Gearing Up For Battle | Pr. Dr. Daniel Kong

You're listening to a message to go from acts church.

We hope this message will light up your day. Anyway,

let's circle back to verse one, and it says they're right. Finally,

be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

So it's important for us to understand. It says here

you can be strong. But the other important thing is

that it is not just strong in yourself, but strong

in the Lord. So it's very specific because there is

power in him. And as a second part, this might

be start cutting off a little bit, Am I holding

it incorrectly? It's okay. So yeah, there is also powers

that are in there to prevent us from being strong

as well, and that's what this whole passage wants is about.

So it says, put on the full armor of God

so that you can stand against the devil's schemes. For

our struggle is not flesh and blood. And sometimes when

we read this, we often think that it's a small

little thing, not too important. Just put on gear up

and then that's it. Right. And by the way, the

title of my message today is gonna be flash on

the screen gearing up for battle. Now, gearing up is important.

That means you put on, nobody goes to war very

casually dressed to some extent, right, you'll be equipped, right,

otherwise you will not come home too safe. But of

course here, as it is alluded to you, it's all

about spiritual battles, not just in the physical. And interestingly enough,

if you look at Efficient six, at the very start,

it talks about children and parents you know, how they

should behave talks about bond servants and masters and how

they should operate as well before this whole putting on

the armor of God business. Interesting right, Why is this

important is because the physical stuff at the beginning of

the instructions is also to be accompanied with the spiritual

stuff at the end. They go hand in hand and

they shouldn't be disconnec that. But sometimes you read you know,

you just focus on the natural and forget that sometimes

whatever happens in natural does have a role to play

in what happens in the spiritual as well, and therefore

we need to uh, like a better word, gear up

or arm up to the right for the right battle

to some extent, okayrakvar Yeah, So that's the reality of it, uh,

And it's deeper than most of us can think. Sometimes now,

you may ask, why is it, why is this all

tied to discipleship? I will I will come to that

in a bit, but just just bear with me for now. Now,

this year has been a very interesting year for a

lot of us. Uh. Globally, we've seen lots of strange

things happening around the world. Uh. Some figures out there

that are a little more vocal. You know, is uh

you know has has is targeted killed, And of course

people will say, oh, that's all just he deserves it,

or this person is coming again. We you sometimes use

natural things that happen, and also use natural reasoning for

why things happened the way happened. Okay, we also see

I just recently came from Melbourne, by the way, uh,

And funnily enough, when I was heading to Melbourne, people say, oh,

be careful, come back alive, and I thought it's funny

and not funny at the same time. Just in case

you're not aware, there's been some uh, something's happening there.

There's some stabbings, there's some people carrying machetes moving around.

And again Western world, first world country. Melbourne. I was

there and there was some riot police on the Sunday.

You know, all gethered up there and you think that

these things only happen in wart On countries, but no,

it happens there as well, and not very far from

home as well. You know, we've got some incidences in

the school, et cetera, but closer to home myself. This year,

just to share aview I had within my family, we

had about three operations, uh that that involved you know,

going under as well. You know, it's so serious. Okay,

my son went through pennicitist thing. And then a few

weeks later, my mother in law had her camera, you know,

the back, the back, the backbone here cracked. Okay, we

were hiking and then I hear a brunch snap and

then it sort of cracked, just like a tree branch cracking.

So she went through surgery as well, one plate, pinsilator.

She's fine, and then little more than that. A few

weeks later, I also endergo a procedure to get my

kidney stones. And long story shot, we're all alive and well,

but there's a lot of physical things that's happening. And

then even as that was happening, by the way, I

flew out to the Middle East. Two days after my

my my procedure. Uh, there's also a miracle in itself.

But one week before the flying out as well, there

were things that's happening. If you remember Doha, the the

air base was attacked, that was grounding my flight out,

and I was going to fly in one week later.

So I was just on stand by and then long

story short, I was there for three weeks, I came

back and then there's another attack there as well. So

again just sharing is very close to home for me

at least or my family. Things that are being stirred up,

things that happen what we call in the natural, and

we think, okay, there's always reasons for this war, you know, Israel, Palestine,

you know. But actually beyond that, what I'm trying to

say is that you ought to also believe that there

is something spiritual that's happening. Now. If this year wasn't

a wake up call for a lot of us, I

think we should wake up. We should wake up right.

And this is how Paul sees it as well, right

in Ephesian six. Like I mentioned, Oh by the way,

just give you a bit of background. Aside from the

introduction that Steve Passus Stephen mentioned, I'm also here, just

like Paster Stephen as well civil engineer as well. To

be more specific, the reason why I started with that

is because I have this mind and this how I operate.

I always need to understand why things happen the way

it happened. I'm a researcher as well educator also certain

of God all in one package. Okay, so all compress

one package. But I tend to overanalyze things, and this

is how I operate. Like I said, it's a it's

a blessing and a curse at the same time. But

why am I This is because I spiral down, you know,

the wise house. More importantly, at the end of all this, right,

I actually question myself what I can do about it,

or what we can do about it collectively, even in

spite of the things that's happening. And this is exactly

also I think what Paul is going through, the calamities

that we see, the natural things that he's seeing, the

wars that he's seeing. You know, there is a response

to it, and it's sometimes not the natural response that

we often think it should be. And we catch that. Okay, maybe,

Oh by the way, I'm a Saturday, a Sunday after

the service guy. So it's a bit early for me

as well, so please keep me awake as well. All right,

I have had my coffee here, I forgot I left

it on the coffee machine. That is already a physical

problem anyway anyway, yea, so help me help me as well. Right,

So we love Paul. He's walking with his people, but

he wanted to wake up people as well in his community.

And that's why he says the thing he says, right,

because it is more spiritual than beating. And sometimes we

dismiss things and thinking or it's just understood, mach it

should happen, it's natural, it's expected, but it shouldn't be

That's what I'm trying to say here. Okay, now back

to this. I was struggle. It's not against lush and blood.

And that's also a reminder sometimes natural things is not

all just natural or physical. It is beyond that. Why,

because there are things beyond different powers is operating now

one thing I also have to mention and remind us

God is operating. But at the same time, there's also

another operator in the mix. Who is this the enemy

aka the devil. His job job description is to steal,

kill and destroy and that's his lifelong purpose in life. Okay,

he's always doing, it's always operating. He's never resting. If

you think you can sit down and rest, he's still operating.

Similar likely like as well, God is operating the same time. Right,

So when we begin to look at this, it tells

us we also need to tough enough. We cannot always

be okay. When it happens, we deal with it. Kind

of a scenario, just like how in the soldier or

the soldiers the military, they're always ever ready to go.

So this is why I'm trying to say, hey, we

need to be ready now. Just to share with you,

I had a slide prepared with where our church is headed.

Thank thank you, thank you mentioned and Waning who's prepared

this some time back. But why I'm trying to show

here as well. We've gone through a lot of the

physical preparation. But the next seven years or you know,

moving to a train thirty, there's a lot of things

that needs to happen. But it also involves a lot

of spiritual preparation. All right. So again simple message, but

it's also a deeper message than the surface kind of

a thing. All right, Why is it important this year,

what's this year's team? Disciplesh it right, what's next? Revival? Okay,

but Stallous Girl answers revival, evangelism, action and missions. Again,

we can look at it or all very physical stuff

that you gotta do, checkboxes, et cetera. No, but we

have to understand you need to also enable it, fuel

it spiritually so that it can be more effective or

more successful as God intended it. All right. So just

like how even Nihimaya during his time when he was

building the wall, it may seem like a civil engineering

kind of thing, right, but it's not. There's also spiritual

stuff happens physical reconstruction, yes, but it le to also

more spiritual growth. I think he's always communing with God

as well in the process, not just you know, doing

the day to day putting things together kind of thing. Right,

And it's important. So it's all physical, sorry, spiritual as well?

Is this Okay? It's a bit loose? Oops, thank you?

All right? So yeah, so back up is what I'm

trying to say. We are going into battle, and you

got to be ready because if you're not ready and

you're pot snoozing, you are in for a very big surprise.

And it's not what we want to do. Okay, Okay,

now back to Paul. Back to Paul. If you look

at Paul I perpersially put this image up. He is

one guy who is are It might not be appropriate

because you know, why is this guy putting up photos this?

But his language that he used in scriptures at all,

what we call militant language. If you don't know what

milaitant is, is always ready to go into war and battle.

Sometimes you look at militant is always a very negative thing,

but no, it's not. It's always being prepared and he

has militant faith. Right. And if you read Second Corinthians,

it talks about you know what they say, say for

though we live in the world, we do not wage

war as the world does. Okay. Second Corinthians remind us

of that. What does it mean? You don't go into

war with just tanks and battles in the natural. You

don't bring rocket launches, RPGs, et cetera. Okay, you need

to also bring the weapons we fight with are not

weapons of this world. On the country is they have

divine powers demolished strongholds, so spiritual weapons can also you know,

win physical battles. As well. And Paul is like this.

He always focus and he uses very soldier, military general

like language in all his addresses. He's very very gorilla

as well to something extent, you know, not not not

not the ape, but you know what I'm saying, that

guerrilla And if you look further, first Timothy here, I

have it on screen as well. Paul tells Timothy, his

son of faith to what does he say here? To

fight the battle? Well again language, it's a battle fight

it well right, not just natural. If you look at

other scriptures, and I have this all up here again,

I don't have time to go through everything, but you know,

Philippines to Philammon, second Timothy and all that, you can

see the words being utilized. Soldier, soldier, good soldier, now

one serving as a soldier, et cetera, et cetera. So

what this is tell you when we are believers, we

are also call on the dress to become soldiers as well.

So it's not just oh you know how we modern

Christians thing so believe. It's just or someone who just believes.

And then there's it. You are called to be a militant,

you are called to be a soldier, and of course

I don't mean like radical stuff, like you know, go

and do what the other militants of faith do. But

you need to be ready. It's the message here. You

need to be ready, to be prepared because when something

hits you, like what twenty twenty five look like, people

were shaken, right, I think people are shaking. It's because

they are not ready. My family, like I said, went

to a few things. We of course we ask questions,

but we were not shaken. We were ready to go

on because I think we will also ever ready being prepared.

And this is what I'm trying to say. We geared up,

we are ready and prepared right now. This passage here,

I remember my kids went through it. You know, the

different parts, the different gear that is put on. They

ever have a song for in ex kids, I don't

know they still teach it here. But there is a

few components, but more importantly the last component after putting

it all on, and it's not just one or the other,

it's everything. That's a mean message here. Okay, but let

me give you a practical example of putting gear on. Okay,

I'm jumping all the place because I'm not too well

as well. I'm still coughing a little bit, and I have.

I've been still having a little bit of jet leg,

so my brain is over the place. I know, it's

been funny, but it's okay. It's early in the morning,

but it's okay. It will okay, help me here right now.

I when I told you I was, I was in

Melbourne for a while. I always tend to even though

I'm traveling for work that was a work. I always

want to continue my exercise regime inspired by mintion as well.

No no, no, but jokes aside, I still try to

find time to do runs or maybe even do sports.

I enjoy record sports, right. I mean, I don't play

squash as much anymore, but I used to play squash

quite a fabit. But I was with some friends and

they actually brought me to it's a big thing here,

you know, the whole pickleball thing. It's also there. I

don't play pickleball, by the way, but every time I

do some sports, I would tend to ready myself just

to ensure that, at my age, I don't get injured

in the process. Okay, now, what do I mean by that?

I normally have some some gods, an god like I

said I'm all, okay, just in case you don't know,

I'm all. So I put it on generally, and even

when I traveled, I actually carry it along with me

just in case I need to to to have it on.

Of course, of water bottle water, appropriate tie, et cetera

is given. But when he brought me to a place

to play pickleball, by all, the way they play pickleball

out in the night, nine o'clock out in the open

and seven degrees is just crazy. I don't know why

they do it. We otherwise, but they enjoy it, and

it's nice but not too good for joints, et cetera.

So anyway, I was ready, they gave me they brought

me a beat, et cetera. And I thought to myself,

once I'm already, I realized I forgot to put my

guard on. I left it in the car not too

far away. But you know, it's just on all of

those things, you think to yourself, can I do without it?

Or we can? It's okay, I can, probably will not.

It'll be too bad, right, it's only a short a

few wax and then and then you'll you'll be going

home and all that. But after fifteen minutes, fifteen minutes

of whacking, or even after the first ten minutes, I

actually felt something. Then I thought, okay, this is not good.

This is not good. But Morrows story is sometimes we

have the gear and the tools in our hand, right,

God has prepared us. It's not about just looking for

things and putting it on. It's always already there. God

is prepared for it. But do we put it on

is the question? Or do we sometimes out of inconvenience

like my inconvence, like I want your gear up and

ready to good people waiting for me. But it could

be easy to say, bro chilla, are going to the

car and get it, But I didn't. Right, And this

is where, like I said, we suffer the consequences. Right,

And Paul here is trying to call us to gear up,

to armor up, because we need to be ready. If

you read efficient spect ephicients, right, you read ephicients six

thirteen to seventeen. Therefore put on the full armor. Why therefore,

because everything that we talked about that he mentioned is

a reminder that we're in a spiritual battle. Therefore we

do this. The devil is scheming. Therefore put it on.

There is spiritual darkness in play. Therefore we do this

and not just one piece, all the full armor, right,

Like I said, everything on. I got the budget on,

I've got the correct tire, the shoes as well, non

marketing shoes, et cetera. But I just decided to be

lazy to go and pick up my guard. And if

I suffered it all right, Because you must understand, full

battle requires full gear. Right, so turn to your neighbor

and say put it on, because that's an active, active

thing to do, and you need to gear up. They

way say gear up? You need to gear up? Right?

Why is this important? Because the purpose of all this,

if you haven't caught all that, is to stand firm.

You think standing firm is easier right when somebody comes

to rushing at you, right, if you just stand like

like whatever, right, you will fall right. I should to

put up some videos, but I thought sometimes videos might

take a bit of time. I had this picture of

three hundred and over are gearing up and he's rushing

at them, although arguably their gear is very minimal because

they want to show their you know, apps and all

that kind of thing. But put it on, right, put

it on? Now? I put out this up particular slide

up here. It's just a summary of the armor, the

full armor. But the disclaimer is this full armor, it's

not like usually, uh you know the back is actually

the back is very bare or don't know. By the way,

it's only in front. I'll explain why white. That's important.

Now just to run to real quickly belt the truth? Okay,

I put up another slide for the truth is the

next line. The question is if you think we have

it on, the question is are you actually standing on

God's truth? That is the belt of truth? Right? Do

you align your thoughts every day, your actions every day

with God's word? Do you reject lies as you should?

The false teaching is the deceptions that amy truths that

you do. You prioritize speaking, not just speaking, but living

with integrity, like how it's intended right, because if you're

not committed today, you will not be committed tomorrow. What

we want to mean by that is sometimes when uh oh,

let's go, it is what's accepted, right, let's go. It

is what's relevant, what feels good, what seems good, what

is cool. And you must understand that it may not

be the truth, but you go by that right and

the funny thing enough, right, you know belts what the

physical sense they meant the whole everything together? Right, you lose,

everything falls down and you don't want to be caught

not having a belt on. But that's important as well,

because the truth is what binds everything to right. When

the belt of truth is not there, everything falls apart. Right,

of course, let's move through real quickly. Again, it's not

about Doingtroyes. I leave your pastor to do it, but

just want to run through very quickly. Breastpread of righteousness?

Is your heart guarded? It's there to protect your heart.

Are you living in obedience every day in God's will?

Do you pursue righteousness? Or do you compromise? Right? Are

you quick to repent? It is a lifestyle, guys. Right

you may claim now sometimes righteousness you claim it. You

know God's grace is there, you claim it from him, right,

But do you pursue it? Is the question here? Right,

because sometimes if you're living it, we all feel in

the Holy Spirit, we know that it's a gift, right,

and we all come under compression. We understand that that

problem and we sometimes it's not about just standing, but

we fall. We are falling people. We fall right, But

the question is do we get back up quickly? Do

we still continue to obey whether we're vulnerable or not.

Do we still pursue? And this is important because it's

all from the heart. If your heart is not right,

you were easily fall or you may not even repent

very quickly even though you realize it and God shows

to you right. And that's the problem here. That's why

is to protect your heart. And that's why everything we

say needs to come to heart, even in the physical sense.

You know, engineers like you know we have to have

We need to not just learn about ethics, you have

to feel ethics do the heart is must you're right

before you can practice it right. So that's why it's important.

And the breastplait is there to guard your heart. So

the questions are there for you to reflect. Let's move quickly.

I don't have time. I'm not meant to go into

ready with this, but let's go on. Right. Gospel a piece.

Are you walking in peace? Do you peace not with God,

only peace with your brothers and your sisters as well? Right?

Do you carry the Gospel everywhere you go? Are you

ready to stand firm in your faith? And you maintaining

faith as the trials come along. And funny thing about shoes, right,

you don't wear it is your pain. Who I imagine

playing squaw shaven? Right without your shoes on, it's gonna hurt.

So what this reminds us of us is that as

you operate without the shoe, even though you might thing

it's a small thing. You can be doing what you

can do, but you'll be hurting in the process. Right,

So are you at peace of people? Because you can

be doing something but I cannot work with him or

there's no peace or no piece of God. Again, you're

not effective. And that's why the shoes of piece is important.

Shiel of faith? Was it for a to deflect the

enemy's attack, to say, to trust God and his promises.

This is what all circumstances, I will still remain firm.

Now there's all things that we passed seven. This mession

is now doubt, fear, discouragement. All that is real things.

The shield is to deflect. Right, he's going to be

shooting darts that you. Arrows are coming. What do you do?

You don't just leave it or leave it aside because

it's heavy. Almost people they don't like carry shoes. I know,

because it's heavy. I got all this other stuff for really,

why why they carry the shield? You need to and

more importantly, when we exercise it, it's designed to ensure

that nothing penetrates. True. Also, a first line of the

first before it goes to your heart as well, so

therefore is to deflect fiery. That's fifth and sixth one

helmet of the salvation. Protect your mind, similar like the

breastplate is to protect your mind. Right to be confident

no matter what it is. Sometimes Satan will guilt you. Right,

you must understand your salvation is still secure, everything is

still there. You need to understand there's no condemnation. Please

do what you're called to do. And this is important.

That's why you have to have the sum of salvation,

salvation there with us. And lastly, and the most important

one is that we have to sort of spirit. Are

you using God's word again? I'm not talking about reading

the word or always have the word we can bring

it along with us. Are you actually using the word

as you should? This is a sword, you know. Are

you declaring God's promises every day? Right? Are you speaking life? Uh?

And funnily enough, you know in the in the physical sense.

The sword, where does it go? It goes around your belt, right,

so it goes hand in hand with the bett of

truth as well, right, truth and the word of God.

The sword helps you the compliments that helps you fight

battle more consistently, all right. And last, but not least,

all those equipment. Funnily enough after that is Westing talks

about prayer. Prayer binds all this together. Prayer works in tandem,

and it complements the entire armor of God. Now why

have I gone to all this? Like I said, it's

only an introduction. I've never gone to my message yet,

all right, But that's not the focus here. The main

thing for us to understand to go into battle. Sometimes

we feel that, oh, we come to church once a week,

done regular, I'm ready for battle. There's a myth. Guys,

are we going to be battle ready just by coming

to church once a week? Right? No? No, no, right.

But sometimes we say that, oh, you know, I don't

get fair enough. You know, I I you know, I'm

not prepared enough. But the bottom line is, if you're

talking about the future, that's what we mentioned. What we

need to do so much stake. Every soldier has to

do his part. Every believer has to do his part.

You cannot just rely on past, Steven or whoever else

is here to to encourage. You're not in your homes leader.

You need to take this on seriously, guys. And it's

not just physical right right, you need to understand you

cannot be innor if you're ignorant in the past, it's

fine forgiven. Please, we love you so much that you

need to understand that this is your role to play.

You need to take on yourself otherwise you'll be in

this next photograph over here. You're gonna walk into better unprepared.

I say, what picture of a person who goes I've

always have done that before. Right, you're going to examine like,

oh crap, I don't know. I'm not gonna do so well?

And and why because sometimes we go in there unprepared?

Is you asked for it? Ler? Right? Because you didn't

do your part? Are we going to battle like that? Right?

Because you walk into bad without all your gear on?

What do you expect? Right? What do you expect? So

this is a warning. Now let me just come back

to all this as well. Even the time when when

when when? During Paul's time, right, when when and even

when people following Jesus and all that, there were so

many miracles that happen. I'm gonna go to X nineteen

for a while. You can see God the extraordinary miracles

through Paul right, even handkerchiefs, aprons and all that. When

they would touch, miracles happen or even do anything, you know,

just touch right as he walks, the shadow casts over

the person. The person's already healed, you know. And then

people thought that, oh, these are things that I can

do natural, right, natural things that I can do to

replicate it. So some of the people back then they thought, okay,

let's just try all this out. Let's be a quick

but a quick buck in the process to see whether

I can do as you know Paul did as well.

Of course, we all know it didn't work. If you

look at verse fourteen, seven sons of the Jewish high

priest named Skiva were doing this. They were trying to

copy Paul right do the things that he does. And

what happens after that? Right? One day, the spirit, the

evil spirit, even the evil spirit, understand this, you all Jesus,

I know, Paul, I know, but who are you? So

you can sometimes be doing the natural, we come here,

we do what we do, but spiritually you're not really

doing what it's supposed to be doing, not really gearing

out spiritually, and that robs you of the actual miracle itself. Okay,

And the funny thing about this story as well, if

you read on at the end, they actually fled, right,

and they left naked. We're talking about putting on Yeah,

how many knows that once you leave without any clothes on,

you have lost the battle a day. I'm quite sure

they've lost the battle, right. I Mean, it's funny, it's cheeky,

but I think it's a god's sense of humor. But

they ran out naked and bleeding. They were hurt. So

please do not do things in the natural without being

spiritually prepared, because you sometimes can't be hurt as well.

And that is why it's so important to not go

in unprepared, right, because if you go unprepared to fight

spiritual battles, you will be heard. Now, what's the difference

between Paul and these guys, right? The main difference is

that they don't have general relationship with God. Right, they

came up do all the things that they've seen, mimic

parrot and everything, but nothing is going to happen because

it's just face value. So it's spiritual. It's very spiritual.

Now again, if you didn't understand why I'm saying here,

or if there's one thing they need to take away

from today, is that it is spiritual. Everything is spiritual,

and you need to have some urgency to take this

on seriously because it's not just a feel good message today.

It's about you getting prepared. And nobody can prepare for

yourself except you. Okay, And again, you cannot think that

now if you're in, if you pass your trench, and

if I feeling all good and everything is hunky dory,

as I don't know why I say hunky dory, but yeah,

everything is all good, right, And if you haven't hit

any brick walls or no calamity has come your way,

no trials, good for you. But can I also warn

you that sometimes war is coming, right? War is coming,

and it's not not talking about war between men versus woman,

women versus man versus men, the kind of thing, but

it's really spiritual. War is coming, right, and we are

not fighting against flesh and blood. Why because the real

enemy here, like I said, is the devil. He's always kiming.

He's out to destroy you. You know what destroy is

wipe out, wipe out. He will come to you spiritually.

He will attack your faith, right, your hope, your joy,

your identity, right, intimacy with God. What does that mean?

I spoke a message before about you know, drawing close

to God, right, and sometimes drawing close to God is

just having intimacy. We are built for intimacy. We're built

for relationship, human sense, human to human. If you like somebody,

will love somebody, your spouse, for example, You want to

spend time with the person. Right. If you love God,

you want to spend time with God as well. Right.

And intimacy, by the way, but the devil can rop

that of you as well, And that's scary because he

will attack the intimacy with God. And you wonder why

everything is not falling into place. So battles in the

physical is serious. Battles in the spiritual is also equally

as serious. Okay, So what I'm trying to say is

that you've got to walk prepared, You got to fight

back even sometimes I have to say right now, I

am saying that if someone pushes you or other attacks you, you

gotta attack back. But before the attack comes to you,

you need to be ready. Otherwise, like I said, you

may follow before you have to then put it straight

for to get up, and you I a ready mentioned

to you right. Enemy will look into you, attack your identity.

He will always uh you know, even recognize the scenes

that you have. God calls you by your name, seize

your sin, but still chooses to call you by your name.

The enemy is the opposite. He knows your name, but

he will tend to address you by your sin. You say,

he's very subtle, you know, by the way, right, sometimes

you think better it's always this big, tough No, it's

always very subtle things. But that sparks and starts, you know,

breaking down what you stand for, and all those things

that I mentioned to the gear and all that that

we prepare ourselves would then come crumbling because if it's

if you're not really right, you see, even even for him,

you need to know know God. Otherwise yeah, you you

you will just fall over. Okay, So why is it important?

Because when you understand this, when you're actually attacked, you said,

I've read the book book, I understand what the book

is not today, enemy or Satan, I'm ready for you.

God's power is you know, greater in he that is

in me than the world that is in Sorry, that

the one that which is the enemy. Right, it's John.

You need to understand that God's power is more and

sufficient to enable you to do greater things. I am

a chosen child of God. I have the full armor

of God. Right, come make me even challenge the enemy.

I'm ready. So I shed a view a lot of

things that happen, at least in my personal space. We're ready. Funny,

funny story. Right. We all sometimes pray prayers like this.

It just this year. My wife is just by the way.

Last year we pray, why am I this year so cruisy?

And are we doing what's right? Why is God not throwing?

I mean, why is the enemy of throwing? That said this?

I mean careful when you say those things. You know,

five feures really hard. But we're ready, right, We're already.

So next night, I'm not asking to pick a fight

with the enemy by asking to be better ready when

the fight comes to you. That's the main thing, right,

Be preparative to fight is the main thing. And why

is it important is because when the fight does come

to you, and we cannot avoid that. It will come

to you. You will not then run away, right, I

mentioned to your right armor. It's not in the front

you run. What happens, you're fully exposed. You're fully exposed.

So it's time to fight in the spirit. But it's

time to be ready in the spirit. Right, what does

it actually mean? Again, We're not warring against flesh and blood.

It's not a flesh thing. We're warring against spiritual realm.

So therefore, you will speak the word the truth, regardless

of the outcome. Right, regardless of what's going around us,

you will still continue and maintain step, maintaining step fast

whatever you see. Even it's okay, it's okay, I will

still speak the word. I'll still speak life. I will

still speak the Word of God, regardless of even the outcome.

And that's what you need to do when you are attacked.

And that's what you can only do when you are

prepared to fight. Right again, you're not fighting against flesh.

You don't fight yourself, even we fight with the power

of God. Right, Stop fighting your feelings, stop fighting your thought,

stop fighting you know, your flesh. Things that people post

on social media sometimes you get to really round up.

Why is all right? Rounded about that? Right? Stop fighting

the physical people, physical men. It may be spiritually related.

And this is what I need you to catch today,

is to go in with the insight that it is

spiritual and that God has also prepared you with an

arsenal to fight it. The tools are in your hands.

The tools are in my car as an example, but

you need to take it out to defend yourself. Don't

leave it there. Don't ever forget where you put it right,

because the truth matters. When you get hit right, you'll

be very confused distracted. The enemy is always scheming when

he's got plan A, B, C, D, E FG, not

just one mode of attack. But are you ready for

all angles? Right? It's not gonna stop. He's not stopping.

You think it's gonna off day. I think it's Christmas

that he's like they take off day. No, he's all

twenty four to seven. You know, while you slumber and sleep,

he's still at work. And that's why it's important to

gear up. You know, soldiers write they at war they

sleep with the packs and the equipment near them. Why

is that so so that they're ready to jump into battle?

Sometimes they're in to practical say, I'll just leave it on, right,

even though it uncomfortable. We all know it's uncomfortable, right,

But there's the reason why you do that. Now, let's

break it down. Let's break it down, okay again verse

ten back in west ten Again, be strong if you

have a Bible so you can highlight circle, be strong,

be strong? How put on active? You know? Put on

put on what fool? Oh? Oh god? Not just one piece?

Not just what it was convenient. I was joking, I

mean talking about dressing up. Recently, I went to Melbourn.

I told you, right, you know, to go to surf

in Melbourne, right there, have to go and pack all

my gear for those guys who travel the court, shoes

are the hardest to travel with usually. Yeah, so I

asked pastor Joe, is it family's on there? You don't

know famies anybody? So full gear? Right? And sometimes it's

inconvenient to do the full Please do the fool. Why

do all this is because you can then only take

the stand against not just the enemy, his schemes. It's

always very very very uh, it's always scheming. Now, before

we all think that this devil is like I wat

saw Tom and Jerry movie, some of Jerry cartoons. Okay,

then sometimes you see this devil and this angel on

one side, and it's always like a devil with pitchfork

and then very very tight spandex red color whispering words

in the Devil's not a devil in the Bible in

Revelation it talks about him as the accused of the brethren.

Why accuse of the brethren, Because like I said, he

knows your name, but he choose to cause you by

your sin. God knows heavy Father knows your name and

calls you by your name. Even though he knows your sin,

he chooses to right. So one always spin the truth

and call out the lies. I mean, use the lies

to to to to to call you out because he

accuses you. Right, is the word scheming, is crafting. The

word crafting crafting you got a negative connotation to it

is to deceive? Right, It's always cunning ways it was cunning.

My son is very cunning and not in the negative sience.

But yeah, he's always looking for ways to do things

short the cut. He is always looking for ways to

attack you always. Now, let me be clear, he that

was very clear. So you have to be very clear

as well, because he wants to distract you. And like

I said, it always the small things that that will

throw you away. Good thing about it, we know the

devil's playbook or his his modus operandi. He's always distracting,

he's always attacking, he's always attempting, attempting you. And lastly

he just repeat and reads the whole thing cycle again, right,

and this is ongoing. In verse twelve, just now you're

read for our struggle, it says, yeah, this is our struggle,

not when you struggle. It's just our struggle. That means

it's an active thing. If you're not struggling, it'll come

to you. For our struggle. It's ongoing. It's not just

one sof So Paul is just in plain and simple

English asking you to get ready because it's coming. It

is coming. Now I'm gonna start winding down already. Now

what does it mean by his schemes? Right? Just for example,

this morning in worship, you know, I'm still getting used

to a new song. The slight is a bit slow,

so I got a bit distracted, right, And that is

the devil. I mean, I don't know it's something spiritual,

but It could be. It could be so to rop

you away from your worship of God. Just saying, just

saying right, just saying could be you know sometimes we

uh kids are screaming. I come to church speaking the way,

I'm like, oh God, it rubs you again. Could be

the enemy, could be an enemy, could be right, I'm

sleep deprived, et cetera. I'm distracted, I I I I

have people something to say wake up. Or I ran

a mariton this morning. I don't come to church. Uh,

you know, I don't mention it. But it could be spiritual.

I know it's a physical problem, but it could be spiritual.

Oh I go to attend another in another time zone.

So if that, if any you know, again you have

the question is how is it really God or is

it really the enemy creeping in to steal, kill and

destroy subtly because it's distracting small pieces. Let's say obedience

of giving. I'm gonna want to give what or something

hit you can't hit something, and then you're like, oh man, God,

can we defer this a while longer? Or my favorite,

my favorite, you know, when I'm fasting and praying, then

somebody brings back some some or the boss say, oh,

let's let's let's let's uh, let's go for me? Right, God,

how do I obedience? You know he's attacking your obedience again.

I'm not saying that it's all spiritual. It could be.

It could be right and always do is just like

my example, I could say, boss, I'm fasting, I gotta

see what But you know, your your obedience may be

attacked or you know, or go out for drinks and

all that temptation. You know, it's just it's just a

small small socializing socializing. He will always attempt you the

way I'm just saying. You're saying sometimes we can always

spiritually visualized things as well. But what I'm trying to

say is that everything could be. But why not check it.

Don't just dismiss it the events that are happening in

your life circle around you, even in Malaysia globally as well,

just check it. Don't dismiss it that, oh, it should

happen the way it happened because it could kind of

be spiritual, right, But don't go overboard as well that

even football is spiritual. Just check it. It could be,

it could be. It's what I'm trying to say here

now I'm going to end here with a short one

most like. So the purpose of why we need to

fight back is all that is there. Firstly, is to

ensure it's for your own freedom to liberate yourself right,

your arm up, gear up, so that you can operate faithfully.

Your hope and enjoy and identity and intimacy course is secure. Right.

He will not be able to attack you because you

every piece in place, and therefore there is liberty on

how you can operate. That's why when things hit you

as well, you can still operate. You will not be

easily uh, you know, pushed over to some extent, all right.

More importantly, the freedom here is not just for yourself.

Sometimes we think always about yourself, all right, And I'll

share a little bit here. You know, I never thought

of myself doing what I do today, at least not

from a not from this leadership perspective law if you

ask me where. By the way, I'm just commissioned as

a pastor this this year. It's a new thing for me.

It's a new it's a new I'm not used to

this again. I still say I can operate without a title,

but it reminds me again of the things that's happened

in the past, that God has prepared, some thing's made,

some things in line to allow me to operate how

I operate. Okay, now let me share. I told you

I was. I was back in Melbourne for a while.

I actually had a chance to connect with one of

my leaders who I I I who who who actually

brought me to to something ex that kick started my revival.

Before that, I was a rascal. I had to admit.

I was five from God. I rediscovered or I rekindled

with God again, rediscovered God again in my uni life. Uh.

And I had a very persistent friend that kept knocking

and inviting me. Okay, I get how come to come

to church one day and then from then on things

have changed. I worked my way up. Uh. As we

carry up. I was in I was working in the

in the car park in the church, just helping cars

to move around. Uh, because I always thought that, you know,

sometimes Christians are not very Christian when they're around the

car park. Funny story, funny story. Okay, this sign off.

I was catching a past a day not too long ago. Uh.

And then he was just saying that, oh yeah, day

he was just walking past, and one of the cars

were honking, and then he walked past. He realized that

there's a sign because he was impatient. And then he

was a sticker on his card that says, your experience

starts here. I mean, hopefully there's not cut up of

the recording. But I don't know who it is. But

but but yeah, people are impatient, and I thought that,

you know, I wanted to make a difference. By the

way I woke my way up, I was actually hit

off the car park ministry. Uh. By the way, it's cold,

you know, so I had to always gear up walk

my way up to another ministry in the cafe. There

in the cafe, we actually had a ministry that we

put a public as well. So again make sure there's

not screened. But I to this day, I she worked

very closely with a lot of refugee community. Uh. And

again when I was abroad, just sit thinking that people

at the cafe, uh the drinks, sit down with mons

that are there, and I walked with them in life

through the different struggles. And that is where my pastoral

days began. I would say. And it's funny how pieces

of the puzzle come together and God, slowly but surely prepared,

prepared myself and also I guess the people around me,

uh to to do what we do. I a will

start that certainly be a structure engineer. Maybe the thing

I can do for God is just building got a

church in the physical, but no, God had other plans

in mind. But more importantly, you know, guys I caught

up with with it's actually the mentor that I've caught

up with, right. I found out that he has not

been to church for the last five years. So my

my trip back home, back back back home, back back

to Melbourne was more it was before work, but I

think it's also a great purpose, purposeful trip and it

was there because we had chats and then we prayed

alongside each other. Long story I cannot go to details,

but uh, there was some brokenness in his family. There

was some separation his father. About it is, he's much

older than me, but his parents were separating and then

because of that everything fell apart. And he has in

that stage where he's uh, you know, blaming God, et

cetera and all that. But we had had heard talk.

But one thing that came out of it, and I

just got a text from him not too long ago

that he's actually come back to church when all of

this is just talking about Hey, you know you the

guy that you know made me who I am. Literally,

I'm so thankful for it. And and if anything, the discipleship,

you know, when one full circle. And because of that,

he is operating as he should. I think he's coming back.

He's coming back to the church. He's already starting to

volunteer in this few days now because he's like reminder

of the things that we used to do together. And

all I did was share, you know, role, I was

that that, that little rascal, and because of you, you know,

my life is very different. I shared about the things

that we do here and all that, and and and

what I'm trying to say is that God sometimes gear

you up, not for yourself, because sometimes you say fullest

things is protect, but she's to protect your fellow souldiers

as well. And that's what I want you to catch

from here, because we are stronger as a as a

bigger unit, and that's what is important. Right. You can

play softly. I'm going to land now, but but yeah,

if this message is simple, it's meant to be simple,

but there's a lot into it, and I don't have

the time to go into it. But I want to

remind us again that you know, it's not just a

year to prepare ourselves for discipleshit but really it is

a year to be ready for what's to come. And

you don't ever know what will hit you next time.

And even if it's not, prepare for yourself. Key message here,

why don't you prepare for somebody else, your fellow brother

and sister? And you never know when you can be

God's vessel again? Small thing, small catch up? How many

Coffeechure's gonna have? How many dinners can I have? That person?

But he has come back to a relationship with God

just because of the opportunity that was given to me

in that process. So really it is to sometimes set

at this free as well, but just for yourself. So

won't you just equip yourself, prepare yourself. Yes we live

in a hys school world, don't get me wrong, But

won't you just prepare yourself spiritually all the time and

be ready and be bat already? Why? Because we are

really going to war. We are already in war, by

the way, So please don't take this lightly. In a

moment here, I'm gonna you know, just pray with you.

But I told you about that mentor right that mentor.

I don't think it's just a prayer for us to

come out of different things. But we are praying for

each other to be more battle ready for the next

battle to come. And that was special. Why because we

recognize the devil is still at play, the devil is

still at work when we should not let our guard down.

And more importantly, we are not alone. So if you

are here today and you feel let I don't know

who this invitation is meant to be. It's not an

invitation for salvation. Don't get me wrong. We are all believers,

but we need to operate as believe us need to

operate as