This passage can be broken down into three parts:"(10)Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. (11)Put on the whole armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. (12)For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (13)Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (14)Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, (15)and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. (16)In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. (17)Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (18)And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:10-18).
In order to first determine that there even is an adversary, Barton switched the parts around and spoke first on the adversary rather than the admonition.
There is an enemy that is always ready to attack us in our every day lives (in our marriages, through gossip, with our spiritual walk, in our ministry, at work...). But we can withstand the enemy. This is a winnable war!
We need to know who the the adversary is because the war he wages is fierce and subtle. Our adversary isn't just other people who irritate us, slander us, etc. They play a minor part, but our true adversary is the devil and his army of evil beings. When Jesus explained to His disciples that He had to suffer, die and then raise again on the third day, Peter began to rebuke Jesus by saying, "Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you!" (Matthew 16:22). Peter was the one actually speaking the words but it was Satan that was giving the words/thoughts to Peter. Jesus responded by saying, "Out of my sight, Satan!..." (v. 23). Jesus knew that Satan was behind Peter's words, trying to stop God's plan, that's why Jesus didn't respond by saying "Out of my sight, Peter". Everyone is responsible for their own words and actions but we need to recognize that Satan is working "behind the scenes".
Next we need to know the characteristics of our adversary so we can recognize him and withstand him. So often we try to fight the enemy with flip flop sandals on! We are not properly equipped to attack the enemy or defend ourselves.
Because Satan is so cunning, wicked and powerful, we need to know the power we have in Jesus Christ. It is only in knowing and using the power we have through Jesus Christ that we can defeat Satan.
We need to know the objective of our Adversary. Why does Satan want to be so evil? John paints a picture for us through his vision in Revelations 12. A woman (v.1)(Mary, the mother of Jesus) is about to give birth. An enormous red dragon (12:3) (Satan) stands in front of the woman so that he might devour the child (Jesus) the moment it is born (v.4). The woman gave birth to a son and he was instantly taken up to God and to his throne (v.5). "And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down..." to the earth(v. 7-9). Chapter twelve finishes up with verse 17, "Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring - those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus." The devil cannot fulfill his plan and destroy Jesus. He has certainly tried (Matthew 4:1-11, Satan tried to tempt Jesus after Jesus had fasted for 40 days and nights in the desert). Satan cannot win because Jesus has already won the war, so Satan is going after Jesus' followers. Satan's objective is to harm Jesus by harming Jesus' people.
We need to know how to conquer our adversary. Christians fight from a position of victory because Jesus has won the decisive battle against Satan.
"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross" Colossians 2:13-15.
When Jesus died on the cross and rose again, He "made a public spectacle"(v.15) of the adversaries and triumphed over them! The only way to conquer Satan is with scripture. When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, He defeated Satan by quoting scripture. The only way we can be ready for battle at all times is to memorize scripture. Earlier this year I began memorizing verses and for various reasons (all of which seem rather empty now) I stopped. I would like to start memorizing verses again because I know how much it helped me last time. Today's sermon was an excellent reminder that we are facing a spiritual battle every day - the only way to win those battles is by the power of Jesus Christ and God's Words.
Barton ended by asking the question, "whose side are you on?" There are only two sides: Jesus' and Satan's. You can only be on one side. It's up to you to choose.
The church service ended this morning by singing the old, but powerful hymn, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God". (Click here for the words and music.)
From the moment the 2008 Living Proof Live conference started, I was completely at peace. I was able to immediately enter into worship with the worship team. The entire conference was absolutely amazing, focused on Christ - not Beth and the worship team. From the very beginning of the conference, and throughout it, Beth and the worship leader, Travis Cottrell , said that they are hear to serve us. They were not doing these conferences for their glory, rather for God to receive the glory. This was demonstrated over and over again. The strongest way this was portrayed was at the very end of the conference. Beth had finished speaking and the worship team began leading us in some final songs. They began the last song. They began with full instruments, then stopped playing them so we were all singing a cappela. The lights faded, the worship team stopped singing so it was just us women singing praises to God and then quietly, the worship team left the stage. No big hype about praising them for the amazing job they did, no seeking glory for themselves. Just leaving us women to worship God. I was so impressed by that.
Before each conference, Beth prays and asks God what He would like her to share with the ladies in that particular city. Rather than having a polished presentation that she repeats at every city, she speaks specifically what God impresses on her heart. For this past weekend, Beth spoke on Hebrews 4:12-16,
12) "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing sould and spirit, joint and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (13) Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sigh. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (14) Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. (15) For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin. (16)Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."
I've read these verses before - they are highlighted and underlined in my bible. But having Beth take us through and dig deeper into the meaning of each verse...it is so different from just reading it. She also had us memorize verse 12. Memorizing scripture is so important. Much of what Beth said I already knew, but hearing it in different ways, hearing it again gives more impact to the verses. I have nine pages of notes in my journal!
The biggest impact for me this weekend was the absolute, all-consuming urge to study the bible more. I know that the Word of God is powerful, sharper than any double-edged sword. I have had an inner yearning for the past number of months to dig deeper in to the bible, but this weekend, having Beth lead us through these verses has strengthened my desire to learn more. It is so exciting to read the bible and see how it can change a person's life. The words in the bible aren't just words on paper, they are living and active. They can heal a person's hurt, they can encourage and uplift, they can bring a person to their knees in repentance. I want to share the excitement of God's Word.
I don't know if this weekend was another step in God's preparation for leading me (and Jeremy) into further ministry or if it's just for the purpose of strengthening my personal relationship with Christ. Whatever the reason, I want to be available.
If you have never attended a Beth Moore conference before, even if you have, I highly recommend you attend one of her upcoming conferences. Check out her website for locations (the rest are in the USA). If you live in the vacinity, make it a priority to attend. You won't be disappointed. You will be challenged and refreshed!
This video is of the conference this past weekend - actual footage! Many thanks to Travis Cottrell for putting the Html code on his blog!
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