September 03, 1997 Joni’s Mkt.

Read your bible Ephes. 6:10-12, 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. The first point we made last week is what? You must recognize that you are in a war. We have never experience real battle. The war here is against satan, the enemy is satan and when it says here our struggle is not against flesh and blood it is always against the devil. The devil uses people. Now I want to make you understand, when it says struggle, for our struggle did you notice the two words our struggle. What does that mean? all of us including Paul, the one who wrote it struggling. Where is the arena of the battle? In our minds, therefor if the arena is in your mind, I want to toss out to you another picture of the devil. Many of us pictures in as yung mga gross sin like I will commit immorality, I will commit murder… but you know. Most of the time the Christians that the devil has, has so lie to them they begin to believe the lies of the devil and they become what we call very complaisant Christians. God never meant us to be complaisant and yet many of us are you know why? The battle is in the mind. We are believing satan’s lie. We are an army the only army in the entire world that shoot itself, that never win the real big battles and that’s why you will notice all around the world the churches all declined. What is his strategy? His strategy is very simple, he wants to lure us to live independent of God from the garden of Eden to the end of time this is his simple strategy, don’t follow God do your own thing, do it your way that’s what sin is. And in Ephesians 6, our intent how do we win this battle? If you understand that the arena of battle is in your head therefor if something does not come from God, where do you think it’s coming from? So the battle, the arena is in our minds. When the bible says the devil has control of this world what do you think the bible is saying? where is the devil control? In the minds therefore when you wake up in the morning the battle begins. Did you notice the words, "Our struggle is… that means it is a continuing thing, it will never stop. Do you think the devil will stop attacking you?. So 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. What do you learn about the devil here in v. 12? Madami tayong kalaban. Our purpose tonight is how do we win this battle? Put on the full armor of God, what is the key to armor, what do we mean by armor? Okay shield, armor means it is for protection. Put on the full protection of God. So that when the day of evil comes you may be able to stand your ground. Did you see this? You put on the full armor of God and who will stand? You, you will take up God’s armor but who will do the fighting? You and me not God. So you must do everything to stand firm, it means you will not disobey the Lord. Have you ever notice what happens when you have anxiety things in your head, when you’re fear, when you’re depressed? Do you normally say thank the Lord when you’re depressed? Or do you complain? You complain against God. Do you understand what the devil has done? Kinakaaway na natin ang Panginoong Diyos, the battle is in your mind if you are anxious, if you’re afraid or whatever is happening in your head who do you go against? You go against God, it’s very rare and that we turn around and say, "Buwisit ka satan get away from me." do we say that? It is so rare that we do that, we attack God, therefor who was won? The devil. Because we don’t understand the battle at all. It’s in our heads, the battle is so closed, it’s in you everyday and until you a handle on this let me tell you, you will walk through life as a defeated Christian, you will never bear fruit. We will go against God. So what should you do? Once you understand that the battle is in me mind, the devil is the enemy, he has trying to get me to say something bad about God, to act independent of God like Adam and Eve, so how can we fight the devil? Strongly suggest to try to out muscle, that is the wrong arena to fight in, relax stand your ground, the first thing it’s telling you take on the full armor it is for protection, instead of trying to out muscle what’s first element? Take the belt of truth. God’s truth - believe it, declare it, and you can obey it. What will happen you will quart the devil. John 8:31-32, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. [32] Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." The question is free from what? Let us analyze that what can we be free from? John 8:34, Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. When you sin you become a slave. Jesus is saying, the truth will set you free, nothing else can set you free, what is the weapon of the devil? Lies, because of lies you will sin. So therefor so that you will not be a slave you should avoid committing sin. The most important function of the holy spirit? Turn your bible John 16:13, "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. The holy spirit is not there to drive the devil away. But we think the holy spirit has a different role, He will guide you into the truth. What His job show it the truth, now how can He show you the truth if your not reading the word, we cannot, the holy spirit will be useless to you. John 17:14-15, I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. [15] My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. What is Jesus praying for? Protection, but what did He give to His apostles so that they would be protected. The word. and so He prayed for protection. How do you fight the devil, how can you work with this truth? Turn to 2 Cor. 10:3-4, For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, [4] for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. What are those? In the NIV they translated as strong hold. What does strong hold mean? what the bible is telling us the bible is in our mind, the devil has strong hold in our mind. What does that mean? what do we demolish? In the NIV it tells we demolish arguments and every pretensions that set itself up against the knowledge of God and we take captive every taught to make it obedient to Christ. We are up against things in our heads, speculations, arguments, basic thought.

Ano ang mga strong hold ni satan? You have very evil thought patterns. Strong hold means these patterns are deeply engrave. What’s happening there is everyday of your life do you know what the devil is doing, he’s trying to draw you away from God, he inculcates thoughts inside your head.

Let’s turn our bible to Matthew 16:15-17

He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" [16] And Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." [17] And Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. In other words pag sinabi mo si Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God hinde po galing sa tao pero yan ang Diyos Ama, that’s a truth. Now as being are now talking about the church jump to v. 21, From that time Jesus Christ began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. [22] And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You." Matthew 16:23

But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's."

In other words Peter had said words against God’s truth and here we want to show you what it means to do battle against the devil. Tonight I want to change the most fundamental value that you have, so you have a chance to beat the devil. The most fundamental value is captured in Peter’s words. Anong ayaw ni Peter mangyari kay Jesus? Ayaw niyang mamatay si Jesus. Our highest value is our life, we will protect our life to the out most but you know man’s life is not the highest value to God. Your comfort is not the highest value, what’s the highest value? God’s glory. Jesus said, "I’m going to suffer, I’m going to die." You know why? Because that’s God’s plan. So every time you make an evaluation, you must now figure out one simple way to figure out where the devil is at and how to combat him you must always remember this verse 1 Cor. 10:31, Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Si Peter who was he thinking of? He was thinking of Jesus as human being, that’s nice but you know that’s not the highest level. Should we care for our physical.. of course we should but we must be very careful, the devil is on the prawn, the value is the highest value is God’s glory. So when you evaluating something, laging ganon ang dapat nating isipin. If I do this, will this glorify God? Is this thought glorifying to God? If I’m anxious or worried is that glorifying to God? of course not, you have a very small God if you are complaining and you’re worried and so forth and so on. Wrong thinking, the devil has a strong hold in you, if you get angry easily, irritated very easily, or you get worried all the time and so forth and so on the devil has strong hold in your head. Get rid of it. Stand by God’s truth, now if don’t know the truth how can you stand, you can’t. Obedience to Christ, God’s word.