Sermon: The Invisible World
Thesis: We live in a world we can all see, touch, smell, hear and even taste. Most would agree with this truth. But I want to propose to you that there is another world invisible that exists within this world we see. There is a realm which is real too, but the issue is it’s an invisible realm, but it exists all around us – what happens in this spiritual dimension impacts things in our real world. The Bible warns us of the existence of this spiritual unseen realm and tells us to be aware of it and as believers to use the weapons God has provided to us to deal with it.
Reality Check: You are in the middle of a spiritual conflict between Two Kingdoms! They are at war! BUT You are on the winning side as a believer in Jesus Christ! But the battle is still raging around us!
You may be thinking: If Jesus won why is there still a battle happening?
Illustration: Japan surrendered in World War 2 but some of their soldiers refused to surrender because it was dishonorable, and they had pledged to fight this war to the death for the Emperor who claimed to be god. So, soldiers on both sides died after Japan surrendered for many months! This is what is happening today in this invisible realm! People are being destroyed even though the war is won!
Quote: Florence Nightingale said, “Life is a hard fight, a struggle, a wrestling with the principle of evil, hand to hand, foot to foot. Every inch of the way is disputed.”
The legacy of Florence Nightingale, the first professional nurse
Florence Nightingale was a pioneer in nursing and social care. Today, her work is more relevant to the Red Cross and the public than ever. Who was Florence Nightingale and what did she do? Florence Nightingale is best known as the founder of modern nursing. She was born on 12 May 1820 in the Italian city of Florence, after which she was named. The second daughter in a prominent and wealthy British family, growing up it was clear Florence was devoted to serving others. As a teenager, she would spend time helping the sick and poor in the village near her family estate and believed nursing was her calling. In 1844 she announced her decision to work as a nurse, which, due to her social standing, her parents did not approve of and forbade her from pursuing. Despite their objections in 1850, she studied as a nursing student for four months at the Kaiserwerth Deaconesses’ Institute, in the city of Düsseldorf. Above taken from the Red Cross website.
Scripture Texts: Ephesians 6:10-12: Speaks of this conflict!
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Introduction: The Invisible World:
I wish I could give you glasses that would open up the spiritual realm to you – I wish it was that simple – you just put them on and you can see the demons at work – you see their schemes – you see how they lie and twist the truth – you see what they are doing to your family – to your church and school – and you see the traps and the ambushed set to ruin your life – you with these glasses see the chaos they create and understand how they manipulate and use people as pawns - but for a reason beyond my human knowledge and understanding God has chosen to keep this world unseen to most.
I have been given glimpses into this unseen world throughout my 40 years of ministry! Perspective is everything in the Christian Walk, understanding that these forces are real and do impact your world is crucial to winning the battles in life.
I have seen manifestations of demonic spirits; weird and unexplainable things have happened when in the middle of ministry – share some stories
• The witch at New Life
• The bat at Outreach Church
• Urban Coalition experiences
I have seen and felt spiritual attacks on my family, I have struggled with demonic forces. Usually, this battle is in my mind and within my spirit. I have seen demonic forces used to wreak havoc in church and in schools. BUT - I have seen supernatural events for the good as well to rectify what evil intended to destroy. I have witnessed good things like healings, deliverances, people saved, people set free from addictions and bondages. I have seen financial miracles come in – in the nick of time!
I do not seek to glorify evil in the telling of these stories or testimonies but instead to glorify God!
The Bible informs us of this unseen world – both in the New Testament and the Old Testament speak of this world – yes- this mysterious world filled with spirits – both good and evil spirits – angels and demons – it speaks of a place where spiritual battles are fought. The truth is we are impacted by this unseen world more than we care to acknowledge. Yes, demonic forces impact your daily life as well as good spiritual forces do! But the truth that I would like to communicate to you today is this “We too can as spirit filled believers’ impact what happens in this invisible world.”
Did you hear what I just said? Do you know the authority you have as a believer in Jesus?
My recent conversations with three different Medical Doctors.
Some of you may not have known I was in the hospital this week battling Vertigo – my world spun out of control for about 2 days making me sick and concerned. The day I went in on Tuesday- was not just an attack on me but forces attacked my family – Christa who is still battling through her broken and leg and dealing with apartment complex blaming her for stepping on the wood and breaking her leg, Evie my granddaughter ambulanced to Er on Tuesday for pneumonia , another one of my grandchildren being attacked and slandered, and Isa had a situation at work occur that caught her by surprise.
So, I am in the hospital room sick nauseated, throwing up and I hear these voices saying this to me on the inside:
• You should just give up and die.
• You should quit pastoring you are no good at it.
• You have no authority -look at what I can do to your family.
• You need to retire.
• You will not be able to pay all these medical bills.
• You need to get out of this battle and retire to the south and live in the mountains.
• You cannot go to Honduras your too weak and vulnerable.
• Just quit!
So, there I am in the hospital battling a spinning world, sickness, and demonic attacks – note this 97% of Satanic attacks from the invisible world happen on your inside – in the spirit and soul! In your mind!
I laid there in the hospital thinking – then hearing this – Christian Hills is filled with too much stress and pressure – you need to get out so all your health and family problems will disappear!
So, I lay their – and eventually I pray Lord help me – I pray for my family situations – I ask God to send angels to deal with all these situations. I feel God’s presence – I hear His voice – Mike I am taking care of everything – I will meet your needs and your families’ situations I am there working it all out! Trust me – you are in a spiritual battle!
I focus on praying and meditating on the Lord – I turn on a audible book I have on my phone by Chip Ingram “Spiritual Warfare.” And I started listening to his stories – to scripture verse about warfare – the attacks on Chip in his ministry!
I start feeling better – go through test upon test – each test I hear the enemy say “You will not be able to pay for these bills!” but I remain steadfast in trusting the Lord Jesus he has my back!
After getting better on Thursday – I start talking more to nurses, orderlies and other medical staff.
One of my doctors comes in – So I ask him is it okay if I go to Honduras Tuesday – He asks what you are doing there? I tell him, and he says, “You are a pastor - I have some questions for you?”
In the last few months, I have had 3 major talks with 3 different doctors about spiritual warfare – the spiritual realm and what is happening to our society. These are some of their questions:
• What do you think about the spiritual realm?
• What is happening to our society – we are post Christian society now right and I see all hell is being released in our world!
• What is your view of exorcism, demons, the demonic realm? What about Angels?
• The evil is more out in the open than ever before. Why do you think that is?
• How could people raised in a Christianity Society – knowing the Bible adhere to such evil today?
o Such as:
? Embracing - LGBT indoctrination of children by drag queens who are invited to school settings/church settings/libraries to expose themselves to children.
? Critical race theory
? Abortion
? Sex outside of marriage as normal and good for you
? Pornography running ramped in homes across America and looked at as normal.
? Movies are promoting more and more spiritual forces and evil forces.
? Hollywood promotes all things evil as good.
? The political world is revealing the battle of these spiritual forces. Evil seems to be winning.
? What have you experienced as a pastor?
? What does the Bible say about all of this?
My answer to the three medical doctors, other people I have talked with is this – my answer comes after long discussions with them – “There is an invisible world – a spiritual realm which is at war for the souls of mankind that exist in the world today – these demonic spirits want to destroy people’s lives – the struggle is real and the enemy has pure hatred for those made in the image of God – Satan wants to destroy this world. This cosmic fight is raging today and “It’s a real dimension impacting this one!”
You know all three doctors agreed with me! They see it! Suicide, pandemics, woke being forced down people throats, attack on Christianity and Christians, political corruption and the twisted reporting of the media!
T.S. – So be aware that people are having their eyes opened to this invisible world because demonic forces are exposing themselves more and more.
I. There exists an invisible spiritual world.
a. The question is this “Do you believe in this unseen realm?” Before you answer this question let me remind you of some historical biblical stories:
i. 2 Kings 6:15-19: The Arameans Plot to Capture Elisha
1. 8Now the king of Aram was warring against Israel; and he counseled with his servants saying, “In such and such a place shall be my camp.” 9The man of God sent word to the king of Israel saying, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Arameans are coming down there.” 10The king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God had told him; thus he warned him, so that he guarded himself there, more than once or twice. 11Now the heart of the king of Aram was enraged over this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you tell me which of us is for the king of Israel?” 12One of his servants said, “No, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” 13So he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and take him.” And it was told him, saying, “Behold, he is in Dothan.” 14He sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. 15Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 18When they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, “Strike this people with blindness, I pray.” So He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 19Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, nor is this the city; follow me and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he brought them to Samaria. 20When they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, “O LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” So the LORD opened their eyes and they saw; and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. 21Then the king of Israel when he saw them, said to Elisha, “My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?” 22He answered, “You shall not kill them. Would you kill those you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.” 23So he prepared a great feast for them; and when they had eaten and drunk he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the marauding bands of Arameans did not come again into the land of Israel.
a. I pray God would open your spiritual eyes to see – this invisible world – I will say it again - I wish I could hand you glasses that would open your eyes – but they do not exist.
i. But I can do what Elisha did:
1. I can pray and ask God to open your eyes so that you can see this spiritual world and see who is on your side and who is fighting for you! To see the schemes the traps the enemy has laid for you and your family!
2. Call to Action: Those who desire this – that is to see into the spiritual world – please stand and I will ask God to do for you what Elisha prayed to God and He answered his prayer and did this for his servant!
a. Pray!
b. Ask – if you see things you have never seen before please email me – or tell me at the end of the service!
b. I ask you not to fear but to have faith in Jesus to bring the breakthrough. The battle is real – the war is raging! But he has the power and the authority to help us win every battle in life!
ii. I know some people still refuse to believe in the invisible world – I get it!
1. This is nothing new by the way - In the past, prior to the invention of the microscope in the 1800’s people did not believe in germs because they were invisible to the naked eye.
2. The following article is from: Life before we knew about germs … | Sovereign Hill Education Blog (sovereignhilledblog.com)
a. What is Miasma Theory?
i. Miasma = from the Ancient Greek word for ‘pollution’. For thousands of years, people (and their doctors) in many places around the world believed that diseases, especially epidemics (like the Black Plague), were caused by ‘bad air’ which was commonly called miasma in English-speaking countries. It was thought that breathing-in or being too physically close to bad air from rotting organic matter (like a compost heap or pile of dog poo) could cause the four liquids found in your body (blood, phlegm [like snot], yellow bile, and black bile) to get out of balance. People believed that the weather and seasons could also affect these liquids and cause sickness (click here to learn more about a related idea called Humorism). Miasma was thought to cause all kinds of diseases, from diarrhea to chicken pox, from the flu to obesity! A representation by Robert Seymour of the cholera epidemic of the 19th century depicts the spread of the disease in the form of deadly air (miasma). Staying away from rotting and smelly things is smart because they can cause disease, so those miasma believers were on the right track, but it’s not the smell of these things that actually makes people sick. In the past, when doctors treated sick people based on this theory, treatments often involved draining some of their blood. We now know that such treatments could be more dangerous than the sicknesses they were treating – for example, in 1799 it is likely that George Washington was accidentally bled to death by his doctor while being treated for a throat infection!
ii. What is Germ Theory? Germ = Late Middle English word (from an Old French word, originally from Latin) germen, which means ‘seed, sprout’. While the compound microscope (from the Ancient Greek for ‘small’ [mikros] and ‘to see’ [skopein]) was invented in the 1600s, it wasn’t until the 1800s that people realized they could see (through Lister’s improved microscope design) that germs – also known as microorganisms – existed, and could cause disease in people, animals and plants. A number of people had already tried to replace Miasma Theory with Germ Theory, but it took the work of scientists like Louis Pasteur and John Snow in the 1850s to popularize the idea that germs caused most diseases. Support for Miasma Theory didn’t completely disappear until the 1880s because, like any new scientific idea, it took a while to catch on. And unsurprisingly, people found it hard to believe in something they couldn’t see, until technology came along to help them see it! The first doctor on record (named Ignaz Semmelweis) to suggest that doctors should wash their hands between patients to avoid spreading disease was completely ignored by other doctors … He eventually died in a lunatic asylum from a disease he could have avoided if only his doctor had washed his hands!! There are many scientific ideas throughout history which people laughed at, or ignored, which turned out to be true. So is the case with the spiritual dimension of this life and world.
iii. The Bible makes it clear there is a spiritual realm where there exists a Devil – His fallen angels- demons – Jesus, The Holy Spirit and God the Father and His Angels!
1. Quote: C.S. Lewis stated this about the Invisible World “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall into about devils. One is to believe in their existence. The other to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.”
2. There is an invisible world around you – like bacteria, viruses, a thing called Carbon Monoxide – you cannot smell – or see it but it will kill you if you are exposed to it!
3. Quote: Francis Shaffer – there is an invisible non-material world and a connection or an arch to the visible world. In the invisible reality – there is a cosmic conflict – It affects the visible world.
T.S.- There is an invisible world that exist according to the Bible and within that world or reality is a cosmic battle which is raging.
II. We are in an Invisible War - a spiritual war!
a. Story 2 from Daniel 10: Daniel Is Terrified by a Vision
i. 1In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar; and the message was true and one of great conflict, but he understood the message and had an understanding of the vision. 2In those days, I, Daniel, had been mourning for three entire weeks. 3I did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use any ointment at all until the entire three weeks were completed. 4On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, while I was by the bank of the great river, that is, the Tigris, 5I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a certain man dressed in linen, whose waist was girded with a belt of pure gold of Uphaz. 6His body also was like beryl, his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a tumult. 7Now I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, while the men who were with me did not see the vision; nevertheless, a great dread fell on them, and they ran away to hide themselves. 8So I was left alone and saw this great vision; yet no strength was left in me, for my natural color turned to a deathly pallor, and I retained no strength. 9But I heard the sound of his words; and as soon as I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground. (Daniel Comforted) 10Then behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11He said to me, “O Daniel, man of high esteem, understand the words that I am about to tell you and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. 12Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. 13“But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. 14“Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet future.” 15When he had spoken to me according to these words, I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless. 16And behold, one who resembled a human being was touching my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke and said to him who was standing before me, “O my lord, as a result of the vision anguish has come upon me, and I have retained no strength. 17“For how can such a servant of my lord talk with such as my lord? As for me, there remains just now no strength in me, nor has any breath been left in me.” 18Then this one with human appearance touched me again and strengthened me. 19He said, “O man of high esteem, do not be afraid. Peace be with you; take courage and be courageous!” Now as soon as he spoke to me, I received strength and said, “May my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” 20Then he said, “Do you understand why I came to you? But I shall now return to fight against the prince of Persia; so I am going forth, and behold, the prince of Greece is about to come. 21“However, I will tell you what is inscribed in the writing of truth. Yet there is no one who stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael, your prince.
a. Daniel is enlightened to pray and fast for a breakthrough! He is reminded there is cosmic war raging in the spiritual unseen realm
b. An angel appears to him – Is it an angel or Jesus? https://oncedelivered.net/2023/01/31/daniel-10-who-is-the-man-dressed-in-linen/: Has this explanation:
i. So, who is this man? Perhaps it’s the angel Gabriel, who has appeared to Daniel on two previous occasions (8:16; 9:21). But more likely, this “man dressed in linen” is none other than God himself in the person of the divine Messiah. His appearance here resembles the theophany presented in Ezekiel 1:26-28 and even more closely parallels the apostle John’s portrait of Christ in Revelation 1:12-16:
1. Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me. When I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was one like the Son of Man, dressed in a robe and with a golden sash wrapped around his chest. The hair of his head was white as wool — white as snow — and his eyes like a fiery flame. His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace, and his voice like the sound of cascading waters. He had seven stars in his right hand; a sharp double-edged sword came from his mouth, and his face was shining like the sun at full strength.
ii. The challenge to the view that Daniel’s vision is a Christophany comes in the rest of Daniel 10, starting with verses 10-14, in which a figure who touches and speaks to Daniel clearly is depicted as inferior to God. For example, the figure requires Michael’s help to fight through opposing angelic forces (10:13). However, if we consider the context of the entire vision (Dan. 10-12), we see that the “man dressed in linen” and the interpreting angel introduced in Dan. 10:10 are distinct personalities.
c. God answers Daniel with this vision and divine encounter, but they note there is a battle which lasts for days in this spiritual realm – but then there is breakthrough to Daniel.
b. 2 Cor 10:3-5: we must war with spiritual weapons and the best two are prayer and the Word of God!
i. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.” 2 Corinthians? ?10?:?3?-?6? ?NASB1995?? ????????????????????????
c. 2 Cor. 4:4: The war rages over the message of the Gospel! Of the truth that God came in the flesh to save us from sin!
i. “In whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians? ?4?:?4? ?NASB1995????????????????????
T.S.- There is an invisible world that exists within and attached to our world and within this invisible reality is raging a cosmic battle over the souls and lives of mankind. We are told in Scripture to not underestimate the power of our adversary or foe.
III. We have a foe who is invisible for the most part and he is formidable!
a. 1 Peter 5:8: “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter? ?5?:?8? ?NASB1995????????????????????
i. We need to have a connection to the Holy Spirit – a strong and balanced one – we need to be on the alert because our adversary is stocking around looking to destroy Christians!
ii. The devil is like a roaring lion stocking like a lion looking for those not on their guard so he can devour them and their family.
b. Page 20 Chip Ingram book “Invisible War” : Tells us we must know who our adversary is – His names in the Bible reveal him to us!
i. Illustration: Story of Patton and Rommel in Africa when Patton defeated Rommel!
ii. Satan’s names reveal his tactics.
1. Satan (adversary): Job 1:6–7; 1 Thessalonians 2:18.
a. To anyone aligning with Jesus.
2. Devil (slanderer): 1 Peter 5:8.
a. He will slander every Christian he can – with lies – with words and internal attacks – 95% of the battle in the invisible world is fought on the inside of us in the spirit realm and in the thought realm.
3. Lucifer (son of the morning): Isaiah 14:12.
a. He was called to protect the glory of God but turned on God and now seeks to destroy or discredit the glory of God.
4. Beelzebub (lord of the flies): Matthew 12:24.
5. Belial (a false god): 2 Corinthians 6:15.
6. Evil one: 1 John 5:19.
7. Tempter: 1 Thessalonians 3:5.
8. Prince of this world: John 12:31 (NIV).
9. Accuser of the brethren: Revelation 12:10.
iii. Representations include:
1. Serpent: Genesis 3.
2. Dragon: Revelation 12.
3. Angel of light: 2 Corinthians 11:14.
iv. Satan attacks God’s program, the church, by:
1. False philosophies: Colossians 2:8.
2. False religions: 1 Corinthians 10:20.
3. False ministers: 2 Corinthians 11:14–15.
4. False doctrine: 1 John 2:18.
5. False disciples: Matthew 13:24–30.
6. False morals: 2 Thessalonians 2:7–12.
v. Satan attacks God’s people by:
1. Directing governments: Daniel 10:13.
2. Deceiving people: 2 Corinthians 4:4.
3. Destroying lives: Hebrews 2:14.
4. Persecuting the saints: Revelation 2:10.
5. Preventing service: 1 Thessalonians 2:18.
6. Promoting schisms: 2 Corinthians 2:10–11.
7. Planting doubt: Genesis 3:1–5.
8. Producing sects and cults: 1 Timothy 4:1.
9. Provoking sin:
a. Anger: Ephesians 4:26–27.
b. Pride: 1 Timothy 3:6.
c. Worry: Matthew 13:22.
d. Self-reliance: 1 Chronicles 21:1.
e. Discouragement: 1 Peter 5:6–8.
f. Worldliness: 1 John 2:16.
g. Lying: Acts 5:3.
h. Immorality: 1 Corinthians 5:1–2.
vi. There is an enemy who wants to make you impotent for the Kingdom, terrorize your soul, scare you into the corner, steal your kid's and grandkids God given identity and destiny! There is a demonic fallen angel who wants to steal away your identity and God given authority.
vii. He will distort the truth – spin the lies – attack and attack to beat you down and to quit the battle. He will tempt you – then shame you – he will belittle you to depress you – he will distract you and leave you feeling defeated. He will tell you stay out of the battle – You are not worthy – you have no authority or power in this battle!
T.S.- We need to know who we are doing battle with to recognize his tactics and schemes and then pray against them attaching ourselves to the Spirit of God. Seeing what he is doing so we can defeat him and stop him in his tracks.
IV. We must respect our foe but not fear him.
a. He can be resisted by the Christian according to James 4:7
b. God places limitations on Him according to Job1:12
c. We need to - Fear him Not:
i. Isaiah 41:10 - “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
ii. 2 Timothy 1:7 - “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
iii. 1 John 4:18 - “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”
iv. Psalm 34:4 - “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.”
T.S.- We must respect our enemy but not be afraid of him – because we are on the side of the victor Jesus who has already defeated him! Jesus won the war at the cross and established His reign and His literal realm is coming and Satan is still trying to stop the manifestation of the realm of the Kingdom of Heaven.
V. We do not fight for victory – Jesus already won it - but we fight for people’s souls, our family and for the Kingdom of Heaven.
a. 1 John 4:4: “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”
b. 1 John 5:4–5: “Whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
c. Revelation 12:11: “They overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.”
d. James 4:7: “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
Conclusion: What You Need to Remember (From Chip Ingrams book “The Invisible War”)
1. Satan is a defeated foe. “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out” (John 12:31).
2. Jesus destroyed the works of the devil. “[Jesus] canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him” (Col. 2:14–15).
3. We are victors in Christ. “‘O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:55–57).
4. We have the power and resources to resist Satan and demonic attacks. “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
5. We must learn how to put on the full armor of God to experience in daily living the victory we already possess. “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:13–17).
Read Ephesians 6:10-20 and put on the armor!
The Armor of God
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
11Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
14Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,
19and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,
20for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
