Preparing for the Battle

Known for his unique ability to simplify profound truth so that it can be applied to everyday life. Adrian Rogers was one of the most effective preachers, respected Bible teachers, and Christian leaders of our time. Thanks for joining us for this message.

Here's Adrian Rogers. Now we've talked to you about making a wise choice. We told you how Moses chose because he had discerned, and after he discerned, then he refused the things of the devil and chose the things of God. And we talked to you about how to make a wise choice.

And then we talked to you next about how to have a clean thought life, a pure thought life. And God's word is so clear about that. But I want to remind you tonight that the chief pornography is Satan. Satan is a pervert.

And actually he is behind the whole pornographic industry. We're not wrestling against flesh and blood, but we're wrestling against principalities and powers. And we're going to look in the book of Ephesians because that's exactly what the apostle Paul was wrestling against in Ephesus. Now, Ephesus and Corinth were two twin cities. They were the cesspools of the first century. Unspeakable immorality, as we're going to see, took place in Ephesus. As a matter of fact, I have visited the ruins of Ephesus. And I've seen there in the ruins things I would not want to describe.

I would be embarrassed or somewhat embarrassed to walk through the city with other people. It was the slime pit of the first century. And yet God raised up a colony of heaven there, an outpost of the kingdom of God.

And the apostle Paul had some wonderful spirit-filled saints who came to know the Lord Jesus Christ and lived in victory. So don't tell me you can't live in victory today. Friend, if it won't work now, it was no good then and it's no good now. And if it won't work for you, it won't work for anybody.

And if it won't work with your situation, it won't work with any situation. There is victory for you and for me. When we were born again, we were born to win.

Now look again in Ephesians 5, and here's what Paul says, be therefore followers of God as dear children and walk in love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling Savior. Now you say, look, walk in love. God loved you so much. The worst thing about pornography is that it wars on love. It is against love. It is the opposite of love. It is devastating to love. It is debilitating and destroying to love. Love and lust are direct opposites. A person who is into pornography has decimated his ability to love God, to love others, to love his wife, to love his children, to love one's parents.

Pornography erodes love. So notice what he says here in verses 1 and 2, walk in love. And then notice in verse 3, watch, but, that is in contradistinction, but fornication and all uncleanness are covetousness. And covetousness, you say, what does that have to do in this list of things?

We're not to covet another man's wife, another person's physical attractiveness or covetousness. Let it not once be named among you as become of saints, neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient, but rather giving of things. For this you know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words, because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

Now, if this is your lifestyle, you're either terribly backslidden or altogether lost. Then skip down to verse 11, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. And notice what Paul says in verse 12, for it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret, a shame even to talk about them. I made up my mind when I prepared this series of messages that I would not try to describe pornography to you. I made up my mind that I, in preparing this series of messages, would not look at any pornography, and I don't ever intend to.

There's no need to do it. Paul says it's a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. And I am going to do what Paul did, however, and I'm going to warn you. Now, in chapter 6, Paul is talking about the family, because pornography was against love. It is against the family, and the family is where it's at. The family is the only part of the Garden of Eden that we have left. I would not take anything for the ability to love and to have a family where I can love and be loved.

Satan wants to war against the family. Now, I talked to you about how to have a pure mind. That's wonderful. I talked to you about how to make the right kinds of decisions.

That's fine. But unless you learn something about spiritual warfare, you're still going to lose the battle in pornography. Beginning in verse 10. Finally, my brethren, 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 of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore, take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand, stand therefore. Having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, above all taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye should be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. Now, there is a guerrilla war that Satan is waging against us.

One of his chief tools, not his only tool, but one of his chief tools is pornography. And what we need to do is to counterattack under our commander in chief, who is the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a battle between light and darkness, good and evil, heaven and hell, Satan and the Savior.

And in a way, we're sort of pawns in a game of cosmic chess. I just want to call you to battle. Call you to battle for your family. I'm willing to battle for my family, and I will. I'm willing to battle for my grandchildren.

You dads, I want you to guard your heart and protect your home. Now, number one, I want you to notice what I'm going to call the Christian and his adversary. The Christian and his adversary, we must know our enemy. Our enemy is Satan.

Let me give you some facts about him. Number one, he is a decided fact, F-A-C-T. Notice in verse 11, put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Now, never underestimate Satan.

Never count him out. Never say that he doesn't exist or perhaps he's just a figment of imagination or a metaphor or a figure of speech. Satan has always wanted to pull the veil of darkness over his kingdom. Now, we live in an age, a sophisticated age, that perhaps laughs at the idea of Satan and demons, but in these days, I think we've almost stopped laughing.

You see, if there is no enemy, if we don't recognize that Satan is behind pornography, then we're not going to make any preparation, or when we fight, we're going to fight in the wrong arena. Now, we sing something about Jesus. He walks with me and he talks with me, and he tells me, I am his own. He lives. He lives. Christ Jesus lives today.

But I want to tell you, there's another song we could sing, and I thank God we don't have to sing it. He lives. He lives. Satan lives today. He wars on me and he works on me along life's narrow way. And if you haven't met the devil, it's just because you and the devil have been going in the same direction. Satan is a decided fact. He is also a destructive force. Now, let me tell you how Satan works.

First of all, he's very systematic. Look, if you will, in verse 11 again. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Underscore the word wiles.

It's the word methodia. It speaks of Satan's methods. Satan has methodically gone about to seduce your children. He is very systematic. He is very clever. Satan is working, working, working very strategically. Paul said we're not ignorant of his devices.

He is systematic. Number two, he is spiritual. You say, oh, no, Satan's not spiritual. Yes, Satan is very spiritual. Look in verse 12. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against what kind of wickedness? Spiritual wickedness in high places. Now, don't get the idea, therefore, that our real battle is with the pornography.

It is not. Our real battle is not with Hollywood. Our real battle is not with the X-rated movies. Our real battle is against a sinister enemy whose name is Satan. And he is very, very spiritual.

That is, he is invisible. And as long as you're fighting flesh and blood, you're not going to win the battle. Paul said over there, I was reading this afternoon in the scripture before I came to church, where Paul said over there in 2 Corinthians chapter 10, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. Good intentions is a carnal weapon. Philosophy is a carnal weapon. Psychology is a carnal weapon. Resolution is a carnal weapon.

All of these things an unsaved person can do. We're not going to win a spiritual battle with carnal weapons. Satan is a decided fact. Satan is a destructive force. And as a destructive force, he's systematic. He is spiritual.

Third thing, he's very strong. Look again in verse 12. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world. You do not have what it takes to win this battle. You don't have what it takes. I don't care who you are.

You say, well, pornography doesn't bother me. Well, then Satan will get you in another way. If you try to come against Satan, he knows where your weakness is. And I mean, if you try to live for God any other way, except by depending upon the Holy Spirit of God, you're going down because Satan is greater than you are. Satan is systematic. He's spiritual. He's strong. And he's also very sinister.

Look again. He speaks about spiritual wickedness. He speaks about darkness.

Satan has a tyrannical control on this world. He has no mercy upon your family. He has no mercy upon the ministry. He has no mercy upon your husband, your wife, your child, your daughter.

Now, I've said he's a decided fact. He's a destructive force. Listen, friend, he is, listen, a defeated foe, a defeated foe. Look in verse 10. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Satan had his back crushed, back broken at Calvary, and soon his head is going to be crushed when Jesus comes again.

First John 4, 4, Jesus said, Ye are of God little children, and have overcome them, because greater is he that's in you than he that's in the world. Satan hopes that you never learn that he is a defeated foe. Now, let's move to the second thing. We've talked about the Christian and his adversary. Let's talk about the Christian warrior and his armor. You need, when you go into battle, to take the whole armor and to take holy armor. Now, what is the armor that you're going to wear if you're going to overcome the devil in this matter of salacious literature, pornography?

Number one, you put on the girdle of truth. Look, if you will, in verse 11. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Then skip on down, if you will, to verse 13. Therefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand. Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth. The first piece that you need to put on is the girdle or the belt of truth, and that speaks of your integrity. Your integrity.

There's one thing that I want in my life, one thing I need, one thing I will not leave home without, and that is integrity. Now, if you've ever seen a motorcyclist, he wears a big leather belt, many of them, to support their back and their solar plexus because of the bumps on the road. Sometimes if you watch an Olympic weightlifter, he will wear a leather belt to protect his loins and his solar plexus. The early warriors would wear a leather belt cinched up tight, and since the men of that day would wear a tunic, they would gather the tunic up and then cinch the belt very tight, and then from that belt they would hang their weapons. God says the truth is very much like that belt.

If that comes loose, everything else falls apart. That belt speaks of truth. Not just facts, but truth. Not just a knowledge of truth, but integrity. Truth in the inner person. Question, do you have integrity? I mean, if I could see your heart, if I could read your mind like God does, would I be disappointed? If you knew me, I mean, if you could see inside of me, if you knew the real Adrian, would you be disappointed? If I have integrity, you would not be.

You would not be. If I am a man of truth, if I am a person of truth, do you have on that belt of truth? Now, the people in Ephesus were able to go to war and win the war because they had the belt of truth. But that's only one piece of the armor. Now, not only do you need integrity, but you need the breastplate of righteousness, which is the believer's purity.

Look again in this scripture. He says here, stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, verse 14, and having on the breastplate of righteousness. A soldier that day would have metal plates or chains that would cover his body from the chest to the waist. And the reason for this is to protect his vital organs because, of course, there would be swords, there would be spears, there would be arrows. The heart, the organs, had to be protected.

Now, if there's a crack in the armor or that breastplate is not there, then, of course, the enemy has an advantage. Second question I want to ask you tonight, if you want to win this war, do you have on the breastplate of righteousness? I mean by that, not only integrity, but purity, do you? Is there in your heart tonight any unconfessed, unrepentant sin, any?

You say, good night, Adrian. You mean you just expect me to give up everything? I want to tell you, who wouldn't I give up dirt for diamonds?

Who wouldn't I give up hog's will for nectar? I want to give you testimony. And you may think I'm bragging, you may think I'm boasting. I don't have any unconfessed sin in my heart.

None. You say, oh, you think you're a super Christian? No, I'm a normal Christian.

That is the normal Christian life. I would be an unmitigated fool to stand up here and try and preach without the breastplate of righteousness. Now, you're not going to win the war with pornography if that's all you fight is pornography. What about honesty? What about pride?

What about selfishness? You say, Pastor Rogers, you mean to tell me you don't have any problem fighting the devil? I fight him all the time. You mean to tell me you don't fail? I fail. I'm not saying I'm perfect. God knows I'm not.

So does Joyce. But I'm telling you there's no reason that any man, woman, boy, or girl in this building tonight cannot be as pure, as clean as the driven snow. If we confess our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Why would I want to drag around sin? Why would I want to start the day in the morning with a baggage of sin when I can be clean?

It's so simple. If we confess our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Not some, all. Thank God for that. You say, well, a little sin's not so bad.

Who is it knocked so loud? A lonely little sin. Slip through, I answered, and soon all hell was in. No, you treat sin like sin would treat you. Have no mercy on sin. Sin will have no mercy on you. Don't have a crack in the armor.

You need integrity. You need purity when you go into this battle. Now, next, I want you to look at the next piece of armor that you'd have.

Look, if you will, in verse 15. And your feet shot with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Now, a soldier in this day, not only did he have a leather belt, not only did he have a breastplate to cover his chest and vital organs, but he had boots, hobnail boots. The NFL didn't invent those. Those who run track with spikes and those who play baseball with cleats, they didn't invent those. Those go all the way back to Bible times, where a soldier would have cleats, spikes on the shoes.

Those shoes would be thick enough to help him on rocky soil, where he might be bruised or he might slip to get his feet into the turf so he can stand and fight. What is it that gives you standing? It is the gospel of peace. Now, what is the gospel of peace? The gospel of peace is knowing there's nothing between my soul and the Savior, that I'm His, He is mine, He satisfies me, I am at peace with God.

Now, if the belt is integrity and the breastplate is purity, the shoes are tranquility, tranquility at peace. Do you know why people get into sin? They're hungry, they're lonely, they're distraught. They're not satisfied. They're looking here, they're looking there, perhaps it's here, perhaps it's there. I'm missing something, I want something, I am not satisfied. Friends all around me are trying to find what the heart yearns for by sin undermined. I have the secret.

I know where it is found. Only true pleasures in Jesus abound. Your heart will never rest until it rests in Jesus.

You will never be satisfied. You will go from pornography to covetousness to brutality to arguments to whatever until you find your peace in the Lord Jesus Christ. Next, the next piece of armor is a shield. Look, if you will, here when he talks about the shield of faith. Verse 16, above all, taking the shield of faith wherewith ye should be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. A soldier of this day had a shield.

It was about two feet wide, about four feet long. It was either covered with metal or leather and he would put it obviously out in front of him. It would be strapped to his arm as he would fight because in this day they would fight not only with arrows but flaming arrows, fiery darts, and that shield is there to ward them off.

Well, what kind of shield is it? It's the shield of faith. Faith is to you a shield. Faith is what keeps the devil's fiery darts of insinuation and lust from getting through to you. I call it the believer's certainty as over against doubt.

It's the believer's certainty. You see, I'm dressing up. I put on integrity. I put on purity.

I put on tranquility. I take certainty. That's the reason I told you to begin with in the first of these lessons that when you talk to your teens about living a pure life or when you try to live a pure life, you had better get it plain in your heart that there is a fixed standard of right and wrong because everybody else is doing it. And if you try to say to your kids, now, look, don't do this, and they say, why, Dad? You say, well, I just don't think it's a good idea. That's not enough. All right, Dad doesn't want you to do it. That's not enough. Dad doesn't do it. That's not enough.

Because I said so, that's not enough. Not in today's world anymore. You're going to have to get your boys and girls, your children, your grandchildren, and your own heart settled that this book is the Word of God.

Now, you know, I've heard people say just the opposite. I've heard people say now it's not enough to tell kids God said so. You've got to show them why. That is so wrong.

No. The only way, the only way that you're going to have any real success is to get your kids to believe that the Bible is the Word of God. And, boy, once they believe that, you can just do wonders. You can say, look, here's what God says. I mean, if you can just prove it, just take the Bible and say, look, son, look, daughter, here's what God says. Take this book as the shield of faith. It's the Bible that inculcates faith.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. And in the battle, we're going to have to get our children so locked on the fact that the Bible is the Word of God. That's the reason there is such a battle against the Bible. The very first thing in the Garden of Eden was an insinuation against the Word of God. And I want to tell you something. It's part of the wiles of the devil. It's continuing today.

It's in the universities today. And any man, I don't care who he is, I don't care how many letters he has after his name, I don't care what piece he has, I don't care what pulpit he occupies, if he causes doubt concerning the Word of God, he's doing the work of the devil. He's doing the work of the devil. You've got to have certainty. The thing that keeps me going is not how I feel. I've told you before, I'm not a very emotional person.

I'm more emotional when I preach than probably any other time. I don't get real high, I don't get real low. I stay in a narrow band.

I don't take credit for that. That's the way I'm wired. I don't know whether it's good or bad, but it's who I am. I'd be that way probably if I were not saved. I'm just not, I don't go up and down all the time. It's just my psychological profile. That's who I am. The thing that keeps me going is not how I feel. It is what I know.

It's what I know. My faith is rooted in the Word of God. And that gives me stability. It'll give you stability. And you need, look, you need integrity. You need purity. You need tranquility.

And you need certainty. When Satan comes with his fiery darts, you can overcome Satan with the Word of God. Now you take the shield of faith. That is the believer's certainty. And then next, you take the helmet of salvation.

Look in verse 17. And take the helmet of salvation. Because, as you've seen the pictures of the soldiers of that day, they're wearing a helmet. Now, of course, they decorate the helmet with that red plume and all of that. But the helmet is there to protect the head.

And the head, of course, is what directs the whole body. And so you take the helmet of salvation. The word salvation is so-so. It means literally deliverance. He's not just talking about getting saved. He's talking about keeping your mind protected so that you can have deliverance. And what does this speak of?

It speaks of the believer's sanity or the believer's liberty, either one. You see, look, a person who is into pornography is devil-controlled. And a person who is devil-controlled is not in his right mind. In Mark chapter 5, there was a man who was demon-possessed. Jesus cast the devil out of him, and they come back and find him sitting and clothed and in his right mind.

Before this, he was given to nudity. His mind was under control of the evil one. Now, you need to put on everyday sanity. What I mean is you need to have your mind under the blood. You need to have your mind renewed. So let's just look at all of these things that God wants you to have. Integrity, purity, tranquility, certainty, sanity.

That's what you put on. Sometimes in the morning, I just wake up and take this as a checklist, and I'll say, Do I have on the belt of truth? Do I believe truth? Do I live truth?

Do I tell truth? And then I put on the breastplate of righteousness. Is my heart pure?

Do I have purity? Then I put on the shoes of peace. Am I at peace? Am I envying something that somebody else has?

Is there resentment? Is there bitterness or loneliness that I'm not letting Jesus fill? Then I put on, take the shield of faith.

Is there anything I'm doubting God about? I put on the helmet of salvation. I feel like I used to feel when I dress up to play a game of football. Ready to go. Ready to go. Don't leave off any piece of the armor in this battle. Now, if you really think about it, each one of these pieces of armor is really the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the truth. Jesus is righteousness. Jesus is our faith. Jesus is our salvation. You're just putting on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, let's move to the third thing. We've talked about the Christian warrior and his adversary. We've talked about the Christian warrior and his armor. Let's talk about the Christian warrior and his attack. Yes, I said attack.

Now, most of us have said, Well, Satan, if you just leave me alone, I'll leave you alone. But you can't do that. You can't be neutral. You are to be in the battle, and you are to win the war. There are three things that will help you in this battle. And you're going to face the battle tonight, tomorrow, next week, three things.

First of all is your stance. Look, if you will, in verse 10. He says, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might, and then skip down to verse 14, stand therefore. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might, stand therefore. Now, so many times, we're asking God to give us victory over Satan.

I want to be very careful here. But stop asking God to give you victory over Satan. You have victory.

You say, Well, pastor, if I have it, how come I don't have it? Satan is defeated. Jesus said, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy. God says be strong in verse 10, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Oh, God, give me victory, give me victory.

God, help me. God says, Adrian, I have given you the victory. I have given you authority. I have given you my word. I have given you my truth. Now stand.

I don't have to say, God, help me. Not when I'm fighting Satan. I can say, Satan, I stand in the name of Jesus against you. I have authority against you. You say, Pastor, that's awful arrogant, isn't it?

No. No, because God has told me that I'm strong in the Lord. We need to stop asking God for what we already have and start using what we have.

Do you understand what I'm talking about? God has given you authority. You can say, Satan, you and your filth and your lies and your tact and your temptations, no.

Stand. Satan hopes you don't do that. Satan hopes that you'll go off somewhere again and say, oh, I need help, I need help, I need help. Pray and stand. I'm not saying not to pray. I'll talk about prayer in just a moment.

You need prayer. But you don't need to ask God to give you victory over Satan. You have victory because you have the victory.

Greater is he that's in you than he that's in the world. First of all, there's the power of your stance. Then there's the power of your sword. Look in verse 17. He gave you the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Now, when Satan came against Jesus when he was fasting and praying, what did Jesus do? How did Jesus overcome Satan? Well, you say, that was easy for Jesus.

A big deal. Jesus is God. Jesus did not defeat Satan because Jesus is God. Jesus defeated Satan not as God, but as a man he defeated Satan. I mean, Jesus is my example. How could Jesus be my example if he overcome Satan by being God?

He'd just pull rank on me. I'm telling you that the weapons that were available to Jesus when Jesus was being tempted are the same weapons that are available to me, the sword of the Spirit and the Spirit who handles the sword. Now, what happened is Satan came to tempt Jesus. He tempted Jesus. Jesus was in all points tempted like as we are. It's not a sin to be tempted. And if you have temptations in the sexual way or pornography, it doesn't mean you're wicked. If you're a man, it probably means you're normal. You say, well, I can just look at all that stuff, Adrian. It doesn't bother me.

I wouldn't brag about it if I were you because it just proves you're no man, superman, or a liar. Well, it'll bother you. I mean, that's where you're wired. It's not a sin to be tempted. That's humanity. Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin.

Why? Jesus went into that wilderness, the Bible says, full of the Holy Ghost, anointed with the Holy Spirit. And when the enemy came and tempted him, he took the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Hebrews 4-12, the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than a two-edged sword.

Did you know that Satan hopes you will not use this word? Now, actually, when the Bible says the sword of the Spirit here in Ephesians chapter 6 is not the word logos. It is the word rhema.

What does that mean? It means not the Bible in toto. That's not what Jesus used.

Jesus used a rhema, a word from the Word. You know, sometimes we're superstitious about the Bible. People put their hand on the Bible or swear on the Bible. Hey, don't tell a lie whether your hand's on the Bible or not, okay? They're like, oh, I wouldn't swear on the Bible.

Hey. Or, you know, sometimes in a B-grade Hollywood movie, they're vampires or something like that. They say, go get the Bible.

Back, back. No, don't be superstitious about the Bible. A rhema, that is a word from the Word. When Satan would come with his temptations to Jesus, Jesus pulled out the sword and said, ran him right through. Thus it is written. Take that. Thus it is written. Take that. Thus it is written.

Take that. I want you to learn some Scripture. And when Satan comes, you can say, hey, Satan, take that.

The Word of God. You see, look, there's the power of your stance. Stand.

By the way, don't join up with Ghostbusters. Satan chasers. We're told to stand, not chase the devil. Just stand.

You do enough business just by standing. There's the power of your stance, there's the power of your sword, and there's the power of your supplication. Now that's the third thing. Look, if you will, in verse 18 of this same chapter. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. Praying always. You said, Adrian, I thought you told me not to pray for power over Satan.

That's what I told you. But I didn't tell you not to pray. The only way that you can stand, the only way that you can properly use the sword is to pray because it's the sword of the Spirit. And if it's the sword of the Spirit, then you pray in the Spirit. What is praying in the Spirit? It is letting the Holy Spirit energize your prayer, direct your prayer, not praying in the flesh.

Why do you pray in the Spirit? For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places, and the battle is a spiritual battle, so you pray in the Spirit. If you don't pray, the devil will beat you. You have all the authority in the world, but if you don't appropriate it through prayer, you're going down. See, when I told you a little bit ago, I was almost hesitant to say what I had to say about telling you not to ask God to give you authority. I didn't say don't pray.

It's in prayer that you appropriate what God has given you. Not to ask God to somehow defeat Satan. He is defeated.

He is stripped, shamed, and subdued. Jesus has given you authority over Satan. There's a power of your stance.

You stand, therefore. There is the power, the incredible power of your sword, which is the Word of God, and there's the incredible power of supplication when you pray. You will be able to overcome Satan in this day of filth.

Now, here's the fourth and final thing, and it'll be very brief. I want you to notice the Christian warrior and his allies. Look again in verse 18. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.

Now, watch this. And watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. And for me, that utterance may be given to me.

And then he goes on down to say in verse 24, Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. We don't fight alone. We need to pray for one another. Husbands need to pray for wives. Wives need to pray for husbands. Parents need to pray for children. Pastors need to pray for the congregation.

The congregation needs to pray for the people. Folks, we're in a battle together, and it's a real battle, isn't it? It's a real battle. Let's hold one another up in prayer. Let's be encouraging one another.

I don't want us to lose this war. Do you know what I believe? I'm feeling this more and more of this. I believe we may be on the verge of one of the greatest spiritual revivals the world has ever seen. Things are happening. There's a quickening. I speak to pastor friends.

I say, how's it going? They say, I don't understand it, but God's just moving in our church. God's just moving. Things are happening. Souls are getting saved.

God's just blessing. Listen. Guard your heart. Protect your home. If you would like to learn more about how you can know Jesus or deepen your relationship with Him, simply click the Discover Jesus link on our website, lwf.org. For a copy of this message or additional resources, visit our online store at lwf.org or call 1-800-274-5683. Thank you.