we're going to kind of guide you through a prayer time, a

prayer experience. We've done several with

different subject matters. So I hope that you're enjoying

those and that they're a blessing to you could also just

be using these in your personal quiet time.

And so get ready to to walk, get ready to pray, get ready to

focus upon upon what we're going to do.

We're actually going to talk today about walking in warfare.

We're going to talk a little bit about the spiritual warfare

today. And I'm very pleased to be

joined in this episode by Pastor Gene Davis, our executive

pastor. Thank you for being here, Gene.

You're welcome. And then also once again, our

pastor of discipleship, Discipleship Pastor Jordan

Reece. Thank you for being here.

It's. Good to be here.

And so, you know, as we start off, we're y'all reminded that

spiritual warfare is a real thing.

We have a real enemy and sometimes Christians, I think

shy away from this subject matter is a little too mystical

or supernatural or something for them or or other people dive too

far into it and they see a demon under every Bush and and and

attribute way too much to Satan probably.

But we do have a real enemy. In fact, the Bible says in first

John 519 that we know that we are from God and the whole world

lies in the power of the evil. One part of God's permissive

will is to allow evil to exist for a season.

But we're not to ignore it. We're not to pretend like it

doesn't exist. We are to have a plan to deal

with it. In fact, we're going to spend

some time today in Ephesians chapter 6.

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

So if you are sitting at home in your in your quiet time, you

might flip your Bible to Ephesians 6.

If you're walking, just listen long.

We'll read the passages. But Ephesians 611 reminds us to

put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand

against the schemes of the devil.

That word schemes actually is a military word.

It could mean ambush. It means military campaign.

It really does mean a thought out strategy.

So Satan has a thought out strategy for believers.

He wants to trip us up. He wants us to stumble.

He's certainly going to try to tempt us.

So we we need a we need a battle plan.

So that's what we're going to talk about today.

And so as we begin this time together and we think about how

we can pray about our own battle plan to deal with the

temptations and struggles that our enemy might bring to us and

our own temptations and our own sin.

Let's talk about this for a minute.

So it talks about first of all, we we would begin to talk about

our strengths. So Jordan, talk to us a little

bit. What are some of the some key

characteristics of the strength that we can find in warfare?

Yeah, when we think about spiritual warfare, we need to

really we need to 1st think about our strength, where our

strength comes from. Paul writes in Ephesians 610, Be

strong in the Lord and in his, in the strength of his might.

Our strength isn't in ourselves, it's drawn from the Lord

himself. And Scripture shows us that the

enemy's already been defeated. Jesus disarmed the rulers and

authorities and triumphed over them at the cross.

And what that means is that spiritual strength comes from

the Lord, comes from Him, not from us.

So just like this microphone I'm speaking into right now can't

function without being connected to its power source, Christians

can't endure the spiritual battles apart from a reliance on

God's power through his Word, his and through the Spirit.

So strength for the believers, borrowed strength is drawn from

the victory that we have in Christ.

Yeah, and it really does remind me.

That's really good. It reminds me also of first John

4/4 where it says little children, you are from God and

that's the key. And we're from him and we get

our strength from Him. So we're from God.

And that verse goes on and says, and have overcome them.

For he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

So even though the world may lie in the power of the evil one,

the one we serve is greater. So as you pray right now, as you

begin walking, you're walking, you may be driving, you may be

you're sitting in your living room.

I want you to spend just a few moments thanking God for the

strength that He gives you to deal with temptation to, to deal

with the struggles of life to, to combat the enemy in your life

and, and also the way that he helps you to pray for others in

that in that realm. So just spend a few moments

praying for your strength, thanking God for that strength

that he gives you to deal with life.

So spend a few moments praying about that.

The. The.

The. The.

The. Well, if we were to continue in

that Ephesians 6 passage, one of the things that we would also

recognize is that we we do have a struggle.

There's an honest struggle here. And so Pastor Gene talked to us

a little bit about that struggle that we go through.

Yeah, that struggle is real. And when we go to war, we need

to remember who our enemy is and who our enemy is not, because

often times as believers, we can get off track on that.

And verse 12 states that for our struggle is not against flesh

and blood, but it's against the rulers, it's against

authorities, it's against cosmic powers of this darkness, against

evil spiritual forces in the heavens.

So our true enemy is the demonic entities and rulers who exert

evil over this world. And we may often ask as well,

since why do others seem to be so hostile to Christ?

And there's one problem for us to remember.

And, and Paul states to us in 2nd Corinthians 4 verses 3

through 4, he reminds us that if the gospel is veiled, it's

veiled to those who are perishing.

In this case, the God of this age has blinded the minds of the

unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel

or the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

So often times when we're sharing the gospel with another

a believer, they may respond hostilely towards that gospel

message, but we have to remember they are still one of God's

children. They are still image bearers of

God and that they have their the gospel has been veiled so they

cannot see it clearly. And I think the Third Point is

the question is how do we fight? In the Second Corinthians 10/3

through 5, Paul again reminds us how we fight when he says for

all. Though we live in the flesh, we

do not wage war according to the flesh.

Such the weapons of our warfare are not the flesh, but are

powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds.

We demolish arguments and every proud thing that is raised up

against the knowledge of God and we take every captive to obey

cry take every thought captive to obey Christ.

The nut take every thought captive is so important that we

don't let the the ideas and the things of this world take our

thoughts captive. But we practice Romans 12 verse

Romans 12:2

2 that tells us that we are not to be conformed to this world,

but we are to be transformed by the renew of our mind, so that

we may prove was it good and acceptable and perfect will of

God. Yeah, thank you for that.

You know, it's always interesting when you read these

passages, notice the way the verbs work.

These are verbs that tell us we have to do certain things to the

Holy Spirit's going to help us. We're not alone.

We're going to talk about that more in a moment.

But but, but in our struggles, we have responsibility too.

We can't just passively sit back.

We need to take thoughts captive.

We need to put on things and take off things.

So just remember how that works. I don't think we would probably

have to sit here and remind you that you have a struggle.

I'm sure that you are full of those struggles in your life and

prayer requests and things that you know are going on in your

world. But right now, what I want you

to do is take a moment and pray and thank God that you're not

going through those struggles alone.

That you're able to arm yourself.

You're able to have a plan that even though we do wrestle, we

don't wrestle alone. That we have the strength of the

Lord behind us, as we mentioned before.

So, so as you go in prayer right now, lift up those struggles,

lay him at God's feet, acknowledge them, and ask him

for the strength to combat those and to take those things captive

for His glory. The.

The. The.

The. Well, one of the great things

about this passage is that it actually tells us how to fight.

It tells us how to take a stand, how to defend ourselves, and how

to even move forward. When you look at verse 11 of

Ephesians chapter 6 and it says put on.

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

And again, as I said earlier, note that verb you must put on.

This doesn't automatically happen.

Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand

against the schemes of the devil.

And then as it goes on down in verse 13, it says therefore take

up. And again, that verb would say

you have to take up. This is part of spiritual

disciplines. This is part of being a

disciple, which is why on Sunday mornings we're preaching right

now through a discipleship series about the seven

essentials of discipleship. You have to take up the whole

armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil

day and having done all, to stand firm.

Verse 14, stand. Therefore.

I hope you hear the redundancy having fastened on the belt of

truth and having put on the breastplate of righteousness and

as shoes for your feet. Having put on the readiness

given by the gospel of peace and all circumstances, Take up the

shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming

darts of the evil. 1 And take the helmet of salvation and the

sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all

times in the Spirit with all prayer and supplication.

And we'll share more about some of those other verses in a

moment, but we're going to go back and kind of take a look at

some of these pieces of armor, some of this equipment that God

is giving us. Paul's obviously using an

analogy to the army of his day, but we want to talk about that.

So, Gene, talk to us a little bit about the Belt of Truth.

If this is standing on God's word to combat the lies of the

world and like you said, verse 14 says stand therefore with

truth like a belt around your waist.

And it's interesting Jesus so many times in Scripture would

say I tell you the truth and Jesus himself in John 14-6 says

I am the way the truth and the life.

And in John chapter 3, Jesus conversation with Nicodemus, he

John 3 · chapter mention

three times did not short a series of verses.

He says to Nicodemus, I tell you the truth.

It's so important because we live in a world that tells us

lies and leads us into deceit and despair.

And it's important for us to remember where truth actually

comes from. Romans one tells us that the

world suppresses the truth because they would rather live

in a lie. And in John 18, Jesus came to

bear witness. And as he stood before Pilate,

Pilate scoffed at what is truth. He would not believe that Jesus

was the truth. So it's important that we come

to God's Word seeking real truth and not what the world may call

my truth, and that we stand in that and remember it's not a

feeling, it's not what we think, but it's truly what God's Word

tells us. And we need to embrace that and

live that. Yeah, that's really good.

The absoluteness of God's truth, that that's where your strength

comes from. That's what that's how you're

going to stand. The truth is powerful.

It's a weapon for us and it will help defend us as well.

And as you move down into that passage, it says and and then

having put on the breastplate of righteousness.

So Jordan, talk to us a little bit about that right

breastplate. Yeah, in the Roman world, the

breastplate was essential protection for a soldiers vital

organs, especially the heart. And when Paul speaks of the

breastplate of righteousness, he's he isn't referring to

imputed righteousness, our right standing before God, He's.

Talking to us as believers, and as believers we don't have to

put that on again because Jesus has given it to us permanently.

Instead, Paul's going to point us to practical righteousness,

which is the daily pursuit of holy living.

So in Ephesians 4 he talks about this.

In verses 22 to 24 he writes To put off your old self, which

belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through

deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your

minds, and to put on the new self created after the likeness

of God and true righteousness and holiness.

So living out this new life in Christ means to live

differently. And when we put on the

protection of practical righteousness, we guard

ourselves against sin and Satan's attacks.

And this kind of daily obedience is one of the most effective

ways to resist the enemy and finish the race strong.

Yeah, that's really good. And, and one of the things

that's important to always recognize is that, you know,

the, the this passage is put on the whole armor.

So you don't you don't get to just put on one of these pieces.

You know, the idea is that all these pieces go together.

As one old preacher said, you don't want to go out in the

battle naked. And so you got to make sure

you're covered. And so so truth and

righteousness go together. They build on one another,

depend upon one another, and as verse 15 says, it says and this

and as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness

given by the gospel of peace. So one of the things that the

truth and that righteousness will do is that it actually

prepares us. It equips us, it emboldens us to

take the gospel which will bring the peace of God into people's

lives, into their lives. I'm reminded of first Peter 3:15

1 Peter 3:15

that says that says sanctify Christ as Lord of your heart.

Be ready in season and out of season to give a, to give a

reason or an answer or a response to the hope that you

possess. And, and it's always

interesting. We, we, we want to be ready, but

we're not going to be ready unless Christ is sanctified as

Lord of our hearts. And so first we're trusting in

his truth first. We're in that right, living with

him, walking with him, and then we're ready to shot our feet, as

another translation would say, with the gospel.

And we're ready to take it. And, and I don't know that we're

ever going to be ready to take it.

I teach a lot of evangelism stuff and I just know, I know

people aren't going to be ready to take it unless that truth and

that righteousness is a part of who they are.

And so as the passage continues, then we're we're going to add to

this because in verse 16, it says in all circumstances,

notice not just some, but at all take up the shield of faith with

which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil. 1 So,

Pastor Jean, talk about faith for a minute.

Yeah, I like how this verse starts out.

You, you said in all circumstances.

My my version I'm reading says in every situation, take up the

shield of faith in which you can extinguish all the flaming

arrows of the evil 1. And it's not just in the good

times or the bad times, but it's very explicit that says every

situation. So whether we're in good times

or bad times, we are to live out our faith.

And I like how William Lane Craig says it in his book

Reasonable Faith, he said reason is a tool to help us better

understand and defend our faith. As Anselm put it, ours is a

faith that seeks understanding, so we should be ones who invest

in our faith by growing in knowledge and understanding.

And we have a solid, legitimate reason to place our faith in

Christ and defend our faith in Christ, so we will not fall away

from the truth. And faith is faith is sometimes

something that I think people think they possess just because

they're saved. And I and I and understand that

they they have a, a level of faith, but faith is also

something that grows as you as you do battle, as you do walk

with him, as you do study the truth.

And then that Bible goes on in verse 17, it says this, It says,

and take this helmet of salvation and the sword of the

spirit, which is the word of God.

And so, Jordan, talk to us a little bit about the helmet of

salvation, if you have time, about the sword of the Spirit as

well. Yeah, when we talk about the

helmet of salvation, we're talking about believers who are

already saved. Paul's reminding us to rest in

the hope and assurance we have in Christ, and we're never to

forget who we are in Christ and the ultimate victorious future

we have in them. And so putting on the helmet of

salvation means choosing daily to live in light of the hope we

have in Christ. And it means remembering the

salvation that we have is secure, eternity certain, and

nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ.

And this confidence Shields believers from mental mental

defeat really, and enables them to stand firm in the battle.

And then we the sword of the Spirit.

We read in Hebrews 412 that for the word of the Lord is living

and active, sharper than any 2 edged sword, piercing to the

division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and

discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

So as we think about taking our stand in spiritual warfare, it's

important that we we read, understand and apply and even

share the Word of God, that the Word of God is is central to us

and that we have a firm footing and a firm foundation in what

God's Word says as we fight these things.

One of the great essentials of discipleship is that we have to

engage the Bible with a sense of humility and teachability and,

and to recognize that, you know, when we talk about the belt of

truth, the breastplate of righteousness, use of peace,

shield of faith, helmet of salvation, that on an armor

level, we, we're, we're looking at somewhat of a defensive mode.

But when we start switching over to the sword of the spirit and

in a moment about prayer, then we see that there's also an

offensive, an offensive proactive level to this.

So we're not just trying to survive.

We're not just trying to to, you know, get through the battle.

We're also taking a stand and moving forward and actually

marching with this shoes of the gospel, so to speak, and, and

offensively seeking to take the the land, take the world in the

battle that we have with our enemies.

So I'm going to pause right here.

And then we're going to come back for a little more of the

stand. But let's just pause right here.

Give you a moment to pray and to really kind of assess, here's

what I would do. I would be thinking through

these different parts that you've heard so far of the

armor. How well am I living according

to the truth? How, how, how right living am I

engaging right now? How righteous am I in a sense?

Am I really ready to take the gospel of peace to people?

How strong is my faith? Is my salvation secure?

Am I really pursuing the mind of Christ, which is guarded by that

helmet of salvation? Am I really pursuing him that

way? And just take a few moments and

and think through these parts of the armor and ask the Lord to

help you put them on and and help you to develop each area of

your own. Walk with him.

The. The.

The. The.

Well, we're continuing talking about how do we stand firm and,

and to be honest with you, even move forward.

Ephesians 6 moves on in verse 18, and it says praying at all

times in the Spirit with all prayer and supplication to that

end. Keep alert with all

perseverance, making supplication for all the Saints

and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my

mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel for which

I'm an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly as

I ought to speak. So we're talking some about

these prayers of support that come along that that we need in

the background, in the foreground of this battle that

we're in. So how do we do this?

What are some some characteristics of prayer from

this passage and also others that are going to help us?

And so one of them that would be that we are to pray at all times

or pray continuously. Pastor Gene, won't you comment

on that a little bit? Yes, I've been reading a

biography by Robert Chapman, the English preacher from the 1800s.

One of the things he said about prayer was it all begins with

prayer. The Christian walk begins with

prayer. And so we see here that

Scripture tells us in Thessalonians 516 through 18,

rejoice always, pray constantly, giving things, giving thanks and

everything. For this is God's will for you

in Christ Jesus. Paul is dealing with

persecution, false teaching and Christian living at this church

at Thessant Alaika and he's encouraging to get back into a a

constant state of a of praying because they've been in a

constant state of waiting. But praying continuously means

that we foster a constant act of conversation with God throughout

the day. Not just this literal non-stop

verbal prayer, but you can achieve this frequent brief

prayers, maintain a mindset on God giving thanks in all

circumstances. And then throughout the day, you

could take moments of prayer and daily activities and develop a

routine of praying throughout the day.

And I like how John 15 five says, as I think it says it

wells. And I think this is at the heart

of what this passage means, when he says I am the vine and you

are the branches, and the one who remains or abides in me, I

in him produce much fruit, because apart from me you can do

nothing. So it's about abiding and being

with Christ throughout the day and continuously relying upon

Him to live out this Christian walk.

And not only are we to pray continuously or at all times

like that, but we're also praying, as the Bible says, in

the Spirit, which means that what we're what we're doing is

we're not forgetting what we've already talked about.

In other words, we're praying and according to God's word,

we're praying in the truth, we're praying according to

righteousness. We're praying in the will of

God. And then that's what this would

mean that we're depending upon the Holy Spirit to give us the

words to say those words are always going to be consistent

with his other word. And that we're praying things

that we know are God's will. We we know the things that are

going to bring him glory. So that, so we have strength

when we're praying that way. When and if you'll listen to

other episodes, we've talked about how do I pray the word of

God into people's lives and, and how do I pray for those who, who

need him? And so to think about how I can

pray with a sense of confidence, as Hebrews says, where I can

approach the throne of grace with this sense of boldness or

confidence. That word just means complete

honesty so that I can come completely honest before God

because the Holy Spirit's helping me to know what to say.

He's interceding. He's helping me and, and, and

giving me words and the, and the thoughts to pray.

So we're going to do that and we're going to pray in a way

that that glorifies him and will be heard.

But we also recognize that we have to pray persistently.

We, we have to keep at this. And there's a sense of

perseverance in prayer, not giving up in prayer.

In fact, Jordan, I was listening last night to a lady at church

and this is no joke. She was telling me after our

time together that she had been praying for someone over 20

years and finally that person was saved and she was rejoicing

in that. So talk to us a little more

about persistent prayer. Yeah, Paul, he calls believers

to pray. He says that all times in the

Spirit and to do so with all perseverance.

And this persistence in prayer is not about pressuring God.

It's really it's about demonstrating continual

dependence upon him. So when we stop praying, we're

saying in a sense that we're no longer depending upon God, but

on our own strength. And one of the things that sets

an Olympic runner apart from a normal person is their

endurance. That was built from persistence.

Wasn't always this easy for him to finish a long race.

But endurance requires persistence.

So God's clear command for us is to persist in prayer.

It's one of the primary ways believers build endurance and

one of the greatest protections God's given us for standing firm

in a world of spiritual warfare. Well, I and I appreciate so much

this idea that God didn't give up on us and so we can't give up

on Him and we need to remember how we can continue to depend

upon him and, and, and, and the more we pray persistently, the

more he's going to strengthen us to do that.

This passage goes on, though, to talk about how we're also

praying for one another. How do we, how do we make

supplication for all the Saints? And he's even says, and also for

me. So how do we intercede for one

another Gene? Well, that's a, that's a good

point. And you know, John 516, I'm

sorry, James 516 it tells us to pray for one another.

And I can pull that from my own life.

It's coming to Christ at 22 years old.

From the time I was 1516 years old, I had lots of people

praying for me to come to Christ.

And at that time I was a rebellious, angry teenage kid

and I went to the military at 18.

I remember telling the Navy recruiter that.

He asked me. He said, why are your parents so

religious and you're not? And I told him because that's

their life, that's not mine. I was more interested in

drinking, partying, getting involved in the things of the

world. And from 18 to 22, I remember

the per the constant conviction I was living under, how it got

stronger and stronger and stronger up to the point when I

was 22 years old, it became so, so oppressive upon my life that

I had to go talk to a preacher to see what was going on.

And that that pastor at 22 led me to Christ.

And I know I was there and that pastor's office because there

were people constantly praying for me and speaking into my

life. They even witnessed to me 3 or 4

times even I was blowing them off.

But that constant conviction that came was the direct result

of people praying for me. So never give up praying for one

another. The power that comes with that

is greater than anything that could come from a pulpit or a

personal one-on-one testimony. Well, and then this passage ends

with this idea of pray also for me, that words may be given to

me, and opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the

gospel for which I'm an ambassador in chains, that I may

declare it boldly as I ought to speak.

So one of the things we're also praying for is for a bold

witness in the sense that even though we recognize when Paul is

writing this that he's in prison, he's in chains and being

persecuted for his faith. But we also recognize that even

in those moments, he never gave up.

He, he knew the Lord was with him and he knew where his

strength came from and he knew that he had to continue in his

struggle and take a stand. And so he's praying and asking

the Church of Ephesus to pray for him.

I'm always kind of, I always find this passage a little

remarkable. That is Paul saying this.

So if Paul is asking that he would have boldness, I wonder

how I should be praying for myself.

And now we should be praying for one another because I often do

not think of the apostle Paul as a person who needed boldness.

And so we should be interceding and lifting each other up this

way that we might share the gospel in a bold way.

And so I'm going to let you take a moment to pray and to ask the

Lord about your prayer life. And then I'm going to come back

with a passage of Scripture and close this.

But so as you take a moment to pray, ask the Lord to show you

how well are you persistently praying continuously?

How well are you praying for one another?

Are you asking God to empower you to be the the the servant

and the disciple that he wants you to be, to be the person

who's the light bearer of the gospel?

So take a few moments for some self reflection on your own

prayer life. That's what this whole series

has been about. And then we'll be back in just a

moment. The.

The. The.

The. The.

One of my favorite passages from the book of Acts is in Acts

Acts 19 · chapter mention

chapter 19. My dear friend Doctor Chuck

Lawless loves to preach a sermon about this passage, but it's

about the sons of Skiva where the Paul encounters these, these

Jewish exorcists and, and they're trying to cast out evil

spirits. And, and he's, there's this

great passage when the evil spirit in a man speaks back to

them and he says, Jesus, I know Paul, I recognize, but who are

you? And then the next verse is even

better because the man basically leaps on him and, and, and beats

him up pretty good. He masters all the Bible says he

masters all of them and overpowers them.

And so the sons of Sceva recognize that they really did

not have any power. But the point being, are we, are

we such prayer warriors? Are we walking with the Lord in

such rightness and righteousness that the enemy knows our name?

The enemy fears us? Does does he?

Is his horde of demons aware of who we are?

Are we so insignificant, so impotent in our spiritual lives

that we're no threat? And so my challenge to you is be

a threat to the enemy. Let him know you're there.

Pray to the Lord, seek his word, engage it, be engaged in the

church in a strong way, walk with him.

And, and I promise you, God will strengthen you and bless you in

doing that. And so as we come to a close of

this episode, I just want to thank you for joining us.

I do encourage you to go listen to all the other episodes that

we're producing, not just The Walking in Prayer series, but

also our series on core training or help or Sunday mornings.

We have several things that are putting out there.

We'll be putting out more. And so we look forward to having

you join us for the next episode.

Thank you so much.