A New Beginning

Greg Laurie: Many believers have all their armor in place but they never use their sword.

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie explains how our sword can defend against the lies and attacks from our enemy.

Greg Laurie: So Satan comes to you and he says, "God will not forgive you." Now it’s time to pull out the sword. It is written, 1 John 1:9, "If I confess my sin, he is faithful and just to forgive me my sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness." That's how it works.

Guest (Male): Some professions have specialty clothing and it saves lives. Firefighters have turnout pants and jackets to protect against heat. Police officers wear Kevlar vests. Soldiers have vests and helmets and boots. As we're learning today, Christian soldiers have specialty clothing as well, but too many of us don't know much about it.

Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us get to know our six pieces of spiritual armor and how we can use them in spiritual battle.

Greg Laurie: All right, well, let's grab our Bibles and turn to Ephesians chapter 6. Ephesians chapter 6. The title of my message is "How to Fight the Spiritual Battle." Look at verse 14. "Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; and above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

Six pieces of armor are mentioned. The first three, the belt, the breastplate, and the shoes, were attached to the body, never to be removed. The second three, the shield, the helmet, and the sword, were for specific purposes and methods of attack. It starts by saying, "Gird your waist with truth." Let me just use a more modern translation: Put on the utility belt of truth.

The Roman soldier had a belt, and on his belt, he had a sheath which was for the sword, obviously. Also, the breastplate was attached to the belt. The belt also pulled his little skirt up. Because he wore a toga, which is basically just like a skirt, it would be down over his knees. So when he's going into battle, he pulls it up above his knees and he cinches in the belt so it stays above the knees, giving him freedom of movement. Now he pulls his sword out.

You’ve got to have the belt on because if someone pulls your belt off, off comes your breastplate, there goes your sword, and your dress just fell to the ground. You're looking stupid, right? What does this even mean: Put on the belt of truth? Basically, it's just saying, bottom line, if you're not walking truthfully before God, none of the rest of this really matters. If you're living a hypocritical life, if you're saying one thing and doing another, then this is not going to work for you.

So you start with a truthful, right relationship with God. Then you have the breastplate of righteousness. What does that mean, the breastplate of righteousness? What it is, is a representation of your stand before God. We talked about how we are justified, which means when you become a Christian, God forgives you of all of your sin and then he puts the righteousness of Christ into your spiritual bank account, so to speak, and you stand positionally right before God.

I am a righteous man. You're a righteous man. You're a righteous woman. So I stand in this special relationship with the Lord. I bring this up because one of the devil's primary tactics is accusation. He comes up to you, he tempts you to think an impure thought and then you sort of take it for a test drive, and he attacks you. "What a hypocrite you are. You're not even a Christian. You don't believe in Jesus." Boom. Blows against the breastplate. But this is righteousness where I'm not standing in my good works or what I've done for God; I'm standing in what God has done for me. Very important.

Number three, we are to have our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. This is the footwear of the soldier. It gave him firm-footedness and mobility on the field of battle. It speaks of standing firm and gaining ground. How do I gain ground? Very simple answer: by proclaiming the gospel. That's how we advance in the spiritual battle.

Romans 10:14 says, "How can they call on him unless they believe in him? How can they believe in him unless they've heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them unless they're sent?" That is why the scripture said, "How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news." So the way we gain ground in the spiritual battle is by sharing our faith.

Now look at this, verse 16. "Above all," underline those two words, "above all." So Paul's now distinguishing this piece of armor from the rest. "Above all," he says, "taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one." The Roman army was amazing, and that's why they defeated so many of their enemies, because they worked together.

They would march into battle with these shields for the first part of combat, and when the initial barrage of flaming arrows came, they would all get them up and lock their shields from the front, from the side, and on top, too. All those arrows would land on top of the shield. They knew the arrows were coming and they were ready for them when they came.

The way it works in real life is the devil will fire his arrows at us. You never know when it's going to happen. Satan's flaming arrows are swift and silent. There's no advance warning of their arrival. You can wake up in the morning and the enemy can hit you with a flaming arrow or a fiery dart before your feet even hit the floor. It can happen in the middle of the night. Maybe a thought of complete despair. You might be gripped with a thought of intense fear and terror.

What if this happens to me? What if that happens to my family? What if this other thing happens? It can be a thought of hatred towards somebody. It could even be a blasphemous thought. It's so crazy. From out of left field, you're thinking, how could that thought even come to me? Remember, it's not a sin to be tempted. Just because the devil fires a flaming arrow at you, that doesn't mean you've done anything wrong. You're not the twisted one; he's the twisted one.

You put up your shield and identify the source of it. That's from Satan. I reject it. I'm not going to even entertain it for a moment. I didn't think of it, and I'm not going to play around with it. That's how you resist it. Know where these things are coming from because the devil's clever, as I've already said. He'll tempt you and then he’ll attack you for being tempted. How could you be so twisted to think that? I didn't even think it. I was like worshiping and this stinking thought, where did that come from? It came from hell. It came from Satan.

It's a flaming arrow. So say, "I reject that. That's not from God." Just let it go. Resist the devil and what will happen? He will flee from you. Understand the source of these things. So the helmet of salvation, this is so very important because obviously the helmet protects your head. You know that most temptations come in the form of your thoughts, right? They always start with a thought. Take any temptation you've ever given into, and I bet you in every instance it started right here.

You entertained it, so you have to wear a helmet. I ride a motorcycle and I have to wear a helmet. I hate helmets, by the way, but I know that they're good and they protect your brain, which is a nice thing to keep intact if possible. In the same way in the spiritual battle, you're going to get hit in the realm of your thinking, so you want to protect your mind.

Okay, so there's one last weapon in our spiritual arsenal, and that is the sword of the spirit. This is the only weapon that is offensive. In other words, if I'm going against my enemy, I'm not going to throw my helmet at him. "Okay, here it comes," throw a helmet. That's not going to work very effectively. I'm not going to beat him to death with my breastplate. That's not practical. I'm not going to attack him with my shield or throw my gospel shoe at him or something, right? These are not effective weapons.

These are not weapons. These are defensive tools that the soldier uses. But this sword, this is how I attack. Of course, it says the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. Many believers have all their armor in place, but they never use their sword. They leave it in the sheath. They talk about it, they study it, but they never actually utilize the sword in spiritual battle. Listen to this. The devil knows the authority of the word of God, and that's why as I mentioned earlier, he will try to keep you from it at all costs. He will do everything he can to see that we either keep our swords sheathed or that we don't even put them on in the first place. That's why he attacks God's word in your life, because he knows the power of scripture.

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment.

Hi everyone, I want you to know about our app called Harvest Plus. Think of it as a Harvest version of Netflix. We have all of our resources in one place. We have our movies like Steve McQueen: The Salvation of an American Icon, Johnny Cash: Redemption of an American Icon, A Rush of Hope, and much more. Then we have our television program, daily devotions, and much more. So go and download the Harvest Plus app.

Pastor Greg is presenting the final message in our series of the top ten most requested messages by our listeners. Today, good insight on emerging victorious in spiritual battle. Let's continue.

Greg Laurie: One of the greatest things you can apply your mind to is the memorization of the Bible. The memorization of the Bible. "I can't do it. I can't remember Bible verses." Yeah, you can. "I can't." Okay, let's start with one. "Jesus wept." Say that. "Jesus wept." Now you know a Bible verse. That's one. Now we're going to move on.

I still remember Bible verses that I learned when I was 17 years old and verses that I just committed to memory. You know you can do it because you have all kinds of stupid song lyrics in your head. You have lines from movies that you can quote at will in your head. You have stats and scores of games that have been played over the years in your head. You have other information that you put in there. You can make time for the Bible. It's a commitment, it's a discipline, but memorize scripture.

You say, "Well, why do I need to do that?" Because memorized scripture is a weapon against sin. Psalm 119:11 says, "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against you." Then Psalm 37:31 says, "The word of God is in his heart; his steps do not slip." Here's how it works. So Satan comes to you and he says, "You've just sinned." Let's say you have sinned. And he says, "God will not forgive you. You have no relationship with God." Now it’s time to pull out the sword and use it.

That's not true because it is written, 1 John 1:9, "If I confess my sin, he is faithful and just to forgive me my sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness." Just like that. That's how you use the sword. Remember Jesus when he was tested in the wilderness? He was hit with three primary attacks from the devil. One of them was when, after he had not eaten for 40 days and 40 nights, can you imagine how hungry he would have been? So what does the devil do?

He comes up and says, "Hey, why don't you turn a rock into a piece of bread?" And what does Jesus say? "It is written, you shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Now Jesus could have just said, "Look, I'm Jesus, you're not. Get out of here." Jesus could have banished the devil, driven him away with just a word. But Christ gave us an example of how to deal with temptation by quoting scripture.

So we do the same thing. The devil whispers in your ear, "God will not hear your prayers. God will not hear what you're saying. God is not listening to you." I come back with the word of God, 1 John 5:14, "This is the confidence we have in him: if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." So I quote the scripture. Sometimes I quote it out loud. I quote it out loud. The devil can hear it and I can hear it, so I'm reminded of what the word of God says.

Maybe the devil says, "You should be afraid. I'm going to destroy you." And we quote scripture, Psalm 27:1, "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid?" And then 2 Timothy 1:7, "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind." The devil says, "Well, you need to worry. Worry right now." No, actually, I don't, because I'm told over in Philippians 4:6, "Don't worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God." That's how it works.

You know the word of God, you memorize the word of God, you quote the word of God, and it will help you when you're being tempted. But if you don't know God's word, clever little things you read on Instagram are not going to help. There's all kinds of clever little things you can read and nice little sayings, but you need the word of God. That's what the devil is afraid of and that's what he responds to, and that's why it is called the sword of the spirit.

One last thing and then I'm going to close. The final ingredient to winning the spiritual battle in addition to putting on the armor of God and the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, the sword of the spirit, and having your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace—this is really important: prayer. Prayer. Look at verse 17, "The sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, being watchful of this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints."

Supplication is when you're praying for someone else. Worship is when you're bringing glory to God. Intercession, you're standing in the gap. Supplication, you're praying for someone. Petition, you're asking the Lord to help you. But the word of God and prayer are inseparable. Listen to this. The word of God enlightens us and prayer enables us. Let me say that again. The word of God enlightens us, but prayer enables us.

The word of God reveals the will of God; prayer enables me to do that will. There's an excellent illustration of this in Exodus chapter 17 showing how God's word and prayer work together. So the nation Israel is facing off with the Amalekites on the battlefield, and Moses told Joshua to send men to fight the Amalekites and he would stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in his hand, interceding for them.

So when he held that staff up, they knew Moses is praying. So he's praying, and when the staff is up, they're winning. And then Moses is old and his arms are getting tired, so he kind of pulls his arms down, they start losing. Then he puts them back up and they start winning again. So two guys say, "We’ve got to help poor old Moe, right?" One's name Aaron, the other's name Hur. They grab each end of his staff and they hold it up. Moses is kind of hanging on with his arms. And so the soldiers saw Moses with his staff up praying, and they prevailed in the battle. So it shows how prayer and the word of God go together.

That is why we need to proclaim the word of God and then we need to be praying. The power in the spiritual battle does not come from what we know; it comes from who we know. It's all about Jesus and it's all about a relationship with Jesus. So let me just close by asking, do you know Jesus? Let me say something that you need to understand. If you're not a Christian, you're no match for Satan. He can pretty much wreak a lot of havoc in your life.

But if you're a follower of Christ, you're under his protection. His ID tag is attached to you, and so you have that guarantee of protection. But a non-Christian, they have nothing. And you think you're going to keep the devil away with a crucifix? "I have a crucifix, he hates crucifixes." He could care less about crucifixes. "Well, I have holy water." There is no holy water. You need Jesus. That's the only thing Satan fears.

Let me restate that. That's the only one Satan fears, because of the power of Christ. And when Jesus comes and lives in a life, you're under his protection. Sometimes people say that Christians can be demon-possessed. How absurd. Do you think God's into a timeshare program? "I have Jesus here and sometimes demons live over here." No, no, this is like if Christ is in this house, he's a sole occupant of the house and he drives everything out.

So when he comes in, all that demon power that was maybe in me in some way, shape, or form is gone and I'm protected. Someone new is in the house. And when the devil comes knocking, I just say, "Lord, would you mind getting that?" And when Jesus answers the door, trust me, the devil's not coming in. But if Christ is not living in your house, in your life, you're vulnerable. You need Jesus. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came to this earth and lived a perfect life, and then he went and died on the cross for your sin.

He paid the price for every wrong you've ever done, and then he rose again from the dead. Now he stands at the door of your life and he knocks and says if you'll hear his voice and open the door, he will come in. Have you asked Jesus to come into your life yet? There might be some of you here that you're just worried and you're full of anguish and you have a lot of problems you're facing and you're just thinking this is so hard.

Well, there's someone who said that we should cast all our care upon him because he cares for us. God's saying, "Let me take your troubles. Let me take your cares. Let me take your anxieties. Let me carry it for you. Come here, let me put my arms around you. You're safe with me." You need to come to Jesus. You don't want to be out there for one day without him. You don't want to be out there for one hour without him. He'll forgive you and you'll enter into a relationship with him.

If you don't have that relationship with Jesus, let me extend an invitation to you now to believe in him, because he's ready to come into your life, but you have to say, "Lord, save me. Lord, forgive me." I don't know what mess you're in right now or what troubles you're facing, or whatever they are, God is greater than whatever you're facing. He'll come into your life tonight. To not say yes to Jesus is to say no to Jesus.

Jesus said you're for me or against me. So this is an either-or proposition. If you don't say, "Yes, I want Jesus," you're effectively saying, "I don't want Jesus in my life." And you have that ability to make that choice. Though it is the wrong one, don't make it. Say yes to him. You will not regret it. Let's pray.

Father, I pray now that your Holy Spirit will convict and convince every person that's listening or watching wherever they may be. Show them their need for you and help them to come to you and believe in you right here, right now. So we ask for your Holy Spirit to work in the hearts of those that need to take this next step. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Guest (Male): An important prayer from Pastor Greg Laurie. And if you know you need to make that kind of change today in your relationship with the Lord, Pastor Greg will help you with that before today's edition of A New Beginning wraps up.

Are you receiving Pastor Greg's daily devotions each day via email? If not, let's take care of that right now. You can sign up today free of charge at harvest.org and you'll receive a daily inspirational thought from God's word each day in your inbox. Again, go to harvest.org.

Pastor Greg, you mentioned our need to come to Christ for forgiveness of sin in today's study. Maybe there's somebody listening who'd like to do that right now. They'd like to take that step. Maybe you could help them with that right now.

Greg Laurie: I'd be delighted. Listen, if you would like to accept Jesus Christ into your life right now—by that, I mean if you would like your sin forgiven and have the assurance that you will go to heaven when you die—would you pray this prayer with me? Just stop what you're doing and pray this prayer. You might even pray it out loud after me. Let's pray together now.

Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner, but I thank you for dying on the cross for my sin and rising again from the dead. I'm sorry for my sin, Lord, and I turn from it now, and I put my faith in you to be my savior, my Lord, my God, and my friend. Thank you for loving me and calling me and accepting me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Listen, if you just prayed that prayer and meant it, I want you to know on the authority of God's word that Jesus Christ has just come to take residence in your heart. The Bible says, "These things we write to you that believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life." Listen, we want to send you some resources that will help you grow spiritually. So here's Dave with some details. And let me say, God bless you and welcome to the family of God.

Guest (Male): Yeah, and those resources Pastor Greg mentioned are all included in something we call our New Believer's Growth Packet. Foremost among those resources is Pastor Greg's New Believer's Bible. It's a special edition of God's word, and it'll help you get started in living your life for the Lord. We'd like to send it to you free of charge. Just ask for the New Believer's Bible when you call 1-800-821-3300. We can take your call anytime around the clock. That's 1-800-821-3300. Or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California 92514. Or go online to harvest.org and click the two words "Know God."

Pastor Greg, we're so thankful for the work God is doing through this ministry. We're touching lives for eternity. And we're really thankful for our friends who see the fruit of this ministry and invest so this work can reach even further. Isn't that right?

Greg Laurie: Absolutely. When you invest in Harvest Ministries, you're investing in the souls of men and women, boys and girls. And what is the value of a soul? Well, let me personalize it. What's the value of your soul? What's the value of the soul of your husband, your wife, your son or your daughter, or your mom or your dad, or your best friend? Well, I would say you probably couldn't put a price tag on it. It's so valuable.

Well, listen, God says all souls are mine. God loves us and sent his Son to die on the cross to pay the price for all of our sin so we could be forgiven and come into a relationship with him. I can't think of a better investment of my resources, of my money, than in the work of the kingdom of God. So we would ask you to prayerfully consider investing in Harvest Ministries as we continue on to fulfill the Great Commission.

Guest (Male): Yeah, that's right. And you can make your donation right now at harvest.org. Or write us at A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California 92514. Or call 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24/7 phone number: 1-800-821-3300.

Well, next time, Pastor Greg reveals how to live a more balanced Christian life. Good insights coming your way. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.