Spiritual Warfare “10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full 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.”

Spiritual Warfare  The nature of the battle: SPIRITUAL  The location of the battle: THE HEAVENLIES

Spiritual Warfare  THE HEAVENLIES “This grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 3:8-10)

Spiritual Warfare  THE HEAVENLIES “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? ” (Hebrews 1:14)

Spiritual Warfare  THE HEAVENLIES “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 18:10)

Spiritual Warfare  THE HEAVENLIES For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. (1 Cor. 4:9)

Spiritual Warfare  THE HEAVENLIES “I charge you in the sight of God and the ELECT ANGELS.” (1 Timothy 5:21)

Spiritual Warfare  THE HEAVENLIES “Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. 10 It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels.” (1 Corinthians 11:9,10)

Spiritual Warfare  THE HEAVENLIES “12 “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.” (Daniel 10)

Spiritual Warfare 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. (Ephesians 6:14-17)

Spiritual Warfare “ 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 Lord’s people.” (Ephesians 6:18)

Spiritual Warfare “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35)

Spiritual Warfare “God does nothing but in answer to prayer.” (John Wesley)

Spiritual Warfare “God does nothing but in answer to prayer.” (John Wesley)

Spiritual Warfare “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

Spiritual Warfare “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions.” (Ephesians 6:18)

Spiritual Warfare “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Spiritual Warfare “Whoever wrestles with God in prayer puts his whole life at stake. In the combat in which man has no reservation, God wills also to have no reservations. “To take God with complete seriousness means to put Him to the test. We never dare enough in petitioning God.” (Jacque Ellul)

Spiritual Warfare “ 14 I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. 15 If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me.” (Numbers 11:)

Spiritual Warfare Pray = Spirit Not Pray = Flesh

What does a Mature look like? What are the characteristics?

How does our church walk a person through the stages to maturity in Christ?

Does this list REALLY measure spiritual growth?

Holiness  1 Peter 1:15,16  Hebrews 12:14  Romans 12:1 God’s Word  Jeremiah 15:16  Deut. 8:3b  Hebrews 4:12 Worship  Matthew 4:10  Psalm 63:1,2  John 4:23 Sharing Faith  Philemon 6  2 Corin. 5:20a  2 Timothy 2:2 Stretching Faith  Hebrews 11:1  2 Corinthians 5:7  Ephesians 3:20,21 Prayer  Ephesians 6:18  James 5:16b  I Thessalonians 5:17 Solitude  Mark 1:35  Luke 5:16  Matthew 6:6 Serving  I Peter 4:10  Matthew 20:28  Philippians 2:3 Spiritual Progress  2 Peter 3:18  Colossians 1:28, 29  Ephesians 4:11-13 Accountability  Ecclesiastes 4:12  Hebrews 13:17a  Romans 15:14