WEBVTT 00:00:01.290 --> 00:00:05.049 Make no mistake, there is evil in the world. 00:00:05.349 --> 00:00:08.990 Mass shootings, the sex trade, children being 00:00:08.990 --> 00:00:12.349 abused. Are we in fact in a spiritual battle? 00:00:12.689 --> 00:00:16.329 Is Satan, demons, are those things that are real? 00:00:16.710 --> 00:00:19.910 Yes, you need to learn how to protect yourself 00:00:19.910 --> 00:00:27.109 and win the battle. Stay with me. Welcome to 00:00:27.109 --> 00:00:29.550 this edition of Living on the Edge with Chip 00:00:29.550 --> 00:00:31.989 Ingram. The mission of this daily program is 00:00:31.989 --> 00:00:34.350 to intentionally disciple Christians through 00:00:34.350 --> 00:00:36.369 the insightful Bible teaching of Chip Ingram. 00:00:36.710 --> 00:00:39.390 Let me ask you, does the wickedness of our world 00:00:39.390 --> 00:00:42.250 panic you to your core? Do you feel that evil 00:00:42.250 --> 00:00:44.789 is running rampant everywhere, not just on the 00:00:44.789 --> 00:00:47.929 nightly news, but at work, church, or even in 00:00:47.929 --> 00:00:50.530 your home? Well, over the next several programs, 00:00:50.869 --> 00:00:53.149 Chip will dispel our fears and provide us with 00:00:53.149 --> 00:00:56.170 some helpful insights into this topic as he begins 00:00:56.170 --> 00:00:59.750 his series, The Invisible War. Join us in Ephesians 00:00:59.750 --> 00:01:02.609 chapter 6 as Chip highlights the vital theology 00:01:02.609 --> 00:01:05.709 believers need to know about spiritual warfare. 00:01:06.250 --> 00:01:08.709 So with that set up, grab your Bible and notes 00:01:08.709 --> 00:01:11.269 as Chip kicks off this series with his message, 00:01:11.450 --> 00:01:15.870 What is the Invisible War? If you want to open 00:01:15.870 --> 00:01:18.670 your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 6, There was 00:01:18.670 --> 00:01:21.969 one key text, verses 10 through 20, where the 00:01:21.969 --> 00:01:24.769 Apostle Paul is going to explain spiritual warfare. 00:01:25.030 --> 00:01:27.049 Now, what you need to understand, if you will 00:01:27.049 --> 00:01:29.709 mentally go with me here, is chapters 1 through 00:01:29.709 --> 00:01:32.819 3. He's telling them, this is who you are in 00:01:32.819 --> 00:01:35.319 Christ. You're a brand new creature. You've been 00:01:35.319 --> 00:01:37.459 redeemed. You've been sealed with the spirit. 00:01:37.659 --> 00:01:40.680 You have an inheritance. God has made this brand 00:01:40.680 --> 00:01:43.099 new thing called the church of Jew and Gentile. 00:01:43.140 --> 00:01:46.180 And then chapter four says, in light of all that 00:01:46.180 --> 00:01:49.920 God has done for you, I want you to walk in the 00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:52.120 manner worthy of your calling. The word worthy, 00:01:52.239 --> 00:01:54.760 we got our English word axis. It's a picture 00:01:54.760 --> 00:01:57.689 of those balances. And it's saying chapters 1, 00:01:57.829 --> 00:02:00.430 2, and 3 is all that God has deposited in you. 00:02:00.510 --> 00:02:03.189 You are new in Christ, seated in heavenly places, 00:02:03.310 --> 00:02:06.049 loved more than you can ever be loved. It'll 00:02:06.049 --> 00:02:09.289 never, ever change now. Live in a way where your 00:02:09.289 --> 00:02:11.229 belief and your behavior tell the same story. 00:02:11.810 --> 00:02:14.349 And then in chapter 4, he'll talk about how that 00:02:14.349 --> 00:02:16.449 has happened and the role of the church. And 00:02:16.449 --> 00:02:18.370 then he'll talk about life change and how that 00:02:18.370 --> 00:02:20.789 occurs. In chapter 5, he'll talk about walking 00:02:20.789 --> 00:02:22.849 in purity. He'll talk about walking in the light, 00:02:22.969 --> 00:02:25.349 being filled with the Holy Spirit, what that 00:02:25.349 --> 00:02:26.889 looks like in your marriage, what that looks 00:02:26.889 --> 00:02:28.610 like with your children, what that looks like 00:02:28.610 --> 00:02:31.689 in your employment in that day with slaves. And 00:02:31.689 --> 00:02:33.810 then after giving all that, he's going to say, 00:02:34.400 --> 00:02:38.360 This new life and all those relationships and 00:02:38.360 --> 00:02:40.360 the Spirit of God living His life out through 00:02:40.360 --> 00:02:43.319 you is going to occur in a hostile environment. 00:02:44.240 --> 00:02:48.539 You're in a battle. And so, beginning at verse 00:02:48.539 --> 00:02:51.879 10 through verse 20, He's going to teach very 00:02:51.879 --> 00:02:54.520 clearly what the battle is, where the battle 00:02:54.520 --> 00:02:57.520 is, how to put on spiritual armor, and how to 00:02:57.520 --> 00:03:01.400 actually experience the victory that Christ has 00:03:01.400 --> 00:03:05.139 also given us. So with that, you'll notice verses 00:03:05.139 --> 00:03:08.439 10 to 12. It says, finally be strong in the Lord 00:03:08.439 --> 00:03:10.860 and in the strength of his might. Put on the 00:03:10.860 --> 00:03:13.120 full armor of God that you may be able to stand 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:17.300 firm against the schemes of the devil. For our 00:03:17.300 --> 00:03:20.479 struggle is not against flesh and blood, but 00:03:20.479 --> 00:03:23.460 against the rulers, against the powers, against 00:03:23.460 --> 00:03:25.960 the world forces of this darkness, against the 00:03:25.960 --> 00:03:28.620 spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly 00:03:28.620 --> 00:03:31.090 places. I'd like you to underline the phrase, 00:03:31.229 --> 00:03:33.750 be strong in the Lord and put a number one above 00:03:33.750 --> 00:03:35.949 that. And then I want you to move over and it 00:03:35.949 --> 00:03:38.909 says, put on the full armor of God. I want you 00:03:38.909 --> 00:03:41.650 to underline that and put a number two. There's 00:03:41.650 --> 00:03:45.669 two commands in this passage. The first is a 00:03:45.669 --> 00:03:49.250 general command and it's grammatically what's 00:03:49.250 --> 00:03:51.150 called the present tense and a passive voice. 00:03:51.250 --> 00:03:52.969 And I'm going to give you, for some of you Bible 00:03:52.969 --> 00:03:54.490 students, you'll appreciate that. And others 00:03:54.490 --> 00:03:55.909 will go, I don't know what that is and it really 00:03:55.909 --> 00:03:58.620 doesn't matter. Here's what it means. It means 00:03:58.620 --> 00:04:01.159 this is something that you are commanded to do 00:04:01.159 --> 00:04:04.680 right now, but the passive voice, it's something 00:04:04.680 --> 00:04:07.699 that you have to allow to happen to you. I'm 00:04:07.699 --> 00:04:09.740 commanded to do it, but I can't make it happen. 00:04:10.300 --> 00:04:13.259 So for example, right below the general command, 00:04:13.360 --> 00:04:16.339 I basically took the text, and let me give you 00:04:16.339 --> 00:04:19.600 an expanded translation. Allow yourself. To be 00:04:19.600 --> 00:04:21.740 continually strengthened by the power already 00:04:21.740 --> 00:04:24.240 made available to you in your new position in 00:04:24.240 --> 00:04:27.240 Christ, in your relationship with Him. The power 00:04:27.240 --> 00:04:30.500 that raised Christ from the dead now also dwells 00:04:30.500 --> 00:04:34.319 in you. First and foremost, there's a general 00:04:34.319 --> 00:04:38.560 command to be strong in the power that God has 00:04:38.560 --> 00:04:42.079 already given us. Allow that power to work in 00:04:42.079 --> 00:04:44.579 and through your life. And then there's the specific 00:04:44.579 --> 00:04:47.889 command. This is, well, how do you do that? You 00:04:47.889 --> 00:04:51.209 put on the full armor of God. And we're going 00:04:51.209 --> 00:04:53.089 to spend some time talking about what that is 00:04:53.089 --> 00:04:54.949 and what that looks like and very practically 00:04:54.949 --> 00:04:58.250 how to do that. And then notice the purpose clause, 00:04:58.430 --> 00:05:02.329 that you may be able to stand firm against the 00:05:02.329 --> 00:05:04.850 schemes of the devil. Circle the word schemes. 00:05:06.029 --> 00:05:11.269 We get our word strategies. And literally, it's 00:05:11.269 --> 00:05:14.670 a picture of literally holding fast or standing 00:05:14.670 --> 00:05:17.449 firm, it's the idea that if you would understand 00:05:17.449 --> 00:05:20.790 that you, when you trusted in Jesus Christ, were 00:05:20.790 --> 00:05:23.069 taken out of the kingdom of darkness and you 00:05:23.069 --> 00:05:25.769 were placed in the kingdom of light, then you 00:05:25.769 --> 00:05:29.279 were sealed with his spirit. His spirit was deposited 00:05:29.279 --> 00:05:31.899 in you. Spiritual gifts were given to you. You 00:05:31.899 --> 00:05:34.199 were made a part of the body of Christ. You are 00:05:34.199 --> 00:05:36.699 now protected and a part of it. Now he says, 00:05:36.759 --> 00:05:39.439 this is all that you have. I want you to stand 00:05:39.439 --> 00:05:43.259 firm or hold on to what you already have. And 00:05:43.259 --> 00:05:45.939 then he says, the way you do that is by putting 00:05:45.939 --> 00:05:49.480 on the full armor of God. And then he gives the 00:05:49.480 --> 00:05:52.300 reason. He says, for our struggle, put a circle 00:05:52.300 --> 00:05:54.560 around that word, is not against flesh and blood. 00:05:54.680 --> 00:05:57.329 In other words, the... men and people and material 00:05:57.329 --> 00:06:00.449 world, but against the rulers, against the powers, 00:06:00.610 --> 00:06:03.430 against the world forces of this darkness, against 00:06:03.430 --> 00:06:05.790 the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly 00:06:05.790 --> 00:06:08.829 places. And so the specific command, if you want 00:06:08.829 --> 00:06:11.930 sort of a little broader interpretation here, 00:06:12.470 --> 00:06:15.430 okay, I'm going to be strong in the Lord. How 00:06:15.430 --> 00:06:19.189 do I do that? By continually and repeatedly putting 00:06:19.189 --> 00:06:22.269 on this at specific points of time, the spiritual 00:06:22.269 --> 00:06:24.750 protection God has provided for you. The spiritual 00:06:24.750 --> 00:06:29.389 armor. This is what's called an aorist imperative, 00:06:29.769 --> 00:06:31.290 and I'm not going to throw a lot of Greek words 00:06:31.290 --> 00:06:33.069 around, but here early on it's really important 00:06:33.069 --> 00:06:36.709 because an aorist imperative has a sense of urgency. 00:06:36.990 --> 00:06:40.050 In other words, what you need to do is be ready 00:06:40.050 --> 00:06:42.569 and be urgent and ready and continually when 00:06:42.569 --> 00:06:44.970 the battle comes, you need to be strong in the 00:06:44.970 --> 00:06:47.629 Lord and you do that by appropriating this armor 00:06:47.629 --> 00:06:50.290 at any time, at any moment, when the darts of 00:06:50.290 --> 00:06:53.079 the enemy come. Goes on to say, for the express 00:06:53.079 --> 00:06:55.480 purpose of holding on to the position in Christ 00:06:55.480 --> 00:06:59.120 as you're bombarded by satanic strategies designed 00:06:59.120 --> 00:07:01.540 to destroy you and or render you ineffective 00:07:01.540 --> 00:07:06.399 in kingdom pursuits. The reason is, it's because 00:07:06.399 --> 00:07:09.040 there is a real struggle. And that word struggle 00:07:09.040 --> 00:07:11.600 that you circled literally is a picture of a 00:07:11.600 --> 00:07:14.560 wrestling match. They would have the gladiators 00:07:14.560 --> 00:07:17.699 go in and wrestle to the death. And this is that 00:07:17.699 --> 00:07:21.509 word. This is serious stuff. This isn't a little 00:07:21.509 --> 00:07:24.529 man in a red suit with horns and a plastic tail. 00:07:26.769 --> 00:07:31.870 This is against the physical, material adversaries. 00:07:31.889 --> 00:07:34.110 That's not the problem. People, circumstances, 00:07:34.470 --> 00:07:37.490 organizations. But he's literally giving us a 00:07:37.490 --> 00:07:39.730 hierarchy. You know, if you're in the military, 00:07:39.850 --> 00:07:42.110 there's generals and majors and lieutenants and 00:07:42.110 --> 00:07:46.230 sergeants. He's giving us a hierarchy of demonic 00:07:46.230 --> 00:07:51.860 forces. Rulers. powers, world forces of darkness, 00:07:52.100 --> 00:07:54.620 spiritual forces of darkness in the heavenly 00:07:54.620 --> 00:07:57.720 places. And so what I want you to do is, okay, 00:07:57.759 --> 00:07:59.860 we've got a general command, be strong in the 00:07:59.860 --> 00:08:03.480 Lord. We have a specific man. You do that by 00:08:03.480 --> 00:08:06.199 putting on the armor of God. You do that so that 00:08:06.199 --> 00:08:08.000 you can stand firm against the scheme strategies 00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:12.959 of a personal angelic being with a third of the 00:08:12.959 --> 00:08:16.040 angels who are seeking to destroy your life, 00:08:16.180 --> 00:08:19.920 render you useless. Hurt you emotionally, spiritually, 00:08:20.300 --> 00:08:23.139 relationally. Discredit Christ and do anything 00:08:23.139 --> 00:08:26.160 possible to make your life miserable. And get 00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:29.040 you to trust anything or anyone other than Christ. 00:08:30.319 --> 00:08:33.879 Now, with that said, I want to give you five 00:08:33.879 --> 00:08:38.659 basic truths. Five things. This is 101. This 00:08:38.659 --> 00:08:41.480 is just directly what the Bible teaches about 00:08:41.480 --> 00:08:45.360 spiritual warfare. Are you ready? Good. Basic 00:08:45.360 --> 00:08:48.220 truth number one is there is an invisible world 00:08:48.220 --> 00:08:53.259 that is just as real as the visible world. There's 00:08:53.259 --> 00:08:55.139 an invisible world. There's a world that you 00:08:55.139 --> 00:08:57.919 can't see and that I can't see that's just as 00:08:57.919 --> 00:09:02.600 real as the visible world. There's a system. 00:09:02.879 --> 00:09:06.690 There's angelic beings. There's a... A world 00:09:06.690 --> 00:09:09.850 that is real as touching your skin, kissing your 00:09:09.850 --> 00:09:12.850 child goodnight, cutting a steak, watching a 00:09:12.850 --> 00:09:16.769 sunset, that's very, very real. And let me show 00:09:16.769 --> 00:09:19.289 you that from both Old and New Testament. If 00:09:19.289 --> 00:09:22.210 you have your Bibles, you can look at 2 Kings 00:09:22.210 --> 00:09:27.830 6. And as you turn there, I'm going to be looking 00:09:27.830 --> 00:09:32.570 at verses 14 through 17. And it's about the prophet 00:09:32.570 --> 00:09:38.779 Elisha. And Elisha has been used by God to frustrate 00:09:38.779 --> 00:09:42.299 a certain king's plans multiple times, multiple 00:09:42.299 --> 00:09:45.019 times, multiple times. And they can never figure 00:09:45.019 --> 00:09:46.779 out where he is and they want to get him. And 00:09:46.779 --> 00:09:49.399 so they finally find out what city he's in. And 00:09:49.399 --> 00:09:53.019 I mean, he sends cavalry, chariots, soldiers, 00:09:53.200 --> 00:09:57.539 and they surround the whole city. And so now 00:09:57.539 --> 00:10:01.309 they've got him. And the story will... pick it 00:10:01.309 --> 00:10:03.870 up, is his servant goes out early in the morning, 00:10:03.929 --> 00:10:07.990 and he looks out in the city, and he goes, oh 00:10:07.990 --> 00:10:14.649 my, we're done. And so notice we pick it up. 00:10:14.750 --> 00:10:17.889 Now when the attendant, verse 15, of the man 00:10:17.889 --> 00:10:20.950 of God had risen and gone out, and behold, an 00:10:20.950 --> 00:10:24.169 army with horses and chariots were circling the 00:10:24.169 --> 00:10:27.809 city. And his servant said to him, alas, my master, 00:10:27.950 --> 00:10:32.690 what shall we do? So he answered, do not fear, 00:10:32.830 --> 00:10:36.710 for those who are with us are more than those 00:10:36.710 --> 00:10:39.970 who are with them. Now I don't know exactly where 00:10:39.970 --> 00:10:43.129 this servant was coming from, but I imagine he'd 00:10:43.129 --> 00:10:45.789 been with Elisha for a while. He'd seen him do 00:10:45.789 --> 00:10:49.710 miracles. He's a great prophet of God. But I'm 00:10:49.710 --> 00:10:51.230 guessing right at this point he'd think, you 00:10:51.230 --> 00:10:55.610 know, my master is very godly, very wise, very 00:10:55.610 --> 00:11:01.190 close to God. He's just really bad in math. Because 00:11:01.190 --> 00:11:06.049 best I can tell, it's you, and it's me, and it's 00:11:06.049 --> 00:11:09.009 all of them. And you're telling me there's more 00:11:09.009 --> 00:11:13.330 with us than them. And then it's very, very interesting. 00:11:14.429 --> 00:11:17.230 Verse 17, Then Elisha prayed and said, O Lord, 00:11:17.370 --> 00:11:21.549 I pray, open his eyes that he may see. And the 00:11:21.549 --> 00:11:24.309 Lord opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw, 00:11:24.370 --> 00:11:26.490 and behold, the mountains were full of horses 00:11:26.490 --> 00:11:31.799 and chariots of fire. all around Elisha. And 00:11:31.799 --> 00:11:33.700 when they came down to him, Elisha prayed to 00:11:33.700 --> 00:11:36.240 the Lord and said, Strike this people with blindness, 00:11:36.399 --> 00:11:39.200 I pray. So he struck them with blindness according 00:11:39.200 --> 00:11:42.440 to the word of Elisha. And then Elisha led them 00:11:42.440 --> 00:11:46.279 back to that king. All I want you to get is there's 00:11:46.279 --> 00:11:49.440 two realities. And there's one going on all the 00:11:49.440 --> 00:11:54.840 time that we don't see. You're listening to Living 00:11:54.840 --> 00:11:57.360 on the Edge, and Chip Ingram will be back to 00:11:57.360 --> 00:11:59.860 continue our series, The Invisible War, in just 00:11:59.860 --> 00:12:02.419 a minute. But let me quickly tell you that we 00:12:02.419 --> 00:12:04.919 are more than a broadcast ministry. We're supporting 00:12:04.919 --> 00:12:07.580 pastors globally, developing helpful resources, 00:12:07.960 --> 00:12:10.399 and sharing the gospel with this next generation. 00:12:10.899 --> 00:12:13.080 So if you'd like to join us in these efforts, 00:12:13.240 --> 00:12:16.639 become a monthly partner by going to livingontheedge 00:12:16.639 --> 00:12:20.659 .org. And thanks for your support. We'll hear 00:12:20.659 --> 00:12:23.480 again as Chip. In the New Testament, we'll look 00:12:23.480 --> 00:12:26.440 at it in a minute. In 2 Corinthians 10, the apostle 00:12:26.440 --> 00:12:29.600 Paul will write to this church and he'll talk 00:12:29.600 --> 00:12:32.840 about a warfare that's going on. Not only is 00:12:32.840 --> 00:12:36.860 there an invisible world, but there's a battle 00:12:36.860 --> 00:12:40.519 going on. And in Ephesians, he says, look, it's 00:12:40.519 --> 00:12:44.000 not about flesh and blood. I don't know if any 00:12:44.000 --> 00:12:46.120 of you remember Francis Schaeffer. He had a great 00:12:46.120 --> 00:12:49.220 impact in my early life. And he wrote a lot, 00:12:49.220 --> 00:12:52.419 but he had a tiny little booklet. And his booklet 00:12:52.419 --> 00:12:56.139 was called Two Contents, Two Realities. And it 00:12:56.139 --> 00:12:58.600 really changed my life. I read it and he was 00:12:58.600 --> 00:13:01.860 a philosopher and a brilliant guy and did Labrie 00:13:01.860 --> 00:13:03.679 and all those things and traveled all around 00:13:03.679 --> 00:13:05.519 the world. But it was just, he said, there's 00:13:05.519 --> 00:13:08.919 two contents, two realities. There's a material 00:13:08.919 --> 00:13:12.299 world and an immaterial world. There's a visible 00:13:12.299 --> 00:13:15.299 world and there's an invisible world. And what 00:13:15.299 --> 00:13:18.159 happens in the invisible world has direct correlation 00:13:18.159 --> 00:13:23.080 and impact on the things that we see. Premise, 00:13:23.120 --> 00:13:26.639 basic truth number one, there is an invisible 00:13:26.639 --> 00:13:30.860 world that is just as real as the visible world. 00:13:30.940 --> 00:13:34.639 Basic number two, we are involved in an invisible 00:13:34.639 --> 00:13:38.580 war, a cosmic conflict that has eternal implications. 00:13:39.539 --> 00:13:42.700 He says in 2 Corinthians 10, for though we walk 00:13:42.700 --> 00:13:45.879 in the flesh, we do not war according to the 00:13:45.879 --> 00:13:49.289 flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not 00:13:49.289 --> 00:13:52.029 of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction 00:13:52.029 --> 00:13:55.370 of fortresses. We are destroying speculations 00:13:55.370 --> 00:13:58.570 and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge 00:13:58.570 --> 00:14:01.669 of God. And we're taking every thought captive 00:14:01.669 --> 00:14:05.090 to the obedience of Christ. So the apostle Paul 00:14:05.090 --> 00:14:07.669 is saying, I'm in a battle, but I don't battle 00:14:07.669 --> 00:14:10.710 flesh and blood in the same way spiritually. 00:14:11.090 --> 00:14:15.940 He says, and notice the key words. He says we 00:14:15.940 --> 00:14:19.700 have divinely powerful, pulling down fortresses, 00:14:19.700 --> 00:14:25.299 speculations, knowledge, and thoughts. Here's 00:14:25.299 --> 00:14:27.700 what you need to get. So often when people think 00:14:27.700 --> 00:14:30.159 about spiritual warfare, they think of some scary 00:14:30.159 --> 00:14:33.240 movie, and in the old, old days, it was The Exorcist, 00:14:33.240 --> 00:14:36.159 and now it's like, have you just noticed on TV 00:14:36.159 --> 00:14:40.019 just how many dark, just dark stuff, and there's 00:14:40.019 --> 00:14:43.299 all kind of spiritual beings doing all kind of 00:14:43.299 --> 00:14:47.710 spiritual things? And what you need to understand 00:14:47.710 --> 00:14:50.710 is that the great, great majority of all spiritual 00:14:50.710 --> 00:14:54.230 warfare is not like that at all. There are some 00:14:54.230 --> 00:14:57.429 overt times we're going to talk about that. 90 00:14:57.429 --> 00:15:00.769 % of spiritual warfare in the battle is in your 00:15:00.769 --> 00:15:03.970 heart and in your mind. The number one thing 00:15:03.970 --> 00:15:08.490 Satan is is a deceiver. And he has a world system. 00:15:08.970 --> 00:15:12.190 He has a world system that he takes what God 00:15:12.190 --> 00:15:14.580 says is good and he twists it. And he wants to 00:15:14.580 --> 00:15:16.960 give it to a good thing at a wrong time in the 00:15:16.960 --> 00:15:19.460 wrong way or with the wrong person. He takes 00:15:19.460 --> 00:15:22.200 beauty and he twists it. He takes what is right 00:15:22.200 --> 00:15:24.639 and twists it to make what is wrong. He takes 00:15:24.639 --> 00:15:27.379 truth and makes it relative. And then he makes 00:15:27.379 --> 00:15:30.480 it different. And then he has all kind of things 00:15:30.480 --> 00:15:33.340 where what he's doing, deception, deception, 00:15:33.740 --> 00:15:36.889 deception, deception. And if he can get you to 00:15:36.889 --> 00:15:39.730 believe lies about God, his goodness, his kindness, 00:15:39.909 --> 00:15:42.549 how could a good God let this happen? Lies about 00:15:42.549 --> 00:15:45.649 you, you're worthless. You're a nobody. You'll 00:15:45.649 --> 00:15:48.350 never amount to anything. Or if that doesn't 00:15:48.350 --> 00:15:51.320 work, you are wonderful. You're entitled to everything. 00:15:51.559 --> 00:15:53.500 You're the most important person in the world. 00:15:53.679 --> 00:15:56.019 Lies about what makes you secure, what makes 00:15:56.019 --> 00:15:58.139 you successful. If you just had enough money, 00:15:58.179 --> 00:15:59.860 if you just had bigger muscles, if you just had 00:15:59.860 --> 00:16:02.120 those little purses that had the insignia on 00:16:02.120 --> 00:16:03.620 them so everyone would know how important you 00:16:03.620 --> 00:16:05.820 are. If you just had a car that had a little 00:16:05.820 --> 00:16:07.340 different emblem than the car that you have, 00:16:07.460 --> 00:16:09.879 if you go public and have so many patents, then 00:16:09.879 --> 00:16:13.460 you're a somebody. If your kids make the traveling 00:16:13.460 --> 00:16:16.559 team, you'll finally really be worthwhile if 00:16:16.559 --> 00:16:19.879 you get all A's, right? And the lies are some 00:16:19.879 --> 00:16:22.659 way, somehow, your performance, you can either 00:16:22.659 --> 00:16:26.460 possess something or be something or impress 00:16:26.460 --> 00:16:30.259 people, and somehow, some way, the lie is. That 00:16:30.259 --> 00:16:34.299 will bring joy and meaning and purpose and happiness, 00:16:34.480 --> 00:16:39.399 which is why we have people that are, I would 00:16:39.399 --> 00:16:42.100 say, in the less than top 1 % of the gene pool 00:16:42.100 --> 00:16:46.389 that are beautiful and talented. go through relationships 00:16:46.389 --> 00:16:49.389 like other people go through underwear. Because 00:16:49.389 --> 00:16:52.350 no amount of money and no amount of beauty, or 00:16:52.350 --> 00:16:55.870 they put white powder up their nose, or we have 00:16:55.870 --> 00:16:58.669 athletes making 20 or 25 or 30 million dollars 00:16:58.669 --> 00:17:03.970 a year that struggle in relationships. Well, 00:17:04.150 --> 00:17:07.769 I won't mention any names of current pros that 00:17:07.769 --> 00:17:10.609 seem to have their life completely... Remember 00:17:10.609 --> 00:17:14.490 when the sports page was about sports? I watch 00:17:14.490 --> 00:17:16.970 ESPN, I find out more about who's getting beat 00:17:16.970 --> 00:17:21.569 up by what player. My point is, if that brings 00:17:21.569 --> 00:17:26.210 you what, it's the when -then theology of the 00:17:26.210 --> 00:17:29.630 enemy. When you have, when you become, when you 00:17:29.630 --> 00:17:34.529 look, then you'll, but even if the then arrives, 00:17:34.869 --> 00:17:39.589 I remember I did the chapel for the Seahawks. 00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:42.319 The guy who normally does it was hurt or out 00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:44.539 of town or something. I got a call from Seattle 00:17:44.539 --> 00:17:47.000 and a guy said, hey, the normal chaplain can't 00:17:47.000 --> 00:17:48.160 do it. Would you do it? And they won the Super 00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:50.059 Bowl the year before. I said, sure, do that. 00:17:50.299 --> 00:17:52.059 And so I was doing the chapel and, you know, 00:17:52.079 --> 00:17:53.880 kind of all the names and people you would know. 00:17:53.960 --> 00:17:55.859 And they had a lot of believers. And the guy 00:17:55.859 --> 00:17:58.019 who's sort of the right hand assistant to to 00:17:58.019 --> 00:18:00.460 the coach there was a really good guy. We built 00:18:00.460 --> 00:18:03.460 a good relationship. And so I was doing the chapel 00:18:03.460 --> 00:18:06.059 and I said, well, what kind of what what are 00:18:06.059 --> 00:18:07.680 the issues? Tell me a little bit about what's 00:18:07.680 --> 00:18:10.839 life with you guys. And one by one by one, they 00:18:10.839 --> 00:18:12.640 said, you know something? I mean, we're believers 00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:16.119 on the team. And so we thought this wouldn't 00:18:16.119 --> 00:18:19.319 happen to us. But he said, one of the most depressing 00:18:19.319 --> 00:18:21.140 things that happens in the world is winning a 00:18:21.140 --> 00:18:24.019 Super Bowl. Because it's like, this is the thing. 00:18:24.259 --> 00:18:28.940 This is the thing. Man, we're world champions! 00:18:29.680 --> 00:18:32.200 And he goes, sort of the depression that happens 00:18:32.200 --> 00:18:36.660 like it's, this is it? I mean, I got a ring and 00:18:36.660 --> 00:18:40.630 I went to Disneyland. And I got a bonus. But 00:18:40.630 --> 00:18:43.049 we thought it would be here. And the believers 00:18:43.049 --> 00:18:45.609 said, you know what? We thought we'd be immune 00:18:45.609 --> 00:18:49.470 to that. But we all buy the lie to some degree. 00:18:49.869 --> 00:18:52.250 And so that's what he wants us to know. He says 00:18:52.250 --> 00:18:55.309 you're in a spiritual battle. Look, speculations, 00:18:55.309 --> 00:18:58.109 knowledge of God. And here's the deal. What you're 00:18:58.109 --> 00:19:02.180 going to find is much of spiritual, much. of 00:19:02.180 --> 00:19:05.079 spiritual warfare is about you putting good things 00:19:05.079 --> 00:19:07.500 in your mind and renewing your mind so you look 00:19:07.500 --> 00:19:10.599 at life the way God looks at life. So you are 00:19:10.599 --> 00:19:13.519 focused on the truth because when you know the 00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:16.240 truth and practice the truth, it makes you free. 00:19:17.440 --> 00:19:20.960 Notice the Apostle Paul goes on, there was a 00:19:20.960 --> 00:19:23.599 situation with a brother who had sinned. And 00:19:23.599 --> 00:19:25.680 the church was not handling the reconciliation 00:19:25.680 --> 00:19:28.859 very well. And Paul's writing to them to correct 00:19:28.859 --> 00:19:31.700 that. And he says in 2 Corinthians 4 .4, in whose 00:19:31.700 --> 00:19:34.880 case the God of this world, Satan, has blinded 00:19:34.880 --> 00:19:38.359 what? Their minds of the unbelieving, that they 00:19:38.359 --> 00:19:40.839 may not see the light of the gospel of the glory 00:19:40.839 --> 00:19:45.019 of Christ, who is the image of God. Here's a 00:19:45.019 --> 00:19:47.079 little application that I would just like you 00:19:47.079 --> 00:19:51.180 to ponder. Because when you see that, there's 00:19:51.180 --> 00:19:55.359 eternal implications. People not believing in 00:19:55.359 --> 00:19:57.759 Christ is not primarily an intellectual issue. 00:19:58.940 --> 00:20:04.980 It's a moral issue. It's not that people don't 00:20:04.980 --> 00:20:07.460 understand, but there is an enemy blinding people 00:20:07.460 --> 00:20:11.000 from understanding, making the connection. I 00:20:11.000 --> 00:20:13.279 mean, if you just look at it logically, the proposition 00:20:13.279 --> 00:20:17.119 of the gospel is like a win -win -win, how do 00:20:17.119 --> 00:20:20.180 you turn it down, unless your brain's not working. 00:20:21.349 --> 00:20:24.430 We all know we mess up. The Bible calls it sin. 00:20:24.690 --> 00:20:27.769 We all know we fall short. We've all said things, 00:20:27.910 --> 00:20:29.769 thought things, done things, hurt other people. 00:20:30.190 --> 00:20:32.970 We all know that we long to be forgiven. We want 00:20:32.970 --> 00:20:37.670 life and purpose. God, in His great mercy, sent 00:20:37.670 --> 00:20:40.789 God the Son who lived a perfect life to reveal 00:20:40.789 --> 00:20:43.779 what the Father is like. And then living a perfect 00:20:43.779 --> 00:20:46.799 life, dies on the cross in our place to pay for 00:20:46.799 --> 00:20:49.400 our sin. Literally, the word is atone. He covers 00:20:49.400 --> 00:20:51.700 it. He rises from the dead and proves it's true. 00:20:51.839 --> 00:20:55.039 500 eyewitnesses. And this isn't some fairy tale. 00:20:55.160 --> 00:20:57.000 This isn't another religion. This isn't like, 00:20:57.079 --> 00:21:01.759 oh, can I ponder this? And then it starts out 00:21:01.759 --> 00:21:04.460 with this mustard seed of a ragtag group of semi 00:21:04.460 --> 00:21:08.019 -uneducated people, save one. They transform 00:21:08.019 --> 00:21:10.359 the world. It's the largest movement in the world. 00:21:11.779 --> 00:21:14.000 And we have some people in the name of Christ 00:21:14.000 --> 00:21:15.720 that have done a lot of negative things. But 00:21:15.720 --> 00:21:17.940 I will say, boy, when you see what's happened 00:21:17.940 --> 00:21:20.559 to the last, go around the world with me. And 00:21:20.559 --> 00:21:25.380 hospitals, orphanages, language. Man, it has 00:21:25.380 --> 00:21:28.900 been Christians, God's people, salt, light, loving. 00:21:29.480 --> 00:21:32.759 And he makes this offer. I want you to know that 00:21:32.759 --> 00:21:35.180 no matter what you do, you could never make yourself 00:21:35.180 --> 00:21:38.339 right with me on your own. So my son died in 00:21:38.339 --> 00:21:40.700 your place and he paid for your sin. He rose 00:21:40.700 --> 00:21:43.019 from the dead and proved that it's true. And 00:21:43.019 --> 00:21:46.180 the offer is whosoever by faith would believe 00:21:46.180 --> 00:21:51.119 and receive that gift has eternal life. I mean, 00:21:51.140 --> 00:21:54.680 if someone said, excuse me, sir, you could never 00:21:54.680 --> 00:21:57.559 have a billion dollars because no matter how 00:21:57.559 --> 00:22:00.390 long you work. And so I have a friend, he would 00:22:00.390 --> 00:22:02.670 like to give that to you, but you need to receive 00:22:02.670 --> 00:22:05.049 that by faith and put your trust in him in order 00:22:05.049 --> 00:22:08.049 for him to give you a billion dollars. That's 00:22:08.049 --> 00:22:14.829 too easy. It's probably a robocall. And yet, 00:22:14.990 --> 00:22:22.549 that's the gospel. It's clear, it's simple, it's 00:22:22.549 --> 00:22:26.369 the substitutionary work of Jesus. But the issue 00:22:26.369 --> 00:22:31.049 is people's minds, They're blinded. This is why 00:22:31.049 --> 00:22:34.549 intercessory prayer is so important. There's 00:22:34.549 --> 00:22:37.869 a correlation between praying and beseeching 00:22:37.869 --> 00:22:42.170 God, asking the Father to cause His Spirit to 00:22:42.170 --> 00:22:44.369 work in the heart of someone to open their eyes 00:22:44.369 --> 00:22:47.029 and open their mind where they could lay down 00:22:47.029 --> 00:22:53.549 their pride or feeling unworthy in order to believe 00:22:53.549 --> 00:22:57.250 and to trust in what Christ has provided. The 00:22:57.250 --> 00:22:58.930 question I have, and you'll see this in your 00:22:58.930 --> 00:23:02.029 notes, when is the last time you honestly considered 00:23:02.029 --> 00:23:05.170 some struggle or relational conflict that was 00:23:05.170 --> 00:23:10.190 rooted in satanic opposition? And what I mean 00:23:10.190 --> 00:23:12.930 by this is that C .S. Lewis has wisely said, 00:23:13.069 --> 00:23:15.049 the greatest error when it comes to spiritual 00:23:15.049 --> 00:23:17.650 warfare is to think far too much about Satan 00:23:17.650 --> 00:23:22.150 or to think far too little. And I'm amazed that... 00:23:22.890 --> 00:23:25.430 We have a modern mindset and somehow we just 00:23:25.430 --> 00:23:27.809 think everything's cause and effect. I did this 00:23:27.809 --> 00:23:29.670 and this happens. I did this, this happens. Look 00:23:29.670 --> 00:23:34.869 at the pervasive evil in the world. All human 00:23:34.869 --> 00:23:36.869 beings are made in the image of God and have 00:23:36.869 --> 00:23:41.670 amazing dignity and value. But there's some unspeakable 00:23:41.670 --> 00:23:45.890 evil historically and currently. I mean, I remember 00:23:45.890 --> 00:23:48.309 reading the story of a little 10 -year -old boy 00:23:48.309 --> 00:23:51.259 who took a hammer. and smashed the head of a 00:23:51.259 --> 00:23:53.559 little six -year -old girl and killed her. That's 00:23:53.559 --> 00:23:57.119 evil. And we've seen ISIS beheading people. That's 00:23:57.119 --> 00:23:59.059 evil. We know about what's happened. I mean, 00:23:59.059 --> 00:24:02.319 whether it's Idi Amin or whether it was the Holocaust 00:24:02.319 --> 00:24:04.579 or things that we're seeing. I mean, there's 00:24:04.579 --> 00:24:08.740 amazing, amazing. There is evil in the world. 00:24:10.299 --> 00:24:15.339 And it's pervasive. And what I want to say is 00:24:15.339 --> 00:24:18.579 that Everything that happens isn't just cause 00:24:18.579 --> 00:24:23.859 and effect or human problems. Now, again, extremes 00:24:23.859 --> 00:24:26.500 over here. I've been with some groups that, yep, 00:24:26.519 --> 00:24:28.240 that's right, brother, I agree with you. I had 00:24:28.240 --> 00:24:29.920 a flat tire. You know, those flat tire demons, 00:24:30.019 --> 00:24:32.039 they'll get you every time, you know? And, you 00:24:32.039 --> 00:24:34.299 know, my wife burned the eggs, but, you know, 00:24:34.299 --> 00:24:36.119 we got the burn the egg demon. They really do 00:24:36.119 --> 00:24:38.640 that. And, you know, I lost my job. That's the 00:24:38.640 --> 00:24:40.480 bad boss demon. I didn't come in on time, didn't 00:24:40.480 --> 00:24:42.099 do a very good job, but, you know, the devil. 00:24:44.119 --> 00:24:47.599 Listen very carefully. We take absolute personal 00:24:47.599 --> 00:24:51.160 responsibility for our behavior and our choices, 00:24:51.319 --> 00:24:54.579 and that there is a cause and effect to those 00:24:54.579 --> 00:24:57.079 things. And some things happen very difficult 00:24:57.079 --> 00:25:00.539 in the world because it is a fallen world. Bad 00:25:00.539 --> 00:25:03.660 things happen to good people. There are tornadoes 00:25:03.660 --> 00:25:05.559 and hurricanes. God never designed the world 00:25:05.559 --> 00:25:11.740 to be this way. But there's also an enemy that 00:25:11.740 --> 00:25:14.480 tempts you in ways. Have you ever had a really 00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:17.920 close friend and you just can't explain it? That 00:25:17.920 --> 00:25:20.240 there's a wedge that comes between you and no 00:25:20.240 --> 00:25:23.019 matter how many conversations, you just can't 00:25:23.019 --> 00:25:26.819 get it? Have you ever been about your life and 00:25:26.819 --> 00:25:29.299 maybe you're taking some spiritual steps and 00:25:29.299 --> 00:25:31.779 you have what feels like an almost irresistible 00:25:31.779 --> 00:25:35.500 urge to sin? Or have you ever, and this is a 00:25:35.500 --> 00:25:38.000 confession, have you ever had a really deep time 00:25:38.000 --> 00:25:39.440 and you feel like I'm really talking with God 00:25:39.440 --> 00:25:42.460 and have... cuss words start to flow through 00:25:42.460 --> 00:25:45.859 your mind? And then you go, oh gosh, I'm the 00:25:45.859 --> 00:25:48.000 worst person. I was in the presence of God. Cuss 00:25:48.000 --> 00:25:49.579 words were going through my mind. We didn't bring 00:25:49.579 --> 00:25:53.740 them there. Just my point is, have you ever seen 00:25:53.740 --> 00:25:57.359 good people in a marriage or good people in a 00:25:57.359 --> 00:25:59.380 church or good people in a small group? And you 00:25:59.380 --> 00:26:01.140 know, they're godly and they're godly and they're 00:26:01.140 --> 00:26:03.400 both great people. And it's just like, no matter 00:26:03.400 --> 00:26:06.460 what happens, there's this and there's division. 00:26:08.380 --> 00:26:12.019 or at least in my case, this used to happen about 00:26:12.019 --> 00:26:14.700 nine out of 10 Saturday afternoons, and I was 00:26:14.700 --> 00:26:16.900 a very slow learner. We had a Saturday night 00:26:16.900 --> 00:26:20.140 service, and I would review everything, work 00:26:20.140 --> 00:26:22.160 on my message, review it two, three hours in 00:26:22.160 --> 00:26:24.559 the morning, and then I would go in, and when 00:26:24.559 --> 00:26:27.160 I had kids, we would do all the sports and things 00:26:27.160 --> 00:26:30.400 you do on Saturday, and then about 2, 2 .30, 00:26:30.480 --> 00:26:33.240 I would drive to the church, pray, get my heart 00:26:33.240 --> 00:26:35.369 right for an hour, hour and a half. But about 00:26:35.369 --> 00:26:38.009 1 .30, and often when I was driving in, I'd be 00:26:38.009 --> 00:26:40.269 driving into church. And literally, it would 00:26:40.269 --> 00:26:43.130 be like I'm in the light. And then just, whew, 00:26:43.170 --> 00:26:48.329 I get depressed. But I don't mean like, oh, I'm 00:26:48.329 --> 00:26:50.130 starting to feel a little blue. I mean, it'd 00:26:50.130 --> 00:26:54.170 be like, you know, life's not worth living. I 00:26:54.170 --> 00:26:56.710 don't want to preach this message. I'm the worst 00:26:56.710 --> 00:26:59.890 person in the whole world. And I mean, it was 00:26:59.890 --> 00:27:04.410 dark, dark, dark. And it was like. Boy, what 00:27:04.410 --> 00:27:06.690 happened? And then I would struggle, and you 00:27:06.690 --> 00:27:09.029 know, you didn't study long, and condemnation, 00:27:09.089 --> 00:27:12.490 and boy, you're a loser. And it was just like, 00:27:12.630 --> 00:27:14.549 you know, I'd pray and pray and get the guys 00:27:14.549 --> 00:27:17.430 to pray with me. And you know, I'm a pastor, 00:27:17.589 --> 00:27:19.789 and I don't know how many weeks it took me to 00:27:19.789 --> 00:27:21.690 realize, wait a second, what are you doing? I'm 00:27:21.690 --> 00:27:25.210 going to preach God's Word. This is demonic activity 00:27:25.210 --> 00:27:28.109 to really get me off my game. And I remember, 00:27:28.309 --> 00:27:31.440 then it happened multiple times. I'll tell you 00:27:31.440 --> 00:27:33.339 other things later. But I remember that would 00:27:33.339 --> 00:27:38.440 happen, and finally I got, okay, I refuse to 00:27:38.440 --> 00:27:40.119 allow this to happen, and I'll share you how 00:27:40.119 --> 00:27:41.920 to do this. I would quote two or three verses 00:27:41.920 --> 00:27:44.420 about who I am in Christ, command the demonic 00:27:44.420 --> 00:27:48.640 spirits to leave, bam, they're gone. But if you 00:27:48.640 --> 00:27:51.359 would have asked me growing up, that's weird 00:27:51.359 --> 00:27:54.200 stuff. I mean, only weird people have those kind 00:27:54.200 --> 00:27:58.920 of experiences. Do you realize that addictions, 00:28:00.940 --> 00:28:03.039 Some deep -seated issues of hurts that maybe 00:28:03.039 --> 00:28:06.460 happened years ago? Maybe some shame that you 00:28:06.460 --> 00:28:09.480 feel like you can never get over? There is an 00:28:09.480 --> 00:28:13.359 adversary. I am not saying in any way everything 00:28:13.359 --> 00:28:16.640 is caused by the enemy. But just for our purposes, 00:28:16.720 --> 00:28:19.839 would you consider if there are struggles that 00:28:19.839 --> 00:28:22.640 you've worked very hard, you're trying all that 00:28:22.640 --> 00:28:25.740 you can, or a relationship or a situation, would 00:28:25.740 --> 00:28:28.829 you just possibly consider? that there is an 00:28:28.829 --> 00:28:31.289 enemy that's seeking to destroy you. And you 00:28:31.289 --> 00:28:33.670 can go the physical, the psychological, right? 00:28:33.789 --> 00:28:35.869 The spirit, you know, you can do all these things. 00:28:36.109 --> 00:28:39.289 But if you don't address this, maybe nothing 00:28:39.289 --> 00:28:45.730 changes. This is Living on the Edge with Chip 00:28:45.730 --> 00:28:47.769 Ingram. And you've been listening to part one 00:28:47.769 --> 00:28:50.230 of Chip's message, What is the Invisible War? 00:28:50.430 --> 00:28:53.410 From our series, The Invisible War. Chip will 00:28:53.410 --> 00:28:55.589 be back shortly to share some helpful application 00:28:55.589 --> 00:28:58.859 for us to think about. Right now, there's a spiritual 00:28:58.859 --> 00:29:01.660 battle happening all around us. We can't see 00:29:01.660 --> 00:29:04.220 it, but it's an epic struggle for our hearts 00:29:04.220 --> 00:29:06.720 and minds. So what are we as believers supposed 00:29:06.720 --> 00:29:09.200 to do? Well, through this eight -part study, 00:29:09.420 --> 00:29:11.859 Chip shares some insights from Ephesians chapter 00:29:11.859 --> 00:29:14.859 6 for how we're to think about, prepare for, 00:29:15.039 --> 00:29:18.779 and respond to spiritual warfare. Learn why we 00:29:18.779 --> 00:29:20.980 don't have to be afraid because of the armor 00:29:20.980 --> 00:29:23.619 God's given us to fight back. And fight well. 00:29:24.039 --> 00:29:27.099 To learn more about this series, visit livingontheedge 00:29:27.099 --> 00:29:31.440 .org or the Chip Ingram app. Well, Chip's joined 00:29:31.440 --> 00:29:33.700 me in studio now. And Chip, given that you're 00:29:33.700 --> 00:29:36.640 addressing the reality of spiritual warfare over 00:29:36.640 --> 00:29:39.539 the next several broadcasts, why should believers 00:29:39.539 --> 00:29:42.319 dig in with us and get a better grasp of what's 00:29:42.319 --> 00:29:46.109 going on around them every day? Well, Dave, this 00:29:46.109 --> 00:29:49.349 is important because there is a real battle happening. 00:29:49.630 --> 00:29:52.750 We need to understand that Satan is a fallen 00:29:52.750 --> 00:29:56.589 angel with extreme power who led one -third of 00:29:56.589 --> 00:29:59.670 the angels in rebellion against God, and his 00:29:59.670 --> 00:30:02.789 goal is to destroy the work of God, the work 00:30:02.789 --> 00:30:05.509 of Christ, you, your family, even your physical 00:30:05.509 --> 00:30:08.230 life. And you're in a battle, and it's an invisible 00:30:08.230 --> 00:30:11.470 battle. And my experience is the average believer 00:30:11.470 --> 00:30:16.069 is either unaware or because it feels a little 00:30:16.069 --> 00:30:19.250 scary, tends to be frightened from it. This is 00:30:19.250 --> 00:30:23.049 a very biblical, practical series that will help 00:30:23.049 --> 00:30:26.190 everyday believers understand, one, what's going 00:30:26.190 --> 00:30:29.559 on. Two, that you don't have to be afraid that 00:30:29.559 --> 00:30:32.720 Christ has accomplished victory. Three, that 00:30:32.720 --> 00:30:36.099 there is a process and a journey you need to 00:30:36.099 --> 00:30:40.160 understand on a daily basis to say no to lies 00:30:40.160 --> 00:30:43.400 and to even be able to confront the evil that's 00:30:43.400 --> 00:30:46.720 in the world in a way where you have a life. 00:30:47.160 --> 00:30:49.920 that demonstrates the power and the love and 00:30:49.920 --> 00:30:53.220 the light of Christ. I think few things are more 00:30:53.220 --> 00:30:56.380 misunderstood or there's been such extremes in 00:30:56.380 --> 00:30:59.200 the teaching that people literally don't understand. 00:30:59.539 --> 00:31:03.339 Spiritual warfare is a reality. You need to understand 00:31:03.339 --> 00:31:07.039 it, learn how to live it out, and win. We have 00:31:07.039 --> 00:31:10.579 the victory. But if you're deceived or if you're 00:31:10.579 --> 00:31:13.099 in bondage or if you're not aware of what's going 00:31:13.099 --> 00:31:17.160 on, you are fair game to have the enemy literally 00:31:17.160 --> 00:31:20.380 destroy your life. I can think of few series 00:31:20.380 --> 00:31:23.440 I've ever taught that the church needs more than 00:31:23.440 --> 00:31:26.829 this one right now. Absolutely, Chip. Well, as 00:31:26.829 --> 00:31:29.230 we dive into this vital teaching, let me encourage 00:31:29.230 --> 00:31:31.589 you to get your family or a few friends together 00:31:31.589 --> 00:31:34.589 and listen to this series either at livingontheedge 00:31:34.589 --> 00:31:38.170 .org or wherever you listen to podcasts. Get 00:31:38.170 --> 00:31:40.710 ready to have your thinking about spiritual warfare 00:31:40.710 --> 00:31:44.009 forever changed. Well, with all that said, here 00:31:44.009 --> 00:31:46.869 again is Chip to share a few final words. As 00:31:46.869 --> 00:31:49.349 we close today's program, I ask you a question. 00:31:49.569 --> 00:31:52.569 I ask, when was the last time you considered? 00:31:53.390 --> 00:31:55.670 that possibly some of the things that we think 00:31:55.670 --> 00:31:59.509 are just everyday occurrences might in fact have 00:31:59.509 --> 00:32:03.170 a spiritual warfare component. And as I ask you 00:32:03.170 --> 00:32:04.950 that, no, for sure, we're not saying there's 00:32:04.950 --> 00:32:07.589 a demon under every bush or all our problems 00:32:07.589 --> 00:32:10.210 are because of Satan or demons. What we're saying 00:32:10.210 --> 00:32:13.150 is, yes, it's a fallen world and bad things happen. 00:32:13.329 --> 00:32:16.230 Yes, we make bad decisions and there are consequences. 00:32:16.390 --> 00:32:20.890 But in addition, we are in an invisible battle 00:32:20.890 --> 00:32:24.190 and we need to recognize it and learn to deal 00:32:24.190 --> 00:32:28.000 with it. So right now, I want you to pray. Dear 00:32:28.000 --> 00:32:31.220 God, will you show me if any of the issues I'm 00:32:31.220 --> 00:32:34.019 struggling with today, any relationship, any 00:32:34.019 --> 00:32:37.700 circumstance, could be rooted in demonic opposition? 00:32:38.160 --> 00:32:41.019 He'll show you. Great challenge for us to think 00:32:41.019 --> 00:32:43.339 about, Chip. Well, be sure to join us next time 00:32:43.339 --> 00:32:46.019 as Chip continues his series, The Invisible War. 00:32:46.299 --> 00:32:48.700 Until then, I'm Dave Drewy, thanking you for 00:32:48.700 --> 00:32:51.279 listening to this edition of Living on the Edge.