Invisible War - Spiritual Warfare 201: How to Prepare Yourself for Spiritual Battle, Part 1

In our last broadcast, we talked about spiritual warfare, the reality of an invisible war that you're involved in. Here's the question. What has God provided to protect you?

If you don't know and haven't learned how to put it on, you are in a vulnerable, dangerous position. Today on Living on the Edge, you'll learn how to be protected from the wiles of the enemy. Stay with me. Welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Living on the Edge is an international discipleship ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Chip Ingram. I'm Dave Drewy, and today Chip continues his series, The Invisible War.

We're talking about Satan and the way he tries to suck you into his schemes. Well, Chip's message in this program is called How to Prepare Yourself for Spiritual Battle. So just before we get started, let me encourage you to try using Chip's message notes while you listen. Chip's notes contain his outline, his scripture references, and much more. They'll help you remember what you hear and maybe even share what you're learning. Chip's message notes are a quick download at livingontheedge.org under the Broadcasts tab.

App listeners, just tap Fill in Notes, and you're set. Well, if you have a Bible handy, open it down to Ephesians Chapter 6, and let's join Chip. It's just exciting, the camaraderie they have and the respect and the bond that they have. I once accidentally said my dad was a former Marine, and a Marine came up to me and said there are no such thing as former Marines, and I have stand corrected. But if you know anything about the South Pacific and World War II, and it'll date some of you, but there was a treaty signed, the bomb was dropped, the war was completely over, but on multiple islands, there was guerrilla warfare. I have a friend, his name is Satoru, his grandfather actually fought for the Japanese, and this is not well known probably for many of us, but during that era, the emperor in Japan was thought to be God. Satoru was a professor there in California, we became good friends, and he said my grandfather was a very, very good man, and from the time he was a little boy, he was taught the emperor was God, and he thought he was fighting for a just cause.

After the treaty was signed, he said the emperor literally went public and just said, I am not God. But you think about the deception. You think about really good people with the right intent trying to be loyal to their country and what they've been taught. And then my father was fighting on those islands, and part of the Japanese culture, especially at the time, was it was far better to die than to go back as a coward.

And so my dad talked about his role as a.50 caliber machine gunner, and they wanted to clean up these islands, and here's what you need to get. The war is over, treaty has been signed, but they're still fighting. Before the treaty is signed, bullets, mortars, and young men die. The treaty is signed, the war is over.

There's guerilla warfare. There's still bullets, there's still mortars firing, and young men are still dying. The war is not in question, but that doesn't mean the battle's over. And what I want you to know is that is your position in Christ. The war is over. Satan was defeated at the cross.

Sin's penalty was paid for for all time since power was broken. Yet Satan and his host of fallen angels engage in guerilla warfare. Now notice the goal to discourage, to deceive, to divide, and destroy God's people and God's program. And what you need to understand is that believers were commanded to equip and prepare ourselves in the strength of the Lord and his mighty power so that we can stand firm against the enemy's schemes, and that in these battles, though the war's not in question, we can repel his multifaceted attacks and engage and defeat in these very specific battles.

Here's what I want you to get. When you study Ephesians chapter 6, Paul is giving an example in his day because he lived in a world where there was Roman soldiers all over the place. There's not some mechanical, I'm going to pray on the helmet, I'm going to pray on this, and I go through some rigmarole. He's talking about how you actually lived the life preparing for a spiritual battle, and he's giving them a picture or a metaphor so it's practical in their day.

The best insight I can give you before we jump in is this. When we look at each piece of the armor, just ask yourself, where does Satan attack, so why this piece of armor? So by way of overview, if there's a belt of truth, deception.

If there's a breastplate, it's about the heart, condemnation. If it's about stability, it's doubts. What the enemy wants to do is he wants to deceive you, he wants you to live under condemnation and guilt, and he wants to cast doubts about you, your worth, your relationship to Christ.

Doubts about God, doubts about God's will. Does that make sense? So I kind of want you to get that overview, so listen in that way. See, you're asking, Lord, what are you saying to me? Where do I wrestle with these issues rather than stuck in the grammar or the picture of a Roman soldier? Because I'm going to go through the grammar, and we're going to get a picture of the Roman soldier. So if you're ready, notice this.

The question is how it works, and here's the answer. First, we must become aware of the battle, aware of the battle. Second, we must learn to appropriate the ongoing protection for daily living.

We have to, how in the world do we put on this armor? Third, we need to learn to engage the enemy with supernatural weapons that God has given us. And then finally, we want to utilize God's means of deliverance when spiritual attack occurs.

So with that, how do you prepare yourself for satanic attack? The answer to that is Ephesians 6 verses 13 through 15. Therefore, since you're strong in the Lord and the strength of his might, since you are to put on the full armor of God, since you are to take your stand in having done everything to stand, therefore take up the full armor of God that you may be able to resist the devil in the evil day. And having done everything to stand firm, stand firm therefore, then notice the tense of these verbs, having girded your loins with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

Verse 13 is a command. I want you to think of a military battle going on, and I want you to think of Jesus not just as the savior and friend and lover of your soul, but like a military commander, and we're in the army of God, and he is saying, okay, you're in a battle. I've defeated the foe, but I urgently command you to pick up your spiritual armor and put it on.

Here's what you need to get. I could go through the grammar, but the issues are this. You're responsible to put your armor on.

God has provided it, but he will not put it on for you. It's an intensive verse where this is provided, this is what God does, but this is what you need to do. It's also a tense that has the idea of urgency.

This isn't a passive, lollygagging, when it feels good. This is get ready, be alert. Then he gives us the reason for the purpose of being fully prepared and able to withstand the grave and difficult, literally the dark times when the enemy attacks. Circle that little word where it says resist the devil and underline the evil day.

That word resist is when there's difficulty, when it's challenging, when it feels almost impossible. You have to stand up, you have to resist, and then it says the evil day. Do you remember when Jesus was tempted, and you know the story, he's tempted in those three ways. It is written, it is written, it is written. Then the text says in Mark chapter four, and he departed from him until a more opportune time.

What I want you to get is that in different seasons and times in your life, you're more vulnerable. Satan is finite. He can only be at one place at one time. He's not all knowing, but he's a student of human behavior. I would like you to just write the word H-A-L-T in your notes.

It's not in there. Halt. I think there's four predictable times in every human being's life when temptation will feel more powerful. And if you're not aware that this is when you're vulnerable, you'll give in. The H stands for when you're hungry. You know, when you're hungry, you haven't had something to eat, and you're vulnerable. Even when you're hungry, notice your temper is a little bit shorter. The A is for when you're angry.

In fact, you might put a little star by this one. The scripture says that be angry, but don't sin. Don't let the sun go down on your anger, lest you give the devil a foothold or an opportunity.

There's probably no more common way that we allow deception and condemnation, the enemy, to get into our lives when we have unresolved anger. The L is for lonely. Maybe you're traveling on a business trip. Maybe you miss kids. Maybe you find yourself surrounded by people, but you feel lonely. When you're lonely, Satan will come up and provide some opportunity for some companionship. It might be on a screen. It might be a person. It might be an activity, but he'll provide something that says, I can solve that loneliness problem. And it might even be a good thing, but it might be a good thing in a bad way or at the bad time. So when you're hungry, when you're angry, when you're lonely, or when you're tired, you're vulnerable. You will do things, say things, watch things, and give in to temptations.

And what he's just warning us is, look, you have this equipment. I want you to pick it up. I want you to get ready. But I want you to know because there are different windows of times and different days. And different seasons of your life. There's different temptations for a single person.

There's different temptations for the early years when there's got all these kids and diapers and there's no time for anything. There's different temptations when it's the empty nest and of course you love one another, but the kids are gone and the focus has been work. And all of a sudden you're with this person that you love very much, but you didn't realize that most of the time you talked about either the kids or work. And you kind of look at each other and go, ooh, we got a gap here.

And if there's unresolved wounds, then it goes to, you know, if you're ever going to find someone new, you better do it pretty quickly because you're not getting any younger. And then the enemy whispers, and pretty soon there's lies. And then you go to the gym and someone talks to you, or you're at work and someone really listens way better than your husband. And you would never ever think of doing anything. I mean, you're active in your church and you love God. You even read the Bible a couple of times a week. And you find yourself thinking thoughts and going down a path, and by the way, and it's almost like, it's like getting in the water and it feels kind of good and you would never intend to do anything.

And have you ever been like either at the ocean and you're out playing or your kids are out playing and then you look up and you're like 300 yards down and you didn't even know it because the current took you? That's how the enemy works. That's what he's warning against. Wake up, be alert. Notice verse 14, after picking up our armor in preparation, we're commanded to consciously and vigorously make a decisive act to stand our ground firmly and fearlessly against the enemy's assaults as he seeks to deceive, accuse, and discourage us. And I'm going to take up the whole armor of God and then don't think so much of staying firm of things coming up against you by yourself. Think of, let's say this line right here is that's the kingdom of darkness and beginning right here, this is the kingdom of light. And you've been born again and you've received the gift of God and the spirit has entered you and you're sealed with the spirit and you have this new inheritance and he's deposited spiritual gifts and he's redeemed you and he's got a plan for your life and a purpose and a meaning and you're part of this whole, he's saying, you have been given all this position.

Now what I want you to do is hang on to what you have. If you would read Ephesians chapters one, two, and three carefully, you would realize you are wanted, you are valuable, you are redeemed, you are a son, you have an inheritance, you have a purpose, you matter. And he says, don't let, I want you to stand firm against the lies that say God doesn't have your best in mind, you'll never get married, unless you have this or that, he wants you to stand firm and hold on to the position, the reality of who you are in Christ. That's why spiritual warfare first and foremost is about understanding this is who I am in Christ, this is my new identity.

Yes, I was dead in my trespasses and sin, I've been born again, the old things pass away, behold, all things become new. And that's what he wants us to hold on to. And so now using the metaphor of this Roman soldier, he's going to give us three pieces of armor that are a prerequisite for standing firm. There's one verb and there's actually four participles but we'll cover three of them. The verb is, and the command is, stand firm. And then the participles are something, the picture is, you've already done this and you need to actively do it. Stand firm, having, and I love this phrase, girded your loins with truth.

Anybody been girding your loins lately? I remember and I'm using this translation on purpose because if you understand the phrase, it really makes a lot of sense. So let me, each time I'm going to give you the metaphor, I'll explain what the metaphor is, then I'll look at the word, explain what the word is, then I'll talk about the actual attack and then we'll talk about how to practically work it out. So if you were a Roman soldier, the belt would be put on here and the rest of the armor connects to the belt. If you were a Roman soldier, you would do a lot of different things but they would have a long robe, they'd travel, they were a fighting machine. And when you were off duty, the belt was loose. If you were on duty and your belt was loose, capital offense. If you fell asleep as a soldier, capital offense.

In other words, there's part of this metaphor that if you were a first century Christian, it would be like, whoa. When he's talking to us like that, this must be a very serious battle. But girding your loins is, you might be off duty and okay guys, get ready, we're going to go into battle. Well, what does a soldier need to do? We need to gird our loins.

I just say that, it just sounds funny, doesn't it? And what they would do then is okay, they're going to tighten their belt and because many parts of the Roman Empire were cold, they had a long robe that they would wear, like a tunic type thing. Girding your loins is, you lift it up and you tuck your belt in. Because now, it's just like when I taught basketball, now you're ready for movement.

Are you ready guys? I want you to tighten the belt and I want you to get ready and how do you tighten your belt as a Christian? Truth. It's about truth. Notice in your notes, the word truth here means candor, sincerity, truthfulness. Now it's rooted in the objective reality of the truth of God's word, but the reference here is to subjective, practical application of truth. He's really talking about, it's just being honest with God. See, the attack is deception. He wants you to believe a lie about God or yourself. And so the very first deception, remember, with Eve. And it's interesting, he mixes truth with lies. In fact, the enemy, he knows the Bible way better than you do.

And so Eve, you know, surely you won't die. That's a flat out lie. No, this is going to make you wise. That was the truth.

Sure did. And so he's going to come with a mixture of truth and a mixture of lies and the goal is to deceive you. And he's the master of shortcuts. He's the master of making shortcuts look good. He's the master of getting you to believe that no one will ever find out or that there's nothing really wrong with this.

The belt of truth is the man or woman whose mind will practice no deceit and no disguises in their walk with God. Let me give you a couple pictures. I have a friend that some of you know and I've had some struggles with my back and, you know, I did all the kind of things you could do and found out during church service, a guy came up and he was kind of the big guy. He looked like he could still play linebacker for Michigan State and that's what he did. And he's a doctor and he's a physiatrist. He's a pain doctor. And he said, you know, I think I could be of some help because, you know, a couple years ago I let it go but, you know, I was the doctor for the 49ers and I was the doctor for the Sharks. I'm thinking, well, those guys have a lot of pain.

This could be really helpful. And so, you know, we kind of became friends and I got this epidural and, you know, he shot stuff in my back and the first time it really worked and really helped. And, you know, you can't have someone sticking needles in your back that if he misses you're like paralyzed without becoming friends. And so, one, he was really good and we got talking and, hey, why don't we have coffee? And at our church, one of the things we do with everyone who comes, we talk about discipleship, becoming a Romans 12 Christian. We have a book called True Spirituality. So every visitor, anyone who comes, we always give them that book to say, you know, it's just a gift but this is the kind of Christians we want to be.

We're very imperfect and we're going to be messed up like you and we all have our struggles but this is the kind of people we want to be. And so I said, hey, Bob, you got that? He goes, no, I don't think you ever pick one up. So I gave that to him and he read some and then we'd have coffee and how are you doing? And so I realized Bob was a cultural Christian. He was smart, wealthy, good looking, lived in a very, very nice part of town and came to church semi-regularly.

Sort of, if you grade it on the curve, a better moral person, much nicer than most people. And yet I sensed, you know, I don't think Bob has a personal relationship with God and so he read that book and then he said, could we get coffee? I said, sure. And so he read about being surrendered to God and separate from the world's values and he said, I read it twice and then I started. He goes, you know, I've never done this before. He goes, could you tell me, this is really a big book, is there a place to start? So I gave him one and, you know, so he starts reading the Bible and so this is now two years, you know, and he'll just say, hey, I'm ready for coffee and he'll name the spot and we'll go there and I just got with him recently and I'll never forget one day.

And this is a good guy. He goes, you know, if anybody would ask me, are you a Christian? I would have said yes.

Are there any big issues in your life? I would have said no. And he had this phrase, I'll never forget it, he goes, you know, there's a really big difference between being a church-going Christian and a word-centered Christian.

I'd never heard anyone use it, a word-centered Christian. I said, well, Bob, what do you mean? This is a really smart, esteemed doctor. I said, well, what do you mean by that? He goes, well, man, I thought I was good. And he goes, man, I look back, I mean, the idols in my life, the idols of success, the idols of money, the idols of do I look good, the idols of what people think, the idols that, I mean, I had a crazy life but I wanted to be the 49ers doctor, you know? And then he says, you know, my family and his guys, what happened to dad? He said, I read the Bible every single day now.

And he goes, every single day? It's just like God actually speaks to me, a regular person. And here's his line, isn't it amazing?

I was absolutely convinced I was okay doing the right thing and following the God that I perceived. And then he, this is a line, I was completely deceived. Wow. And this is a, I mean, this is like a really intelligent person. You see, it's not about how smart we are. It's about really being honest with yourself. I read again a little word from Dallas Willard because I think sometimes when we talk about this, part of our minds can go to, I want to keep the lights on and there's these powers and that's true.

But I think we so miss the way about 90% of all the enemies work. And this one little paragraph, I think Dallas says it. He says, God always looks at the heart for two reasons. First, our heart is the source of our actions in life. Remember Proverbs 4 23, watch over your heart with all diligence.

Why? For from it flow the issues of life. But more important here, second, our thoughts are where Satan implies his trade. He governs through images, through ideas, through feelings and fears. From this complex arena of our minds and our hearts comes most of our actions. So this is the arena where Satan focuses his tasks. It's all so very, very subtle.

It's not like weird things. He says, again, I remind you human beings cannot be forced to do evil, nor can they be forced to do good. They must choose to do evil or good. Well, how do they choose? Listen carefully.

By being persuaded that one course of action is better than the other. So Satan works upon the heart through the mind as he did with Eve and as he still does today. And I just share that because I think it's so important for us to get a sense of the subtlety and where the battle is and not make it about weird creatures or all the scary movies or all the images that come to your mind. And the application here for me is Psalm 139 verses 23 and 24. I would like to say I pray this daily, but I pray the Lord's Prayer or Psalm 23 almost every single morning just as I'm waking up. I just know that the very first thing that I allow to go into my mind and there's something about, you know, and when I prayed the Lord's Prayer because, you know, I knew it growing up. I mean, I could pray the Lord's Prayer in probably under 10 seconds thinking about whether Magic Johnson or Larry Bird was on at 2 o'clock or 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done.

Right? That's not exactly what I think Jesus had in mind. But I do think when you pray, Lord, search my heart.

Psalm 139, 23 and 24, David is a man after God's own heart and what I love about this is that he's a man after God's own heart despite incredible failure. See, we tend to think that God always looks at our history and I think God looks at the intent of our heart. We mess up and when we're humble and genuine and vulnerable and ask for forgiveness, he is a God who loves.

We don't have to twist his arm for him to be merciful. He longs to not give you what you deserve. He longs to give you grace.

He longs to do what is ever necessary to forgive and to restore and to pull his children back close to him. But the prerequisite is that we're honest. See, the spiritual armor is as unfancy as it sounds. The spiritual armor, you know what the belt of truth is? Being honest with God and honest with yourself and honest with others.

It's nothing more, it's nothing less. And so it's knowing, here's the thing, it's so funny when we talk about being deceived. When you're deceived, guess who doesn't know it?

We kind of forget that. I mean, when you're deceived, it's not like, oh wow, I've got to really work on this deception stuff. This deception is really messing with my life.

When you're deceived, you don't have a clue. And so he prays, search me, oh God, and listen to his words, and know my heart. Test me and see if there be any anxious, any division, or any wicked way in me.

And then lead me in the everlasting way. That's the very end of Psalm 139 where he says he knows God has intricately made him. He knows God is before him and behind him. He knows God is aware of all things. There's no playing games with God.

There's no positioning, there's no bargaining. And he just comes really humbly and says, I just want to be real, I just want to be honest, if there is anything that I don't see. In fact, in another Psalm, David, it's interesting, he says, forgive me for these things, and then he says, and forgive me for any presumptuous sin. In other words, I'm sure I've messed up other places that I don't even know about.

Could you forgive me for them as well? And you might jot down Psalm 34, verse 17, and it goes on to verse 18, but this has been such a comfort to me. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and he saves those that are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 145, 18 says, the Lord is near to those who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. For years and years, I felt somehow like when I really did something wrong, and I thought wrong, and I had lust over here, and I did this here, and I lied about that. You know, as a good Christian, of course, that okay, now I've got to sort of, I've got to feel really bad for a while, and I won't read my Bible for a couple days.

And God's going, Chip, do you think any of that surprised me? Just come the millisecond that you get real, the millisecond that you say, oh God, I don't want to be like that. And here's the deal, you own it. You know what the word confession means? It means to acknowledge. It means I gossiped about her. I shaded the truth, and I presented myself like this, and the truth is I was really like that.

I made myself out to be the hero of that story, and that was just all about me. And you know, when you see that, isn't it ugly? But what happens, it's so painful to see, our temptation is to push it down, push it down, push it down. And you know, like a thin little layer, followed by another thin little layer, followed by another thin little layer, pretty soon, your relationship with God, the light, it gets more and more opaque. And then instead of being an authentic, genuine follower, you start faking it.

And you know, if you've been around the game for a while, you know, know a few verses, throw out a praise the Lord here, read the Bible now and then, you've got five or six verses that can keep you going. And you can kind of, right, all the while, while your soul is shrinking. And the enemy, you're neutralized. You're neutralized, and that was the goal. And then you don't feel worthy of praying, right?

Then you don't feel worthy of being used, then you don't feel worthy. So here's the thing, the enemy is so shrewd. He gets you deceived, and then we mess up, and then he condemns you for messing up. But he's the one who tempted you to do the very thing that's wrong. You know, this is, he's got a real business going on.

And it's been very, very effective. So the first step is to be honest. I think this is the most challenging, because it's often painful and it leads to brokenness. But brokenness is where we meet God. It's where you experience his compassion.

By the way, when the spirit, or sometimes, obviously, he uses people. This is a little thing, I put a little asterisk for me, is if I'm deceived, it would be nice if we had like a little light on the dashboard, that when you were being deceived, it would go beep, beep, beep, beep. Were you like when our cars back up? You know, I like these cars now, you know, because I get carried away. I'm thinking about something and put it in reverse, beep, beep, beep, beep. Well, I didn't hit them.

Here's a little beeper for me. Just write the word defensiveness. When someone says something to you, when you're praying and you feel sort of a little barrier come up, when you're defensive, when you have to explain your behavior, when, oh, that's not really true, the moment I'm defensive, it tells me, you know, but Chip, there's probably a little something to this that you need to take a look at. It doesn't mean it's all true, but the moment you find yourself defensive, that's not a, you know the position God is looking for? He's looking for a man or a woman who, remember when Samuel was a little boy and he went to the prophet and he didn't know what was going on?

And the prophet said, I'll tell you what, Samuel, here's what you do. The next time you hear that, you just go back in there and say, speak, Lord, your servant is listening. And God may speak to you through someone you don't like. God may speak through a boss that really is unfair. God may speak through circumstances. But when you start to feel that, I think that's the response. Lord, speak to me.

I want to be open. And then the devil uses a second strategy. You've put on the belt of truth, second, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness. This was made of bronze. If you were a more affluent officer, it was a chain mail. If you've seen one of the gladiator movies, you know the shield, the round shield that they have, that's not the shield. This is a shield that went from the neck down to the knees and had a hook on both sides.

This was the most formidable biting machine on the face of the earth. And so what they would do is they would be in long, long rows, and they would put the shield here, and they had a helmet on, and they would hook up together, and they would just march en masse. And we'll learn about the shield.

It's interesting. The shield was actually made in such a way that when an arrow came in, they left a gap so a fiery arrow could come in, and there would be a gap of air so it would extinguish. And so what he's saying is this breastplate of righteousness that would be in front of them. And then the shield would be the faith that we'll talk about a little bit later. But this breastplate that's underneath all of that, it's the upright living. It's the integrity in one's lifestyle and character. It's conforming our will to God's will. And again, we already are righteous positionally, chapters 1, 2, and 3 of Ephesians, but this is talking about practical righteousness, the application of truth to our lives. And so the darts are going to come in, and we're going to learn about the shield of faith, but he's saying you have to protect your heart.

This is the breastplate. This is what went over your heart. Chip's going to be back with his application, but just a quick reminder, this message, How to Prepare Yourself for Spiritual Battle, is from Chip's series, The Invisible War, what every believer needs to know about Satan, demons, and spiritual warfare. He's using Ephesians chapter 6 to sort out fact from fiction, giving you clear biblical insight on how to think about, prepare for, and engage in spiritual warfare. Evil is present and active all around us, but as believers, number one, we don't have to be afraid, and number two, equipped with the truth of God's word, we can engage like Jesus did, with truth and amazing grace. This series comes in multiple formats, small group video, either DVD or online streaming with the study guide, audio, and the book.

However you like to study, we've got you covered. For all the details, visit us at LivingOnTheEdge.org, tap Special Offers on the app, or give us a call at 888-333-6003. That's 888-333-6003. Well, Chip, you know, as we talk about the invisible war, some people think demons cause anything and everything. That's negative. And then there are others who just completely deny any thought of demonic activity. Now, how do you answer those extremes? Dave, that is such a great question.

As C.S. Lewis rightly pointed out, the two great heirs that the enemy wants us to believe is that he's behind everything or he's not a part of anything. What these spiritual warfare cards do is first, I go through and about five or six cards give you the basic principles of spiritual warfare all through Scripture. Then I go through and through the names of Satan, you can understand what his tactics are. So you can identify, oh, this really is from the enemy.

No, this happened because I made a bad decision, or I sinned, or I just got mad, and that's on me. I think it's important to have a resource where you can discern what's spiritual warfare and what's not. And that's why we've created these cards. We want it to be simple, clear, reviewable, and something that people could do in, you know, three or four minutes before they go to bed each night so they begin to renew their mind and prepare themselves for the battles that we go through day in and day out.

Satan doesn't take vacations. He comes at us in very subtle ways, and the armor of God is really about preparing your mind, your heart, and your soul to be aware and then know how to respond when he comes at us. Well, this brand new set of spiritual warfare Scripture cards is organized in several categories to help you remember the truth about Satan and his tactics, remember your position in Christ, and then know how to use Scripture to battle and win.

Whether they're for you or to give as a gift to help and encourage someone else, I hope you'll pick up a set or two while supplies last. For all the details on our newly revised spiritual warfare Scripture cards, visit us online at livingontheedge.org or tap Special Offers on the app. Well, now here's Chip with his application. So often when we think about Satan and demons, we think of TV shows and things moving and scary feelings. But the fact of the matter is that when Satan is doing his best work, we rarely know it because his number one tactic is deception.

And deception by definition means you don't know or I don't know what's going on. Can I ask you to make a very specific application today? I'd like you to open your Bible, listen carefully to Psalm 139, and I want you to read that one Psalm that when you get to the very end, pray the prayer. Pray the prayer that David prayed, search me, oh God, and know my heart. Test me and see if there'd be any hurtful or wicked way in me. And as we close today, ask yourself, could it be you're deceived about yourself or about the character of God?

Could you be deceived about your work relationship, a marriage relationship? Could it be that you think that things are going in one direction, but God wants to show you there's a blind spot in your life? Today's application is, Lord, show me the truth. He will always respond to this prayer. Today could be a breakthrough day in your life.

Pray the prayer, search me, oh God, and know my heart, and he will answer. As we wrap up today's program, just a quick but important thought. Living on the Edge depends on listeners like you to help us continue broadcasting right here in your area. Would you consider partnering with us on a monthly basis so people around you can benefit from the ministry of CHIP and Living on the Edge? To set up a recurring donation, call us at 888-333-6003, tap the donate button, or go to livingontheedge.org. And let me thank you in advance for doing whatever God leads you to do. Well, for everyone here, this is Dave Drewy saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge. .