Eph 6:20 '... that I might declare the gospel boldly...' the gospel is all about Jesus, it's the story of Jesus. The gospel, the whole thing is Jesus. Driscoll
Cavendish school: Christianity is about Jesus - 'Jesus rocks'
Luke 22:31
Jesus: 'Peter, Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail...'
40
Jesus: 'pray that you may not enter into temptation.'
The intention of Luke here is to portray Jesus and his disciples in parallel, showing how each responds in then face of diabolic (satanic) offensive.
Lk 21:36 & 22:46 and here Jesus explains that one may faithfully persevere in times of testing through prayer.
Lloyd Jones comments that tragically often it is those who are most theologically sown up and literate in Biblical things who are also the ones who don't have prayer meetings, who don't see the necessity of 'praying always'.
Finally be strong in the lord and in the power of his might, put on the full armour of God... we concentrate on the armour of God but not on the 'be strong in the Lord' and so Paul brings us back to it again by this command to pray.
The secret of the Christian life is the Christian life in secret, in the secret place I should say.
'Praying with all kinds of prayer.' 'All prayer' That is all types of prayer 'public and private.' on my own noisily, quietly, with my wife, as a family, in church meetings, with non-believers, at prayer meetings... etc.
Lloyd-Jones 'be at it always and in endless ways.'
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Friday, 18 November 2011
Spiritual warfare research: William gurnall
Take heart: have courage
God himself underwrites your battle and has appointed his own son the captain of your salvation.
Jesus lived and died for you and he will live and die with you.
Stand:
Just as an earthly soldier represents his country's honour in battle, the Christian represents God's honour whenever he is called to contend with temptation. Such testing quickly reveals how far we are willing to go in defending our sovereign's reputation.
When William the conqueror landed in England he sent away all his ships in full sight lf his men, the message was clear. Retreat is not an option, victory or death.
It should be the concern of every Christian to stand in his assigned place. The devil's method is first to rout and then to ruin.
Stand - Do Not Sleep
Standing is a waking, watching posture. In the military, 'stand to your arms!' means 'stay alert and watch!' in some cases it is death to a soldier to be found asleep when he is assigned to guard duty.
The saints sleeping time is satans prime tempting time.
God himself underwrites your battle and has appointed his own son the captain of your salvation.
Jesus lived and died for you and he will live and die with you.
Stand:
Just as an earthly soldier represents his country's honour in battle, the Christian represents God's honour whenever he is called to contend with temptation. Such testing quickly reveals how far we are willing to go in defending our sovereign's reputation.
When William the conqueror landed in England he sent away all his ships in full sight lf his men, the message was clear. Retreat is not an option, victory or death.
It should be the concern of every Christian to stand in his assigned place. The devil's method is first to rout and then to ruin.
Stand - Do Not Sleep
Standing is a waking, watching posture. In the military, 'stand to your arms!' means 'stay alert and watch!' in some cases it is death to a soldier to be found asleep when he is assigned to guard duty.
The saints sleeping time is satans prime tempting time.
Spiritual warfare research: watchman nee
Each one of us must be prepared for conflict
No Christian can hope to enter the warfare of the ages without learning first to rest in Christ and in what he has done, and then, through the strength of he holy spirit within to follow him in a practical holy life here on earth. If he is deficient in either of these he will find that all the talk about spiritual warfare remains only talk; he will never know its reality. Satan can afford to ignore him because he does not count for anything.
- there are many direct attacks of Satan upon Gods children. Of course we must not attribute to the devil those troubles that are the result of our own breach of divine laws. we should by now know how to put those right.
The word 'stand' with its preposition 'against' really means 'hold your ground'.
This is not a command to invade foreign territory.
We are not told to 'march' but to 'stand', the ground we're on is really God's.
Overcomers are those who rest in the victory already given them.
Only those who sit can stand. Our power for standing, as for walking, lies in our having first been made to sit together with Christ.
... If a Christian is not sitting before God he cannot hope to stand before the enemy.
In our warfare the name of Jesus is powerful against satanic powers to bind and bring them into subjection.
The name of Jesus is where we get our authority from.
Divine work can only be done with divine power and that power is to be found in the lord Jesus alone.
The name: mission trip to a Chinese island one new year during the national holiday. They preached the gospel with no effect and asked the people 'why do u not respond?' to which they replied 'we already have a God Ta-Wang. He has never failed us he is an effective god.'
'how do you know you can trust him?'
'every year we have a festival, the date is revealed by divination and for the past 286 years it has been a perfect day without rain or cloud.'
'when is the date this year?'
'11th January at 8am the festival will be.'
'there will be rain on that day!'
People were outraged and soon the word spread among the twenty thousand villagers that the Christian God is going to bring rain on Ta-wangs parade. On the morning of the 11th they missionaries woke to a cloudless sunny day. They sat down for breakfast, said grace and then asked for rain. The God of Elijah showed up and sent a torrent of rain and floods through the village. When the devotees of Ta-Wang tried to carry his statue round in the rain they slipped and he fell off his sedan chair and cracked. They put him on and slipped again, eventually they had to abandon the parade. For the rest of the day it was cloudless and sunny. The priests of Ta-wan said that they got the wrong date and set another (14th at 6pm). Again a cloudless sunny day arrived and again and 6pm not a minute later the heavens opened and the parade abandoned. The name of Jesus is mighty.
We begin our spiritual life by resting in the finished work of the lord Jesus, that rest is the source of our strength for a consistent and unflattering walk in the world. And at the end of a gruelling warfare with the hosts of darkness we are found standing with him at last in triumphant possession of the field. Unto him... Be the glory... Forever.
No Christian can hope to enter the warfare of the ages without learning first to rest in Christ and in what he has done, and then, through the strength of he holy spirit within to follow him in a practical holy life here on earth. If he is deficient in either of these he will find that all the talk about spiritual warfare remains only talk; he will never know its reality. Satan can afford to ignore him because he does not count for anything.
- there are many direct attacks of Satan upon Gods children. Of course we must not attribute to the devil those troubles that are the result of our own breach of divine laws. we should by now know how to put those right.
The word 'stand' with its preposition 'against' really means 'hold your ground'.
This is not a command to invade foreign territory.
We are not told to 'march' but to 'stand', the ground we're on is really God's.
Overcomers are those who rest in the victory already given them.
Only those who sit can stand. Our power for standing, as for walking, lies in our having first been made to sit together with Christ.
... If a Christian is not sitting before God he cannot hope to stand before the enemy.
In our warfare the name of Jesus is powerful against satanic powers to bind and bring them into subjection.
The name of Jesus is where we get our authority from.
Divine work can only be done with divine power and that power is to be found in the lord Jesus alone.
The name: mission trip to a Chinese island one new year during the national holiday. They preached the gospel with no effect and asked the people 'why do u not respond?' to which they replied 'we already have a God Ta-Wang. He has never failed us he is an effective god.'
'how do you know you can trust him?'
'every year we have a festival, the date is revealed by divination and for the past 286 years it has been a perfect day without rain or cloud.'
'when is the date this year?'
'11th January at 8am the festival will be.'
'there will be rain on that day!'
People were outraged and soon the word spread among the twenty thousand villagers that the Christian God is going to bring rain on Ta-wangs parade. On the morning of the 11th they missionaries woke to a cloudless sunny day. They sat down for breakfast, said grace and then asked for rain. The God of Elijah showed up and sent a torrent of rain and floods through the village. When the devotees of Ta-Wang tried to carry his statue round in the rain they slipped and he fell off his sedan chair and cracked. They put him on and slipped again, eventually they had to abandon the parade. For the rest of the day it was cloudless and sunny. The priests of Ta-wan said that they got the wrong date and set another (14th at 6pm). Again a cloudless sunny day arrived and again and 6pm not a minute later the heavens opened and the parade abandoned. The name of Jesus is mighty.
We begin our spiritual life by resting in the finished work of the lord Jesus, that rest is the source of our strength for a consistent and unflattering walk in the world. And at the end of a gruelling warfare with the hosts of darkness we are found standing with him at last in triumphant possession of the field. Unto him... Be the glory... Forever.
Thursday, 17 November 2011
Spiritual Warfare Research: Driscoll
Extremes: thinking too much and thinking too little.
Screwtape Letters: There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall. to disbelieve, to believe and feel and unhealthy and excessive interest in them.
Stories of experiencing spiritual warfare.
Jesus in all three of the synoptic gospels encounters satan. He has conflict with Satan and demons throughout his ministry.
Satan is an enemy of God and if we belong to Jesus he's going to be against us as well.
Screwtape Letters: There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall. to disbelieve, to believe and feel and unhealthy and excessive interest in them.
Stories of experiencing spiritual warfare.
Jesus in all three of the synoptic gospels encounters satan. He has conflict with Satan and demons throughout his ministry.
Satan is an enemy of God and if we belong to Jesus he's going to be against us as well.
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
Spiritual Warfare Research: Freedom in Christ
1 John 3:8 'The reason the son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the Devil.'
Our temptation in the west is to ignore and disregard the role of the Devil in the Christian life.
Temptation is to think that the spiritual battle doesn';t affect Christians whereas the Christian is 'the bullseye'. The armour of God is for the Christian not the non-Christian.
1 John 5:19 'the whole world lies in his power.'
We tend to divide the world into two worlds 'supernatural' and 'natural'. Bible divides the world into 'creator' and 'creation'. Satan is a created being. There is no comparison between them. It is not equal forces against each other. To compare Satan to God is like comparing an ant with an atomic bomb. Satan is a created being and so can not be in all places at all times.
Colossians 2:15 Jesus disarmed Satan
Satan is under God's control and can only operate under God's control, like a dog on a chain. Satan can bark and he can snarl but he can only operate in the boundaries that God sets.
Satan does not know everything.
Satan works through an organised network of demonic powers. Deceiving spirits.
1 Timothy 4:1 the spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
How does Satan work? He puts thoughts in our minds.
1 Chronicles 29:1 - Satan incited David to take up a census. Temptation to take away confidence in God and place it in our own resources.
John 13:2 - The Devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot...
Acts 5:3 'Ananias how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit?'
The strategies of Satan:
- Temptation
- Accusation
- Deception
Satan cannot stop you from completing the race but he does shout from the sidelines.
How to deal with the thoughts? Sit down and give up? Argue with them? Or... ignore them, take thoughts captive.
Deception is Satan's primary strategy against us.
Eph. 4:27 'If we don't deal with our anger we give the Devil a foothold.'
Satan's greatest access to our lives is through unforgiveness.
With our western worldview we tend to look for the activity opf the demonic in dramatics sessions: someone rolling on the floor etc.
Actually it can be found in the less dramatic, through unforgiveness, bitterness, gossip.
The fight isn't about ownership or possession but about influence. Satan wants to neutralise us or further his agenda.
Jess's testimony: for most of us the enemies attacks aren't as dramatic but they are still real.
Our defence:
- understand your position: with him who is seated far above all things Eph. 1:19-22
We have been given authority to go and make disciples of all nations.
- Submit to God and the Devil will flee from you. Satan has no power whatsoever to stop us from running to Jesus.
You/I have no cause to be afraid of demons. We don't need to be intimidated by things that go bump in the night. Demons are petrified by Christians who know their position in Christ. Demons have no power over Christians except what we give them.
Demons in the room?
Germs in the room. Appropriate response? Eat well, live well.
Appropriate response to demons in the room?
When doctors didn't know there were germs they didn't sterilise their instruments etc.
1 John 5:18 '...the evil one cannot harm him.'
Your authority over satan doesn't increase with volume - you needn't shout at satan.
Guard your minds: God never bypasses our minds. Don't put your mind into neutral. There is no mindless Christianity. We don't need a power encounter with the Devil, that happened on the cross. What we need is a truth encounter.
The real issue isn't so much where the thought came from but is it true. We are told to take every thought captive to Christ regardless of it's origin. Is this thought true?
Jesus prayed 'don't take them out of the world but protect them from the evil one.' How? 'Sanctify them by the word of truth.' Don't get obsessed with demons, that's letting satan set the agenda. Truth, fight lies, fight the enemy with truth.
Our temptation in the west is to ignore and disregard the role of the Devil in the Christian life.
Temptation is to think that the spiritual battle doesn';t affect Christians whereas the Christian is 'the bullseye'. The armour of God is for the Christian not the non-Christian.
1 John 5:19 'the whole world lies in his power.'
We tend to divide the world into two worlds 'supernatural' and 'natural'. Bible divides the world into 'creator' and 'creation'. Satan is a created being. There is no comparison between them. It is not equal forces against each other. To compare Satan to God is like comparing an ant with an atomic bomb. Satan is a created being and so can not be in all places at all times.
Colossians 2:15 Jesus disarmed Satan
Satan is under God's control and can only operate under God's control, like a dog on a chain. Satan can bark and he can snarl but he can only operate in the boundaries that God sets.
Satan does not know everything.
Satan works through an organised network of demonic powers. Deceiving spirits.
1 Timothy 4:1 the spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
How does Satan work? He puts thoughts in our minds.
1 Chronicles 29:1 - Satan incited David to take up a census. Temptation to take away confidence in God and place it in our own resources.
John 13:2 - The Devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot...
Acts 5:3 'Ananias how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit?'
The strategies of Satan:
- Temptation
- Accusation
- Deception
Satan cannot stop you from completing the race but he does shout from the sidelines.
How to deal with the thoughts? Sit down and give up? Argue with them? Or... ignore them, take thoughts captive.
Deception is Satan's primary strategy against us.
Eph. 4:27 'If we don't deal with our anger we give the Devil a foothold.'
Satan's greatest access to our lives is through unforgiveness.
With our western worldview we tend to look for the activity opf the demonic in dramatics sessions: someone rolling on the floor etc.
Actually it can be found in the less dramatic, through unforgiveness, bitterness, gossip.
The fight isn't about ownership or possession but about influence. Satan wants to neutralise us or further his agenda.
Jess's testimony: for most of us the enemies attacks aren't as dramatic but they are still real.
Our defence:
- understand your position: with him who is seated far above all things Eph. 1:19-22
We have been given authority to go and make disciples of all nations.
- Submit to God and the Devil will flee from you. Satan has no power whatsoever to stop us from running to Jesus.
You/I have no cause to be afraid of demons. We don't need to be intimidated by things that go bump in the night. Demons are petrified by Christians who know their position in Christ. Demons have no power over Christians except what we give them.
Demons in the room?
Germs in the room. Appropriate response? Eat well, live well.
Appropriate response to demons in the room?
When doctors didn't know there were germs they didn't sterilise their instruments etc.
1 John 5:18 '...the evil one cannot harm him.'
Your authority over satan doesn't increase with volume - you needn't shout at satan.
Guard your minds: God never bypasses our minds. Don't put your mind into neutral. There is no mindless Christianity. We don't need a power encounter with the Devil, that happened on the cross. What we need is a truth encounter.
The real issue isn't so much where the thought came from but is it true. We are told to take every thought captive to Christ regardless of it's origin. Is this thought true?
Jesus prayed 'don't take them out of the world but protect them from the evil one.' How? 'Sanctify them by the word of truth.' Don't get obsessed with demons, that's letting satan set the agenda. Truth, fight lies, fight the enemy with truth.
Friday, 4 November 2011
Spiritual Warfare Research: Ernest Best
Comments on Ephesians:
The metaphor of battle was present in 4:8 but there it was Christ and not Christians who were involved in conflict.
It is not a question of a conflict within a divided self or a battle for the moral life, but a battle for the spiritual.
The devil does not set out to lure Christians into telling another lie or committing an act of fornication but to shatter their Christian existence.
Standing firm and praying should go on without ceasing.
If believers are to stand firm against the powers they need to both pray and be alert.
Believers need to pray continually because their struggle with the powers is never ending. The injunction however should not be taken so literally as to imply believers should spend all their time in prayer; what is required is a constant attitude of dependence on God.
Though the Spirit and prayer are related, we are not to think of praying in tongues but of prayer which is Spirit-led or directed.
Prayer is not to be given up lightly but persisted in.
While believers are urged to intercede for Paul it is not suggested that they pray for his release from prison.
Paul was also involved in the struggle. It isn't something that anyone of us is immune to.
Paul prayer request is not one for the loosing of his chains or for the opening of a door before him to continue his mission work. It is instead a prayer request that though imprisoned he may still continue the struggle. Paul does not bemoan his fater in being a prisoner but seeks to continue his preaching.
Believers have been supplied with supernatural armour which is to be worn with prayer and alertness.
The metaphor of battle was present in 4:8 but there it was Christ and not Christians who were involved in conflict.
It is not a question of a conflict within a divided self or a battle for the moral life, but a battle for the spiritual.
The devil does not set out to lure Christians into telling another lie or committing an act of fornication but to shatter their Christian existence.
Standing firm and praying should go on without ceasing.
If believers are to stand firm against the powers they need to both pray and be alert.
Believers need to pray continually because their struggle with the powers is never ending. The injunction however should not be taken so literally as to imply believers should spend all their time in prayer; what is required is a constant attitude of dependence on God.
Though the Spirit and prayer are related, we are not to think of praying in tongues but of prayer which is Spirit-led or directed.
Prayer is not to be given up lightly but persisted in.
While believers are urged to intercede for Paul it is not suggested that they pray for his release from prison.
Paul was also involved in the struggle. It isn't something that anyone of us is immune to.
Paul prayer request is not one for the loosing of his chains or for the opening of a door before him to continue his mission work. It is instead a prayer request that though imprisoned he may still continue the struggle. Paul does not bemoan his fater in being a prisoner but seeks to continue his preaching.
Believers have been supplied with supernatural armour which is to be worn with prayer and alertness.
Friday, 21 October 2011
Spiritual Warfare Research: Piper
John Piper:
Quotes from the article:
Satan's work - he works in the hearts of the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2); he blinds unbelievers (2 Corinthians 4:4) and plants them throughout the world (Matthew 13:39); he deceives the whole world (Revelation 12:9); he does signs and wonders to lead astray if possible even the elect (2 Thessalonians 2:9; Matthew 24:24); he holds people captive to do his will (2 Timothy 2:25ff, Luke 11:21ff); he takes the word away when it is sown (Matthew 13:4, 19); he gives out authority to the world rulers (Luke 4:6; Revelation 13:2); he uses people to hinder others (Acts 13:10); he thwarts mission plans (1 Thessalonians 2:18) and he throws ministers in prison (Revelation 2:10).
Story:
For example, one report from Lausanne II said that in the fall of 1984 a group of pastors and leaders from the San Nicolas/Rosario area of Argentina gathered to discuss and pray about spiritual warfare. The gathering was prompted by the realization that 109 towns within 100 miles of their training center had no Christian witness. They did some preliminary studies and discovered that the town of Arroyo Seco appeared to be the seat of satanic activity in the region.
Years before, a well-known warlock (sorcerer) by the name of Mr. Meregildo operated out of that town. He was so famous and his cures so dramatic that people would trek to Arroyo Seco from overseas for his services. Before he died, he evidently passed his powers on to 12 disciples. Three times a church was established in Arroyo Seco and three times it closed down in the face of severe spiritual opposition.
After several days of Bible study and prayer, the pastors and leaders came together in one accord and placed the entire area under spiritual authority. A few of them traveled to Arroyo Seco. Positioning themselves across the street from the headquarters of Mr. Meregildo's followers, they served an eviction notice on the forces of evil. They announced to them that they were defeated and that Jesus Christ would attract many to himself now that the church was united and had pledged to proclaim him. Less than three years later, 82 of those towns had evangelical churches in them. An unverified report indicates that as of today, all of them have a church or a Christian witness.
Territorial spirits? Daniel 10:
Consequences for our ministry:
SERMON: Piper and prayer:
God who could with none blink of an eye dispatch Satan and all of hordes, instead of doing that employs human agents to fight and win victories in spiritual warfare. Why? Don't know other than we will give more glory to him and we will experience more enjoyment.
10 - be strong: not our strength, it isn't about recruiting big he-men and she-women. His strength is made perfect in our weakness. Ironically, you get the strength by putting on armour. When it comes near and your get in on you, you get strength.
11 - stand is repeated three of four times. All the while your standing you've got a chance to win. Standing in a fight is important. Boxing, you go down, you lose. Stand and withstand. The Devil has schemes: 'methodias', he has methods for everyone. He has a white middle-class book, a white british, a rich, a poor. He has a book of strategies for everyone.
12- Our struggle isn't against flesh and blood: John 18 'my kingdom is not of this world.' The kingdom of Jesus doesn't advance with the sword. It's a spiritual issue. A demonic, angelic evil power that is to be fought here with this armour. How do you fight the devil? Not something weird. How can I protect my children from the devil etc. it is very truth oriented.
14 - stand firm therefore with truth. True, correct like an arrow that flies straight.
Breastplate of righteousness. 'give yourselves as insturments to the Lord' is probably the sense of what this verse is saying. Do right things. The devil is in the business of causing you to do wrong things. Frustrate him by doing right things.
15 - shoes are important. Readiness. Maintaining a spirit of readiness in your life, pushes back satan and his schemes.
16 - in addition to all.... shield. Faith. Particular promises tailor made for the crisis of our lives.
17 - sword of spirit - Jesus in the wilderness. Quote the Bible back to the Devil.
Praying with all prayer and petition. All kinds of praying, at all times and all kinds of prayers. Paul knew he was dependant on prayer for boldness. Even the apostle Paul struggled with a need for boldness.
There's not a person who's ever lived whose not struggled with timidity.
Quotes from the article:
Satan's work - he works in the hearts of the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2); he blinds unbelievers (2 Corinthians 4:4) and plants them throughout the world (Matthew 13:39); he deceives the whole world (Revelation 12:9); he does signs and wonders to lead astray if possible even the elect (2 Thessalonians 2:9; Matthew 24:24); he holds people captive to do his will (2 Timothy 2:25ff, Luke 11:21ff); he takes the word away when it is sown (Matthew 13:4, 19); he gives out authority to the world rulers (Luke 4:6; Revelation 13:2); he uses people to hinder others (Acts 13:10); he thwarts mission plans (1 Thessalonians 2:18) and he throws ministers in prison (Revelation 2:10).
Story:
For example, one report from Lausanne II said that in the fall of 1984 a group of pastors and leaders from the San Nicolas/Rosario area of Argentina gathered to discuss and pray about spiritual warfare. The gathering was prompted by the realization that 109 towns within 100 miles of their training center had no Christian witness. They did some preliminary studies and discovered that the town of Arroyo Seco appeared to be the seat of satanic activity in the region.
Years before, a well-known warlock (sorcerer) by the name of Mr. Meregildo operated out of that town. He was so famous and his cures so dramatic that people would trek to Arroyo Seco from overseas for his services. Before he died, he evidently passed his powers on to 12 disciples. Three times a church was established in Arroyo Seco and three times it closed down in the face of severe spiritual opposition.
After several days of Bible study and prayer, the pastors and leaders came together in one accord and placed the entire area under spiritual authority. A few of them traveled to Arroyo Seco. Positioning themselves across the street from the headquarters of Mr. Meregildo's followers, they served an eviction notice on the forces of evil. They announced to them that they were defeated and that Jesus Christ would attract many to himself now that the church was united and had pledged to proclaim him. Less than three years later, 82 of those towns had evangelical churches in them. An unverified report indicates that as of today, all of them have a church or a Christian witness.
Territorial spirits? Daniel 10:
the passage of Scripture that points most clearly to the possibility that some demonic powers oversee territories is Daniel 10. Daniel set himself to pray and fast for three weeks. At the end of the time an angel appeared to him and said that God had heard his prayer from the first day he began to humble himself and pray (v. 12). The reason he had taken three weeks to come, said the angel, was this: "The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, so I left him there with the prince of the kingdom of Persia and came to make you understand what is to befall your people" (vv. 13-14).
Consequences for our ministry:
. 1) Take the Supernatural Seriously:
Take the supernatural seriously and realize that we are in a warfare that cannot and should not be domesticated by reinterpreting everything in the biblical worldview so that it fits nicely with secular, naturalistic ways of thinking about the world. Be ready for the extraordinary as well as the ordinary ways that evil spirits work. Don't be presumptuous, as though demons were weak; and don't be anxious, as though they were stronger than Jesus.
2) Daniel's prayer wasn't about angels:
But the point is this: Daniel's praying was not about angels. And probably ours shouldn't be either. We should wrestle in prayer and fasting for the things that we know are God's will in our lives and our families and our church and our city and our world. But by and large we should probably leave it to God how he will use angels to get his work done. If God shows us more, we will use it. But the essence of the matter is not knowing the spirits but knowing God and praying in the power of Holy Spirit.
SERMON: Piper and prayer:
God who could with none blink of an eye dispatch Satan and all of hordes, instead of doing that employs human agents to fight and win victories in spiritual warfare. Why? Don't know other than we will give more glory to him and we will experience more enjoyment.
10 - be strong: not our strength, it isn't about recruiting big he-men and she-women. His strength is made perfect in our weakness. Ironically, you get the strength by putting on armour. When it comes near and your get in on you, you get strength.
11 - stand is repeated three of four times. All the while your standing you've got a chance to win. Standing in a fight is important. Boxing, you go down, you lose. Stand and withstand. The Devil has schemes: 'methodias', he has methods for everyone. He has a white middle-class book, a white british, a rich, a poor. He has a book of strategies for everyone.
12- Our struggle isn't against flesh and blood: John 18 'my kingdom is not of this world.' The kingdom of Jesus doesn't advance with the sword. It's a spiritual issue. A demonic, angelic evil power that is to be fought here with this armour. How do you fight the devil? Not something weird. How can I protect my children from the devil etc. it is very truth oriented.
14 - stand firm therefore with truth. True, correct like an arrow that flies straight.
Breastplate of righteousness. 'give yourselves as insturments to the Lord' is probably the sense of what this verse is saying. Do right things. The devil is in the business of causing you to do wrong things. Frustrate him by doing right things.
15 - shoes are important. Readiness. Maintaining a spirit of readiness in your life, pushes back satan and his schemes.
16 - in addition to all.... shield. Faith. Particular promises tailor made for the crisis of our lives.
17 - sword of spirit - Jesus in the wilderness. Quote the Bible back to the Devil.
Praying with all prayer and petition. All kinds of praying, at all times and all kinds of prayers. Paul knew he was dependant on prayer for boldness. Even the apostle Paul struggled with a need for boldness.
There's not a person who's ever lived whose not struggled with timidity.
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