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Now, here's today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory. Hi, this is Robert Jeffers, and I'm glad to study God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program on today's edition of Pathway to Victory. We need to be aware not only of our enemy but the resources that God has given us to defeat Him. Put on the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. If you haven't already, turn to Ephesians chapter 6 as we take a spiritual inventory of the resources God has provided to us to fight this very real enemy.
Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress. Survivalists know that whenever you find yourself in a threatening situation, it's imperative to take inventory of your available resources. And today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffers teaches that in the same way, Christians need to assess the divine resources God has provided to face the supernatural struggles that we encounter each day.
But first, let's take a moment to hear some important ministry updates. Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory.
Well, on Monday of this week, I had the privilege of introducing our next series to the airwaves, and already we're receiving a wonderful response from our listening family. Our study is called Courageous, 10 Strategies for Thriving in a Hostile World. As a pastor, I've come to realize that one of the most debilitating diseases attacking American Christians is fear. In the hostile times in which we live, fear has a way of creeping in. To help you overcome whatever issues you're facing today, I want to send you a hardbound copy of my bestseller.
Like this teaching series, it's also called Courageous, 10 Strategies for Thriving in a Hostile World. You want to live boldly for Christ. But in a culture that grows more hostile to our faith every day, boldness requires more than good intentions. It requires strategy. That's why I wrote Courageous.
10 biblical strategies, real stories of real faith, and a whole new perspective on how to thrive, not just survive, in a godless culture. When you partner with Pathway to Victory today as a new monthly donor, or when you give a generous one-time gift, I'll put this book in your hands. You see, you were not made to live in fear.
So get in touch with Pathway to Victory right away so you can receive your copy. But right now, let's turn our attention to the subject at hand. As our courageous series continues, I've titled today's message, Survival Tip Number 3. Take inventory. When American astronaut Neil Armstrong put the first human footprint on the moon on July 21st, 1969, The United States claimed victory over space.
So, when NASA launched its third moon mission nine months later, It was met with a collective yawn by the American public. But an explosion on Apollo 13 two days into their flight. changed all of that. Jack Swigert, the command module pilot, flipped a switch to turn on the fans as a part of a routine cryo stir in the hydrogen tanks. Sixteen seconds later, he was startled by a large boom.
Warning lights flashed. The alarm sounded in the command module as the ship began to shudder. Oxygen pressure and power levels plummeted. Swigert Radioed, Houston. We've had a problem.
Within a matter of minutes, the Odyssey, the lifeboat for the three American astronauts, was dying. Mission control in Houston determined the astronauts had to shut down the Odyssey and moved into the undamaged lunar lander, the Aquarius. Once there, the crew would perform a number of maneuvers to slingshot themselves around the moon, using the moon's gravitational pull as additional energy, and head back to Earth. To save precious power, several systems in the Aquarius had to be shut down. The lunar lander was designed to carry only two people for no more than 36 hours.
However, with the command module blacked out, all three astronauts would have to survive the trip back to Earth in the cramped confines of the Aquarius. It would take the spacecraft 96 hours to make the return trip home. It didn't take long for the astronauts to notice that the lunar lander was filling with dangerously high levels of carbon dioxide. Since its scrubber was unable to filter out the poisonous gas expelled by the three men. On their trip to and around the moon, the astronauts had replaced the filter at least twice.
As they emerged from the dark side of the moon, They had one filter left. But it came from the command module and it wouldn't fit the Lunar Lander's compartment. Built by two different contractors, the command module CO2 filter was square. while the Lunar Landers filter was round. To keep the three men from dying of asphyxiation, a team in Houston gathered an inventory of equipment that the astronauts had on board and began piercing together a contraption to fit the proverbial square peg into the round hole.
The inventory consisted of the square lithium hydroxide canister. A roll of duct tape. Two plastic bags. Two hoses from moon suits. Two socks.
The cover of the flight plan, and a bungee cord used to secure the modified filtration system to Aquarius' bulkhead. As the 1995 movie Apollo 13 dramatically depicted. The mailbox, as this contraption was called, worked. The astronauts safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean and were welcomed home by the American public. They were heroes of NASA's most successful Yeah.
Their survival. of Apollo 13. depended upon the ingenuity of those engineers at NASA. to design the system that would be based on the available inventory to the astronauts. And the same is true for anybody who finds himself in a survival situation.
And that's what we're actually talking about in this series, Courageous. The Bible says whether you know it or not, you're in a survival situation. You are living in an environment that is hostile to your Christian faith. You face a culture that is opposed to everything that God values. You are surrounded by an enemy, Satan, who wants to destroy everything important to you.
And if that were not enough, you and I, even as Christians, carry around at least the remnant of a nature that is fallen and opposed to God. How can we ever survive much less thrive in that kind of environment.
Well, just as every survivalist knows there are 10 survival tips for dangerous situations, we're looking at those survival tips and looking at them with a biblical application. And today we're going to look at survival tip number three: one that those astronauts demonstrated, and that is take. Inventory of your available resources. Taking inventory of your available resources. And that's what we're going to look at today.
In Ephesians 6, verse 13, Paul said it this way, therefore take up the full armor of God that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Take inventory, and then take up the armor, the protection that God has given you. Why is that so important?
Well, he says in the verse ahead, verse 12, for our struggle is not against flesh and blood. But against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Paul says, You and I are in a struggle. That word struggle, pale in Greek, refers to a wrestling match. These were real struggles.
And in these wrestling matches, they would fight to the death, literally. The loser of the wrestling match would have his eyes gouged out. And once that happened, he was put to death.
So the stakes were very high. Paul says that is the kind of death struggle you and I are involved in in this life. And what is it that our struggle is against? He says, it's not against flesh and blood, it's not against other people. Our fight is not against the visible, but against the invisible forces of darkness, of the spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places.
Our adversary is Satan himself. The Apostle Peter said it this way in 1 Peter 5:8. Be of sober spirit. Be on the alert for your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. If you think that is hyperbole, Overstatement.
Listen to the words of the late pastor Martin Lloyd-Jones. He wrote, Anyone who is not aware of a fight. And a conflict in a spiritual sense is in a drugged and hazardous condition. We need to be aware not only of our enemy, but the resources that God has given us to defeat him. And that's why, again, in Ephesians 6:10 and 11, he says, Finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
Put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. If you haven't already, turn to Ephesians chapter 6 as we take a spiritual inventory. Of the resources God has provided to us to fight this very real enemy. Remember, as Paul wrote to the Christians at Ephesus, most likely Paul was under house arrest. He wasn't in a prison cell somewhere, he was under house arrest.
And he was chained to a Roman guard. They would change out guards every six hours. And so all day, every day, for two years, Paul is chained to a different Roman guard. And as Paul looked at that Roman guard, he thought, you know, the same armor that this Roman soldier has. to protect him.
is similar to the armor that God has provided every Christian. And so he takes inventory of that armor beginning in verse 14. I want you to notice of the six pieces of armor for a Roman soldier, five of them are defensive pieces of armor, one is offensive. First of all, he says. Gird up your loins with the belt of truth.
Look at verse 14. Stand firm, therefore, having girded your loins with truth. Same terminology that Peter used in 1 Peter 1 about gird up your minds for action. What does that mean?
Well, the Roman soldier would wear a free-flowing tunic. is very comfortable. But it was also very dangerous in times of battle. Because in times of battle, the soldier could trip over his tunic. Or an enemy could grab hold of one of the loose pieces and use it to gain an advantage.
And that's why every soldier, before he would go into battle, would tuck in his tunic. Into the belt, the large Roman soldier's belt, so that it would prevent the enemy from gaining an advantage. Paul says in the same way, we need to gird our loins. Literally, gird our minds with truth. That is, we cannot afford the luxury, folks, of having loose thoughts that just pop into our mind and dwelling on those thoughts.
Those thoughts can be very dangerous if the enemy uses them against us. And Paul says we need to confront those thoughts with the belt of truth, with the truth of God's word. For example, I think that's what Paul had in mind in 2 Corinthians 10, 4 and 5, when he said, For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Whenever those wrong thoughts come into mind, Paul says we need to tuck them in, confront them with the truth of God's word.
Secondly, he talks about the breastplate of righteousness. One of the resources God asked us to utilize in times of spiritual warfare is the breastplate of righteousness.
Now, a soldier's breastplate was really a form-fitting metal shell that covered the soldier's torso and protected his vital organs. His heart, his lungs. You can understand why that was a central piece of armor, the breastplate.
Well, what is the breastplate for the Christian? Paul says it is righteousness. Verse 14 again, put on the breastplate of righteousness.
Now, what does he mean by righteousness? This is so important to understand. In the Bible, The term righteousness is used in three different ways.
Sometimes the Bible uses the word righteousness to refer to self-righteousness. Have you ever heard somebody described as being self-righteous? Means he's righteous in his own eyes. Self-righteousness is not a good thing.
So when Paul talks about put on the breastplate of righteousness, is that the kind of righteousness he's talking about? I don't think so. There's a second term for righteousness in the Bible, imputed righteousness. Imputed righteousness. This is the righteousness that God puts on us.
He imputes, He credits to our account, literally, when we trust in Christ as Savior. The moment you tell God you're not righteous, you admit to Him what you already know, and He knows that you're a sinner who needs His forgiveness, the moment you admit your sinfulness. And put your trust in Jesus Christ. to save you from your sins. A wonderful transaction takes place.
God takes His righteousness and He puts it on you.
So that when God looks at you, He no longer sees your sin, He sees the goodness of His Son, Jesus Christ. Paul described that in 2 Corinthians 5:21. For God made him, Jesus, who knew no sin, to become sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. That kind of righteousness is our right standing before God, and it comes through our faith in Christ.
So if Paul's not talking about self-righteousness, he's not talking about imputed righteousness when we become a Christian. What righteousness is he talking about?
Well, the third kind of righteousness is practiced righteousness. Another word for that would be obedience. Good works are worthless to save you before you're a Christian, but after you're a Christian, your good works, your obedience, means a great deal. And Paul talks about practiced righteousness. It's what he talked about in 1 Timothy 6:11 when he said to Timothy, but flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.
Why did Timothy need to pursue righteousness if he was already righteous before God as a Christian? Paul wasn't talking about pursue imputed righteousness. He wasn't talking about Timothy's right standing before God. He was talking about Timothy's right acting before God. And one way you and I deflect Satan's attacks in our life is by obeying God.
Not having any chinks in our armor, no vulnerable places where we are disobeying God and giving the enemy a way to take us down. Paul talked about that in Ephesians 4, 27. Do not give the devil an opportunity in your life. That's what he's talking about, the breastplate of righteousness, obedience to God. The third piece of armor, the boots of the gospel.
Foundational to a Roman soldier were his shoes. not sandals, but really more like boots. At the bottom of a soldier's boot were metal studs, just like the pleats in an athlete's shoe. These studs would give him traction so that he could stand firm and withstand the onslaught of the enemy. Paul is saying, as Christians, if we want to withstand Satan's attack in our life, we've got to have the right foundation in our life.
The right shoes. And what is that foundation? He says: having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. What is he talking about there?
Well, if your Bible is like mine, do you notice those words are in all capital letters? Look at it. Words in capital. The reason that is that denotes Paul is quoting from the Old Testament there. Specifically, Isaiah 52, verse 7.
Remember how that verse goes? Oh, how beautiful are the feet of those that have been prepared for the gospel of peace, who bring the good news of salvation. When Paul says the foundation of our life, ought to be Our readiness and our ability to share the good news of salvation with others. He's talking about Our ability and our willingness to make that the sole, if you will, purpose of our life. You see, that's why God has left us here.
We get all these different reasons. Why did God create us and leave us here? If it was just to have fellowship with us, he could take us to heaven the moment he saved us. He has left us here for a reason, and that is to share the good news of Jesus Christ with as many people as possible. That's what he's talking about.
But the question that arises is what That's nice, but what does that have to do with spiritual warfare? How does that help me stand firm? Against Satan's attack. Here's how. If you have as your foundational reason for your life to share the gospel with other people, that gives you a reason.
for not giving in to Satan. Having sharing the gospel, your soul. Foundation reason for life gives you the reason for not giving in to Satan's attacks. Let me just be real personal with you about that. Whenever I am tempted.
And yes, pastors get tempted. Whenever I get tempted, Maybe by dishonesty. Mm-hmm. ethical issues. or immorality.
Whenever I am tempted that way, There are several things I think about. The first thing I think about is If I give in to this, how will it affect my family? How would my fall affect My wife Amy, who's been my best friend for 50 years. How would it affect my children? What would they think about me?
What about my grandchildren? How would they look upon my life in the years to come? How would it affect my family? I think about, secondly, how would it affect this church? I love this church.
I love you guys. You all have put your trust in me. How would my fall into sin affect you? And then I think How would it affect the people through the decades? that I've had the privilege of leading to faith in Christ.
What would my fall do to people? Who knows that I'm a Christian. How would it give the enemies of God a reason to blaspheme God's name anymore? I've dedicated my life to sharing the gospel with people. How would my fall?
impact others coming to know Christ as Savior. And that is a strong motivation for me to say no. But that's not just for preachers, that's for all of us. God says when we understand that is our foundational reason for living, it gives us a reason for not giving in to Satan. And could I just say that's one reason?
I'm so grateful in our student ministry. Yes, they teach the Bible. They teach apologetics. But every year they go through a one-month curriculum on how to share their faith with other people. And Ryan and Julia and Gabe take them out witnessing in the parks and sharing their faith.
Some people say, well, is that really important? Wouldn't it be better if they were studying Micah and the Old Testament or Malachi or something? You know, look, Bible study is great, but you need some application too. And students need to understand that is their reason for living as a Christian to share the gospel with others. I heard somebody say one time: you know, if you don't send students into their schools as missionaries, they will soon become a mission field.
They need to have that understanding. That is their reason for living. And it gives them a reason not to fall under Satan's attack in their life. That's what Paul is talking about: having the boots of the gospel, making the sharing of the gospel foundational in your life. As we close today's program, I've set aside some extra time to read a letter from one of your fellow listeners.
It's a personal inspiration to me to continue teaching with boldness and calling on friends like you to support Pathway to Victory and partner with us. This listener from Pennsylvania said. Pastor Jeffress, over the last several months, I have listened to Pathway to Victory on my commute home from work. I've been physically sick with anxiety while enduring the mess of my life, but I began to trust in God. I became more active in church, praying often.
And eventually, in a massive crying mess, I gave my life to Christ and put my full faith in Him. Since then, I have purchased a Bible and am reading it frequently. I have grown immensely and I have made substantial life changes. May God bless you and all the staff it takes to get the word out to people like me. Isn't that powerful?
To God be the glory. Thank you for partnering with me to bring the good news of the gospel to the multitudes, like this friend from Pennsylvania. When you give a generous gift today, or when you make your first gift as a new pathway partner, I want to say thanks by sending you the best-selling book that goes along with our current series. It's called Courageous. 10 strategies for thriving in a hostile world.
Inside, you'll find biblical strategies to help you live with fearless, unshakable faith. Here's David to tell you more. You're invited to request your copy of the book Courageous by Dr. Robert Jeffress when you give a generous gift to support the Ministry of Pathway to Victory. Request your copy when you call 866-999-2965 or go online at ptv.org.
You could text us, text PTV to 78800. And when your gift is $75 or more, you'll receive the complete Courageous Leader Kit, which includes the book, the Personal and Group Study Guide, the Complete Teaching Series on DVD and MP3 format audio disc, and a set of courageous encouragement cards. One more time, call 866-999-2965 or visit ptv.org. If you'd prefer to write, here's that mailing address. PO Box 223-609 Dallas, Texas, 75222.
One more time, that's P.O. Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. I'm David J. Mullins. Be sure to join us again Friday when we conclude survival tip number three: take inventory right here on Pathway to Victory.
Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. What if your next vacation changed the way you read your Bible forever? Join me for nine nights sailing the Mediterranean with every detail taken care of. When you stand where Paul stood, your Bible comes alive in ways it never has before.
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Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in His Word. To become a Pathway Partner, go to ptv.org/slash donate, or you can follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. Oh, and one last thing before we go: don't forget to reserve your spot on the 2027 Journeys of Paul Mediterranean Cruise. You've heard me and Dr.
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