The Battle You Can't See

Hey everybody, welcome back to Trucker's Church. Whether you're rolling

down the interstate tonight, or sitting at a truck stop

waiting on your next load, parked somewhere for your 10-hour break,

or listening from home, I'm glad you're here. Now I

don't want to talk about something that's been on my

mind a lot lately. Spiritual warfare. Now I know those

words can make some people uncomfortable. There are churches that

talk about spiritual warfare constantly. There are other churches that

barely mention it at all. But we can't ignore something

simply because it makes us uncomfortable. The Bible talks about it.

Jesus confronted evil spirits. The apostles confronted them. The apostle

Paul tells us plainly that there is a battle happening

around us that we cannot see with our physical eyes.

Listen to what Paul says in Ephesians chapter 6. Finally,

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

my brethren, be strong in the Lord Notice something right there.

Paul doesn't tell us to be strong in ourselves. He

doesn't say, try harder. He doesn't say, be tougher. He says,

be strong in the Lord. That's important. Because there are

battles in this life that you cannot win through willpower alone.

You can be the toughest man or woman on the highway.

You can work 14-hour days. You can drive through snowstorms, thunderstorms,

traffic jams, and mountain passes. You can handle deadlines, dispatchers, breakdowns,

and weeks away from home. But there are battles that

physical toughness won't win. Paul continues, We wrestle not against

flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the

rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness.

Think about that. Our battle isn't ultimately against flesh and blood.

And that's something we need to remember. Because it's easy

to start believing people are the enemy. But your spouse

isn't the enemy. Your neighbor isn't the enemy. That driver

who cut you off isn't the enemy. person who disagrees

with you isn't the enemy. Even when someone genuinely wrongs you,

Paul reminds us that there's a spiritual dimension to the

brokenness of this world. The Bible describes Satan as a deceiver,

a tempter, an accuser. Jesus calls him the father of lies.

And look around at how many battles begin with a lie.

You're worthless. God doesn't care about you. You've messed up

too badly. You'll never change. Nobody would forgive you if

they knew what you've done. You're alone. God has abandoned you.

Maybe you've heard some of those thoughts yourself. I know

I've had thoughts that needed to be measured against the

truth of God's word. That's why Paul doesn't simply tell

us there's a battle. He tells us How to stand

in it. And we put on the whole armor of God.

Let's talk about the different parts of the armor of God.

Paul begins with the belt of truth. That's not an accident.

Deception is one of the enemy's greatest weapons. Truth is

one of our greatest defenses. When the lie says God

doesn't love you. Truth says God so loved the world

that he gave his only begotten son. When the lie

says you're beyond forgiveness, truth says if we confess our sins,

he's faithful and just to forgive us. When the lie

says you're alone, Jesus says I'm with you always. That's

why you've got to know the word of God. You

can't recognize a counterfeit if you don't know the truth.

Next is the breastplate of righteousness. Paul talks about the

breastplate of righteousness. A breastplate protects the heart and other

vital organs. Spiritually, we need protection around our hearts too.

But this isn't about pretending we're perfect. Our righteousness ultimately

comes through Christ. And when we belong to him, we

also begin learning to walk differently. Sometimes temptation doesn't arrive

looking evil. Sometimes it looks like something harmless. One little compromise,

one little lie. One website nobody knows you're looking at.

One drink when you know that road has taken you before.

One angry message. One relationship you know you shouldn't be in.

One decision you think nobody will ever discover. And pretty soon,

one compromise becomes another. That's why Paul says to put

on the breastplate of righteousness. Guard your heart. Then Paul

talks about having our feet prepared. with the gospel of peace.

Truckers understand something about roads. You've got to know where

you're going. You can have a full tank of diesel

and a perfectly running truck, but if you're traveling the

wrong direction, going faster doesn't help. And some people are

speeding down the wrong road spiritually. Maybe that's you tonight.

Maybe you've been moving farther and farther from God. Good

news is that Jesus still offers peace with God. You

can turn around. There's still an exit. There's still a

road home. And next, the shield of faith. Paul says,

I love that picture because Paul doesn't say the fiery

darts won't come. They will. Fear comes. Temptation comes. Doubt comes.

Discouragement comes. Accusation comes. Faith doesn't mean pretending those things

aren't real. Faith means trusting God while they're coming at you.

Sometimes faith sounds like, God, I don't understand what's happening,

but I trust you. Sometimes faith sounds like, Lord, I'm scared,

but I'm staying with you. Sometimes faith is nothing more

than saying, Jesus, help me. That's still faith. Next, the

helmet of salvation. The helmet protects the head, and some

of the fiercest battles happen right there in our minds.

Thoughts of fear, thoughts of shame, thoughts of anger, thoughts

telling us we're hopeless. But if you belong to Jesus Christ,

your identity isn't determined by your worst day. Your identity

isn't determined by your past. Your identity isn't determined by

what somebody said about you 20 years ago. Your hope

rests in Jesus Christ. You were bought with a price.

Then the sword of spirit. Paul gives us a weapon,

the sword of spirit, which is the word of God.

Think about Jesus when he was tempted in the wilderness.

Again and again, Jesus answered temptation with scripture. It is written,

That's why scripture matters. Not just sitting on your dashboard

or sitting on the nightstand. Not just open on Sunday morning.

You've got to get God's word inside of you. Because

there may come a night when you're alone somewhere hundreds

of miles from home and you're fighting a battle nobody

else knows about. In that moment, you need truth already

planted in your heart. And then Paul says pray. Paul

finishes this section by telling believers to pray. I think

we should overlook that. Prayer isn't the emergency cord you

pull when everything else fails. Prayer is a communication with

the one whose strength we're depending on in the first place.

You don't have to sound like a preacher. You don't

have to have fancy words. You don't need stained glass.

You don't even need to be inside a church. You

might be sitting behind the steering wheel of a freightliner

at 2 o'clock in the morning. Just talk to God. Lord,

I'm struggling. Lord, I'm angry. Lord, I'm tempted. Lord, I'm afraid. Lord,

I don't know what to do. Jesus, I need you.

That's prayer. And there's something else I want you to

remember tonight. Don't become so focused on demons that you

take your eyes off Jesus. The center of Christianity isn't Satan.

It's Jesus Christ. We don't live frightened, constantly wondering whether

something evil is hiding behind every problem. Sometimes a flat

tire is just a flat tire. Sometimes somebody having a

bad day is somebody having a bad day. Sometimes our

problems are consequences of our own decisions. We need wisdom

and discernment. Scripture also tells us clearly that spiritual evil

is real. And the answer isn't fear. The answer is

Jesus Christ. Paul doesn't tell Christians to panic. He tells

them to stand. Stand in truth. Stand in righteousness. Stand

in faith. Stand in salvation. Stand on God's word and

stand in prayer. Maybe tonight you've realized something. You've been

trying to fight this battle without the armor. Maybe you've

been fighting completely alone. Maybe you've never surrendered your life

to Jesus. Or maybe you once walked closely with him,

but somewhere along the highway of life you took the

wrong exit. And you've been trying to find your way

back ever since. Listen to me. You can come home tonight.

You don't have to clean yourself up first. You don't

have to fix everything before you call on Jesus. You

can come to him as you are. And he begins

changing you. You're listening right now. And you know you

need Jesus Christ. I want to invite you to respond.

Maybe you're driving. Keep your eyes on the road. You

don't have to close your eyes. God hears you right

where you are. And if you're parked somewhere tonight, maybe

this is the moment you stop running. Wherever you are,

you mean it in your heart. Talk to him. And

that's the key. You got to mean it in your heart.

Prayer is not magic. Just say a sinner's prayer and

the prayer itself saves you. It's the belief in your

heart and God knows what's in your heart. And you

can pray something like this. Lord Jesus, I know that

I'm a sinner. I know I cannot save myself. I

believe you died for my sins and I believe you

rose again. Forgive me. Wash me clean. I turn away

from the life I've been living and I turn toward you. Jesus,

I give you my life. Be my Savior. Be my Lord.

Teach me to follow you. Give me strength for the

battles ahead. Help me put on the whole armor of

God and stand firm in you. I put my faith

in you today. In Jesus' name, amen. If you pray

that tonight and truly mean it, understand something. This isn't

the finish line. It's the starting line. Find a Bible

and start reading it. Find believers who will walk beside you.

Find a Bible-believing church where you can grow. Pray every day.

You're going to stumble sometimes. You're going to have questions.

You're going to have battles. But when the battle comes,

remember where your strength comes from. Not yourself. Not me.

Not a preacher. Not a church building. Jesus Christ. Before

we close, I want to pray for everybody listening. Father,

I pray for the person driving through the darkness tonight.

I pray for the driver sitting alone in a truck

stop hundreds of miles from family. I pray for the

person listening at home who's fighting a battle nobody knows about.

Give them discernment. Give them courage. Guard their minds. Guard

their hearts. Strengthen their faith. Help them recognize lies and

replace them with your truth. And when temptation comes, remind

them that they don't have to face it alone. Teach

us to put on the whole armor of God and

above everything else, keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. Protect

every driver listening. Bring them safely to their destination and

safely home to the people who love them. Help every

one of us remember the battle may be real, but

we don't stand in our own strength. We stand in yours.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. This has been

Trucker's Church. Until next time, stay safe out there. Keep

your eyes on the road and keep your eyes on Jesus.