You can't use secular weapons to fight spiritual battles. Dr. Tony Evans explains why that strategy only produces frustration and failure. If your problem, your struggle, your need is satanically orchestrated, all the effort you spend to fix the problem that you face is ultimately either a waste of time or a band-aid situation. This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans. In any war, if your commander isn't smarter than your enemy, you've got a problem. Today, Dr. Evans explains how trusting God's leadership can keep you from becoming a spiritual prisoner of war.
Let's join him. Turn to 2nd Corinthians chapter 10 verse 3. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. Some of your versions say strongholds. Paul says that our methods are not fleshly because our enemy is not fleshly.
Now follow this. The source of your spiritual battles find their root in your mind. Satan has so constructed our thinking that we adopt his thinking about the world rather than God's thinking about the world. He sets up in our mind, according to in the verse 4, fortresses, or as some versions translated, strongholds. He sets up in our mind permanent residency. He sets up walls that won't come down.
Now how is Satan able to pull this off? It tells you. Verse 5 says, and we are destroying speculations and every lofty thing.
That's key phrase. Every lofty thing. What's a lofty thing?
A lofty thing is a petition. What Satan wants to do is block divine information crossing over to the other side of your brain. He wants to block the knowledge of God, because if he can get you coming in here hearing about God on Sunday but lifting the petition as you walk out of the church so that that data is not transferred to Monday, you come in with the problem you had, you leave with the problem you had, and all you had in between was a nice song and a nice sermon because he pulled the petition and blocked the knowledge of God. Now why does he want to block the knowledge of God?
The same reason he wanted to block Eve, because he knows if you ever take God seriously at his word and bite the tree of life, you're gonna live life as it was meant to be lived, and he doesn't want you to take a bite of that tree. We have the knowledge of God on Sunday morning. Praise the Lord. Praise Jesus.
I know him. The Word of God is true. But soon as we walk out the building, we shift into this other person.
Soon as we get to the car, we really shift. If we cut off trying to get out the parking lot, we stand up for Jesus in church. Nobody knows we're saved at work. And what Satan wants to do is block the knowledge of God. He wants you to be for God one minute, for yourself another minute, by erecting this petition. What is the erection of this petition called? It is called, we'll look at it in a moment, don't turn that now, it is called in James 1-8 double-mindedness.
That's what it's called. Double-mindedness. He wants you to have two minds, not one. See, Satan wants you to have two minds. He wants you to have the Christian mind fine as long as you have the secular mind too, because he can raise up a petition in that. As long as you have a God mind and a not God mind, that's all he needs. As long as you have a saved mind and an unsaved mind, that's all he needs. As long as you have a committed mind and an uncommitted mind, that's all you need, because the moment you have double-minded, you've given him space to raise the lofty thing, and to block the knowledge of God from cutting through, flipping over, and bringing you out of your prisoner of war status. And some of us have been prisoners of war so long we don't know how to live if they set us free. Some of us have been trapped in these sins or rebellions so long that we don't even think there is a way out.
This camp is now home. Let me show you an illustration before we look at our solution. Let me show you an illustration. Matthew 16. Peter, Peter, let's show you the illustration of a double mind. Matthew chapter 16. Jesus has raised the question, who do men say that I am? Look what Peter says in verse 16. And Simon Peter answered and said, thou art Christ the Son of the Living God.
Peter's got the right mind here, doesn't he? We know who you are, and I'm not ashamed to tell it. You're Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, Savior of the world, and I don't care who knows it, I take my stand with you. Jesus compliments him in verse 17. He says, blessed are you, Simon, son of John. Flesh and blood did not reveal this, but my Father is in heaven. You're right on, Peter. You took your stand, and that stand will take you.
A couple of minutes later, we're not talking about next month, next week, or next year. A couple of minutes later, look what happened. Verse 21. But from that time, Jesus Christ began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day. So he tells them about his suffering, death, and resurrection. And Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him.
So you got to be a little off just to start with that. But he begins to rebuke Jesus. He says, Jesus, now, now, now, now you don't know what you're talking about. Okay, now you're just talking the talk.
You don't know what you're talking about. God forbid it! No way, no how, nobody's gonna kill you, nobody's gonna take your life. God forbid it! This shall never happen to you! Jesus says, I'm gonna die for the sins of the world.
Rise the third day! Peter said, no you're not. No you're not. We're gonna see to that.
I got my sword and I cut off some ears. No you're not. You're not gonna die, and this is not only anthropology, Jesus, this is theology. God forbid it.
God forbid it. You're thinking wrong, Jesus. Look at Jesus's response to this schizophrenic saint. But he turned to Peter and said, verse 23, get thee behind me Satan. At least Jesus say, get thee behind me Peter. He doesn't say, get me behind me Peter. He says, get me behind me devil. Peter, right now you are nothing but the devil. A few minutes ago you said, thou art Christ, son of the living God, and two minutes later you are now a son of hell.
One minute I'm giving what God says, the next minute I'm talking like the devil, thinking I'm talking like God. Because remember, he said, God forbid. He thought he was representing God. He thought he was concerned what God was concerned about. Jesus says, Peter, right now you have taken side with the devil and you've taken such a close side with him, I'm not even gonna call you by your natural name, I'm gonna call you out your name. Because right now, get thee behind me Satan. Even your good thoughts, if they don't agree with God thoughts, are wrong thinking.
They are wrong thinking. Peter has good thoughts, let me keep you from dying, but they were godless thoughts, because if Jesus hadn't died, you and I couldn't be saved. Jesus Christ understood this, and that's why he says in verse 24, if any man wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. To deny yourself means when you're thinking, and God thinking conflicts double mind, you've got to tear down the petition. You cannot let Satan have this distinction between your thinking and God thinking, that God's thinking must always be superimposed over your thinking, so that your thinking is integrated in the God's thinking, because when your thinking is integrated in God's thinking, then the petition comes down. And when the petition comes down, Satan no longer has any authority, and the mind of Christ takes over.
And when the mind of Christ takes over, whoever controls the mind, controls the feet. So you begin to walk different, because you think different. You begin to talk different, because you think different. You begin to act different, because you are thinking different. You begin to react different, because you're thinking different.
Whoever controls the mind, runs the show. And I like the war language it says in second Corinthians it says and take every thought captive You must raise up in your mind every time you think something that is against the revealed will of God You must grab that thought and take it hostage Now I know what you're thinking because if you're really a POW here today and your personal life family Or where you live you're saying that that's easy That's too easy. And I think that's why we have our problem because we make stuff harder than God makes it. Oh Yeah, they're difficult problems I don't want to underestimate and make the problem trite But what I want to say is that many of these problems we facing are not near as difficult as we make them Because we have a godless mindset about them We have a godless mindset. What is the difference between a person God delivers in 24 hours and God delivers over 24 years? What's the difference?
I'd submit to you. The difference is unless it's physiological the mind the mind that divorced couple The mind that the thinking didn't change and because the thinking didn't change the action didn't change It is the mind that's what the scripture says and in just a moment. We'll hear more from dr Evans on the difference a spiritual mindset can make don't go away in a world shrouded by fear Prophecy seeks to make sense of it all. Dr. Tony Evans latest book thy kingdom come Reveals the secrets to deliver us through dark times Now is the time to gain clarity in the midst of confusion Be prepared for what's to come by picking up your copy of thy kingdom come at tony evans.org Comes with a bonus sermon series staying right with God arm yourself against the impending storm If you're wanting to dig deeper into the material, dr. Evans is presenting in his message today I encourage you to check out the complete 2 volume 12 message series It's called spiritual warfare and in it you'll learn the toughest problems You face are quite often created by spiritual issues that demand spiritual solutions Dr. Evans offers an effective plan of attack and shines a revealing light on the devil's tricks and tactics Allowing you to become equipped for winning victories on spiritual battlefields that can affect your marriage Finances and even emotions and addictions get your own copy of spiritual warfare as our gift on CD or digital download and for a limited time we're including an added bonus a copy of dr Evans powerful book victory in spiritual warfare This book complements the material you'll find in the audio series and can give you the real-life help You've been looking for in your struggle against the devil and his influence Just visit tony evans.org make a contribution and we'll say thanks by sending both of these valuable resources your way Again, that's tony evans.org or call 1-800-800-3222 Where resource team members are standing by around the clock to help with your request I'll have that information for you again after part 2 of today's lesson.
Here's dr. Evans. Let's go to chapter 1 first Look at a couple of passages in the book of James. I like James cuz he don't play You've read James, you know James is not interested in making you feel good He's not interested in polite Christianity He's in your face kind of apostle You're facing a difficulty in your life Let me reverse six but let him ask in faith without doubting for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea Driven and tossed by the wind. Okay back and forth for let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord being a double-minded man unstable in all of his ways Now, let me define double-minded double-minded means you have human viewpoint and divine viewpoint trying to operate simultaneously Simultaneously, that's a double-minded man You got what everybody thinks and what God thinks and you're trying to entertain both You have what you think and what God says and you're trying to mix and match the two of them That will not work You are a double-minded man, and he says in verse 7 that not that man expect he will receive anything from the Lord So you're wasting your spiritual time If you're gonna mix and match God's way with yours, that's double-mindedness now turn to James chapter 4 verse 8 Draw dear to God and he will draw near you and here's what I'm interested in cleanse your hands you sinners and Purify your heart you double minded now remember in chapter 1 double-minded people won't get any help from God So you must tear down this lofty thing this thing that's dividing your thought and God's thought You must now tear it down And he says cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your heart notice. He says two things not one If you have to fix your double-mindedness You not only have to address the symptom you have to address the root cause and The root cause is never what you are doing Let me say that again. I Have a drug problem. No, you don't you have a drug symptom. I have a moral problem. No, you have a moral symptom. I Have an alcohol problem. No, you don't you have an alcohol symptom.
I Have a depression problem. No, you don't you have a depression symptom The symptom is what you do The root cause is that way of thinking that makes you do it He says that you must solve two problems here by the grace of God to solve your double-mindedness Which keeps God from helping you because God will not help double-minded people. He says you must cleanse your hands Those are the things you're doing but you must not only do that But you must also purify your heart because if you stop doing it with your hands But you still have an impure heart.
All you need is time before you pick it up again That's all you're missing is time. You say well now that's easy to say but how you do that Well Bible is practical and so is James. He tells you in verse 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom Humble yourself in the presence of the Lord and he will exalt you now This is a misinterpreted verse people think he's talking about raising you up to be somebody some status in society And all that's not we've come up. He's talking about exalting you above your problem You see he's talking about exalting you above that which is keeping you down He's talking about raising you above that POW status.
That's keeping you Incarcerated that's keeping you a prisoner of war. He is saying what God wants to do is he wants to exalt you But before God exalts you stop laughing verse 9 Come on, now read your Bible. Don't look at me. He says in verse 9 stop laughing Let your laughing be turned to mourning be miserable mourn and weep Now you say well, what does that mean That means when you start looking at your sin as God looks at it, then you'll get the help that God gives You still think it's a joke. You still think it's funny.
You think it's cavalier. You're talking about everybody Does it in fact not only that verse 11 says do not speak against one another brother when you blame it other people that you? Have this problem You are not taking Responsibility under God for the mess you made the sin you committed you still laughing and joking When you ought to be crying in the private presence of a holy God for whom you desperately need Deliverance you need to come with your handkerchief out and say Lord.
No, this is not a problem. This is the sin No, Lord, this is not a bad habit. It's rebellion against the holiness of God. No, Lord This is not just something everybody does it somehow or not be doing because it is offensive to your holiness Until we begin to look at sin like God looks at sin Then we won't get the help that God only helps when sinners come to him on the basis of his standing That's why Psalm 34 18 says the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and he helps the contrite in spirit so I'm 51 17 says that the Lord helps those who are of a broken spirit and contrite heart and he does not Despise their plea as their 66 to says that God will look to those who are broken in spirit And he will help them who do not despise his word It means when you come to God bust it up when you come to God broken up when you come to God Beaten up when you come to God mess up when you come to him and say no other help I know I go as long as I can possibly go I get down as far as I can go I am miserable. I'm not laughing anymore.
I'm not joking. I'm falling on my face before a holy God Prostrating my sin and unless you raise me up. I'll never get up unless you fix me up I'll stay down and I'm gonna stay here till my change come until you do that You'll never hear from God He says and then when God sees you low he can reach down and pick you up and that's great Picking you up.
That's God's goodness picking you up. It's God doing what you could never do for yourselves And that's what he's saying So, what does it mean? It means you must begin to use God in his word like a sledgehammer This is a new way of praying folks some people call it warfare prayer now, I don't know about all that but I know this God has such a high view of his word that if you ever learn to pray his word back to him He can't ignore your discussion See we got this no polite praying Lord bless me today as I go to school bless me today as I go to work Bless me today on the highway That's a joke That's almost a nothingness prayer Cuz general prayers get general answers Lord I come to you about this evil in my heart.
I Come to you about this lust and I got a problem with that. I've been doing I can't go look Lord Lord look I was on drugs three times yesterday. That is an affront to your holiness But here's what your word says in that way Satan said Jesus aren't you hungry?
Jesus didn't say Lord bless me today He said man shall not live by bread alone, but he lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God And I'm not gonna let you feed me devil He didn't pray no general prayers He came with God and he was face to face with God and he raised the Word of God and all of a sudden when you Begin to hammer the sledgehammer of God's truth and God's will and God's Word and you recite that stuff back to God It's like a sledgehammer hitting a wall. You've tried one time and nothing happened hit that hammer again You tried twice and nothing's happened hit that wall again But you tried 20 times you say I prayed 20 times and nothing happened You keep banging hell with the Word of God till you see a crack in that foundation Cuz that means the wall is ready to come down Dr. Tony Evans with advice on bringing God's power to bear on the spiritual strongholds in your life He'll return to share one more thought about tough times in our lives in just a moment First though don't forget that you can get the full-length version of today's lesson by taking advantage of that special offer I mentioned earlier all 12 complete messages in Tony's current series spiritual warfare along with his powerful companion book victory in spiritual warfare This entire package is yours with our thanks for your donation toward the ministry of the alternative broadcast But this is a limited time offers So visit tonyevans.org right away to make the arrangements if it's more convenient for you You can call our Resource Center any time of the day or night at 1-800-800-3222 We have friendly team members. They're ready to help with your resource request. That's 1-800-800-3222 or online 24-7 at tonyevans.org There's nothing like the element of surprise to change the course of a battle on Monday, Dr. Evans will explain how God used that tactic to secure our salvation and equips us to fight spiritual battles Successfully be sure to join us for that right now though Tony's back to offer some important encouragement and a life-changing invitation When you go through tough times a job loss a breakup or maybe financial stress Having someone who loves you unconditionally is a game changer and no one can do that better than Jesus Christ He proved it long ago when he made the ultimate sacrifice for each of us And he proves it again and again each day in the lives of those who've already acknowledged his incomparable love When you embrace Jesus Christ as your personal Savior you not only receive an eternal home with him But you also unlock extra carriage and hope for today Helping you face life's challenges with confidence Invite him into your life right now by saying this simple prayer with me Dear Heavenly Father, I recognize Jesus Christ as your son who died on the cross for my sins and rose again. I Invite you into my life to be my Savior and Lord Wash away my sins lead me in your ways Thank you for your unconditional love and your gift of salvation I trust in you and place my faith in your promise of eternal life in Jesus name Amen If you prayed that prayer with Tony right now Or if you just feel the need to find out more about what a relationship with Christ means visit Tony Evans org and click on the link at the top of the page that simply says Jesus if you feel the tugging at your heart Don't ignore it. Take the time to check out the information. Dr. Evans has prepared for you at tonyevans.org You
