Greg Laurie and Harvest Ministries recommend a great new children's book by Sally Lloyd-Jones called Jesus Our True Friend. You have kids and they need to hear the story of Jesus. And I bet you struggle at times trying to read Bible stories to your children. This is a great tool, so order your copy of Jesus Our True Friend Stories to Fill Your Heart with Joy, written by Sally Lloyd-Jones. Yours for a gift of any amount at harvest.org.
Anyone who chooses to follow Jesus Christ will face severe opposition from the enemy. Today, Pastor Greg Laurie explains the pressure we so often feel as we walk with Christ. It comes from our adversary. The moment you became a Christian, you entered into a spiritual conflict. The devil effectively declared war on you.
It's been said conversion has made our hearts a battlefield.
So you got to learn how to fight. Day when the lost are found. This is the day for a new beginning. Amazing grace now sweet the sound. But can you hear the relations of singing?
This is the day, the day when I begin. The old evangelist Billy Sunday said, Temptation is the devil looking through the keyhole. Yielding is opening the door and inviting him in. How many of us have our fingerprints on the doorknob and wonder why we fell to the devil's lures? Today on a new beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie brings us good insight on the spiritual environment we're living in.
It's a look at the spiritual battle being waged all around us, whether we realize it or not. and how we're all combatants in the fight. This is the day, the day when life begins Have you ever Just been walking with the Lord. Doing all the things you think a Christian ought to do, when all of a sudden you're just barraged. with spiritual attack.
You're getting hit with doubts, you're getting hit with temptations, you're getting hit with all kinds of other problems, and you're wondering what horrible sin have I committed to bring this upon myself, right? What have I done to deserve such a fate? What's wrong here? Why is God letting this happen to me? How many of you have ever had that happen?
Raise your hand, right? Pretty much everybody. Here's something to consider. It may not be happening because you're doing something wrong, it may be happening because you're doing something right. And you are a threat to the devil.
So, this is something we need to be aware of. Listen, like it or not. The moment you became a Christian, you entered into a spiritual conflict. The devil effectively declared war on you. It's been said conversion has made our hearts a battlefield.
Anyone who Who chooses to follow Jesus Christ will face severe opposition from the enemy. And you have a choice in this spiritual battle. You can win or you can lose. You can gain ground or you can lose ground. But you can't just say, look, dude, I'm like a spiritual pacifist.
Okay. Oh, you're gonna go down, buddy. You're going down.
So you've got to learn how to fight. And you have to learn how to use the weaponry that God has given to you. By the way, the Bible frequently uses the images of war and conflict. to depict the Christian life. Paul exhorted Timothy in 2 Timothy 3 to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
He also wrote, I fought the good fight. The Christian life is not a playground, it's a battleground. But here's the good news. We can win in this war. And here's some more good news: we are going to win in the end.
So if you feel like you're being a little overwhelmed right now, Just understand that God is with you. And he has told you how to win in this spiritual battle. You know, Jesus said the gates of hell. would not prevail against the church. Ever heard that statement before?
Now, what does that mean? We say it all the time. You know, the gates of hell will not prevail against the church. What do you think that means? I have no idea, but I like the way it sounds, right?
What does it mean when it says the gates of hell will not prevail against the church? We have to go back to ancient times. And the way they conducted warfare. And we know that a common military tactic used by armies in that day was to break down the gate of the enemy's fortress with a battering ram, right? You've seen it in a lot of movies.
So the battering ram, sometimes it's on fire, it hits the wooden gate, and the gate catches on fire, and the soldiers rush in and defeat the occupants of the fortress.
So the idea is the gates will not prevail against the battering ram.
So the idea here is: as we are moving forward as Christians, as we are gaining ground, not just holding ground and hopefully not losing ground, as we're advancing into enemy territory, if you will, with the message of the gospel, we are going to ultimately win the battle. The gates of hell will not prevail against us or be able to stop us.
So, Here we are now looking at what this battle is going to look like for us. It's important we understand it because to be forewarned is to be forearmed. Let me say that again. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.
So let's find out about this war we're in. Let's all look at Ephesians 6. Verse 10. Finally, my brothers, I'm reading from the New King James Version. Be strong in the Lord.
and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles. That's an old-timey word that means strategies and deceits. Stand against the strategies and deceits or wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness, and the heavenly places are just the supernatural world.
Is talking about the rankings of demon powers that are out there. Just like in the military, we have rankings. We have generals and corporals and lieutenants and sergeants and buck privates and all that.
Well, in the supernatural world, there are rankings of fallen angels as well as rankings of holy angels. Anyway, so we're fighting against these hosts in the supernatural realm. Therefore, remember, whenever you see the word therefore, find out what it's there for.
So in light of this, Or therefore, Take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, having done all to stand.
So if you're taking notes, here's point number one. Recognize this is a spiritual battle and it must be fought with spiritual weapons. Let me say that again. Recognize this is a spiritual battle. And it must be fought with spiritual weapons.
You fight fire with fire. And there's some key ways to overcome the devil and his demons because God has not left us in the dark here. And he tells us, verse 11: put on the full armor of God. And that phrase, put on, carries the idea of once and for all. Do it once and for all or do it permanently.
The full armor of God. is not to be put on and taken off. You need to keep it on. Because we're going to be in the battle till the final day. The spiritual battle ends when we get to heaven.
Not before.
So we keep the armor of God on. And why? Number two. Because Satan is a super being. And he's more than I can ever handle.
Satan is a superbean, he's a powerful fallen angel. I'm no match for him, nor are you. Verse 11, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. See, my objective is to stay as far away from the devil as I possibly can. Not to skate as close to what he's offering as I possibly can.
Can. The Bible tells a story in the book of Acts about some guys called the sons of Skiva. who are identified as exorcists. And they were trying to cast a demon out. By the way, the Bible never validates exorcists.
It validates casting demons out of people. but there's no real biblical office of being an exorcist. And so, if someone says, I'm an exorcist, my gift is casting demons out.
Sorry, I don't find that in the Bible. I do find demons being cast out, but not a person with the specific gifting of exorcists. These guys were called an exorcist or exorcist rather. And so they tried to cast the demon out. And they said to this demon-possessed guy.
Come out of this person in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches. Because they'd seen Paul do it, so they thought they could do it like it's some magic formula. And the demon in the guise says, Listen, I know Jesus and I know Paul, but I don't know you. And then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence, they fled from the house naked and battered. That's what happens when you try to take the devil on in your own strength.
So don't go there.
Well, I come to you in the name of Jesus and Paul. No, you better just stand in the Lord only. And not go where you shouldn't be. And this is a picture of us trying to overcome Satan in our own strength. You know, when there's a situation and an officer is called.
An officer arrives and called for backup. Call for backup. And we need to do the same. When we're in spiritual battle, we need to call for backup, and that backup is the Lord Himself. Um Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment.
Emails, phone calls, and social media messages from listeners are so encouraging to us and they let us know the effectiveness of these studies. Pastor Greg. I was involved in New Age spirituality when I watched the Jesus Revolution movie. It was partially because of your story that I felt safe to start exploring a relationship with Jesus. I ended up praying a prayer to accept Jesus and now I feel like a new person.
My husband and 14 year old daughter are also attending church with me and reading the Bible. We are so grateful. Thanks again. Has Pastor Greg heard from you? Why not drop him an email and share your story?
Send it to Greg at harvest.org. Again, that's Greg at harvest.org.
Well, currently here on a new beginning, Pastor Greg is presenting his series of most requested messages. and today he is giving us some powerful principles for spiritual battle. Let's continue. Number three, to win in the spiritual battle, I must stand in God's strength, not my own. To win in the spiritual battle, I must stand in God's strength, not my own.
Verse 10. Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord. And in the power of his might. Or literally, strengthen yourself in the Lord. See What the devil wants to do is get you as far from God as he possibly can.
Sort of like our phones. You know, they keep coming out with new versions of every phone out there, every new iPhone, every new Android phone. And they'd have all these features they add. All I really want Is a phone that has enough battery life to get me through the day. Really, that's what I want.
How about you? I don't care about all this other stuff. I don't care what color it is. And I don't care about these extra feet. Just get me through the day because you watch that battery drain and get lower and lower.
So you're constantly plugging in, recharging, plugging in, recharging.
Okay, the idea is you want to stay permanently plugged in to Christ. And the devil doesn't want you to be plugged into Christ. He wants you disconnected.
So here's what you need to do: start the day with the Lord. When you get up in the morning, don't start the day with social media. Don't start the day checking your emails. Start the day with the word of God and with prayer, and that will equip you to deal with all that stuff that's going to come your way. In your emails and in your texts, and from other places.
So, you need to get your day started in the right way. The devil doesn't want you to do that. He wants you to do anything but that. But that's where we need to start. Stand on the Lord and on the power of His might.
Again, I want to keep as much distance. between the devil and myself is possible. It comes down to this. Flee temptation. and don't leave a forwarding address.
Run from it. And so some of you are thinking, well, this kind of sounds scary, Greg. You're kind of scaring me tonight. I don't want to hear this. Don't you have a message about puppies and flowers?
Yeah, that's coming later. I'll get to that. No, I really do. I know it's scary, but let's just remember one simple statement. Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.
God is more powerful than the devil and all the demons.
So that's why I stand on the Lord and in the power of his might, and I don't stand in Greg and the power of my might. Because I can collapse quickly, just like you.
Now, Paul breaks down the various pieces of armor. Look at verse 14. Stand, therefore, others, therefore, again, so in light of this. Stand, therefore, having girded your waist with truth. Having put on the breastplate of righteousness, having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, and above all, taking the shield of faith.
with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
So six pieces of armor are mentioned. Six pieces. The first three. The belt. the breastplate and the shoes were attached to the body.
never to be removed. The second three: the shield, the helmet. and the sword were for specific purposes and methods of attack.
So it starts by saying, gird your waist with truth. Let me just use a more modern. Translation, put on the utility belt of truth. You know how Batman has his utility belt, right? All the cool little things, little bat thing he throws at people.
That's how they know it's Batman, right? That little thingy throws, but think about a police officer. They put on that belt on the outside of their uniform, they call it a sambrown. And on the Sam Brown, they have a holster for their gun, a place for their cuffs. A place for an asp, possibly, which is a little baton thing they pull out and use.
They might have other little items. They have a little thing to hold, a donut. No, they don't.
So they have the utility belt. They put it on. And all their stuff, their flashlight, all the things they carry is on that belt.
So we put on the utility belt of truth. The Roman soldier had a belt, and on his belt, He had a sheath, which was for the sword, obviously. And also the breastplate was attached to the belt. And the belt also pulled his, well, it pulled his little skirt up, okay? Because he wore a toga.
A toga is basically just like a skirt. And so it'd be down over his knees.
So when he's going into battle, he pulls it up above his knees and he cinches in the belt so it stays above the knees, giving him freedom of movement.
Now he pulls his sword out. You gotta have the belt on because if someone pulls your belt off, off comes your breastplate, there goes your sword, and your dress just fell to the ground. You're looking stupid, right?
So what does this even mean? Put on the The belt of truth. Basically, it's just saying bottom line. If you're not walking truthfully before God, none of the rest of this really matters. You know, if you're living a hypocritical life, If you're saying one thing and doing another, then this is not going to work for you.
So you start with a truthful, right relationship with God. Then you have the breastplate of righteousness. What does that mean? The breastplate of righteousness.
Well, it's certainly not the breastplate of self-righteousness. Because I won't do anything for you. It's a breastplate of God's righteousness. It's not even the breastplate of your personal righteous living. What it is, is a representation of your stand before God.
We talked about how we are justified. Which means when you become a Christian, God forgive you of all of your sin, and then He puts the righteousness of Christ into your spiritual bank account, so to speak, and you stand positionally right before God. I am a righteous man. You might say, Well, Greg, I saw you drive in here. I don't know about that.
Free. I didn't say I always do righteous things. But positionally before God, I am a righteous man. You're a righteous man. You're a righteous woman.
So I stand in this special relationship with the Lord. And I bring this up because one of the devil's primary tactics is accusation. You know, he comes up to you, he tempts you. To think an impure thought, and then you sort of take it for a test drive, and he attacks you. What a hypocrite you are.
You're not even a Christian. You don't believe in Jesus. Boom! You know, blows against the breastplate. But this is righteousness where I'm not standing in my good works.
Or, what I've done for God, I'm standing in what God has done for me. Very important. Number three. We are to have our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. This is the footwear of the soldier.
It gave him firm-footedness, and mobility on the field of battle. If a Roman soldier wanted to be effective in battle, he had to take care of his feet. One of the common tactics of the enemy of that day would be to take sticks that were sharpened and embed them in the soil.
So, as the Roman soldiers are advancing into battle, they step on one of those sharpened sticks that goes to their foot, they're out of commission. They're not going to march one step further.
So, you want shoes that support you properly. I was having some sort of a thing where my shins were like kind of aching, and I had these Nike airs, and I kept thinking that was a solution.
So, I went to some store that sells athletic shoes, and they got me in a treadmill, and they said, You know, we know what your problem is. You're pronating. That offended me. I slapped the guy. Then he explained what it meant.
I apologize quickly. No, I didn't flatten. Pronating, which basically means that my foot sort of rolls. And so he said, You need more support. You don't need airs like Nike airs.
You need a firmer sole.
So I got sole shoes with firmer soles for when I run, which is never, but still. I have them now.
So, what does it mean to have your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace? It speaks of standing firm and gaining ground.
So when the enemy attacks, I don't back down or just hold my ground. I try to advance.
So let's put it all together. The belt of truth speaks of purity. The breastplate of righteousness speaks of integrity. Putting on your gospel shoes or you're having your feet shod of the preparation of the gospel and peace speaks of mobility. And how do I gain ground?
Very simple answer: by proclaiming the gospel. That's how we advance in the spiritual battle. Romans 10, 14 says, how can they call on him? unless they believe in him. How can they believe in him unless they've heard about him?
And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them unless they're sent? And that is why the scripture said, how beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news.
So look at your feet for a moment. Look at them. Those feet can be beautiful feet. Right? If You let those feet carry you forward with the message of the gospel.
Um Pastor Greg Laurie with important insight today on spiritual warfare. explaining that God hasn't left us unequipped and unprepared for that battle. And there's more to come here on a new beginning, as his message how to fight the spiritual battle continues. But as we talk about the message of the gospel, do you know what the gospel message is? Have you responded and actually accepted the Lord's free gift of eternal life?
Well, Pastor Gregg, if somebody has never thought about these things, What would you say to them?
Well, they just need to hear more. They need to hear what the essential gospel message is. And I've got a great resource for you. We've set up a webpage that's called knowgod.org, k-n-o-w-g-o-d.org. You go there.
I have a video presentation of how you accept Christ, lead you in a prayer, and then it links to other spiritual resources that will help you grow spiritually.
So just go to knowgod.org. Do it right now. All right. And then let us say a word of thanks to those who support us financially. those who make it possible for us to bring you these studies each day.
We are definitely a listener-supported ministry. It's the generosity of listeners that help us be here with these programs.
So if you've partnered with us, thank you. And if you have yet to partner with us, well, I hope you'll get in touch today and let us know that you're standing with us. Even a small investment would help. It's actually an investment in changing lives. Thank you for partnering with us.
You can donate securely online at harvest.org. or write a new beginning box 4000 Riverside, California, 92514. or call us at 1-800-821-3300. Again, that's 1-800-821-3300. Hey everybody, you can watch our Sunday services on a special broadcast that we call Harvest at Home.
It's streaming on the Harvest Plus platform.
So download that app right away, Harvest Plus, and you can enjoy being a part of our extended church family every Sunday.
Well, next time, Pastor Greg offers more insight on the spiritual warfare we face. and the equipment God has provided to help us fight victoriously. Join us here on A New Beginning with Pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie. This is a day, the day when life begins.
