Spiritual Warfare 1

1. Spiritual Warfare for Beginners
There Really is a War
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners

2. Two Extremes
s 1. We ignore the reality of evil and of the
devil.
s 2. We get all caught up in learning about
the devil.
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners

3. Finding the Balance
s 1. Aware of the devil
s 2. Not living in fear
s 3. recognize the devils attempts to hinder
and suppress the good news.
s 4. Impressed with God
– learn all you can about God
– sit, walk, stand
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners

4. Sit , Walk, Stand
s Sit
– Ephesians 1-3
» who we are based on what God has done
» “sealed in Him”
» “saved by grace”
» “no longer stranger...fellow-citizens”
» emphasizes the finished work of Jesus
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners

5. Walk
s Ephesians 4:1-9
– Walk in a manner worthy
» daily conduct of our lives.
» Lay off old self...put on new self
» Once we have accepted Jesus Christ we
• obey Him
• walk in the light
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners

6. Stand
s Ephesians 6:10-20
– the full armor
– finally do all you can to stand
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners

7. Knowing the Enemy
s Ephesians 6:12
– “for our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against rulers, against the powers, against
the world-forces of this darkness, against the
spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly
places.”
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners

8. Knowing the Enemy (2)
s SKAD List
s Satan hates you
s Satan desires to destroy you
s Satan will use your weakness against you
– Money -Pride
– Sex -Drugs
s Satan has no mercy--he kicks you when you
are down
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners

9. What Jesus Thought about Satan.
s John 10:10
s Finding Yourself on the SKAD list:
– Jesus said,
“The thief comes
to Steal,
to Kill
And
to Destroy.”
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners

10. Satan’s plan
s Satan’s plan is to
– steal--take away from you all the benefits of the
Christian life--joy, peace, love
What is he stealing now?
– kill--to end your life and its meaning
to get you to the place where you don’t
want to live.
– destroy--to make your life count for nothing
to destroy relationships, possibilities
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners

11. Knowing the Enemy (3)
s Satan is a killer
– Molech, Baal, Chemosh, Lucifer, Accuser,
Slanderer, Serpent, angel of light
» Abortion
» Suicide
» Drug overdose
» Euthanasia
» Mass murders
» School violence
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners

12. Satan’s plan
s Four Unspiritual Laws
– #1 the devil hates God and all God’s creation
and especially humankind. The Devil seeks to
make all humans unfit for heaven, and thus
spending eternity in hell.
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners

13. Satan’s plan
s Four Unspiritual Laws
– #2 The devil searches out our basic character
flaws and comes with a desire to ruin us.
» sensual person--looks, nudity,
» bold person--nerves, sensations, instincts
» timid person--”play it safe”
» intelligent person--”knowledge puffs up”
» lazy person--he whispers “tomorrow”
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners

14. Satan’s plan
s Four Unspiritual Laws
– #3 Deception at all costs to help us think of
ourselves as “good” or deserving better.
» Never need a Savior.
» Any Religion is OK
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners

15. Satan’s plan
s Four Unspiritual Laws
– #4 It is impossible to know God.
» If you think you do--you can never meet God’s
standards (condemnation)
» If you think you don’t, you never will because you
can’t trust anything.
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners

16. Three Battlegrounds(1)
s The Mind
– Thought come from
» God
» self
» devil
– Birds fly over your head, don’t let them build a
nest in your hair.
– (Reclaiming lost ground tomorrow)
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners

17. Three Battlegrounds(2)
s The Heart
– “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for
from it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23
– Emotions
» Anger
» worry
– Choosing humility--1 Peter 5:6-9
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners

18. Three Battlegrounds(3)
s The flesh or body
– Hands
– Feet
– Eyes
– Keep your tongue from evil and lips from
speaking lies James 3:10
– Private parts
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners

19. Five Areas of Attack
s II Corinthians 12:10
– “Therefore I am well content with weaknesses,
(infirmities), insults (reproaches), distresses,
persecutions and with difficulties, for Christ
sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners

20. Five Areas of Attack
s 1. Infirmities
s 2. Reproaches
s 3. Distresses
s 4. Persecutions
s 5. Difficulties
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners

21. Satan’s Battle Plan
s Satan’s Hierarchy
– Rulers--
» exert opinion and will over others, results in
• godless government
• neglectful parents
• rebellion
– Principalities
» Geographic boundaries
» Demographics
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners

22. Satan’s Battle Plan
s Powers
– evil and demons assigned to sins
s Territorial Spirits
– Geographically centered
– Taste oriented
» strife, racism, greed,
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners

23. Satan’s Battle Plan
s Forces of Darkness
– Lying spirits
– Hindering spirits
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners

24. Satan’s Battle Plan
s Wicked spirits
– Attack the Individual
– Descent into bondage
» habits of sin
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners

25. God’s Plan
s 1. Avoid the influence
s 2. Pray Specifically against the spirit
powers
s 3. Live in the power of God’s love
s 4. Know Jesus better
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners

26. God’s Plan
s Practice the two things the devil hates
– humility
– effective evangelism
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners

27. Tomorrow's Topics
s Putting on the Full Armor of God
s Reclaiming Lost Ground
Spiritual Warfare for Beginners