Victorious Life - Bible Baptist Church

Text: Ephesians 6:10-13

Be strong in the LORD

Being strong in the LORD means allowing the LORD to be strong, so you’ll have to stop leaning on your own understanding.
What follows are the LORD’s weapons in the warfare you’re involved in.
- Weapons such as truth, righteousness, peace, faith, hope, and the words of God.
The issues of life are spiritual and moral.
To educate the mind without educating the morals is to create a menace to society.
Your problem isn’t biology, your problem is discipline.
Your problem isn’t chemistry in your body, it’s believing lies.
David and Goliath. The victory doesn’t belong to the strongest and biggest because that’s not the battle. The warfare isn’t muscle versus muscle.

Fighting the wrong battle (vs 12)

There are some brothers I grew up with in Corpus Christi who lived right down the street from us. We’d play football together, flashlight wars through the neighborhood, and generally have fun together. We all grew up and one brother went to the Coast Guard but the other became a homeless drug addict. Same parents, same environment, different outcomes.
We’d visit the nursing home when we could. We’d play music, preach, and play games. There were a couple of ladies there in wheelchairs. One seemed a little less healthy than the other, but she was very cheerful though she’d lost lots of family and her health was poor. The other seemed much healthier, complained about her life, complained about her family, who I met one time. She was very bitter. With worse health, and a worse family situation, that one lady was joyful, but the other was miserable. Why? Because the things that make for life aren’t seen.
Pastor friend serving God, but losing his family and thus losing his ability to serve God.

Understanding what’s at stake

…that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil…
You’re not going to battle if you don’t know what you’re fighting for. If you don’t understand what you’re fighting against, you won’t stand.
It’s difficult for us to accept that we’re in a spiritual battle because we don’t recognize what’s at stake.
- There is not a clear connection in our minds between a child in jail and a lack of prayer and lack of truth in their life.
- There is not a clear connection between our lost family members and our lack of Holy Spirit influence in their lives.
- There is not a clear connection between a marriage falling apart and a lack of holiness in a household.
- There is not a clear connection between financial problems and despising authority and complaining and quitting every job you’ve ever had.
- If you had a gun pointed at you it’s much easier to make the connection of what’s at stake because you can see it. You can feel it. You can understand the direct connection between the gun firing and your pain and the set of circumstances that will follow that event. But spiritually, you and I have to be reminded and taught what is at stake.

God’s armor