God’s way of
alertness, knowledge, truth, and action versus the other way of
passivity, experiences, feelings, etc.
Ephesians
6:10-18 WEL
10 Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and in the power of
his might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand
against the wiles of the Devil.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against the
highest spiritual forces, powers, rulers of darkness of the world,
and spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies.
13 Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able
to withstand on that evil day, and after doing everything possible to
still stand.
14 Therefore, stand having truth fastened around your loins and
having the breastplate of righteousness on,
15 And your feet shod, prepared by the Gospel of peace.
16 Most importantly taking the shield of faith with which you will be
able to quench all the fiery darts from the wicked.
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is
the Word of God.
18 In every situation be praying in the spirit with all prayer and
earnest requests, and be alert in the same with persistence and
earnest requests for all saints.
B1
There is no victory without God’s grace: 2 Corinthians 1:21 NLT It
is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ...
B2
Know and study the truth. This includes
C1 Facts and abilities about ourself
D1 The source of sin of any type is me. We have to look in the mirror
and realize that. Deception is common to us, so we must study the
truth.
D2 Pride is easy; humility hard. We must face the truth.
C2 Doctrine
D1 God’s character and traits
D2 God’s views on Himself (theology proper) and other teaching
C3 Worldview—God’s
versus any other
C5 What deception is and how to avoid it
C6 Knowing the truth, studying the truth, gives victory: 2
Corinthians 10:4-5 GNB The weapons we use in our fight are not the
world's weapons but God's powerful weapons, which we use to destroy
strongholds. We destroy false arguments; 5 we pull down every
proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God; we take
every thought captive and make it obey Christ.
B3
Know the weapons of the enemy.
C1 Essentially, these are the character traits opposite of God’s.
C2 God’s desires versus the enemy’s desires
D1 God want us to be alert; the devil not alert.
E1 1 Peter 5:8 GNB Be alert, be on watch! Your enemy, the Devil,
roams around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
E2 We have to be alert to fight a spiritual fight: 2 Corinthians 6:7
NLT We faithfully preach the truth. God's power is working in us.
We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and
the left hand for defense.
D2 God wants us to enjoy, but He does not want us to follow fleshly
desires; the devil does want us to:
E1 1 Peter 2:11-12 NLT Dear friends, I warn you as "temporary
residents and foreigners" to keep away from worldly desires that
wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among
your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing
wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give
honor to God when he judges the world.
E2 Galatians 5:17 NLT The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is
just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us
desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires.
These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not
free to carry out your good intentions.
C3 Methods of deception
D1 Lies (of any type for only a few are presented here. Often, we
hear what we want to hear, instead of seeing if it is true).
E1 Something is good and pleasant when it is not
E2 Something is safe when it is not
E3 No one will know
E4 Everyone one does it
E5 Bad advice as
F1 Follow your heart
F2 This is your only opportunity
F3 You will lose your opportunity
F4 I don’t see anything wrong with it: 2 Corinthians 10:12 NLT Oh,
don't worry; we wouldn't dare say that we are as wonderful as these
other men who tell you how important they are! But they are only
comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the
standard of measurement. How ignorant!
F5 God love us anyway
E7 Pretend that God is withholding something for your pleasure as “He
does not want you to enjoy what others enjoy.”
F1 Genesis 3:4-5 GNB The snake replied, "That's not true; you
will not die. 5 God said that because he knows that when you eat
it, you will be like God and know what is good and what is bad.
F2 1 John 2:16 NIV For everything in the world—the
lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes
not from the Father but from the world.
D2 Addictions—Sin is
the greatest addiction:
E1 Romans 8:8-9 NLT That's why those who are still under the
control of their sinful nature can never please God. But you are not
controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if
you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those
who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to
him at all.)
E2 John
8:34 NLT Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth,
everyone who sins is a slave of sin.
E3 Romans
6:16 NLT Don't you realize that you become the slave of
whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads
to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous
living.
E4 2
Peter 2:19 NLT They promise freedom, but they themselves
are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever
controls you.
C4 Assuming: Luke 12:45 NLT But what if the servant thinks, 'My
master won't be back for a while,' and he begins beating the other
servants, partying, and getting drunk?
C5 Not paying attention: Luke 21:34
NLT "Watch out! Don't let your hearts be dulled by
carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don't let
that day catch you unaware,
C6 Following a false leader, especially those who present themselves
as great men/women of God or even Messiah: Luke 21:8 NLT He
replied, "Don't let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my
name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah,' and saying, 'The time has come!'
But don't believe them.
C7 Following blind, ignorant leaders: Isaiah 56:10 NLT For the
leaders of my people—the
LORD's watchmen, his shepherds—are
blind and ignorant. They are like silent watchdogs that give no
warning when danger comes. They love to lie around, sleeping and
dreaming.
C8 Following leaders who do not teach truth: Jeremiah 5:4 NLT Then
I said, "But what can we expect from the poor? They are
ignorant. They don't know the ways of the LORD. They don't understand
God's laws.
C9 Following leaders who are hypocrites: Romans 2:21-22 NLT Well
then, if you teach others, why don't you teach yourself? You tell
others not to steal, but do you steal? You say it is wrong to commit
adultery, but do you commit adultery? You condemn idolatry, but do
you use items stolen from pagan temples?
C10 Following teachers who teach that the only law for a Christian is
to love others. God does have rules for believers today: Romans
13:12-13 NLT The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will
soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put
on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day,
we must live decent lives for all to see. Don't participate in the
darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity
and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy.
C11 Drifting into errors of a passive mind: 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8 NLT
So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be
clearheaded. Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get
drunk. But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by
the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence
of our salvation.
C12 Ignoring warnings: Deuteronomy 29:19 NLT Those who hear the
warnings of this curse should not congratulate themselves, thinking,
'I am safe, even though I am following the desires of my own stubborn
heart.' This would lead to utter ruin!
C13 Associating with people who claim to be Christians but their
lives are not Christian:
E1 1 Corinthians 5:11 NLT I meant that you are not to associate
with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin,
or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or
cheats people. Don't even eat with such people.
E2 1 Corinthians 6:10 NLT or are thieves, or greedy people, or
drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none
of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.
C14 Having false priorities: Matthew 13:22 NLT The seed that fell
among the thorns represents those who hear God's word, but all too
quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and
the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.
B4
Know those against who oppose God, for they do not want the best for
you. They want to neutralize or destroy you.
B5
Ephesians 6:10-18 WEL
10 Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and in the power of
his might.
C1 Without God’s help, we will fail. It is God’s grace that gives
us insight, wisdom, strength to do what is right.
D1 Hebrews 13:8-9 NLT Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today,
and forever. So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your
strength comes from God's grace, not from rules about
food, which don't help those who follow them. [Emphasis is mine]
D2 2 Timothy 2:1 NLT Timothy, my dear son, be strong
through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus.
C2 Jesus is our strength. He has proven Himself. John 16:33 NLT I
have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on
earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because
I have overcome the world.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand
against the wiles of the Devil.
C1 We must have the whole armor.
C2 This is armor God has given us, so it is the best. He gives these
things in wisdom and love.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against the
highest spiritual forces, powers, rulers of darkness of the world,
and spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies.
C1 Worldly war is not allowed. It is the spiritual war that we fight.
C2 It is a war against lies, sin, pride, etc.
C3 It is a war between God’s worldview and the worldview that is
not God’s.
13 Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be
able to withstand on that evil day, and after doing everything
possible to still stand.
C1 Even if it looks like we are failing, we must stand.
C2 Look how many times we have been tempted to give up, but God gives
us the strength to continue. His grace might be our brothers and
sister to encourage us.
D1 1 Thessalonians 4:18 NLT So encourage each other with these
words.
D2 1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT So encourage each other and build each
other up, just as you are already doing.
D3 2 Timothy 4:2 NLT Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether
the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and
encourage your people with good teaching.
D4 1 Peter 5:12 NLT I have written and sent this short letter to
you with the help of Silas, whom I commend to you as a faithful
brother. My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you
that what you are experiencing is truly part of God's grace for you.
Stand firm in this grace.
14 Therefore, stand having truth fastened around your loins and
having the breastplate of righteousness on,
C1 Truth
D1 John 8:32 NLT And you will know the truth, and the truth will
set you free.
D2 John 14:6 NLT Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth,
and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
D3 Psalm 25:5 NLT Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are
the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.
D4 John 17:17 NLT Make them holy by your truth; teach them your
word, which is truth.
C2 Righteousness
D1 This is living in alignment with God’s standards.
D2 Philippians 3:9 NLT and become one with him. I no longer count
on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become
righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right
with himself depends on faith.
D3 Hebrews 11:7 NLT It was by faith that Noah built a large boat
to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him
about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah
condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness
that comes by faith.
D4 2 Peter 3:13 NLT But we are looking forward to the new heavens
and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God's
righteousness.
15 And your feet shod, prepared by the Gospel of peace.
C1 This is the Gospel. We must know it, know why (to defend its
truths), and believe God’s Gospel.
C2 1 Corinthians 15:2-4 NLT It is this Good News that saves you if
you continue to believe the message I told you—unless,
of course, you believed something that was never true in the first
place. I passed on to you what was most important and what had also
been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the
Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on
the third day, just as the Scriptures said.
16 Most importantly taking the shield of faith with which you will
be able to quench all the fiery darts from the wicked.
C1 Shield of faith
D1 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT That is why we never give up. Though
our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For
our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they
produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last
forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we
fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now
will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
D2 Hebrews 6:17-18 NLT God also bound himself with an oath, so
that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he
would never change his mind. So God has given both his promise and
his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible
for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can
have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.
C2 Fiery darts of the wicked. These are to destroy and cause pain.
Things as discouragement, memories of past failures, temptations,
etc.
D1 Proverbs 25:18 NLT Telling lies about others is as harmful as
hitting them with an ax, wounding them with a sword, or shooting them
with a sharp arrow.
D2 Psalm 64:3-6 NLT They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim
their bitter words like arrows. They shoot from ambush at the
innocent, attacking suddenly and fearlessly. They encourage each
other to do evil and plan how to set their traps in secret. "Who
will ever notice?" they ask. As they plot their crimes, they
say, "We have devised the perfect plan!" Yes, the human
heart and mind are cunning.
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which
is the Word of God.
C1 Helmet of salvation
D1 Romans 5:2-3 NLT Because of our faith, Christ has brought us
into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we
confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory. We can
rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that
they help us develop endurance.
D2 Galatians 5:5 NLT But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to
receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us.
D3 1 Peter 1:3 NLT All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again,
because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great
expectation.
D4 Romans 13:11 NLT This is all the more urgent, for you know how
late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer
now than when we first believed.
C2 Sword of Spirit: Hebrews 4:12 NLT For the word of God is alive
and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword,
cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes
our innermost thoughts and desires.
18 In every situation be praying in the spirit with all prayer and
earnest requests, and be alert in the same with persistence and
earnest requests for all saints.
C1 Be alert
C2 Be persistent
1
Corinthians 1:3 NLT May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
give you grace and peace.
