There is a battle being fought over your heart every day. A spiritual battle between God and the life He wants for you and the enemy who wants to destroy that life. If we are going to win, we need to know the tactics the enemy uses to fight against us and to keep us from the life God intended for us.

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MESSAGE NOTES

“For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” [Ephesians 6:12]

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.” [1 Peter 5:8-9]

Satan wants you ISOLATED

“And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” [Hebrews 10:25]

“Then you must throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so that his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved on the day the Lord returns.” [1 Corinthians 5:5]

“All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.” [1 Corinthians 12:27]

“Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.” [Romans 12:4-5]

“I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church.[Colossians 1:24]

“For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her” [Ephesians 5:25]

“Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” [Matthew 16:18]

Satan wants you DISTRACTED

If Satan can’t get you alone, isolated from the herd, disconnected from the family, he’ll do his best to get you distracted. If he can’t destroy you, he’ll settle for distracting you. 

“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.” [1 John 2:15-17]

“Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules.” [2 Timothy 2:3-5]

None of these things are bad in themselves. The problem is when these things BECOME the mission instead of tools FOR the mission.

Satan wants you UNGUARDED

King Solomon prayed in Proverbs 30:7-9, “O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die. First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.”

Your greatest weapon against the Enemy during these times is one or two really close, godly friends.

“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” [Ecclesiastes 4:9-12]

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” [James 5:16]

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Application Questions

1. What stood out to you from this message and why?

2. What is one thing God is telling you to START doing because of this message?

3. What is one thing God is telling you to STOP doing because of this message?

4. How will this message change how you act at home, work and in the your relationships?