For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.
2 Corinthians 10:3-4

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 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.
Ephesians. 6:10-12

STANDING FIRM

Base everything below on this truth: We are fighting with God. We are putting on His Armor. Fight, using the steps below, knowing this truth.

1) Keep truth tight w/ you
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist... Eph. 6:14

2) Protect your heart with Christ through deeds of righteousness
...with the breastplate of righteousness in place... Eph. 6:14

3) With readiness and the message of Jesus Christ (Be ready in Christ!)
...with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace... Eph. 6:15

4) With your faith in God protecting you from all the lies of the evil one.

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Eph. 6:16

5) Know how to be saved. If you are saved, remember: you are saved.
...Take the helmet of salvation... Eph. 6:17

6) Read, know and meditate on the Bible, the Word of God.
"Take... the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Eph. 6:17

Lastly, pray.
...And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Eph. 6:18


You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
1 John 4:4


"19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,

20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should." Ephesians 6:19-20

In Christ Jesus we have freedom. Through the Son of God's Life we have freedom. We are free people when we believe Jesus Christ died for us and make Him our LORD and Savior.

Praise God :)
 
 
wk 1: Intro

God, may you bring us out of the deceptions and lies of Satan and into your Truth….

Jesus, speaking of Satan, said “…the devil…was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a falsehood, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar [himself] and the father of lies and of all that is false.” John 8:44 AMP

The New International Version uses the phrase “native tongue” to describe the devil’s lying nature.

The next few weeks we will be talking about the devil’s schemes and tricks I see him currently using in our generation. You might honestly see some of them affecting you…so I would encourage you to read intently and pray for God’s eye-opening and healing for you. Let’s go ahead and jump in!

First off, I think it’s very important to start this series with each of us recognizing the reality of the “devil” and of his nature – so that is what I want to do this week.

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To me, it’s pretty simple to believe Satan is real. Over time Scripture has been tried and tested…and proven true. And personally, in my life, God had spoken to me through Scripture. So when I put 2 and 2 together, I get this: The Bible is God’s Word. God’s Word talks about Satan. Therefore Satan must be real.

And then we can take all the things the Bible says about Satan and begin to understand the nature of this real, supernatural being.

He’s a schemer. I’m a schemer too, but this guy is of a different perspective and league. I say, “I want to trick my friend into thinking I’m dead,” or “I’m going to dress up like a Walmart manager and redo my friend’s Walmart ID so it looks like I’m a regional manager, put on a wig and fake black mustache and go to Walmart and try to trick the managers into thinking I’m superior in authority to them.” (that was a long sentence!)

But Satan’s of a different league. He genuinely wants to trick you. Not for fun, but to hurt. Disrupt. Steal. Kill. Destroy. (John 10:10) Everything that matters to the heart of God, he wants to hurt. So that pretty much sums up all of humanity (John 3:16).

He wants to distract you. So he’ll do everything he can to warp your mindset.

And those are the things we will be talking about and bringing into light beginning next week. 

So, as for right now, I encourage you to read Ephesians 6:10-18 and begin to study this in waiting for next week’s message. This passage will teach you how to fight against Satan's schemes. God loves you and doesn't want you to fall for them...so that's why He put those verses in the Bible. Maybe read a verse a day. IDK, but just trust me: Satan will probably try to stop you from reading this series – so pray for yourselves (as I will be praying for you too) and make a commitment to read each week. Cause I’m darn sure he doesn’t like me spoiling his schemes (I know this, because I sure hate it when people spoil mine!).