Put your game face on, it's time to battle!

For a lot of us 2011 has been a rough season! There have been bad doctor’s reports and financial catastrophes, children and spouses acting out of character.  There has been death, job loss, and even church drama. This has not been an easy time for a lot of people.  But today, we declare that it’s battle time! We are fighting for our lives against an enemy that doesn’t deserve all the power that we give him. God has given us the keys to winning the war; we just have to put them into practice. Today, we declare war on the devil!

Last night, in mid-week service, the Elder reminded us that we need to be on the offensive and not on the defensive with the enemy. We can’t wait for him to attack us, we need to attack him! Are y’all ready? Let’s put our battle clothes on. Ephesians 6: 10 – 18 gives us our armor and our battle plan. I love the King James translation of this because you can really get a picture of how you should be dressed. You can see your breastplate of righteousness and your helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit. Most importantly, the symbolism reminds us that we aren’t fighting against human beings. Verse 12 in the NKJV says “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” We have to recognize that the enemy comes in many forms and he dispatches evil spirits to attach to people and make them act outside of themselves. That’s why we have to learn to attack the spirit and not the person.  And notice all the levels of evil…the devil is bringing his A game...why aren’t we?! We aren’t playing pattycake with the devil, we are fighting!

The Message Bible makes it plain. “And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and He wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and his angels. Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.”

It’s time to take back everything that the devil has stolen from us! You have the sword of the Spirit! When the enemy tells you that you will never have a baby, you declare Deuteronomy 7:14 and say I shall be blessed above all peoples; there will be no male or female barren among us. When your husband is not being the father that he should be, you declare Psalm 78:5-7 and say that God has commanded our fathers to teach the next generation and not forget the works of God. When the doctor says you have cancer, you declare Jeremiah 17:14 and say Heal me, O Lord, and I am healed! Remind that devil that Jesus Christ took 39 stripes for your healing and Isaiah 53:5 says you are healed! When someone you love dies and the enemy tries to convince you to turn from God, you stand strong like Job and say “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” And when your finances are in shambles, you look that devil in the face and declare 2 Corinthians 9:8 and say God is able to make all grace abound toward me! I am a lender and not a borrower! All of my needs are met! My latter shall be greater!

Fight the devil with the Word! There is a solution to every problem or issue in the Bible. When the enemy comes against you, go get your sword and SWING!!! Better yet make sure you have the word buried so deep in your heart that when you just sense the enemy coming, you can go into full battle mode!

Get your battle face on, we are declaring war today! No weapon formed against us shall prosper! We are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus! So…we are going to win the battle if we know what weapons to use! Be blessed today and know that wherever you are today, you have someone in Durham, NC that is on the battlefield with you, fighting for the Lord! To God be the glory! Amen…