Winning Your Spiritual Battles!

Another cycle of God's festivals have come and gone. After the Feast of Tabernacles a new spiritual year begins.

I always come away from the Feast of Tabernacles with a plans to make a few positive changes in my life. The 8 days I spend away from my routine and my stuff allow me to step outside of myself... make a few critical observations... rather like new years resolutions.

Most new years resolutions die after a short burst of application. Then folks slide back into the pattern of life they are most accustomed to.

We love changing our hairstyles, fashion, TV shows, maybe we'll strike out in a new direction by growing a mustache. But, changing our ideas, our habits, is a different matter. We resist change on these... To admit we're wrong and to make necessary corrections... makes us feels foolish, insignificant, and threatens our notions of self worth.

A great deal of human reasoning is put to work to resist real change... by justifying, rationalizing, and plain old "making excuses".

In the year that has passed we each received a lot of good information about eternal life, reward, and salvation. Resolve this year to be a Year of Change! Believe and act upon what you have heard!

A New Beginning

2 Corinthians 13:5 Has the past year brought you to see yourself more clearly? As you really are rather than how you wish to be or be seen? As God sees you?

Have you sized yourself up by means of His word? Have you seen how you have fallen short or the glory of God?

Are you ready to surrender those strongholds in your mind rather than protecting them like a mama bear with her cubs?

Common Strongholds: thoughts, music, substance abuse, perverted sex, occult, money matters, authority issues, psychological dysfunction (such as stress, anxiety, depression).

Prevention is the best remedy... however, if a stronghold has already been established:

1. Admit where you are: stop denial and self delusion ("its just entertainment", "I can stop anytime once I set my mind to it", "its not me its the system")

2. Possibly share  your situation with a trusted individual

3. Seek help

4. Change your environment (bad company ruins good morals)

5. Set your will to do the right thing (you gotta exert some effort)

6. Go to the source of the problem (what trigger gets you started)

7. Bathe your mind in the word of God - (it provides the only objective standard against which you can measure your current situation, then measure your improvement, and keep you oriented toward the right goals)

God gives favor to the humble... humble people are willing to change. God wants change, change that's permanent with no turning back!

Give Yourself To God Completely

Live by every word of God. Make this your goal above all else: above family, friends, even your own life. Matthew 10:37-39 think of losing your life as letting go of those mental strongholds in your mind that are guarded, armed and ready to repel any intrusion by God. What good does it do you to hang on to what is temporary  at the risk of that which is everlasting? Instead: "seek first the kingdom of God".

Everything Begins With Change

Jesus gave His life to pay the penalty for your sins. But you access the power of this salvation through a change of mind and thinking... "repent and be baptized so your sins may be forgiven and you may receive the Holy Spirit".

The changing of mind and attitude does not end at the beginning. The active renewing of your mind after the pattern of Jesus Christ continues throughout your whole life.

Winning requires ongoing effort 1 Timothy 6:12; 1:18-19, 2 Timothy 2:3-4

A life successfully lived... is a battle won 2 Timothy 4:6-8

Godly Change Means Doing Battle With 3 Deadly Enemies

1. Yourself - your human nature

2. The world -

3. Satan - the accuser, tempter, and liar

1. Yourself

Your flesh and blood mind has an instinct for reproduction and self preservation... neither of these is intrinsically bad. No one faults a moose for wanting to pass on his genes or putting his needs above others to preserve his own life. But God is not trying to prepare a moose for eternal life in the eternal family.

Human beings have a spiritual component built into them. This spirit is what sets us apart from animals. We are subject to a set of spiritual standards. They are not designed to suit the development, nurturing, and preservation of the flesh. These spiritual standards are geared toward the development, nurturing and preservation of the spirit. God makes us aware of these standards through the revelation of His word and His Spirit.

What's good for the flesh is not necessarily what is good for building the mind of God in this spiritual "work in progress" called human. Sometimes these two different sets of standard conflict Romans 8:5-7. Self preservation has very different goals and priorities than outgoing concern for others. The flesh is going to resist putting another person's needs before your own... the spirit needs to exert itself and prevail.

The flesh is a battle ground for the spirit. A battle that tests and strengthens the spirit...that tests and strengthens right priorities.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 pulling apart and destroying all deceptive human reasoning and high falutin' thoughts

1. God wouldn't really want me to do without that

2. That rule doesn't apply to me in this instance because... (x)

3. How could the vast majority of humanity be wrong on something so important etc, etc.

2. The World - Culture, Society

Galatians 1:4

Most people in this present age either have not heard, not believed, or not completely accepted the set of spiritual standards for eternal living which God has made available. God is preparing only a small number of people in this age... He does this so that the larger work preparing all the rest of humanity [which takes place in the age to come] can be shared... God wants to have you work together with Him [like a Dad who wants to work on a project with his sons, even though he is perfectly capable of doing it all by himself].

This present age is a product of the human mind and caters to the human mind. Built on a foundation of seeking and providing material needs, self preservation, reproduction etc. [but with a perverted twist we'll discuss in a few minutes]. Matters are evaluated on criteria such as: beauty, wealth, and intellect.

... and its deceptive.

Human minds are wired so when we see a large numbers [perhaps even the majority] of people acting or thinking in a certain way our human reasoning says "there must be something to it"... "it can't be all bad'. Its basically a survival mechanism, herding. But that means if the vast majority of people have wrong ideas about sex, money, authority, music, drugs, dabbling with the occult... your natural mind is going to stop, listen, give it some consideration as valid based on sheer numbers.

This can strengthen those strongholds which are against Christ... and in some cases create new ones you hadn't even thought of on your own.

Beware of your friends, beware of your school teachers, beware of singers, beware of your TV, your news-feed, your co-workers... everyone. The only sure thing you have in this world is God's word, and even there you must beware of false interpretation, false teachers.

Q: Should I move to some remote desert where I can be safe from the negative influence of other people? No

Physical separation from culture and society is not what God intends John 17:15-18.

Question Everything!

Question the world, friends, co-workers, celebrities. Question their values, question their motives.

Should you question God? I think God is up to the challenge... if you know scripture you know that many times He lays down the challenge "prove me", "test me". If you do this with a willingness to believe you will get answers. If you pray for wisdom and understanding you will get answers.

However, if you question God as a form of human reasoning... as a means to justify your bad behavior you will have accomplished nothing.

It is God's desire that you become convinced in your own mind... that you see His way of thinking as the right way.

Don't Conform!

Romans 12:2

When you truly question the world and its ways... when you won't conform... people aren't going to like or appreciate what you are trying to accomplish [so, you think you're too good for us huh?] 1 Peter 4:3-4, John 15:18-20.

How should you then respond Romans 12:20-21.

3. Satan - The One Who Is Against You

1 Peter 5:8-9

God lets Satan roam the earth and put humanity to the test [but only as much as God allows]. Satan is going to feed you lies, he is going to to accuse you of weakness and demand that you be tested, he is going to throw tasty temptations in front of you to lure you into disobedience... and keep you there.

Winning the battle in the coming year won't be easy. But it can be won!

verse 10 The Holy Spirit has been added to your mind so that you have the spiritual power to resist. It is there to remind you and of what is right and good.... it is there to point you in the right direction and prod you along. The Holy Spirit does not shield you from Satan's powers of suggestion... it helps you confront it.

No one is forced to follow Satan's influence but to the unsuspecting his power is overwhelming. You however should not be unsuspecting... unless you're sitting there each week and not listening to what being taught. In the coming year those of us tasked with teaching, exhorting and correcting will do our part in reminding  you of the lies, helping you address your weaknesses proactively [rather than waiting to be accused and tested], we will point out temptations to be resisted.

#theresistance

Jesus gave us the playbook for confronting Satan and temptation: confront deception with the word, confront disobedience with humility and submission to God's instructions for life. Read Matthew 4.... Jesus confronted Satan with the word and with humility... and Satan had to retreat.

James 4:6-7 Satan has to retreat if you resist

Prepare Yourself for Battle

Ephesians 6:10-12

· The breastplate of righteousness [obey the commandments, live the fruits of the spirit, do good works}

· The shield of faith [believe and have confidence that the battle is worth winning and can be won]

· The helmet of salvation [keep yourself properly oriented toward what the real goals are, eternal life in the family of God, know and understand God's plan and purpose]

· The sword of truth [the word of God, study it, do memory work, don't be passive]

Ephesians 6:18-20 persevere in prayer

You can overcome --> You can win your personal battles --> You can make the year ahead of us a year of victory!

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Winning Your Spiritual Battles!