Every physical fight is a manifestation of a spiritual battle.
ENTER THE ARENA.
Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life. Proverbs 4:23 (NCV)
Your spiritual fights are won or lost in your mind.
“Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe.” 2 Corinthians 4:4
There are only two sources for our thoughts.
Inspiration: thoughts from God.
Temptation: thoughts from Satan.
DON’T FIGHT NAKED.
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
If you don’t control your thoughts at the beginning, they can become strongholds that control you.
Fight with Force.
Bring the fight to the enemy with the strength given to you by God.
Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Ephesians 6:10
Don’t underestimate the power that you have as a follower of Jesus. You are more than a conqueror!
Fight with Firmness.
The leverage a fighter has comes from his firm stance.
Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. Ephesians 6:11-15
All 6 pieces of armor are mental warfare: Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Faith, the Helmet of salvation that covers your head, and the Word of God that we meditate on.
Fight with Faith.
In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Ephesians 6:16
For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. 1 John 5:4
You will either live by faith or by your feelings.
Fight with Facts.
Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17
The facts are found in the Bible. We get to choose whether to follow the direction of our culture or the direction of God’s Word.
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Hebrews 4:12
BE READY FOR YOUR OPPONENT.
People are not our enemy. The battle is fought against the world, the flesh and the devil.
The 1st Battlefront: the fight of the flesh. This is our sinful nature which leads us to do the wrong thing instead of the right thing.
The 2nd Battlefront: the world. We are not fighting the people in our culture but are here to redeem our the people in our culture for Jesus.
The 3rd Battlefront: Satan. His greatest trick is to convince everybody that he isn’t real. Then he can have his way in the world.
“Be alert, be on watch. Your enemy the devil roams around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Be firm in your faith and resist him because you know that your fellow believers in all the world are going through the same kind of suffering.” 1 Peter 5:8-9
If you’re not fighting, you’re giving away your victory.
Satan throws fiery darts at us like: Discouragement, Failure, Opposition, Gossip, Insults, Distractions, Temptation, Insignificance. Compromise. Deception and Lies. Sin. Competition. Tiredness. Complacency. Sickness. Fear. Doubt. Division. Materialism.
DON’T FIGHT ALONE.
In a local church family, we stand together, shoulder to shoulder and back to back.
Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. Philippians 1:27
We have a shared mission to rescue people, to help them, serve them, teach them, and let them know how much God loves them and the great plan He has for their lives.
LIVE IN THE VICTORY JESUS WON!
We’ve already won! You are not fighting FOR victory. You are fighting FROM victory!
In this way, (Jesus) disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.” Colossians 2:15
Jesus is the World Champion!
When Jesus was on the cross, He beat the devil with a big ugly stick. Satan is a defeated enemy. He’s a toothless lion. He’s a bee without a stinger. He’s a snake without fangs.
No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. Romans 8:37