Telling the Truth

Guest (Male): Today, Stuart shares a message from Ephesians 6 about the spiritual conflict in which we are engaged and what we must remember in battle. Stuart will be with us in just a moment. But first, if you've been feeling overwhelmed lately, like your mind just won't slow down, you're not alone. A lot of people today are carrying anxiety, uncertainty, and questions they don't know where to take.

That's why Telling the Truth is sharing biblical teaching in digital spaces so people can encounter God's truth right in those moments, right where they are. As we approach the end of the financial year, your support is critical to keep this ministry going. Right now, your gift will be doubled through an $82,000 matching grant, helping reach more people searching for peace and direction.

As our thanks, we'll send you Stuart Briscoe's book, *A Piece of My Mind*, a resource designed to help you experience God's steady pace when life feels unsettled. Call 262-788-4648 to have your gift doubled by the match or give online at tellingthetruth.org. Now, here's Stuart with his message, "Living to Fight Another Day."

Stuart Briscoe: I was in Queensland, Australia, a very beautiful part of Australia. Brilliant sunshine, blue, blue skies over vast horizons. I was in a camp on the outskirts of a small town. One day, I went into the small town. There were very few houses there, very few shops, very little of anything. Just a crossroads and right in the center of the main road was a rather ugly granite rock stuck in a very prominent place. It actually looked a little dangerous.

I was intrigued by it, and so I went over to look at it. Inscribed on it were three words: "Lest We Forget." I went and looked a little closer, and on it were inscribed the names of young men who had gone from that beautiful little town, way out in the middle of nowhere in Queensland, Australia, a veritable paradise. They had chosen to go off literally to the other side of the world and get involved in a war that wasn't their war. It was Europe's war. It wasn't Australia's war.

They could very easily have stayed comfortably in their little town, going about their farming business under brilliant blue skies, brilliant sunshine, with the fragrance of the flowers and the songs of the brilliant, exotic-colored birds filling the air. They chose, however, to go to Europe's war twice—the First World War and the Second World War. Many of them from that little town never came back. The citizens of the town had put this rather striking rock in the middle of the town: "Lest We Forget."

As a boy growing up in the north of England during the Second World War, one of the high points of my church life—our church was very, very small, very, very boring. My brother and I were the Sunday school until we grew up and became the youth group. One of the great things that happened in our church was that during the Second World War, young men from Australia, New Zealand, Rhodesia, South Africa, from Canada, all over the British Empire volunteered to come and stand with Britain in the Second World War. They didn't have to come. They chose to come.

Many of them would come while they were going through their navigator training at the nearby airport, and they would come to our home. They were my heroes. As a young boy, I would get to know these young men from all over the world. They introduced me to global Christianity. They introduced me to the idea that there was more than this little church that I went to. They were wonderful young men.

At the end of their training, they would go off to their various squadrons. Most of them went into the Bomber Command, and very, very often, two, three, four weeks after they had left, we would get a cable saying that they were missing in action or their planes had been shot down. They never went home. They didn't have to come. They chose to. And they gave their lives. They gave their lives because they believed there were some things worth dying for.

The reason they gave their lives because they thought there were some things worth dying for was because they were convinced there were some things worth living for. We have Memorial Day. The point of Memorial Day is to remember that in previous generations, there were some people who thought there were some things worth dying for. Many of them didn't have to. The reason they thought there were some things worth dying for was that they were convinced there were some things worth living for.

They did it hoping that succeeding generations would not forget. They did it hoping that the lessons that they taught by their example would not be overlooked. That's why we have Memorial Day. We are experts in our modern culture at the art of trivialization. We have totally trivialized Christmas, the time when we commemorate the coming of God incarnate. Now it's simply Santa. We've trivialized Easter, so that what was once the remembrance of the Christ rising again from the dead is now the time for the Easter bunny.

We've trivialized All Saints' Day, and now it's simply an excuse for a Halloween party in which we celebrate demons and witches and goblins. We've trivialized Memorial Day because for many people, it has become nothing more than a spring vacation when we grumble about the weather. We are masters of trivialization. In the same way that we are expected to look at the example of those who have gone on before and learn from it and emulate their example as far as physical wars were concerned, there's a very real sense in which we are expected to look at the example of those who have gone on before in the midst of the spiritual conflict and emulate their example and listen to their teaching.

Of all the great warriors, surely Paul the Apostle was one of the greatest. We marvel at his life. We rejoice in his ministry. We also need to emulate his example. He knew what it was to engage in spiritual conflict. Not only that, he left us in the Scriptures specific teaching on the subject. So lest we forget, we're going to spend the rest of my time looking into Ephesians chapter six in order that we might identify some of the things that he would have us remember about the conflict that he engaged in and the conflict in which we are engaged too.

Let me read you therefore from Ephesians chapter six, just a few verses commencing with verse 10. "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 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.

Therefore put on the whole 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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 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 the saints." Now, I think all of us, whether we've been in the military or not, know enough about military life to know that there are three things that people in the military need constantly to bear in mind.

The first thing is this: when you're going into battle, you need to know your enemy. If you can't identify the enemy, you may finish shooting up your friends. Not only that, you may find yourself under fire and not even know the enemy was in the area. You've got to know your enemy. The second thing is this: you've got to obey your orders. If you're in the habit of not doing what you're told, or if you're in the habit of questioning everything that you're told, you need to understand this: that when you're under battle, if you are not in the habit of doing what you're told, there's a very high probability you'll get your head shot off while you're arguing.

The third thing in the military that you have to learn: you must be fully aware of and capable of handling your equipment. You must know your enemy, you must obey your orders, you must understand your equipment. This is true not only in physical battle; this is true in spiritual conflict too. Paul addresses these things. First of all, as far as knowing your enemy is concerned, rather surprisingly, the Apostle Paul says this: we are not struggling against flesh and blood.

Now that's a surprise. He is writing this from prison. He is held there by the Roman Emperor. He is guarded by Roman soldiers. It is a very, very unpleasant place. I have been in the Mamertine Prison in Rome, which historically and traditionally is the place where Paul was imprisoned. It was a very, very unpleasant place indeed. The reason he was there, he had got into all kinds of trouble with his contemporaries and his fellow Israelites back in the homeland.

In order to escape from them, he'd appealed to Caesar. So he was in trouble with his fellow Israelites. He was held by the Roman Emperor. He was being kicked around by Roman soldiers, and he was being held in a very inhospitable prison by a Roman jailer. Now he could have looked at the Jewish people and said, "They're my problem." Or he could have looked at the Roman Emperor and said, "He's my problem." Or he could have reacted to the Roman soldiers and his jailer and said, "They're my problem." It didn't mean that he didn't have problems with them. That would be foolish to deny that. But what he's saying is this: I don't just look at flesh and blood as being the problem. Behind flesh and blood, there are spiritual dynamics.

Guest (Male): This is Telling the Truth with Stuart and Jill Briscoe. Today, Stuart is in the book of Ephesians with his message, "Living to Fight Another Day." Stuart will be right back with more. There's a growing hunger for truth in our world today, and more people than ever are searching for real answers. That's why, as Telling the Truth prepares to close out another financial year, your support matters so much.

Your support helps take the trusted teaching of Stuart and Jill Briscoe and place it into digital spaces where people are already looking for hope. And right now, an $82,000 matching grant will double your gift, expanding that reach even further in the months ahead. When you give, we'll say thanks by sending you *A Piece of My Mind*, a powerful resource from Stuart that shows you how to experience God's perfect peace, even in uncertain and challenging times.

So call today to request your copy when you have your gift doubled by the match. 262-788-4648. That's 262-788-4648. Or you can give online at tellingthetruth.org. For many, our smartphones have become our social connection, but we want to help you make a spiritual connection with the Telling the Truth mobile app. You can listen to daily programs, engage in Bible reading plans, journal, and share your thoughts and prayers on the community wall.

Get the Telling the Truth app through your App Store or log on to tellingthetruth.org/mobile-app. Remember, you can also give to support Telling the Truth on our mobile app. Now, let's get back to Stuart.

Stuart Briscoe: Anybody who looks at the struggles of life—and more often than not, the struggles of life are in the realm of our relationships—anybody who looks at the struggles of life and simply sees those struggles in terms of flesh and blood is missing the point. For our struggle is not primarily or even exclusively against flesh and blood. There are spiritual dynamics at work.

The reason there are spiritual dynamics at work is that there is a personification of evil called variously the devil or the evil one in Ephesians chapter six, or in other places of Scripture, he is called Satan or Beelzebub. Scripture is unequivocal in its teaching that there is a devil. Some people find this very hard to take, but I would encourage you by reminding you that the Lord Jesus had no difficulty in believing this at all.

He went nose to nose, mano a mano, with the devil in the wilderness. The wilderness came at him with all kinds of subterfuge. He came at him with all kinds of insidious approach, and the devil was groundly defeated. He was rebuffed. We're told that Jesus went into the wilderness in the fullness of the Spirit. He confronted the evil one there in mortal conflict, and he came out of the wilderness in the fullness of the Spirit. And the devil left, rebuffed.

It was a foretaste of what was to come. For when Jesus died on the cross, he—and I'm quoting the Epistle to the Hebrews now—when Jesus died on the cross, he through death destroyed him that has the power of death, that is the devil, and delivered those who through fear of death lived all their lives subject to bondage. I'll give you that again: when Jesus died on the cross, he defeated the one who has the power of death, that is the devil, and delivered all those who were held with fear of death in subjection to bondage.

So the Scriptures teach this: that there is a real devil who is defeated. On the cross, he was rendered defeated. However, he is still active in this world. That sounds contradictory at first, until we remember this: that there is a real devil. He is a force to be reckoned with. He is powerful. He is malevolent. But he is only operating under the sovereign control of the risen Christ. He goes around like a roaring lion, but as a roaring lion, he's held on a short leash.

And the other end of the leash is in the hand of the risen Christ, under whose feet all principalities and powers have been placed. So here's the picture: there is a devil who's real. He is defeated. He is still active, but only under the sovereign control of God. He is like a roaring lion. That is the description that Peter gives him. I've used this illustration before; I'll use it again because it makes a powerful point.

When I was in Botswana some time ago, I was out in the bush with two friends, and we were tracking a Cape buffalo. We could see its hoof marks in the sand. Mingled with it were the paw marks of a lion. And it was obvious to experienced trackers—and I was not one—that the lion had been chasing the buffalo. At one point, the prints, the footprints of the lion stopped. And at the same point, the footprints of the buffalo sank deeper into the sand.

And my tracking friends pointed out what was obvious once they pointed it out: at that point, the lion had caught the buffalo, had jumped on its back, had grabbed its jugular in its great jaws, and dragged it to the ground. And they said, "It wouldn't last many minutes; it wouldn't go many yards from here." And sure enough, we hunted in the bushes, and there we found the carcass of the buffalo.

That's what the lion does. The lion chases you, exhausts you, and then at the point of your exhaustion leaps on your back and grabs your jugular and exacerbates the problem. Many of our problems are purely human problems. We become exhausted by them. We are wounded by them. We are experts at wounding each other. We are responsible for those things, but the devil, the roaring lion, has no scruples.

He doesn't play by any rules other than his own, and he doesn't have any. And he simply leaps on the back of the exhausted; he leaps on the back of the wounded. He grabs you by the jugular, and he exacerbates the problem. Know your enemy. There is a devil. He's real. He's defeated. He moves about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. But he is held on a short leash under the power of the risen Christ.

Paul, writing to the Ephesians in chapter six, says this: that we need to know how to stand against the devil's strategies. The word that he uses here gives the connotation of his strategies being cunning, his strategies being crafty. In other words, he doesn't come head-on. He comes at you obliquely. He insinuates himself into the situation. He disguises himself sometimes as an angel of light.

Guest (Male): You're listening to Telling the Truth with Stuart and Jill Briscoe. Today, Stuart Briscoe is sharing the Apostle Paul's words in Ephesians 6 about the things you must remember in the spiritual battles we face as Christians. He'll be right back with some final thoughts for today. What if your generosity today helped place biblical truth in front of someone at the exact moment they needed it most? That's what's happening every day through Telling the Truth.

Through social media, our Telling the Truth website, and other digital platforms, people are encountering God's word, many for the very first time, right where they are. And more people than ever are searching for the kind of peace that can only be found through life in Christ. That's why, as we approach the end of the financial year, it's so important that we finish strong because your support can help us reach even more people with biblical truth in the coming year.

The great news is that a group of generous friends has offered an $82,000 matching grant, doubling your gift to expand the outreach even further in the months ahead. Now is a powerful time for you to step in and help keep God's word going out to the people who need it most. And as our thanks, we'll send you Stuart Briscoe's book, *A Piece of My Mind*, to help you experience the peace of God in whatever you're facing today.

Just call 262-788-4648. That's 262-788-4648. Or you can give online when you visit tellingthetruth.org. Now, here's Stuart with some final thoughts.

Stuart Briscoe: If you're not sure of the devil's techniques, if you're not sure of his activities and his methods, you should be. Clearly, the Apostle Paul expected the Corinthians to be fully conversant with the devil's methods, for he said to them, "We are not ignorant of the devil's devices, are we?" If you ask many people in the church today, "Are you ignorant of the devil's devices?" the answer very often would be, "I'm afraid I am. I didn't know he had any."

If you're not sure of the cunning, crafty approaches of the evil one, you don't know your enemy. If you don't know your enemy, you might be shooting up your friends and be vulnerable to the real enemy's attack. If you want to make sure that you are not ignorant of his devices, all you need to do is go back to the early chapters of Genesis, see him in operation. See how he started out, see how he operated, and be assured of this: he hasn't changed a thing.

One very simple reason: he's been doing very well using those ancient methods. Our problem is that we are ignorant of his devices. Also writing to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul said this: that we've got to be very, very careful that we do not give the devil a foothold. In other words, through our actions, through our attitudes, through our reactions, we can offer him a foothold into the situation, which he never ever misses.

Therefore, it is incumbent upon the Christian soldier in the midst of a spiritual conflict to know the enemy. He's real. He's defeated. He's like a roaring lion on a short leash, whose methods are crafty and cunning, and we very often give him the opening that he is looking for through our own willful stupidity. Now, in addition to the devil, the evil one, Paul in Ephesians chapter six talks about all kinds of spiritual powers and spiritual dynamics.

He uses very interesting terminology. He talks about powers that operate in the darkness. He talks about principalities and powers and rulers. And it's very interesting that he does not go into detail. Of course, if he'd wanted to go into detail, if he had more details available, presumably he would have done so. This is fascinating to me because the Apostle Paul is at pains to show that we not only have a devil, but we have a devil as an enemy who has with him legions of spiritual powers, but he doesn't go into detail.

One of the interesting things about modern Christianity is that there has been increased interest in what we call spiritual warfare. This is a salutary interest. It is a healthy interest. For quite frankly, very often because we have been subjected to modern thinking, we've dismissed the devil as something that isn't really worth bothering about.

Guest (Male): Thank you, Stuart. Before we go, here's something important to remember: your support this month can help Telling the Truth reach even more people in the coming year. Right now, your gift will be doubled through an $82,000 matching grant, helping extend biblical teaching to people around the world through digital platforms.

And as our thanks, we'd love to send you Stuart Briscoe's book, *A Piece of My Mind*, to encourage you with the promise of God's peace. So please request your copy when you call 262-788-4648. That's 262-788-4648. Or you can give online when you visit tellingthetruth.org. Thanks for listening to Telling the Truth today. Come back tomorrow as Stuart concludes his message, "Living to Fight Another Day." Experience life here on Telling the Truth.