TOS015 Introducing Spiritual Warfare with Lissa Applewhite ;for Audio
Welcome to Truth of the Spirit. Today we begin a new series on Truth of the Spirit on the Armor of God. We hear about the armor of God in Ephesians in the New Testament. There is a spiritual war waged against us whether we believe it or not. We tend not to recognize Satan, who we know as the “father of sin”. Our ignorance of him makes him far more effective. As Christians we are in a daily battle of some sort on a daily basis. Our spiritual battle is real, even though we cannot see the attacker. But in the spiritual realm, there is a battle raging regardless of my willingness to fight. God has authority over heaven and earth; we just have to stand with him when we are bombarded by the evil in this world. It may seem that the world is getting far more evil than it has ever been before, and that may be true, but evil is not new. God wants us to be prepared. He doesn’t want us to be beaten down. But we have to equip ourselves with all God gives us. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though we live in the world we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretense that sets itself against the knowledge of God. And we take every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” There are also some tools that are given to us by our Catholic faith. These are richly founded in our faith. Standing firm in the Armor of God does not stop spiritual warfare from raging; it stops it from defeating you.
Welcome to Truth of the Spirit. I’m Patti Brunner.
Today we begin a new series on Truth of the Spirit on the Armor of God. We hear about the armor of God in the last chapter of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians in the New Testament.
The heading in the Bible to this in chapter 6 is “Battle against Evil”.
“10 Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power.
11 Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil.
12 For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.
13 Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground.
14 So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate,
15 and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace.
16 In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all [the] flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
I have invited our spiritual formation team from Patriarch House to join me on this series. Each episode you will hear details of the specific armaments that the Lord has given us to use spiritual warfare against spiritual attack.
We were asked to record these presentations by those who heard them in the past during our spiritual formation group meetings. I’m sure you will be blessed as we have been. Understanding the truth about the armor of God shows us how Christians are made strong against the tactics of our enemy.
Today’s episode is an introduction to Spiritual Warfare and the Armor of God. Please join me in welcoming Lissa Applewhite. Lissa headed up the team for this series. Here is what Lissa had to say:
“There is a spiritual war waged against us whether we believe it or not. We tend not to recognize Satan, who we know as the “father of sin”. Our ignorance of him makes him far more effective. As Christians we are in a daily battle of some sort on a daily basis. Our spiritual battle is real, even though we cannot see the attacker. We can educate ourselves on how the battle is raging against us, and how it impacts us on a daily basis. But it does us no good to educate ourselves if we don’t want to defend ourselves against Satan’s attacks. There’s a lot of negative feelings around war and I am more of a peacemaker. But in the spiritual realm, there is a battle raging regardless of my willingness to fight. We can either be a victor or a victim. Jesus came and conquered evil; the war against Satan has already been won in heaven. In Mt. 28:18 Jesus says “ All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” This verse is not just about our salvation but also about our victory—our authority over the world given to us by Jesus. God has authority over heaven and earth; we just have to stand with him when we are bombarded by the evil in this world. It may seem that the world is getting far more evil than it has ever been before, and that may be true, but evil is not new. In fact, we all know Satan’s first attack was in the garden. Do you think Adam and Eve knew that they were in spiritual warfare? Maybe if they did and recognized that it was Satan, our history would have been different. The entire bible is filled with stories of spiritual warfare– Old Testament through the New Testament: story after story, after story, about that battle. Just last Sunday we heard about Job. Satan stripped Job of absolutely everything, but Job continued to have faith and he continued to trust God. Trusting in God is what gives us confidence that we too can overcome whatever Satan attacks us with. God was with the followers in the Old Testament, in the New Testament. Jesus did not have an easy life. He was under attack. But God the Father is always with us and will protect us. Christ conquered the devil. And he set us free, but he did not kick Satan out of the world. But he granted us power over him, power to resist him, tools to do battle until one day we will be safely out of his touch. When we accept Jesus and his teaching we are transformed from a kingdom of darkness into a kingdom of God’s light. Col 1:13 says, “for he has rescued us from a kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his dear son.
We all want to live in the kingdom of God, but for now we are living among the kingdom of darkness. But we do not have to be consumed by this world. We can seek the kingdom of God, but I warn you, the closer you draw to God the more Satan wants to interfere. The enemy will attach from all angles hoping to dissuade us from fully giving our hearts to Jesus. He will use circumstances, events, people and even doubt within our minds to try to steal our hearts to the world of darkness. But once we are aware of the world’s influence and how this influence will drag us away from our destiny and interfere with our relationship with our heavenly Father this is a sign we need to take up the fight against this interference!
You never know how bid of a threat you are to the enemy until you start doing something for God!
The good news is that Satan and his forces have no real power over us. There is no reason for believers to fear our spiritual enemy as long as we choose to walk in the path of God. While Satan still has the freedom to tempt and harass us, he has no direct authority over us. Pope Benedict XVI said, “Whatever the less discerning theologian may say, the devil, as far as a belief Christian is concerned, is puzzling but real, personal and not merely symbolical presence.”
“The more one understands the holiness of God, the more one understands the opposite of what is holy, namely, the deceptive masks of the devil.”
St. Pope John Paul II said, “Be gone, Satan!’ The Messiah’s resolute attitude is an example and an invitation for us to follow him with courageous determination. The devil, the “prince of this world”, even today continues his deceitful action. Every man, over and above his own concupiscence and the bad example of others, is also tempted by the devil. And is more so when he is least aware.” So what was St. John Paul telling us? He was saying that if we are unaware; he is even more powerful.
So, the battle is real. We need to equip ourselves for this journey. The closer our journey follows God’s path the more interference we are likely to experience. But we don’t have to fight alone. In fact, if we do try to fight alone, I can promise you, we are going to be defeated. But by the authority given us by Christ we can call on a legion of angels to defend us. We don’t have to let that devil sit on our shoulder because in the name of Jesus Christ I can send him packing!
Now, he’s going to circle around, look for my weakness, and start interfering again. But I don’t have to let him defeat me! God has provided us with many tools to strengthen us. One of these is found in Ephesians 6:10-17. “Finally, brethren, be strengthen in the Lord and the might of his power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor that you will be able to stand against all of the strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh and blood but against the principalities and powers of the rulers of the world of darkness against spirits of wickedness in high places. 13 Therefore, take on to yourself the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day you may be able to stand your ground. And after you have done everything to stand 14 stand firm them with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, the breastplate of righteousness 15 and your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
God wants us to be prepared. He doesn’t want us to be beaten down. But we have to equip ourselves with all God gives us. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though we live in the world we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretense that sets itself against the knowledge of God. And we take every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Be on guard. In 1 Peter 5:8 it says, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Ok, that’s pretty scary stuff, but hiding our head in the sand only guarantees that we shall be devoured. This battle is happening whether you want to participate or not. The battle began in the garden and won’t stop until the end of the earth when God will again reign over heaven and earth.
But we have dominion; submit ourselves then to God. “Resist the devil and he will flee from us” James 4:7. And in Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angel nor devil, neither the present nor the future, not any power, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” Our heavenly Father will not lose us. He is the far greater parent than we could ever be. And he does not want to lose any of his children. In Psalm 121:7-8 “The Lord will protect you from all evil he will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your goings out and your comings in from this time forward, and forever.”
There are also some tools that are given to us by our Catholic faith. These are richly founded in our faith. Some of the tools that are given to us by the Church are Confession, Mass, Adoration, the Rosary, Prayer, Fasting, the guidance of our Mother Mary, all the lives of the Saints, Holy Souls, and the Holy Scriptures. All these are tools that are given to us to strengthen us and to protect us from the world’s influence. Surround ourselves within the kingdom of light as a refuge from the kingdom of darkness. Standing firm in the Armor of God does not stop spiritual warfare from raging; it stops it from defeating you.
Let me share a little story about the first time we decided to teach the armor of God. It was just basically the same time of year in 2015. Oh my gosh, our team battled hard that whole time. We were stricken with some major health issues, health issues of our families–all kinds of interferences big and small. But we planted our feet on the rock. We put on our Armor of God and we refused to give in to those attacks. We refused to not teach God’s people how to defend themselves. So, here we are, basically three years later, standing once again clothed in the Armor of God. Once again, Satan is not happy. But we are not afraid. I hope each one of you will join us each week in our boot camp of spiritual warfare. And that you will also encourage your family and friends to come with you. The war is going to be there; its just our decision whether we are going to be prepared or not.
Back to 2 Corinthians 10: 4-5 Winning the Battle “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
Let’s pray: I am loved, called, and chosen. I am rich in very way, generous on every occasion. I’m anointed, appointed, equipped and enabled by the power of God that works mightily within me! No weapons formed against me will prosper and no enemy scheme against me will succeed live, breathe, and serve powerfully under the shelter of the Most High God. Amen.
I am a part of S.W.A.T –Spiritual Warfare Attack Team! I hope you will join the rest of the S.W.A.T team because this honestly is our Call to Duty!
Small Group Questions
1. Please introduce yourself briefly.
2. When have you felt “protected” by God?
3. On days when everything seems to be going “wrong” do you try to handle it yourself? Turn to God?
4. God has given all the tools we need to battle the evil one. How can we learn to use these tools?
5. What questions do you have about Spiritual Warfare? Did you learn anything tonight that you plan to use?
Saint Michael the Archangel Prayer
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the Divine Power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who wander throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen. Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903)
Cleansing Following Ministry Frances McNutt
Lord Jesus, thank You for sharing with me Your wonderful ministry of healing and deliverance. Thank You for being present today as I prayed for others. I realize that the sickness and evil we encounter is more than our humanity can bear. So cleanse me of any sadness, negativity, or despair that I may have picked up.
If my ministry has tempted me to anger, impatience, or lust, cleanse me of those temptations and replace them with love, joy, and peace. Strengthen me where I have felt weak and clothe me with Your light.
If any evil spirits, powers, or forces, have attached themselves to me or oppress me in any way, in the name of Jesus Christ, I command them to leave right now and not return. Now come, Holy Spirit, fill all the void areas in me with Your presence and renew me with Your life, Your love, and Your strength.
And, Lord Jesus, please send Your holy angels to guard me and protect me from all harm, accidents, or illness. In Your precious name, I pray. Amen.
If you would like to read the blog of this episode, you can find it on my website: PatriarchMinistries.com. I’ll list some of the reference material and small group study questions for you.
You’ve been listening to Truth of the Spirit with Patti Brunner. I invite you to subscribe–its free!– and come back for more. With the Holy Spirit there is always more!
Amen.
