The War Is On: Are You Armed & Ready?

THE WAR IS ON: Are You Armed & Ready?

Ephesians 6:10-16

as preached by Minister Joyce R. Scott

@ New Life Church, Franklin, Virginia

3/23/2003

THERE’S TALK ON THE STREETS. TALKS OF WAR. TALKS OF PEACE. TALKS OF PROTESTS. TALKS OF SUPPORT.. PEOPLE ARE GATHERING AND EVERYWHERE THEY GATHER THEY ARE TALKING…. TALKING ABOUT SADDAM HUSSEIN. TALKING ABOUT GEORGE BUSH. TALKING ABOUT BOMBS AND BULLETS, OIL AND GENOCIDE, TERRORISM AND TRUTH. IF YOU TAKE THE TIME TO LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE TALKING THEN YOU CAN END UP REALLY CONFUSED ABOUT WHO AND WHAT IS RIGHT. THERE HAVE BEEN PROTESTS IN THIRTY-EIGHT COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD. LOTS AND LOTS OF PEOPLE CRYING OUT, “SMART BOMBS, DUMB MOVE!” “BOMB TEXAS THEY HAVE OIL,” AND “GRANNIES FOR PEACE.”THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS,…..THERE IS A WAR GOING ON……..AND I CAME TO TELL YOU THIS MORNING, THAT IT DID NOT START IN IRAQ, OR THE UNITED STATES. WE ARE ALREADY IN A WAR! ITS DAILY SPIRITUAL WARFARE! BEFORE GOING INTO BATTLE YOU’VE GOT TO BE PREPARED FOR THIS CONFRONTATIONAL DILEMMA OF WARFARE. WE NEED TO BE READY TO WITH THE 3 P’S: . POWER UP PUT OUR ARMOR ON AND PRAY IT THRU

WHENEVER WE APPROACH THE BATTLEFIELD WE MUST KNOW THAT WAR IS AN IMMINENT POSSIBILITY. WE’VE GOT TO KNOW WHO AND WHAT WE ARE FIGHTING. FOR WE ARE COMING AGAINST THE ADVERSARY HIMSELF!

IN EPEHESIANS 6, THE SCRIPTURE STATES. “FOR OUR STRUGGLE IS NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD, BUT AGAINST THE RULERS , AGAINST THE AUTHORITIES, AGAINST THE POWERS OF THIS DARK WORLD AND AGAINST THE SPIRITUAL FORCES FORCS OF EVIL IN THE HEAVENLY REALM. THERE IS STILL WARRING IN THE HEAVENLIES TODAY! WE’RE ARE IN A WAR! WAR MEANS THAT THERE IS A STATE OF OPEN AND DECLARED ARMED HOSTILITY, OR CONFLICT. THERE IS A STRUGGLE BETWEEN OPPOSING FORCES FOR A PARTICULAR END.

A. THE VERY FIRST WAR WAS STARTED IN HEAVEN. BETWEEN GOD AND SATAN.

B. THE SECOND WAR WAS WAGED IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN. REMEMBER SATAN NEVER GIVES US TIME TO PREPARE EVEN FROM THE BEGINNING OF CREATION:

“REMEMBER IN THE GARDEN (GENESIS 3:1-5) WHEN THE SERPENT (ALIAS SATAN) TOLD EVE TO EAT OF THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT” WHICH GOD HAD INSTRUCTED AGAINST? THE SERPENT SAID TO EVE. “YOU WILL NOT SURELY DIE, FOR GOD KNOWS THAT IN THE DAY YOU EAT OF IT YOUR EYES WILL BE OPENED AND YOU WILL BE LIKE GOD KNOWING GOOD AND EVIL. THE BATTLEFIELD EXPERIENCE FOR EVE HAD ALREADY BEGUN, BECAUSE SATAN HAD ATTACKED HER MIND SET. MAN HAS BEEN AT WAR WITH GOD AND ONE ANOTHER EVER SINCE CREATION (IN THE GARDEN).

SATAN IS GOD’S ENEMY, SO IF WE ARE GOD’S CHILDREN, HE IS OUR ENEMY TOO! IN EPHESIANS 6, THE APOSTLE PAUL WARNS US ABOUT THE ENEMY. THE DEVIL AND HIS DEMONIC FORCES WHO DEVISED PLANS OR SCHEMES TO USE AGAINST US- PARTICULARLY IF WE SEEM TO BE A THREAT TO HIS KINGDOM OF DARKNESS. THE ADVERSARY’S CENTRAL PURPOSE IS TO DETHRONE GOD AND TO TAKE THAT THRONE HIMSELF. BUT,……GLORY BE TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST, GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. SATAN IS A STRATEGIC PLANNER. HE ALWAYS HAS A STRATEGY. HE ISN’T SITTING AROUND HELL THROWING DARTS AT A DARTBOARD TO DETERMINE HIS NEXT MOVE. HE KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTS TO DO AND WHOM HE WANTS TO DO IT TO. SATAN HAS 3 STRATEGIC TACTICS:

1. THE FIRST TACTIC IS INTIMIDATION

A. HIS CHIEF OBJECTIVE IS TO PUT FEAR OR TERROR INTO US. LOOK AT TODAY;..THE TERRORIST BELIEVES THAT HE CAN SCARE US, AND HE CAN DEFEAT US, DISTRACT US AND DENY US.

B. TERROR AND FEAR ARE RIDING BUDDIES, AND THEY ARE AMONGST THE STRONGEST WEAPONS THAT ANY OPPOSING FORCE CAN EMPLOY BECAUSE THEY CAN DEFEAT US BEFORE WE FIRE A SHOT.

C. TERROR AND FEAR ARE WEAPONS OF INTIMIDATION

2. THE 2ND TACTIC IS: MANIPULATION

A. TO MANIPULATE MEANS TO MANAGE PEOPLE OR THEIR CIRCUMSTANCES

B. TO GAIN AN ADVANTAGE OF WHAT IS BEING MANIPULATED IN THE MIND THROUGH THE OFFERING OF LIES AND HALF TRUTHS.

C. ONE OF THE GREAT BATTLEFIELDS IS THE MIND! THERE IS A DELIBERATE ATTEMPT TO MANAGE WHAT PEOPLE THINK! THIS IS CALLED PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE!

THE APOSTLE PAUL SAYS, THE STRONGHOLDS ARE IN THE MIND OF THE BELIEVER, NOT IN THE SPIRIT. STRONGHOLDS ARE WARRING AGAINST ACTION, ARGUMENTS AND ATTITUDES.

3. THIRD TACTIC: IS DOMINATION-

A. WHEN SATAN SCARES US BY TERROR, OR WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE, HE TRIES TO CRUSH US THROUGH AN OVERWHELMING FEAR ,OF CIRCUMSTANCES THAT SEEK TO DOMINATE US. WHENEVER OUR CIRCUMSTANCES SEEM GREATER THAN GOD’S GRACE, WE ARE OPERATING IN THE FLESH ..BECAUSE THE FLESH ATTEMPTS TO IGNORE THE SPIRIT!

AS SPIRITUAL WARRIORS YOU HAVE TO KNOW THE ENEMY’S TACTICS AND METHODS AND TAKE YOUR STAND AGAINST HIM.