2day's CG topic..addresses my problems..praise God 4 da msg after my outburst yesterday..
Introduction
Think:
Have you ever gotten up in the morning and just felt like crawling back into bed because you just can't bear to face another day?
Have you ever felt that everything in life is just going wrong?
Have you ever felt that there was no way to see the light at the end of the tunnel?
Why?
Jesus promised to give us life, and life to the full (John 10:10), but He also warned us of trials we would face as believers. (1 Corinthians 10:13). These are placed in our paths to build us up and strengthen us. (Remember, in that beautiful rose bed, there are thorns, but however, the roses need the thorns to survive as well.)
Refer Hebrews 10:19
When we become children of God, we are also enlisted in His army. There will always be spiritual warfare in our lives as believers as the devil wants to draw us away from God. However, we need to remember that the keys to victory have already been given to us in the form of our relationship with Jesus Christ.
Defeating the Devil
Ephesians 6:10-18
The Armor of God
1. Dependence in God (v10)
1.1 Our strength is fully dependent on God. God expects us to give our all (100%) - living sacrifice...
1.2 The ability to tap into the strength of God comes from redemption that is found in Christ.
1.3 To receive the power of redemption, we need to repent of our sins and confess that Jesus is Lord. Sometimes we as humans think too higly of ourselves, failing to realise that everything we see or experience today is all by His glory.
1.4 Genuine confessions from the heart have the power to transform our lives.
So why do we then often fail to attain victory in our lives?
1.5 Unconfessed sin which has always separated man from God, since God is so holy that he can't bear sin. This unconfessed sin builds up very quickly (eg. unforgiveness leading to hatred, or you are more likely to tell consecutive lies if u can get away with it)
1.6 Unwillingness to give it all to God.
1.7 Reliance on our own strength.
2. Different Levels of Battle (v11-12)
We need to come to the understanding that the captain and commander in chief of the army is Jesus. We as soldiers in the army fight the battle to a certain degree, but at a different level, the battle belongs to the Lord.
Refer Ephesians 6:12
So how do we fight? Battle tips:
2.1 The battle is not against the tangible things of the world. Many a time, when we have a disagreement with a fellow brother or sister in Christ, we need to come to understand that the enemy is not our fellow believer in Christ but actually the devil trying to stir up strife in the ranks of God's army.
2.2 Many a time, we need to hand the battle over to God.
2.3 We need to be in unity (Ephesians 4:1-24)
2.4 We need to walk in love (Ephesians 5:1-7)
2.5 We need to be people who live in the light (Ephesians 5:8-14)
2.6 We need to be people of wisdom (Ephesians 5:15-21)
2.7 We need to be people who can submit to the commands of God (Ephesians 5:22-6:9)
2.8 We must learn to seek wise counsel (Ephesians 6:13)
3. Designer Armor for Permanent Wear
People of the world today spend thousands of dollars on clothes in order to keep up with fashion trends and to look good. Just like the things of the world, no matter how much we may spend on an outfit (your Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton etc), it will wear out. However, God has designed a suit of armor that will protect us in any battle all through our lives.
As soldiers in constant battle, we need to learn to be on guard at all times.
Conclusion
We need to see that God has equipped us to be victorious in battle. The victory was already won when Jesus died on the cross for our sins. That day, the enemy knew he was defeated, but that has not stopped him from desirong to gather more souls for himself. The way we can claim Christ's victory for our own is to come alongside with God and lift teh battles of our lives up to Him.
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