WEBVTT 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:02.839 A mighty fortress is our God, I suppose. I don't 00:00:02.839 --> 00:00:05.879 know, but I enjoyed those. Those are from my 00:00:05.879 --> 00:00:09.359 high school days. Would you open your Bible with 00:00:09.359 --> 00:00:12.140 me please to our key verse for the study on Sunday 00:00:12.140 --> 00:00:15.140 nights last weekend, this one, 2 Corinthians 00:00:15.140 --> 00:00:22.500 chapter 10, where we are reminded by the apostle 00:00:22.500 --> 00:00:28.140 that though we walk in the flesh, we do not war 00:00:28.140 --> 00:00:31.910 according to the flesh. 2 Corinthians 10 verse 00:00:31.910 --> 00:00:37.869 3, For the weapons of our warfare are not of 00:00:37.869 --> 00:00:42.450 the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction 00:00:42.450 --> 00:00:46.630 of fortresses. We are destroying speculations 00:00:46.630 --> 00:00:49.950 and every lofty thing raised against the knowledge 00:00:49.950 --> 00:00:53.130 of God, and we are taking every thought captive 00:00:53.130 --> 00:00:57.909 to the obedience of Christ. Paul Belheimer in 00:00:57.909 --> 00:01:00.890 his book Destined for the Throne has written, 00:01:01.070 --> 00:01:04.810 prayer is where the action is. Any church without 00:01:04.810 --> 00:01:08.230 a well -organized and systematic prayer program 00:01:08.230 --> 00:01:13.250 is simply operating a religious treadmill. Let 00:01:13.250 --> 00:01:17.049 me read that again. Any church without a well 00:01:17.049 --> 00:01:21.549 -organized and systematic prayer program is simply 00:01:21.549 --> 00:01:26.170 operating a religious treadmill. That's a powerful 00:01:26.170 --> 00:01:29.849 statement. It's a strong statement. I don't think 00:01:29.849 --> 00:01:33.709 he's overstating the case. Prayer is where the 00:01:33.709 --> 00:01:38.269 action is. Prayer is not merely a support ministry 00:01:38.269 --> 00:01:42.769 for the battle. Prayer is the front line. You're 00:01:42.769 --> 00:01:45.530 saying, I don't have a machine gun or a bazooka 00:01:45.530 --> 00:01:48.370 or a cannon. All I have is an intercontinental 00:01:48.370 --> 00:01:54.370 ballistic missile. About all I can do is pray. 00:01:54.629 --> 00:02:00.150 Well, lob the missile then. God gives us mighty 00:02:00.150 --> 00:02:03.609 spiritual weapons for the battlefield of life. 00:02:05.430 --> 00:02:08.930 Last week we said that the use of the weapon 00:02:08.930 --> 00:02:14.090 of prayer is our right as believers. It is our 00:02:14.090 --> 00:02:17.669 right based upon our identity as children of 00:02:17.669 --> 00:02:21.159 God. You remember we've had a profound change 00:02:21.159 --> 00:02:24.939 in our identity. Whereas once we were identified 00:02:24.939 --> 00:02:30.539 with Adam and his sin. Now by God's grace we 00:02:30.539 --> 00:02:33.879 are identified with Jesus Christ and his righteousness. 00:02:36.120 --> 00:02:41.979 We were in Adam. Now we are in Christ. That's 00:02:41.979 --> 00:02:44.400 not just a play on words. It's not just a simple 00:02:44.400 --> 00:02:47.620 little thought. It describes a profound change 00:02:47.960 --> 00:02:52.919 in our position before God. Because we are in 00:02:52.919 --> 00:02:56.219 Christ, he tells us that we have every spiritual 00:02:56.219 --> 00:03:00.979 blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. As 00:03:00.979 --> 00:03:03.699 we examine that first paragraph of Ephesians, 00:03:04.599 --> 00:03:07.340 we noted that we have complete acceptance with 00:03:07.340 --> 00:03:13.689 God. We have complete forgiveness with God. We 00:03:13.689 --> 00:03:16.569 have complete understanding of what God is doing 00:03:16.569 --> 00:03:20.289 in the big picture of things. We have a complete 00:03:20.289 --> 00:03:24.689 inheritance as God's children, and we have complete 00:03:24.689 --> 00:03:28.289 security in the position that God has given to 00:03:28.289 --> 00:03:31.530 us. Because of this, because of this position 00:03:31.530 --> 00:03:35.370 and the blessings that come with it, we can approach 00:03:35.370 --> 00:03:39.689 God with boldness and confidence, or what he 00:03:39.689 --> 00:03:43.879 calls in Ephesians 312, freedom of speech. freedom 00:03:43.879 --> 00:03:48.819 of entrance. He says it this way, in Christ we 00:03:48.819 --> 00:03:53.560 have boldness and confident access through faith 00:03:53.560 --> 00:03:57.960 in Him. We have freedom of speech and freedom 00:03:57.960 --> 00:04:03.039 of entrance. Last May I was privileged to be 00:04:03.039 --> 00:04:06.340 with some other evangelical leaders across the 00:04:06.340 --> 00:04:12.300 country at a seminar, a briefing in Washington. 00:04:13.689 --> 00:04:17.290 And on one day they arranged for us to have our 00:04:17.290 --> 00:04:19.449 briefing in the old executive office building 00:04:19.449 --> 00:04:22.589 next to the White House. In order to get into 00:04:22.589 --> 00:04:25.029 the place, we had to be there an hour, an hour 00:04:25.029 --> 00:04:27.209 and a half before our appointment. We had to 00:04:27.209 --> 00:04:30.290 have identification. We had to have sent our 00:04:30.290 --> 00:04:33.389 names ahead of time in order to get through the 00:04:33.389 --> 00:04:37.430 security clearance. There were these metal detector 00:04:37.430 --> 00:04:40.129 kinds of gates set up. There were guards around 00:04:40.129 --> 00:04:43.060 before we could ever get into. the hallways of 00:04:43.060 --> 00:04:46.720 the old executive office building. Once inside, 00:04:47.319 --> 00:04:51.000 we had freedom. In fact, we went to the briefing, 00:04:51.180 --> 00:04:54.639 and after it was done, I looked at the names 00:04:54.639 --> 00:04:56.639 of all the people who have their offices in this 00:04:56.639 --> 00:04:58.319 structure, and one of them was Vice President 00:04:58.319 --> 00:05:02.199 Daniel Quayle. And so I decided, well, I think 00:05:02.199 --> 00:05:05.279 I ought to go see Dan Quayle. I've never met 00:05:05.279 --> 00:05:08.740 the man, but I have a lot of admiration for the 00:05:08.740 --> 00:05:11.990 courage. that he has displayed in the last four 00:05:11.990 --> 00:05:15.889 years. And so I went to see if I could get near 00:05:15.889 --> 00:05:18.870 his office. Hey, I was in the building. I walked 00:05:18.870 --> 00:05:22.250 right up to his office. I didn't get to see him. 00:05:22.790 --> 00:05:24.990 He wasn't there, and had he been there, I'm sure 00:05:24.990 --> 00:05:27.550 I wouldn't have seen him either. But I was able 00:05:27.550 --> 00:05:29.970 to walk right to his office and talk to the secretary 00:05:29.970 --> 00:05:32.189 that is right outside of his door that sees him 00:05:32.189 --> 00:05:35.689 go in and out all the time. And so I left my 00:05:35.689 --> 00:05:38.959 message for him with her. And she said, well, 00:05:39.100 --> 00:05:41.120 I'd be glad to give it to him, but I hardly ever 00:05:41.120 --> 00:05:44.120 talked to him. So I left it with a very important 00:05:44.120 --> 00:05:46.899 person, I'm sure. But the thing I'm illustrating 00:05:46.899 --> 00:05:49.899 to you is that once I got past that certain point, 00:05:49.939 --> 00:05:53.699 I had freedom of access in that building. You 00:05:53.699 --> 00:05:55.779 see, when we're in Jesus Christ, we have freedom 00:05:55.779 --> 00:05:58.480 of access to the very throne room of God. We 00:05:58.480 --> 00:06:01.420 can walk right in. There's no guard there. There's 00:06:01.420 --> 00:06:04.480 not a secretary outside the door. God says, come 00:06:04.480 --> 00:06:08.079 on in. and we may enter freely and there speak 00:06:08.079 --> 00:06:11.699 with our God. It's the right that we have as 00:06:11.699 --> 00:06:15.939 believers because of who we are in Christ. That's 00:06:15.939 --> 00:06:19.379 the key that we're in Christ. That gives us the 00:06:19.379 --> 00:06:22.899 freedoms that I've just spoken about. Now to 00:06:22.899 --> 00:06:28.019 experience victory in the warfare that Paul alludes 00:06:28.019 --> 00:06:31.860 to in 2 Corinthians chapter 10. We must take 00:06:31.860 --> 00:06:34.759 several steps that he outlines in the book of 00:06:34.759 --> 00:06:37.199 Ephesians. So if you're flipping back and forth 00:06:37.199 --> 00:06:38.959 between the two trying to figure out where I'm 00:06:38.959 --> 00:06:42.060 going to light, I'm going to Ephesians. So turn 00:06:42.060 --> 00:06:49.139 there with me to the sixth chapter. These steps 00:06:49.139 --> 00:06:52.379 will lead you to an effective prayer practice 00:06:52.379 --> 00:06:58.930 in your life. This is a familiar paragraph beginning 00:06:58.930 --> 00:07:03.449 in verse 10, where we find step number one. Rely 00:07:03.449 --> 00:07:08.870 on your adequacy. Finally, be strong in the Lord 00:07:08.870 --> 00:07:13.350 and in the strength of His might. We do not have 00:07:13.350 --> 00:07:17.149 to cower before the enemy. We do not have to 00:07:17.149 --> 00:07:19.430 run from the enemy. We don't have to be afraid 00:07:19.430 --> 00:07:23.629 of the enemy. We would be foolish not to have 00:07:23.629 --> 00:07:29.110 a certain respect for His power. But, greater 00:07:29.110 --> 00:07:34.250 is he who is in us than our enemy. We can be 00:07:34.250 --> 00:07:38.370 strong in the Lord. We can rely upon our adequacy 00:07:38.370 --> 00:07:42.449 in Jesus Christ for the spiritual battlefields 00:07:42.449 --> 00:07:48.069 of life. We have been made adequate, not because 00:07:48.069 --> 00:07:50.689 of who we are in ourselves, but because of who 00:07:50.689 --> 00:07:55.769 we are in Christ. He says, be strong, or Literally, 00:07:56.069 --> 00:08:01.269 be continually strengthened. It's a present tense. 00:08:02.089 --> 00:08:05.230 It's something that has to be ongoing. It's a 00:08:05.230 --> 00:08:09.310 practice of our lives. Be continually strengthened. 00:08:09.490 --> 00:08:13.550 Draw up on your adequacy in the Lord and the 00:08:13.550 --> 00:08:18.430 strength of His might that He provides you. If 00:08:18.430 --> 00:08:24.379 you enter the battles of life, looking over your 00:08:24.379 --> 00:08:28.199 shoulder and half afraid, with your tail almost 00:08:28.199 --> 00:08:31.759 tucked between your legs. I guarantee you, you 00:08:31.759 --> 00:08:36.639 will be defeated on the battlefield. In the battles 00:08:36.639 --> 00:08:39.399 of life, you must enter into the battle relying 00:08:39.399 --> 00:08:43.960 upon your adequacy in Christ. You must realize 00:08:43.960 --> 00:08:47.899 who you are in Christ and the sufficiency that 00:08:47.899 --> 00:08:52.480 you have in Him. You lack nothing that you need. 00:08:52.519 --> 00:08:58.220 to be victorious. And you need not cower before 00:08:58.220 --> 00:09:01.379 your enemy. Rely on your adequacy, step number 00:09:01.379 --> 00:09:05.600 one. Step number two. Think on your adversary. 00:09:07.340 --> 00:09:11.679 Verse 12. You have to reach the realm of existence, 00:09:11.799 --> 00:09:15.539 the spiritual realm. You must think on your adversary. 00:09:17.039 --> 00:09:20.899 He says, our struggle is not against flesh and 00:09:20.899 --> 00:09:23.870 blood. He's already talked about the schemes 00:09:23.870 --> 00:09:27.350 of the devil in verse 11. He explains by saying, 00:09:28.230 --> 00:09:31.990 our struggle, our combat is not against flesh 00:09:31.990 --> 00:09:36.549 and blood, but against rulers, powers, world 00:09:36.549 --> 00:09:41.470 forces, and spiritual wickedness, all of these 00:09:41.470 --> 00:09:45.450 in the heavenly places, in the realm of spiritual 00:09:45.450 --> 00:09:50.669 things. It's hard for us to grasp what the heavenlies... 00:09:51.019 --> 00:09:54.740 is because we're so used to living in the material. 00:09:54.799 --> 00:09:58.399 That's what we relate to. Our senses all relate 00:09:58.399 --> 00:10:02.559 us to this physical world. But as most of you 00:10:02.559 --> 00:10:04.879 know, there is a whole other realm of reality 00:10:04.879 --> 00:10:09.220 that interacts with the material realm. And while 00:10:09.220 --> 00:10:13.179 we can't see it, there is activity in that spirit 00:10:13.179 --> 00:10:17.220 realm that impacts what happens in the realm 00:10:17.220 --> 00:10:21.490 that you and I interact with, the material. We 00:10:21.490 --> 00:10:26.389 must realize that our real enemy is no person. 00:10:27.610 --> 00:10:30.230 It is no group of people. It is not a political 00:10:30.230 --> 00:10:38.769 party. Our real enemy is Satan and his hordes 00:10:38.769 --> 00:10:42.110 who are described in verse 12. There are different 00:10:42.110 --> 00:10:45.870 kinds and different levels of demonic authority. 00:10:46.970 --> 00:10:51.799 He suggests those here. But the fact is that 00:10:51.799 --> 00:10:54.139 all of them have one single purpose. They are 00:10:54.139 --> 00:11:00.039 committed to your defeat. They desire to put 00:11:00.039 --> 00:11:04.600 you aside in this world as far as being effective 00:11:04.600 --> 00:11:07.639 for God is concerned. That's the only thing they're 00:11:07.639 --> 00:11:10.399 concerned about with you. They know that they 00:11:10.399 --> 00:11:13.840 cannot have your soul because you have complete 00:11:13.840 --> 00:11:17.240 security in Christ. Therefore they would have 00:11:17.240 --> 00:11:22.779 your life. They want your effectiveness. They 00:11:22.779 --> 00:11:27.460 want your time. They want to break you of your 00:11:27.460 --> 00:11:29.879 devotion to Christ, of your commitment to His 00:11:29.879 --> 00:11:34.759 cause. That is their goal. We need to think on 00:11:34.759 --> 00:11:39.840 our adversary, understand who he really is. Let 00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:42.240 me just say that I agree with what some of you 00:11:42.240 --> 00:11:45.159 have said to me, and that is the battle seems 00:11:45.159 --> 00:11:49.350 to be getting worse. I don't know that we can 00:11:49.350 --> 00:11:52.110 go back and say, well, it began to get worse 00:11:52.110 --> 00:12:00.669 here or there. Except that it seems that in our 00:12:00.669 --> 00:12:03.789 culture, the Western culture, in our nation with 00:12:03.789 --> 00:12:08.169 this Judeo -Christian heritage, there seem to 00:12:08.169 --> 00:12:13.009 be certain walls that were in place. Even though 00:12:13.009 --> 00:12:15.610 ours has not been a Christian nation in the sense 00:12:15.610 --> 00:12:18.850 that Israel was the people of God. Our nation 00:12:18.850 --> 00:12:21.830 has been founded on certain principles that are 00:12:21.830 --> 00:12:26.649 consistent with Christian teaching. And because 00:12:26.649 --> 00:12:28.710 of that, there have been certain walls in place. 00:12:28.769 --> 00:12:33.450 I believe that the walls are gone. And the walls 00:12:33.450 --> 00:12:38.129 crumbled in the 60s, about 25 years ago, with 00:12:38.129 --> 00:12:40.730 that tremendous cultural revolution that took 00:12:40.730 --> 00:12:45.179 place and the upheaval. And what was round one 00:12:45.179 --> 00:12:49.019 in the 60s is becoming round two in the 90s. 00:12:49.340 --> 00:12:52.080 If you enjoyed the 60s, you'll love the 90s. 00:12:52.580 --> 00:12:54.919 And if you hated the 60s, watch out for the days 00:12:54.919 --> 00:13:00.279 ahead. There is an intensification of spiritual 00:13:00.279 --> 00:13:04.679 warfare in our culture. It is going to be tougher 00:13:04.679 --> 00:13:09.559 than it has ever been before to live for Jesus 00:13:09.559 --> 00:13:12.899 Christ. in the years ahead. And I think the reason 00:13:12.899 --> 00:13:17.120 for that is that the purpose for this nation 00:13:17.120 --> 00:13:22.720 and God's plan is perhaps coming to its conclusion. 00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:27.700 God raises up nations and peoples for a time 00:13:27.700 --> 00:13:31.460 and then when they have fulfilled their purpose 00:13:31.460 --> 00:13:33.960 and proven that they're worthy of judgment, God 00:13:33.960 --> 00:13:38.919 brings the judgment they deserve. But I think 00:13:38.919 --> 00:13:43.269 also that Spiritual warfare is increasing in 00:13:43.269 --> 00:13:48.809 our nation because Satan knows that his time 00:13:48.809 --> 00:13:52.289 is short, that the Lord's coming is near at hand. 00:13:52.350 --> 00:13:56.350 I am not among those who are predicting the rapture 00:13:56.350 --> 00:13:59.789 on October 30th or 31st, whatever the date is 00:13:59.789 --> 00:14:03.370 this year. But I do believe that the Lord's coming 00:14:03.370 --> 00:14:07.330 is near at hand and Satan realizes his time is 00:14:07.330 --> 00:14:10.090 short and is therefore pushing all the more. 00:14:10.839 --> 00:14:16.399 for his ends. We need to think about our adversary. 00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:19.000 Realize that he's not a figment of the imagination. 00:14:19.100 --> 00:14:21.179 He's not over there somewhere in the mission 00:14:21.179 --> 00:14:25.500 field. He is active and increasingly active in 00:14:25.500 --> 00:14:31.360 our culture. If you and I are going to have an 00:14:31.360 --> 00:14:33.379 effective prayer life, we need to take that second 00:14:33.379 --> 00:14:36.379 step and understand who we need to pray against. 00:14:36.820 --> 00:14:38.840 We need to understand how we need to pray. Number 00:14:38.840 --> 00:14:42.740 three. Put on your armor. If you want to be effective 00:14:42.740 --> 00:14:44.820 in your prayer life, you must put on your armor. 00:14:45.139 --> 00:14:48.980 Verse 11 says, put on the panoply of God, the 00:14:48.980 --> 00:14:54.120 full armor of God, that you may be able to stand 00:14:54.120 --> 00:14:59.559 firm against the craftiness of the devil. The 00:14:59.559 --> 00:15:02.340 methods of the devil that are filled with deceit 00:15:02.340 --> 00:15:05.220 is what the word means. Put on the full armor 00:15:05.220 --> 00:15:08.129 of God. And he says something similar in verse 00:15:08.129 --> 00:15:13.129 13, take up the full armor of God. And so we 00:15:13.129 --> 00:15:15.710 have to put the armor on. And we have talked 00:15:15.710 --> 00:15:18.330 about this a few years ago, and I'm not going 00:15:18.330 --> 00:15:21.450 to detail about it, except to have you note with 00:15:21.450 --> 00:15:25.009 me that it's a full armor. And that its pieces 00:15:25.009 --> 00:15:30.970 represent character and lifestyle and habit. 00:15:31.440 --> 00:15:34.740 which must be in place in our lives if we're 00:15:34.740 --> 00:15:38.779 going to protect ourselves against the adversary's 00:15:38.779 --> 00:15:43.639 attacks. The first piece that is in Paul's list 00:15:43.639 --> 00:15:47.620 is the belt of truth. It seems to refer to integrity 00:15:47.620 --> 00:15:52.519 of character. It means not being a hypocrite. 00:15:52.519 --> 00:15:55.299 It means being honest and transparent and genuine 00:15:55.299 --> 00:15:58.360 about who you are. Not living a lie. The belt 00:15:58.360 --> 00:16:02.860 of truth. He talks about the breastplate of righteousness, 00:16:03.740 --> 00:16:06.559 which in this context refers to a lifestyle that 00:16:06.559 --> 00:16:11.100 is characterized by good. It means to do deeds 00:16:11.100 --> 00:16:13.580 that reflect the kindness, the patience, and 00:16:13.580 --> 00:16:18.080 the love of God. He speaks about the shoes of 00:16:18.080 --> 00:16:22.860 peace that are to be on our feet. Here, the peace 00:16:22.860 --> 00:16:25.759 seems to refer to that peace that is in our hearts, 00:16:25.820 --> 00:16:29.039 that we are at peace with God, that convents 00:16:29.240 --> 00:16:33.019 that gives us strength that God is for us, God 00:16:33.019 --> 00:16:36.320 is not against us, because our sins are forgiven. 00:16:36.519 --> 00:16:41.700 We have faith. We immediately have faith there 00:16:41.700 --> 00:16:46.779 that says, no, God is not like that. God is this 00:16:46.779 --> 00:16:50.259 way, or God is that way. The shield of faith 00:16:50.259 --> 00:16:53.679 which will extinguish the fiery darts of the 00:16:53.679 --> 00:16:58.220 evil once they hit. And the helmet of salvation. 00:16:59.399 --> 00:17:02.000 Here he's talking about the assurance that we 00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:05.420 can have that expectation that God is ultimately 00:17:05.420 --> 00:17:08.920 in control of all things and That one day he's 00:17:08.920 --> 00:17:11.319 going to rescue his own from the battlefield. 00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:15.319 It is the hope of glory that we have The helmet 00:17:15.319 --> 00:17:18.700 of salvation and then the sword that he calls 00:17:18.700 --> 00:17:23.420 the sword of the spirit This word of God he says 00:17:23.420 --> 00:17:27.960 this rama the spoken proclaimed utterance from 00:17:27.960 --> 00:17:32.349 God In other words, this sword is some specific 00:17:32.349 --> 00:17:36.430 word that God has given us in this book that 00:17:36.430 --> 00:17:39.309 is appropriate for the particular battle we're 00:17:39.309 --> 00:17:42.589 in. Thus, we need to fill our minds with what 00:17:42.589 --> 00:17:46.470 God says to us so that we have this sword available 00:17:46.470 --> 00:17:50.470 and can fight back against the enemy. Now, I 00:17:50.470 --> 00:17:52.430 want you to notice that we're responsible for 00:17:52.430 --> 00:17:56.910 this armor. It is our job to put it on, to take 00:17:56.910 --> 00:18:02.380 it up. Failure to do that, failure to have these 00:18:02.380 --> 00:18:05.960 aspects of character and lifestyle and habit 00:18:05.960 --> 00:18:09.660 in place, leaves us vulnerable to the enemy. 00:18:10.779 --> 00:18:14.000 We are prone to defeat because we are not covered 00:18:14.000 --> 00:18:17.559 by our armor. So if we are going to enter into 00:18:17.559 --> 00:18:21.839 the warfare, we must take up our armor. John 00:18:21.839 --> 00:18:25.240 Dorsey has written a poem describing the devil's 00:18:25.240 --> 00:18:31.940 tactics. in the battle. It says, I had a battle 00:18:31.940 --> 00:18:36.259 fierce today within my place of prayer. I went 00:18:36.259 --> 00:18:41.160 to meet and talk with God but I found Satan there. 00:18:41.599 --> 00:18:45.920 He whispered, you can't really pray. You lost 00:18:45.920 --> 00:18:49.980 out long ago. You might say words while on your 00:18:49.980 --> 00:18:54.990 knees but you can't pray, you know. So then I 00:18:54.990 --> 00:18:58.170 pulled my helmet down, weighed down upon my ears, 00:18:58.309 --> 00:19:02.210 and found it helped to still his voice and helped 00:19:02.210 --> 00:19:05.930 to lay my fears. I checked my other armor, or 00:19:05.930 --> 00:19:09.890 my feet in peace were shod, my loins with truth 00:19:09.890 --> 00:19:12.509 were girded round, my sword the word of God, 00:19:13.170 --> 00:19:17.250 my righteous breastplate still was on, my heart's 00:19:17.250 --> 00:19:20.829 love to protect, my shield of faith was all intact. 00:19:21.150 --> 00:19:26.210 His fiery darts bounced back. I called on God 00:19:26.210 --> 00:19:30.529 in Jesus' name. I pled the precious blood. While 00:19:30.529 --> 00:19:34.710 Satan sneaked away in shame, I met and talked 00:19:34.710 --> 00:19:37.930 with God. If there's any place that Satan will 00:19:37.930 --> 00:19:40.829 seek to defeat you, it's at the place of prayer. 00:19:42.190 --> 00:19:45.269 That brings us to our fourth step in spiritual 00:19:45.269 --> 00:19:48.579 warfare. Once we have put our armor on, we need 00:19:48.579 --> 00:19:50.779 to focus on our assignment. And what is that 00:19:50.779 --> 00:19:54.660 assignment? Well, he begins by saying, stand 00:19:54.660 --> 00:19:59.980 your ground. Stand firm. When he says that, he 00:19:59.980 --> 00:20:04.400 is implying that we have been assigned a strategic 00:20:04.400 --> 00:20:09.099 place in the battle. And having been assigned 00:20:09.099 --> 00:20:11.579 that place, we are to stand there and not give 00:20:11.579 --> 00:20:16.890 an inch to Satan when he attacks us. Stand firm, 00:20:16.910 --> 00:20:22.529 he says, against the schemes of the devil. Stand 00:20:22.529 --> 00:20:27.730 firm, he repeats in verse 14. That's our assignment. 00:20:28.589 --> 00:20:32.190 We're not to give in. We're not to run. If we 00:20:32.190 --> 00:20:34.369 have our armor in place, we will not be defeated. 00:20:34.450 --> 00:20:36.930 We are to stand firm in that place where God's 00:20:36.930 --> 00:20:41.250 assigned us. How do we do that? Well, by going 00:20:41.250 --> 00:20:45.779 on to verse 18 by praying. What are we to pray? 00:20:45.880 --> 00:20:50.980 Well, he says we're to pray all prayer and petition. 00:20:53.059 --> 00:20:55.779 The word prayer here is a general word for prayer 00:20:55.779 --> 00:20:59.079 to God. Petition refers to those specific things 00:20:59.079 --> 00:21:02.200 that we would ask of Him. The NIV puts it this 00:21:02.200 --> 00:21:06.660 way. We're to pray all kinds of prayers and requests. 00:21:08.200 --> 00:21:12.880 The most powerful kind of prayer perhaps is praise. 00:21:15.330 --> 00:21:18.250 Because when you and I praise God, we are focusing 00:21:18.250 --> 00:21:21.490 on the character of God. And when we focus on 00:21:21.490 --> 00:21:25.529 who God is, that stimulates our faith. And it 00:21:25.529 --> 00:21:29.430 is our faith which wins the battle. This is the 00:21:29.430 --> 00:21:33.309 victory that overcomes our faith. And so when 00:21:33.309 --> 00:21:36.009 you and I praise God, we lift our hearts to God 00:21:36.009 --> 00:21:39.130 in praise and thanksgiving, and we honor Him 00:21:39.130 --> 00:21:43.130 for who He is. It causes our faith to be built 00:21:43.130 --> 00:21:47.589 up. but with all kinds of prayer and specific 00:21:47.589 --> 00:21:51.829 petitions we are to pray. And when, he says at 00:21:51.829 --> 00:21:57.450 all times, on all occasions, we're to develop 00:21:57.450 --> 00:22:02.529 a God awareness so that whatever the affair that 00:22:02.529 --> 00:22:05.009 we're in, whatever the controversy, whatever 00:22:05.009 --> 00:22:09.309 the questions or the confusion, we include Jesus 00:22:09.309 --> 00:22:14.109 with us in that experience by prayer. On all 00:22:14.109 --> 00:22:18.150 of the occasions of your life, pray at your assignment 00:22:18.150 --> 00:22:22.029 to stand. And how are we to do it? He says, in 00:22:22.029 --> 00:22:25.369 the Spirit, in the sphere of the Spirit, depending 00:22:25.369 --> 00:22:31.130 upon Him, asking Him to enable you to pray, to 00:22:31.130 --> 00:22:33.769 be on the alert, He says. That's how we're to 00:22:33.769 --> 00:22:38.009 do it, by being vigilant and watchful. And He 00:22:38.009 --> 00:22:40.869 says we're also to do this with all perseverance 00:22:40.869 --> 00:22:44.230 and petition. In other words, it's no others 00:22:44.230 --> 00:22:49.569 who love us and whom we love, others that we've 00:22:49.569 --> 00:22:53.190 never met, others who are spiritual leaders. 00:22:53.910 --> 00:22:57.549 In fact, Paul invites them and pray for us, he 00:22:57.549 --> 00:23:01.410 says in verse 19. Pray for us. And what does 00:23:01.410 --> 00:23:03.769 he say to pray for? That we may fulfill the mission, 00:23:03.769 --> 00:23:06.269 he says, that God's given us. And so we need 00:23:06.269 --> 00:23:08.509 to pray about our purpose, our assignment in 00:23:08.509 --> 00:23:10.990 the world as a church. These are all things that 00:23:10.990 --> 00:23:16.440 we're to pray for. Our warfare praying is not 00:23:16.440 --> 00:23:20.799 so much against the enemy, in a negative sense, 00:23:21.319 --> 00:23:26.400 as it is affirming who God is, what His promises 00:23:26.400 --> 00:23:31.480 are, and asking God to act. Oh, that God would 00:23:31.480 --> 00:23:35.980 teach us how to pray, how to enter into prayer 00:23:35.980 --> 00:23:40.339 that is effective in warfare. We can hear a thousand 00:23:40.339 --> 00:23:42.859 sermons on that subject and we can read dozens 00:23:42.859 --> 00:23:47.079 of books. We can listen to scores of tapes. But 00:23:47.079 --> 00:23:49.539 it's only when we get down on our knees and begin 00:23:49.539 --> 00:23:53.839 to practice it that we will really begin to learn 00:23:53.839 --> 00:23:58.480 what warfare praying is. The fact is that our 00:23:58.480 --> 00:24:02.880 praying reveals a lot about our theology. Have 00:24:02.880 --> 00:24:05.140 you ever listened to somebody pray? You say, 00:24:05.180 --> 00:24:07.240 well, of course, that's the only polite thing 00:24:07.240 --> 00:24:12.579 to do. Well, have you ever really listened to 00:24:12.579 --> 00:24:16.519 what people pray? I mean, if you really want 00:24:16.519 --> 00:24:18.759 to get personal about it, have you ever listened 00:24:18.759 --> 00:24:25.420 to what you pray? What you and I pray reveals 00:24:25.420 --> 00:24:29.539 our theology. It may not be what we studied in 00:24:29.539 --> 00:24:32.420 school if we took a theology course. It may not 00:24:32.420 --> 00:24:35.099 be what we read in the book if we read a theology 00:24:35.099 --> 00:24:39.460 book. But what we pray says, truly what we believe 00:24:39.460 --> 00:24:44.220 about God. Timothy Warner writes, if most of 00:24:44.220 --> 00:24:48.000 our prayers are really a reflection of our concept 00:24:48.000 --> 00:24:51.119 of the glory and power of God, our theology is 00:24:51.119 --> 00:24:56.039 in serious need of overhaul. So often we pray 00:24:56.039 --> 00:24:59.259 with just repetitious words. If you could just 00:24:59.259 --> 00:25:02.319 take the word just out of praying, and Lord, 00:25:02.319 --> 00:25:04.500 just do this, and Lord, just do that. Have you 00:25:04.500 --> 00:25:07.880 ever heard that in your own praying? What does 00:25:07.880 --> 00:25:09.980 that mean? What is just doing in there? God could 00:25:09.980 --> 00:25:15.440 do more than just that. We ask God for some of 00:25:15.440 --> 00:25:21.299 the silliest things. And Lord, I pray that when 00:25:21.299 --> 00:25:24.700 they operate on Brother Smith, that they'll not 00:25:24.700 --> 00:25:29.000 find any cancer. But what if there's cancer there 00:25:29.000 --> 00:25:30.940 that needs to be found? Do you want God to blind 00:25:30.940 --> 00:25:35.710 the eyes of the surgeon? We need to listen to 00:25:35.710 --> 00:25:43.250 what we say in our prayers. My appeal to all 00:25:43.250 --> 00:25:45.609 of us tonight is that we make prayer a priority. 00:25:47.309 --> 00:25:49.710 Back in the 1840s, there was an earnest young 00:25:49.710 --> 00:25:53.529 man who found employment for himself in a pawn 00:25:53.529 --> 00:25:57.470 shop of all places. He did not like the work, 00:25:57.490 --> 00:26:00.769 actually, but he did the work as he writes, as 00:26:00.769 --> 00:26:05.059 unto the Lord. He looked for a more desirable 00:26:05.059 --> 00:26:09.059 opportunity that God might give him. He really 00:26:09.059 --> 00:26:10.980 wanted to serve the Lord. That was his heart's 00:26:10.980 --> 00:26:15.019 desire. So, to prepare himself, he wrote the 00:26:15.019 --> 00:26:18.380 following words in a resolution on a piece of 00:26:18.380 --> 00:26:22.599 paper. He said, I do promise God that I will 00:26:22.599 --> 00:26:25.519 rise early every morning to have a few minutes, 00:26:25.599 --> 00:26:31.269 not less than five, in private prayer. I will 00:26:31.269 --> 00:26:34.769 endeavor to conduct myself as a humble, meek, 00:26:35.029 --> 00:26:38.289 and zealous follower of Jesus, and by serious 00:26:38.289 --> 00:26:42.269 witness and warning, I will try to lead others 00:26:42.269 --> 00:26:45.269 to think of the needs of their immortal souls. 00:26:45.950 --> 00:26:49.309 I hereby vow to read no less than four chapters 00:26:49.309 --> 00:26:53.650 in God's Word every day. I will cultivate a spirit 00:26:53.650 --> 00:26:57.470 of self -denial and will yield myself a prisoner 00:26:57.470 --> 00:27:02.809 of love. to the Redeemer of the world. Who do 00:27:02.809 --> 00:27:05.049 you think it was that made that kind of resolution 00:27:05.049 --> 00:27:09.329 that perhaps some of us have made from time to 00:27:09.329 --> 00:27:13.930 time? But he kept it. Well, his name was William 00:27:13.930 --> 00:27:18.029 Booth. William Booth founded the Salvation Army, 00:27:18.049 --> 00:27:20.390 the organization that still today bears that 00:27:20.390 --> 00:27:24.750 name. General William Booth. And what a difference 00:27:24.750 --> 00:27:28.460 he made in the 19th century. And His resolution 00:27:28.460 --> 00:27:33.420 began by saying, I will pray five minutes a day. 00:27:36.240 --> 00:27:39.680 I don't know, is it five minutes or maybe ten 00:27:39.680 --> 00:27:42.839 that you need to say to God, I will spend time 00:27:42.839 --> 00:27:47.160 with you in prayer? I want to appeal to you to 00:27:47.160 --> 00:27:50.619 make prayer a priority in your life. If it has 00:27:50.619 --> 00:27:53.460 slipped down a notch or two or ten, get it back 00:27:53.460 --> 00:27:57.059 up where it belongs. Because prayer is a mighty 00:27:57.059 --> 00:28:00.099 spiritual weapon that God gives to us to employ 00:28:00.099 --> 00:28:04.160 in spiritual warfare. And when you and I wield 00:28:04.160 --> 00:28:07.799 it, we are wielding spiritual intercontinental 00:28:07.799 --> 00:28:16.259 ballistic missiles. Let's pray together. Father, 00:28:17.819 --> 00:28:22.160 teach us to pray. Not just to say words, not 00:28:22.160 --> 00:28:27.599 to... employ phrases that we hear others use 00:28:27.599 --> 00:28:32.140 and mindlessly repeat, but teach us really to 00:28:32.140 --> 00:28:40.759 pray. Forgive us for our theology. Teach us what 00:28:40.759 --> 00:28:43.859 you're really like, and show us how to pray in 00:28:43.859 --> 00:28:48.140 light of that. Many of us need to begin over 00:28:48.140 --> 00:28:54.150 again. Lord, take us through elementary school. 00:28:55.349 --> 00:28:59.829 And lead us on, we pray, by your Spirit, to the 00:28:59.829 --> 00:29:03.390 postgraduate place of learning about prayer. 00:29:04.950 --> 00:29:09.950 We need that, Father. We need it. Your work in 00:29:09.950 --> 00:29:13.430 the world needs it, and you have commanded it 00:29:13.430 --> 00:29:19.230 of us. So teach us to pray. Amen.