In God We Trust

Spiritual Warfare
Sermon by: Rev. Les Puryear
Notes by: Amy

(Back in 2005, I was having a hard time. This lesson pops up every time things get bumpy and it helps remind me not to allow Satan to take over things. Thank you Les, thank you for such an awesome delivery of this message, that it has stuck with me even after all this time. Let me know if I missed something on it)

The Devil’s #1 goal is to keep as many people out of Heaven as possible. He works very hard to make you as miserable as possible. He does realize that he can’t keep you out of heaven, so then he will attack your witness and make it (or try to) impossible to take anyone with you. The Devil will NOT give up on your destruction.
Read verses: John 10:28-29/Jude 24/Romans 8:38

As Christians we must remain close with Christ. Stay close to him by
 Reading your Bible daily
 Staying in constant prayer
 Listen and you will hear the Lord speaking to you
Read verses: 1 john 5:8/Psalm 17:4-5

Know your ENEMY: 1 Peter 5:8
-The Devil is not playing to get you into trouble. He is seeking to destroy you. He is a fierce opponent and his goal is to defeat you. We cannot do anything to earn the Devil’s favor because he hates all. He hates us because we are created in the image of God.
-The Devil will KILL all who follow him with the very thing he lured them with. (Ex drugs, alcohol)
-The Devil can be described as
• A thief
• A Liar (1st lie in Gen 3- He told Eve “you will not die”)
• A Murderer
• Author of Death/Decay
• False Accuser
• Satan = Adversary
• Tempter
-There is no GOOD in him. He is BAD to the core.
-This is a Spiritual Battle and Satan is subservient to God.
-The Devil’s primary tool is DECEPTION. Read Job

Process/Strategies of Deception:

Stage 1:
Imagination: an idea in planted that is appealing to us. This comes in the form of a wish, a fantasy, or a dream. The longer we dwell on this idea, the more it becomes an obsession.
When the idea comes to you: Ask yourself, does this glorify God? WWJD? If you don’t, you will advance to the next stage.

Stage 2:
Identify: You will begin to identify with the idea. You start putting yourself in the picture. The more we identify or dwell on this idea, the more we begin to think out the benefits of acting out the idea. Read verses: Matthew 5:21-22. Thinking about the idea is still sin if it does not glorify God. The way we feel on the inside is just as we are on the outside. Read verses: Romans 3:10/Matthew 9:4/Proverbs 23:7 Again—ask yourself: does this glorify God?

Stage 3:
Experience: You now have a strong desire that is growing to experience the idea. We think, plot and plan out the idea and then we rationalize it. To go beyond your means is SIN. (Ex. You can afford a small car and you buy a luxurious expensive car)
Read verses: Proverbs 6:16+18/Zechariah7:10/Proverbs 19:21

Stage 4:
Act Out: All the planning and plotting done and now we act out that very idea that was not to glorify God. Rarely, do we intend on getting to this point. We tend to rationalize and tell ourselves we will try it just once. At this point now you will begin to tell yourself you are strong enough to handle it. You will justify it in your head. The SIN now controls you and will rule over you. Read Verses: Romans 7:15-20, 24

We always want to do what is right, and often times we start out right, but then our practice or lifestyle slips back into our old ways. The way out of this is again to remain close with God and get a new practice or way of life. Get new habits new routines, reading your Bible, praying, and listening.
Read Verse Romans 8:3-11
 Once we walk according to the Spirit, we can then do what we want to do and what is right.
 You can’t try hard enough to overcome SIN. You MUST rely on Jesus
 Every time you are tempted PRAY for the strength to reject it.

**This was the first part of this message. I will post the rest tomorrow. Feel free to add any comments or suggestions to this.***