We are currently in a message series on Spiritual Warfare. When we talk about spiritual warfare, we may think about our decadent society. Or we may think about people whose lifestyles are sinful and rebellious toward God. We learned last Sunday that are struggle is not against people, but against evil spiritual forces.
Ephesians 6:12 (NIV2011) 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 of evil in the heavenly realms.
So, it is these evil spiritual forces that are leading our nation and its people astray from God. We battle theses forces with prayer and the truth of God’s Word. Yet, oftentimes we see the battle of spiritual warfare as external, when in reality, each of us fights battles within ourselves. That’s what we’re going to talk about today.
My message is entitled “The War Within.” Each of us engages in spiritual warfare within our own minds and hearts.
James 1:14-15 (NIV2011) but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
So James describes the battle as being tempted by our own evil desires. When we give in to that desire, we sin. If a person does not repent and keeps on sinning, the end result will be eternal death. Of course, the devil has a hand in the temptation and enticing those evil desires. Yet, we must learn how to win the war within. Whether we win or lose the war within will not only impact our own lives, it will impact our relationships, our families, our church and our city.
We win the battle by aligning our choice with God’s will. We lose the battle by aligning our choice with the devil’s will. Those two are always diametrically opposed. As we repeatedly win the war within, we will be positioned to win battles without and be bold witnesses for Jesus Christ is our decadent society. If we repeatedly lose the war within, we will not alone lose God’s blessing in our personal lives, we will actually be leading others away from God rather than toward God.
Those who are winning the war within will not blend in with the world, they will stand out as light stands out in the darkness. Those who blend in with the world, are those who are losing the war within and having no impact for God in the world. If you’re winning the war within, everyone who knows you at all should know that you are very different and that you are a radical follower of Jesus Christ. So, today, we’re going to learn more about the winning the war within.
Message Audio, Outline & Study Guide
Spiritual Warfare Message Series
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