We are in a Spiritual War

Have you been, maybe recently or maybe not so recently, whatever have you ever been in a situation where there's a little bit of an argument between you and somebody else? Or even if it's not an argument, maybe it's been a situation where you feel that you've been unfairly criticized and the situation left you quite a little bit down, demotivated, discouraged. It's as if you feel, what is the word, dirty. Maybe that's the word, but you don't feel comfortable about it. Could be some arguments in the family, could be a husband-wife issue that came up, or it could even be some issue between brethren. And quite often, when a situation like that happens, it's so easy to just retaliate, to just snap and say something that you wish afterwards you hadn't said it. And it really is part of our nature. It's part of our human nature. We tend to hit back, and maybe we don't mean to, but it just comes out. It's kind of quote-unquote natural to defend yourself. And so we have to be careful. But I think what we usually tend to think first and foremost in our minds is that that person's got something against me or whatever. But it's easy to forget that Satan is the instigator. We really need to consider that there is a Satan, and he is going to use any little opportunity to put a little wedge and start creating a bigger problem than in what it actually is. And so my intent today, brethren, is to just remind us that so that we are fully aware, fully cautious, that you and I are in a spiritual warfare every day. We mustn't forget that. We're not fighting against flesh and blood.

Yes, that may be the the apparent front line of attack or of defense, but behind it we need to understand that we are in a spiritual warfare. And now is the time, because now we in the Church of God are being judged, and now is the time to fight the good fight.

Let's turn to first place, to Luke chapter 14. Because yeah, in Luke chapter 14 we have a scripture that you probably recall when you were, just before you were baptized, the minister most surely turned to Luke chapter 14, and he talked about counting the cost. You do remember that, I'm sure. And in verse 26 he says, if anyone comes to me and does not hate, and you know it probably was explained to you that means loveless, his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, his own life. He cannot be my disciple. You know, brethren, we gotta put God first. God is first. God is priority number one. And quite often with different issues come up, and in this example, it's typically you in the church and the others maybe are not in the church, and then different situations crop up in our daily lives that cause conflict. And we have to be careful. But one of the important points he says, had his own life also, there may come a time that the battle is so big, because of persecution from the world or whatever it is, that we have to give our own life. Now, we live in a society today that typically that is not the case, but that has not always been through the centuries in the past. There's been time in the centuries in the past that brethren in the church had to give their own lives. Just think of the example of the apostles. The apostles, they all had to give their own lives, but as far as we understand, but John, they all had to give up their lives for the faith, and many early saints had to do so. Now, in 2 Timothy 3, it talks about the time of the end in which we live. And you pretty well know the Scripture. It says we live in perilous times. In other words, difficult times. Times are difficult. And I don't have to itemize to you how times are so difficult, you know, in these lost days. In these lost days. And it says a number of dangers in these difficult times. If my counting is correct, it highlights 19 different dangers that you and I need to be aware of in these times of the end. But let me ask you, is any one of these dangers in 2 Timothy 3, 2 through verse 4, is it any of these dangers related to famine, plague, heavenly signs, nuclear warfare? I'm not saying these are not perils at this end time. But what Paul is focusing on is on problems that may come up because of spiritual issues between people, between brethren, or between other people and us.

You could frame it, and I don't mean it negatively, but I mean it between minds that are spiritually disturbed. And this is very, very dangerous because we all can be influenced by negative spirits or negative influences. But those spiritual vibes that come in can affect us. There are so many pressures in the society, and people are on edge, and there's under so much pressure it's like a pot and a water, like it's just ready to explode. And so we have to be careful because we know there is a devil trying to destroy you and I. You know very well, just turn to 1 Peter chapter 5, where it says that he is going around like a roaring lion trying to destroy us. 1 Peter 5, verse 8 and 9. Be sober, be vigilant. Are we sober? Are we vigilant? Are we just really on the alert to these things that are going to come against us? And he is so subtle, he is so clever. Look, Satan is far cleverer than you and I. Look, he's a lot less clever than God, but he's very clever and he's subtle. And so you and I need to be sober, need to be vigilant, because he is our enemy, he's our adversary, and he's walking around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. And you know what? When you and I are distracted and not being vigilant, you and I open ourselves to that. So we, in verse 9, he was the answer, we've got to resist him. We've got to be steadfast. We need to stand firm. Stand firm in the faith. We need to be steadfast, as it says, knowing that whatever problems we are having, others have likewise had them throughout the ages. And so what is that we have to do? Paul, in letter to 2 Corinthians, in chapter 10, addresses some of the things that we need to do. 2 Corinthians chapter 10. Just get there, 2 Corinthians chapter 10, and we're gonna read, starting from verse 4. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. In other words, you and I are not fighting other people. We're not in a physical battle against flesh and blood. Oh yeah, it may come through other people. But we are really in a spiritual warfare. And so our weapons to fight this warfare need to be mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, for pulling down these fortresses that are strong, fortresses that are in the way of thinking, of human reasoning, of arguments. Brethren, arguments are based on mindsets, human reasonings, and those can be so explosive and inflammatory and can get out of hand so easily. And that's why it says, costing down arguments. And every, I think, that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. And the very next sentence gives us the very answer that we need to have. Bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. And in the sermonette, we had a lovely example of bringing that thought into the obedience of Christ. Complete submission and waiting and doing what's correct in a godly way. You see, what we have is, we have a carnal mind. And we have our own thoughts and ideas that exalt themselves. And that is exactly where Satan and his demons have a field day. When we allow these whatever thoughts to kind of say, well, I have been maltreated. That person has unjustly spoken against me. And we start building what the Bible calls it, in Hebrews 12, a root of bitterness. We start every so small little root that starts breeding.

You see, so this is where Satan has a field day. This is what the Bible calls it, a place of darkness, where Satan really gets entrenched into our thoughts. And the book of Jude, where it's talking about things that happen to people, he mentions at first three types of examples of where Satan shows the Satan of Satan's action and action of demons, in other words, of angels that did not keep their domain. In other words, they left where they should have been. And so let's turn to Jude. And in Jude, just very quickly, that's the book just before Revelation.

And we see, as we look in Jude, the first set of sections is between verses 5 through 7. I'm not going to read there, but it just shows angels who read that in verse 6, that did not keep their domain, and they are standing for judgment. Then in verse 9, it talks about Satan, you know, trying to bring a dispute about revealing to people where the body of Moses was, so they would create the issues. And Nei says that Michael, the archangel, contending with the devil, he said, the Lord rebuke you. It put the accountability on sorting it out on Christ. And then later on, it talks about the those that went the way of Cain and the error of Balaam and how they got washed away with that rebellion and got into trouble. But the problem here is there are demons, and there is Satan, and they are all around us, trying to get us to the wrong place. And you and I need to be fully conscious, conscious, aware that there is a warfare. There is a warfare in the spiritual world around us, and it's affecting our society, and because Satan knows he's got very, very little time. Brethren, time is short, super short. Things can explode out of hand from one day to another.

So, we have to be aware that they are there, and in a way they're restrained up to a point. But there will be a day where God will say, okay, that's it. And then things are gonna go wild. Suddenly, that's what it talks about, sudden destruction. But Satan rules in this darkness, and he cannot go to where there is light. He wants to go in darkness. But you and I, because you and I have been called, because you and I have responded to that calling. We are chosen in other words. And brethren, if you look at the percentage of people in the world, we are very few, really. Just look at statistics, how many are we versus any other. There are a few others that are not of this flock. But you add them all together, we're not many in this society, in this city, in this country, and in other countries, even less, even less. And so, we are the salt of the earth. You know, salt. You just have a little grain here, a little grain there, another grain there. We are the salt of the earth. We just, a little specia, a little specia. But we are the light. Look at Ephesians chapter 5 verse 8. Ephesians chapter 5 verse 8, it says, For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. But you know what? When you and I walk as children of light, man, oh man, Satan gets cross with you. You have now become Satan's target, and he wants to go at you and I. And any little opportunity that he may find, he's going to go for it. And it might be a simple misunderstanding that somebody said some word to you. You misunderstood it because of the background you have. Maybe the person said it innocently, or wasn't sensitive in whatever words he or she said. You, from your background, you read this in a different way, and you just have a big flame. Oh, is Satan so happy for that? And we gotta be careful because we are in a spiritual warfare. You see, Jesus Christ brings light into your mind and into my mind. You know, the truth, the hope, the hope of the kingdom, forgiveness that Christ gives us and God gives us, the spirit of reconciliation, all these things is light. And therefore, when we are light, we have engaged ourselves in a warfare against the king of darkness because he doesn't want it. Because you and I are a threat to him and his cohorts. You see, therefore, we are in a spiritual warfare.

I want to mention three points or areas of our spiritual warfare today. And the first one is that Satan is fighting against those that are striving to be holy.

Satan hates those that are striving to be holy.

You know, be holy as your father is over, right? But the point is striving, which means you and I are not there.

I'm not there. None of us is there. And so what happens? We slip up. Which one of us hasn't slipped up. Which one of us has said something or not said something that is said, man, I should have not said that or I said it incorrectly. We all have. And so he becomes our adversary. He is like that roaring lion. He has an opportunity. And so seeing that we are in Ephesians 5, let's look at Ephesians 6 verse 10. And it says, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. What is the power of God? It's God's Holy Spirit. We need to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Are we strong in that?

And then he reads, put on the whole armor of God. We need to put on that armor of God because we are in a spiritual battle. And these armaments, they're not machine guns or bazookas or tanks. They are spiritual armaments, spiritual instruments of war. And so we've got to put them on because we're not wrestling, as it says in verse 12, against human beings, against flesh and blood, against other people. Oh yeah, it may come across through other people. But the instigator behind it, stirring the pot, is Satan. And we've got to be careful. And then he says, but against principalities, powers, against rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places. In other words, demons of different levels of power and authority are around us. You know, it doesn't cease to amaze me that as I go to different countries, I can sense different vibes. Just use vibes as a word. I can sense different spiritual vibes because it's different kings. I've walked into a different country where there are different kings or principalities, spiritual powers affecting that society. And you feel those different, you're now in a different terrain of a different enemy. It's like if you, for instance, were fighting an award in Afghanistan and then you go to a war, for instance, in the Ukraine, you have different people and rulers. And the same thing when you go to different countries and you go as a minister of Jesus Christ, you can sense different vibes. And we have to be close to God because if we're not, it's going to come from a different angle that you didn't expect it. So please do pray for God's ministers as they go to different countries because particularly when they confront people in the world, well, if they go and they're dealing just with people in the church, it might not be so much. But when they confront people in the world, they can encounter different types of spiritual attacks. So but again, yeah, what we have is we've got to put on this whole armor of God that we may be able to withstand. It was to stand. We need to stand in the faith. We need to have the power of God as it says in verse 10 and stand. We need to be close to God. We need to be aware that we are in a spiritual warfare. And we really need to take because most of these weapons, as you really are in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 11 through verse 17, most of these weapons or these instruments of war are defensive except for the sword of the spirit. But they all are defensive. So we typically need to take a defensive stand in this warfare because Satan is trying to manipulate other people that you and I deal with. And through those manipulative thoughts, these people are not even aware of it in innocence. And then we get caught up in something that we wish we had not got ourselves caught up into. You see, it's a life and death struggle. And you'll remember in Matthew 4 when Satan tempted Christ for 40 days. At the end of 40 days, he fasted. And then in the end of 40 days, Satan tempted. How did Christ defend himself with the Word of God? The Word of God. And interesting, you know, Satan used the Word of God.

We have to be close to God so that we can use God's Word correctly and effectively.

You see, so as you read through these, I could summarize these weapons as being righteousness, as being truth, as praying, as fasting, being bold and courageous. We need to have these weapons. We really need to work on these things. And then it says, verse 19, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. Are we using the weapon of supplication? Going to God and pleading for help.

Supplication. And then it says in verse 19 that God may boldly open our mouths to say the right thing at the right time. Oh, how I wish I had the wisdom when I'm in some of those situations. And I'm sure you're probably going to say the same thing. How you wish you had wisdom at that time to just say the right thing. And quite often, we don't. And maybe the best is just to keep quiet and leave it. And then sometimes just come back with the right words. So in John chapter 3, John chapter 3, we read in verse 19, John chapter 3 verse 19, it says, and this is the condemnation that the light is coming to the world, and man, society around us, love darkness rather than light, because people's deeds are evil. You see, so we are in enemy terrain. We really are in enemy terrain. Think about that you are a single soldier out there in the enemy terrain, a light, and everyone can see you. Spiritually, that's what it is. And that's where we are. We are in enemy terrain. And so these people are going to come to us because you and I are trying to produce the attributes of the Seminole Mount. Remember the Seminole Mount? The Beatitudes? Let's turn there. Matthew 5. Starting in verse 3, in Matthew 5, we list a whole bunch of Beatitudes. So you and I are trying to be humble. We're trying to be repentant, mourning. We're trying to be teachable. We're trying to hunger and thirst after God's righteousness, not self-righteousness. We are trying to be merciful.

And we are honest. We are pure in heart. We're honest. And therefore, we're trying to make peace.

But you know what's the outcome of that? You see, these Beatitudes from verse 3 up to verse 9 are things that we do. But verse 10 is not what we do. It's what we get back because of what we do. You see, when we apply these Beatitudes, what's going to come back to us? We're going to be attacked by Satan, and those deliberately or innocently not knowing better are going to persecute us because of God's righteousness. And so, in the end, you can see the outcome will be the sons of God, will be in the kingdom, because we stand up. But people are going to criticize you. They're going to revolve you falsely. Expect persecution. Expect persecution. And you know, a little later in Matthew, still in Matthew 5, it says in verse 43, "...you have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy." Now, interesting. The Bible nowhere says, hate your enemy. Did you know that? In the Old Testament, never says you'll hate to hate your enemy. But this was a pharasical statement that says, well, love your neighbor and hate your enemy. In other words, you've heard that from the Pharisees. It's not the word of God. But what Christ is saying, I say to you, love your enemies. And you know, when people persecute us or attack us with the liberty intent or innocently, we have to forgive, as we heard in the sermon, and love our enemies. That you may be the sons of your father. You know exactly what it says in that beatitude in verse 9. Still, Matthew 5 verse 9, that you may be the sons of God. And that's what we're going to do. And that's why it says the ultimate end result of this goes down to verse 48, which says, therefore, be perfect. Be perfect. We need to be perfect, as our Father, God the Father, is perfect. You see, so what is it that you and I need to be doing in the meantime? We have to stand. We just have to stand, not fall down into that same trap. We have to stand. As we read in Thessalonians, we have to be sober and vigilant. We are to be sons of light. We have to stand. So our strategy is defensive. Our weapons of faith, love, the hope of salvation, that sound mind and boldness, in other words, don't fear because God is with you, and have a spirit of supplication, and be always ready and on guard. That's our weapons, our spiritual weapons, because we are in a spiritual warfare. And so, I mentioned I was going to highlight three points in our warfare. And the first one, as I mentioned, is it's Satan that is going to attack us when we are trying to be holy. But the second one, the second big problem, is sin. Sin. Sin causes pain, causes suffering, causes troubles, causes turmoil.

And sin normally comes through thoughts. You know, thoughts come in, we are tempted, wrong thoughts, we allowed us wrong thoughts. It kind of entices, as you're reading James, entices, we're tempted, enticed, and then we sin. And the result of sin is damage. It's pain. It's suffering. And we have to always be continuously focused on the larger warfare, which is a spiritual warfare. And so, we're going to be attacked, obviously, by Satan, but also because of sin.

Now, this is where sin can come from many areas. But let me just highlight two simple areas. Sin can come from sons of light.

In other words, sin can come from other brethren in the church, because they're still imperfect. You see, they're still imperfect. And because they're still imperfect, which one of us is perfect? I am perfect! Well, come on, we're not. None of us is perfect. No man is righteous. No, not one. Even you and I are in the church. We're still imperfect. So, this offense, this hurt, can come even from sons of light. In other words, brethren in the church, as we heard in the sermon, it's very well explained. So, on the other side, sin can come from blind people. You know, spiritually blind. That's what I mean. Who are in the world, they don't know any better. So, as I said, sin can come many ways, but I'm just highlighting two simple, can come from people in the church or from people in the world. And that can cause troubles, turmoil, frustration, discouragement in you when somebody else throws things at you and that you feel discouraged. Well, why did he say that? Why did she say that?

And you know, it can be very disheartening, can be very discouraging. I'm sure all of you have encountered situations like that, that you've had some attacks and you just, man, that is hard.

And the problem is, quite often, we don't have the wisdom to discern whether that is coming by accidental sin or whether it's coming by deliberate intent to hurt you. That's the problem. You see, maybe that the person just does not know, does not have a proper perspective of you, and therefore, in good intent, that person is putting a stumbling block in front of you, but the intent in that person was not evil towards you. On the other side, it could be, and therefore, that's not persecution. That is turmoil because of sin. But it could have been that was intentful to destroy you. So when problems come towards you, you and I need wisdom to discern because you need to know what type of battle you are fighting. Spiritual battle, of course, but what type of battle you are fighting? You and I need to assess the motivation of the attacker. But how can you assess the motivation of the attacker? I can't read people's minds. And that's where you and I need to pray and ask God for wisdom. You know, in James says, if anyone lacks wisdom, ask God, and He'll give it to you liberally. And so we need to be asking God for wisdom to discern what battle we aim. Because depending on what battle we aim, our strategy of defense may be different. It may be different, but not spiritually speaking. So the enemy is sent, but does that send come to you as a deliberately intentful attack to hurt you? Or does that send comes to you as a person that did something in absolute ignorance, not with a bad intention, but was just saying something which that person believed to be right and it hurt you?

We need wisdom, brethren.

Turn with me to Romans 6, verse 10. Romans 6, verse 10. And it's talking about that we need to obey in verse 16. And then it says, but thanks to God in verse 17, that we obeyed from the heart, and we've been set free from sin. We now serve God by being righteous, being slaves of righteousness.

And then it says, in verse, I want to go a little bit before that. Sorry, I should have, I wanted to have, because I'm reading in verse 16 and 17, I wanted to go to verse 12. It says, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that it should obey it in its lusts. Do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness.

You see, brethren, the word instruments is the same word in Greek. As the word applied to armor, the armor, put on the armor of God. So we must not put instruments, armaments, spiritual instruments, which are unrighteous. We've got to be careful. And so we've got to put on God's righteousness. And so the question is, you and I could do it. In other words, you unintentionally could use your body of instruments, your mouth, whatever, your mind as instruments of unrighteousness. And you and I could offend or hurt our brother and sister, because of something we said unintentionally. And so that's why we need to have God's wisdom.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 10, it talks about the Spirit of God that searches the deep things of God. 1 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 10 says, God has revealed them to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

Amongst the deep things of God is understanding different people's intent. And God's Spirit can guide us to say, put my name, put your name, and say, George, you know, that person said it unintentionally. It just, there was no malicious intent. It came across, and we just have to answer, understand it. The person did it, not of the intent to hurt, but it did hurt! See, my perception is my reality, right? So it came to me, and it hurt me. But I need to ask God for wisdom. Ask God to give me of His Spirit to understand those deep things of God, and to see, hey, that was just unintentional.

And then we're going to say, how are we going to answer it, and how are we going to handle it? And maybe I'm the culprit, because maybe I have hurt. I have hurt. Maybe I've said something to somebody else, and I didn't see it. And then that person comes to me and says, well, George, you've hurt me, by the way, you said this.

And we need to listen, because if the person feels hurt, that's reality. And did I hurt that person? How did I say it? And you know, that's why then we read scriptures like Jeremiah chapter 10, verse 23 and 24, that says, we don't know the way, the right way. We need God to teach us the right way. Let's just look at Jeremiah chapter 10, verse 23, and 24. Because it says, Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself. It's not in man who walks directly some steps. You know what? I may say things to somebody that is really going to hurt that person. And you know what?

I didn't mean to, but I did. And then he says, you see, you and I have faults. Which or sins, which are like a blind spot. You know, when you drive, you got a blind spot, you're going to turn lane. There's a car right here. Oh, it was even though you got a rear view mirror, etc. Sometimes it's just a little blind spot. And you, you and I have sins that you and I can't see it. Now my wife can see them, but I can't. Or vice versa. You see, it's in our blind spot.

And then my wife would say to me, George, you said something incorrectly. You shouldn't have said that. It offended him or offended her. And I'd say, yeah, you're right. You see, and that's why it says, Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself. I know that I failed. And he says, correct me, but with justice. In other words, God, show me where I'm wrong, but please be merciful. Please, not everything at the same time, because I'll then I'll be squashed to nothing. So please, God, just a little bit at a time.

You know, not too much. Just be gentle, you know, but I want to change. So we need to remain standing. Sure, we have faults. Others have faults. We hurt, we get hurt, but we need to forgive. And we need to be honest with God. And we need to remain standing. And so we need to look at the situation that says, what do I do?

I mean, you know, situations. Look at Paul. Paul. He was called Saul. He thought he was doing the right thing. He was persecuting Christians. He was basically killing them. And you know the story. On the road to Damascus, he was, bang! Lord, what do you want me to do? Oh, it's hard to kick against them. Whatever it is, the rocks, things that it's hard, because in his heart, he kind of knew he wasn't doing the right thing, but he thought he was doing the right thing.

And Paul says, you know, you know, God was merciful to him. God had trust in him that he would change. Christ died for him and for us to save us, to save Paul, to save us. And God is patient, long suffering. We need to be the same thing. We need to be the same thing.

And so the first thing we need to do is we need to confess. We need to have a honest and open communication with God, so we don't offend others, and we don't self-justify us. And understand that Christ is our defense attorney. He's our faithful high priest. Satan is our accuser. He's the plaintiff. He's the complaining party. He's the adversary.

But Satan is always ready to bounce at any opportunity. And we have to trust in God that Christ is there to help us. You see, you read other scriptures like Isaiah 64 verse 6, our righteousness is like filthy racks. You see, we're not hunger and thirst for our righteousness. We hunger and thirst for God's righteousness.

You see? And so we need to ask God for help. And we need to have these strongholds, these fortresses in our mind that we don't want to accept that we have these problems. We need to be humble and submit to God. Look at James chapter 4. James chapter 4. You see, because Satan is trying to attack us. But James chapter 4 verse 7 says, submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Do we trust God that that is the case? Or do we doubt?

Cleanse your hands, you sinners. You know, do you? We need to do our part and analyze ourselves. He says, purify hearts, double-minded, lament and mourn and weep. You know, it was repent. And humble yourselves. Do not speak evil of another brethren. Be careful of these things. The key brethren is submission, is humility.

And Satan cannot do anything against you when you are humble. He says, submit to God, resist the devil. Satan cannot do anything against you when you are humble before God. Wow! What an encouragement statement! And that is the first beatitude of those beatitudes that we read in Matthew 5. And then the third area I mentioned, you know, the first one is Satan is trying to attack us if we're holy. The second one is, sin is the cause and we got to look at ourselves and others and be careful. And have wisdom how to handle it, depending what it comes from. Is it deliberate or is it just accidental? And the third one is, let's call it a rescue mission.

There is a brother or a sister that has been hurt. And that brother or sister has left the church or doesn't come to church anymore.

Our job, it's not just the job of the minister, it's every one of us to go and help and look for that lost sheep and bring that lost sheep to the fold. And help and encourage is part of a rescue mission by 9-1-1. Bring him back or bring her back. Help him, help her. And that's Galatians 6.1. Galatians 6.1. Because as we heard about Matthew 18, but Matthew 18 has to always be balanced with Galatians 6.1. He says, brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass and maybe this person has done something that's wrong against you, or whatever he is, or has got something that is actually he separated himself from the church. You who are spiritual, you that are a spiritual pillar, well, none of us is a spiritual pillar, so, but it's kind of say you that you can see that that person needs help. Restore. Go to that brother, to that sister. And he's not talking just to the ministers, brethren. He's talking to each one of us. Maybe you have a better relationship with that person, and your position of relationship and friendship with that person will be so much more effective than a minister. And you go out and restore such a one in the spirit of gentleness, meekness, kindness, humility, considering yourself lest you get into the same trouble. So that's a rescue mission.

I mean, think about, do you know the story about Nathan and David? Man, was David gone out, out of the field, he not only had committed adultery, he had killed the guy that was the spouse of Bathsheba. He killed Uriah. And now he was really on the way out. Now Nathan had to come in there, go and tell the king. He told the king, what is the king going to do? He's going to wipe me out.

It took boldness. It's a spiritual warfare. But he went and told the king. And you know the story.

He was very humble, with a simple, very practical... Maybe God inspired him that. Maybe he prayed about it beforehand. And he says, how am I going to approach this? So he said, well, you know, David used to be a shepherd. He's got a great love for sheep that use the story. And David says, kill that man that did that to that little sheep. To that, you know, that family that was out this little one sheep. And then Nathan said, you are the man.

Boy, that was courage from Nathan. That was standing firm. There's a time when there's a combination of humility and standing firm. But in a right wisdom from God with God's Spirit, you can say something that breaks the heart. Bringing that person back in the spirit of gentleness. And David came back.

So, brethren, we are in a fight. We are in a fight.

We know that with Christ, everything is possible. If Christ is with us, everything is possible.

But as we started in 2 Corinthians 10, verse 5, I just want you to turn back there, because the conclusion of that verse, that last sentence in that verse, which I did emphasize earlier, but I want to emphasize again as a conclude, it says, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Let me ask you a question.

Are you in the church? Yes, I am.

Have you been baptized? Yes, I am. If you've received God's Holy Spirit, you've had the laying on of hands. Yes, I am. Are we bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ? Yes, that's where the rubber meets the road. Are we doing that? And then a little later, in the same book, chapter 13, verse 5, it says, examine yourselves. Oh yeah, we've just finished our solver and living bread. But you know, we need to examine ourselves all the time as to whether we are in the faith. How are we doing after 11 bread? Have we caused some pain on others by something that we've said? Or have we been hurt by somebody else that said something? I have been in a situation that's since 11 bread, been in situations that really disheartened me by what some people said. Really disheartened me. And you know what? I'm not accusing those people. They did it in innocence. But the question is, is Jesus, that it says, knowing, do you know yourselves that Jesus is in you? Do we know that Jesus is in us?

What are we doing? Is that Jesus living in us? Oh yes, I can be baptized. But are we bearing the fruits of that?

Reverend, we are the sons of light. We already are being trained to serve Christ and the Father in His kingdom so that through that He, with our help, ultimately He will crush Satan's kingdom. You and I need to be focused that we are in a spiritual war. And now is the time. Don't leave it till next year because it might be too late. You don't know how much time you have. You and I could be dead tomorrow. And then your time has come. So now is the time to fight our spiritual battle.