Biblical Spiritual Warfare – 6

Subject – The Belt of Truth

by Rick Welborne

Ephesians 6:10-14 (NIV)
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.
¹⁴  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist…

--Please understand that whenever the Word speaks of the belt of truth or about truth in general, it is talking about Jesus Christ…listen to the Old Testament:

Isaiah 11:1-5 (NIV)
¹  A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
²  The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD--
³  and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears;
⁴  but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
⁵  Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness (or truth) the sash around his waist. 

--Listen to the New Testament:

John 14:6 (NLT)
⁶  Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

1. We must begin with the premise that Jesus and Holy Spirit are our foundation for the belt of truth.

--I love what Isaiah prophesizes about Jesus… the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. 

--The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon Him which is the Holy Spirit of God and one of His Names is the Spirit of truth.

John 15:26 (NKJV)
²⁶  "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.

--He is armed with the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the fear of the Lord. No wonder Jesus could say I am the way, the truth, and the life.

--The belt had two purposes -- to hold their weapons and to show others what rank they carry in the Roman Army. And this is exactly what truth does! Truth says that when attacks come, the truth will set us free. 

John 8:31-32 (NKJV)
³¹  Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. ³²  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
 

--Truth says that when everything else is lost, the truth of what Jesus did on the cross and therefore what awaits us when we die is nothing scary or negative, but a beautiful eternity with our Savior. 

John 16:13 (NKJV)
¹³  However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

--Truth also tells the world our rank in the Army of God -- we are all sons and daughters of God! Princes and Princesses of the Most High King hold a very high rank indeed…the devil tries to convince us that we’re worthless.

John 1:12-14 (NKJV)
¹²  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
¹³  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
¹⁴  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 

2. The belt of truth is what holds everything together.

--The belt of truth in the Roman armor would hold his tunic tight so he might be free with his movements. 

--Many feel that they are free when they get away from God and far from the church but nothing could be more messed up than that…what they eventually find is the opposite of truth (bondage) and deception.

--Look at what King David said when his sin was exposed by Nathan the prophet…repentance brings us back to truth:

Psalm 51:1-7 (NKJV)
¹  Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.
²  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.
³  For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me.
⁴  Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight-- That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.
⁵  Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.
⁶  Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
⁷  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 

--The belt of truth also provided a place for the soldier to hang his sword…the Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God…if you will walk in truth, you will walk in the Word of God.

--Example of a lady who came to me telling me that even though the Word of God said she was walking in sin, she told me God had spoken something different to her…I told her she was not walking in truth.

Matthew 12:36-37 (NKJV)
³⁶  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 

³⁷  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

--The imagery here is that truth holds together all other virtues, making them effective. Putting on God’s truth means living out his Word, being honest and sincere in our faith. It refers to Christian character and integrity.

--The belt of truth is the first of the defensive weapons listed. The mention of this defensive weapon, I believe reveals two ways that Satan may try to attack us.

--First, I think that Satan may try to attack us with false beliefs or untruth. This makes sense as an attack because if we’re on the offensive and we’re building God’s Kingdom then Satan loses. 

--But anything that is not for God is against God. So if Satan can get people to fight really hard for what they think is God’s Kingdom or what they perceive as truth but really is not, then he wins.

--For a drastic example, we can look at the Muslim extremists. 

--They think that when they perform their acts of terrorism, they are advancing Allah’s kingdom. They believe that they are doing God’s will when they do this. And many times they are successful in their mission. 

--The trouble is that they don’t have truth. So, while they are successful in advancing their cause, they have been deceived into advancing a false cause or an untruth. They are following a false God.

--You could use Jehovah’s Witnesses or Mormons as examples. They think that they are fighting for God’s Kingdom, and they’re even finding success. However, they are not fighting for truth.

--The belt of truth can help us hold things together when we are confronted with erroneous teachings or untruths. To the Roman soldier the belt was to keep his robe tied out of the way during battle.

--Paul says we are to run the race…when the soldier needed to run the bottom of the robe was brought up and tucked into the belt to keep him from tripping.

--Most important was the armor hooked to the belt…without the belt the rest of the armor would fall off. Again, it represents Jesus and without Him we would fall.

Jude 1:24-25 (NIV)
²⁴  To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy--
²⁵  to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. 

3. The belt is really used for one purpose and that is to keep your pants up. 

--And I would propose that’s what the truth does in spiritual warfare. When you don’t wear a belt, your pants may fall down and you’re “exposed” to the world in what is a pretty embarrassing situation. 

--And the fact is, that if you allow anything less than truth to reign in your spiritual warfare, you will eventually be exposed and at great cost to God’s kingdom, embarrassed and ashamed. 

--However, if you always have the truth by your side, no matter how much Satan wants to embarrass you, he can’t, because you have truth protecting you.

Paul, as he sat in jail, saw the belt around the soldier’s waist. The soldier’s sword hung from the belt, providing him quick access to his weapon. Even in the dark, he knew just where to reach for his weapon. 

Paul tells us, Fasten the belt of truth around your waist. Other people may guess and grope, but Christians live confidently, because we know the truth…Jesus is the truth on whom we stand.

Psalm 86:11 (NLT)
¹¹  Teach me your ways, O LORD, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you. 

Psalm 119:69 (NLT)
⁶⁹  Arrogant people smear me with lies, but in truth I obey your commandments with all my heart. 

Psalm 145:18 (NLT)
¹⁸  The LORD is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth. 

--Remember the woman at the well who had an encounter with Jesus…what did this woman who had five husbands and the man she was with was not her husband need? She needed the truth.

--Now days it would be said that all she needed was grace but she would have never found her way to the grace of God until she was confronted with the truth of where she was and Who Jesus was.

--Once she was confronted and admitted her need for Jesus, her life was changed…matter of fact, the truth she received changed her whole town. God, do it again.

John 4:23-24 (NCV)
²³  The time is coming when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, and that time is here already. You see, the Father too is actively seeking such people to worship him.
²⁴  God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.“

John 8:32 (NCV)
³²  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.“ 

Identity Theft – 5

Subject: We Build Identity by Our Words

by Rick Welborne

Matthew 15:10-20 (NKJV)
¹⁰  When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand:
¹¹  Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."
¹²  Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"
¹³  But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.
¹⁴  Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."
¹⁵  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."
¹⁶  So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding?
¹⁷  Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?
¹⁸  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.
¹⁹  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.
²⁰  These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

--Today we are continuing our series on identity theft…last week we talked about what Joshua said “As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

--I hope you have made that a declaration over your life and over your family…lead the way and model the way. It is easier when it is lived out before them.

--Jesus kept dealing with me about this subject I am speaking about today…Our words and the impact that they have on those we speak to. 

--Jesus was explaining to the disciples and the Pharisees how important it is about the words that come out of our mouths because they are an indicator of what is in our hearts.

--Just listen to people speak and it won’t take you long to figure out what is in their heart…whatever they love or hate will eventually come bubbling out like a geyser. 

--If they love golf, tennis, fishing, hunting, basketball, shopping, precious moments, the beach, FB, or whatever, it will come out. If it is sin, that too will come out.

--Of course, there can be those professionals who have learned to talk about whatever at the right place, at the right time…keep listening though, eventually that junk will surface. Good stuff will surface also.

--Don’t you love to be around people who are truly filled with Holy Spirit and the love of Jesus, blessings and kindness just flow from them…we leave them feeling uplifted and blessed. 

--You see, a person is identified by what is in his heart and what comes out of his mouth…¹⁹  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.

--Here is where I am heading today and we all need to hear this…it is sad that all these words identify the person they are coming out of, but it also attaches identity to those who hear them.

--What you say, how you say it, and to whom you are saying it, has great consequences for either good or for evil. You are either building people or tearing them down.

Proverbs 18:20-21 (NLT)
²⁰  Wise words satisfy like a good meal; the right words bring satisfaction.
²¹  The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences. 

--There is probably not a person in this room who could not immediately bring up hurtful words that have been spoken to them, and for some it could have been ten, twenty, or thirty years ago…maybe longer.

--What comes out of your mouth is either building for good someone’s identity or tearing down someone’s identity…we must be careful how we use our words.

1. We attach identity by what we say.

--We always told our oldest son to be careful what he would say around his younger brother because younger brothers are influenced easily. We told both of our sons to be careful around their sister. We still do.

--Words matter, and people we have influence over are listening…listen to proverbs:

Proverbs 12:18 (NLT)
¹⁸  Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing. 

Proverbs 12:18 (NKJV)
¹⁸  There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, But the tongue of the wise promotes health. 

--Can we be transparent today? Words matter…what we say to our kids matter…what we say to our spouses matter…what we say to our brothers and sisters matter…what we say to the lost matters.

--As I stated earlier, there is not a person in this room who could not immediately bring up hurtful things that have been spoken to you or about you.

--Words matter to everyone because they define our identity…words even mattered to Jesus.

Matthew 16:13-17 (NKJV)
¹³  When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"
¹⁴  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
¹⁵  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
¹⁶  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
¹⁷  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

--How powerful is this…Jesus wanted to know what people were saying about Him and more importantly He wanted to know what those who were the closest to Him were saying…He was blessed by Peter’s answer.

--What identity are you placing on those around you with your words…our children are so easily identified by what we say to them. Are you cursing them or are you blessing them? Choose to bless!

1 Peter 3:8-10 (NLT)
⁸  Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.
⁹  Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it.
¹⁰  For the Scriptures say, “If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. 

--I give many examples of what my parents said to me and how that formed who I was as a teenager and a young adult…when you say “you will never amount to anything” your kids will not disappoint you.

--Years ago I took a new pastor under my wings and embraced him as a dear friend…ate, played tennis, and hung out together…let him preach here, blessed him financially to start his church. Two years go by.

--One day I saw him hanging out with some of my sheep…I asked him about it and his words pierced my soul.

“I am coming after your people, especially those who have money.” Took 6 or 7 families…I was so hurt.

Psalm 55:12-14 (NLT)
¹²  It is not an enemy who taunts me— I could bear that. It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me— I could have hidden from them.
¹³  Instead, it is you—my equal, my companion and close friend.
¹⁴  What good fellowship we once enjoyed as we walked together to the house of God. 

--Of course, my flesh wanted to lay hands on him…one day driving by his church…God asked me if I wanted Him to bless me…I knew it was a trick question…of course, Lord, I want you to bless me.

--Pray for him and his church every day! Sure, I will pray a sinkhole opens up under him and You can swallow him up. Finally, I agreed to obey God…It was a turning point in my ministry…God brought many back – more.

2. We attach identity and hope by what we say.

--God must have wanted me to really feel this sermon today…it was tough for me to re-live many things in my life that was so hurtful and some that were life changing.

--When I was in Bible College in Texas I was still young and very impulsive…I lived a life of reaction not of intention…what I am saying is that I did many stupid things and made really bad decisions.

--My circle of friends, at that time, all went to college and we all went to the same church…as usual, I thought we were very close until I really went thru one of the major trials of my life…I was devastated.

--Because my friends did not have all the facts of my situation, they began to make judgments based on what they thought they knew…Mat. 18 evidently was not on their radar. They began to crush me with their words.

--I was in Bible College but had only been a Christian for two years…I was just a little naïve about how brothers and sisters could treat each other…I needed help but received painful remarks.

--I was working at Central Freight Lines with many of these friends and we were at work one night and I was at a point of breaking…my spirit was crushed within me. Then this country boy shows up…Keith.

--Keith was a big strong man but when he came in my trailer that night I could see the tears in his eyes and the compassion on his face…He was genuinely concerned for me because he had heard the junk.

--All he said was, “Rick, I don’t know what is going on but I know God loves you and everything is going to be alright.” Then he prayed, “God help my friend.” Then he turned and walked away.

--It was as if Jesus Himself had walked into my trailer that night and said those words…I grabbed hold of what he said and his words carried me through.

Proverbs 15:1-2 (NKJV)
¹  A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.
²  The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness. 

--Did everything change that night in my situation…no! But something changed in me…every time the devil would bring up hurtful words I would repeat Keith’s words…God loves me and everything is going to be …!

--His soft answer…his kind heart…his healing words turned all the wrath away.

Proverbs 15:4 (NLT)
⁴  Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. 

3. Let’s build identity into those with whom we have relationship.

Proverbs 15:23 (NIV)
²³  A man finds joy in giving an apt reply-- and how good is a timely word! 

--How awesome is it to walk in Holy Spirit and hear Him say tell this person this or that. That one word…your influence can identify or re-identify that person for a lifetime…could be there salvation.

--You don’t know that person’s life…you don’t know what had been spoken over him by those he or she trusted. They are wounded and many have lost their way…they have lost who they are.

--It could be your spouse who is wounded by years of hurtful words…children who were constantly told who they were not instead of who they were. We need to measure our words so carefully. Jesus said:

Matthew 12:36-37 (NIV)
³⁶  But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.
³⁷  For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

--I truly believe there will need to be repentance by pretty much all of us for using careless words…we may even need to confess to those we have hurt…that we are TRULY sorry!

2 Corinthians 7:10 (NLT)
¹⁰  For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. 

Proverbs 18:21-22 (NKJV)
²¹  Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.
²²  He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the LORD. 

Biblical Spiritual Warfare – 5

Subject: A Life of Intentionality 

by Rick Welborne

Ephesians 6:10-20 (NIV)
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.
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.
¹⁸  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 saints.
¹⁹  Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,
²⁰  for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. 

--It is so interesting to me that verse 10 starts with the word “Finally”. Obviously, something important was said before this. 

--Paul is exhorting believers to put on the full armor of God but he says something very significant before he tells them that…he tells them that they must submit to their authorities.

Ephesians 6:1-9 (NIV)
¹  Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
²  "Honor your father and mother"--which is the first commandment with a promise--
³  "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."
⁴  Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
⁵  Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.
⁶  Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.
⁷  Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men,
⁸  because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
⁹  And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him. 

--Children obey and honor your parents…Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger but bring them up with discipline and instruction from the Lord.

--Slaves or employees, obey your masters or bosses with deep respect and fear (honor). Serve as though you are serving Christ. Masters or employers treat your people respectfully and with honor.

It is so interesting to me that God tells us that before we get ready for battle or before we put on the whole armor of God that we are to submit to our God given authorities and treat each other respectfully.

--It does make sense in the context of being in a war or preparation for battle that you submit to those over you and submit to one another…in the military (soldiers) that is how the victory is won. Rambo is not real!

Ephesians 5:21 (NIV)
²¹  Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

--Something to meditate on…if we do not submit to one another in the fear of the Lord do we forfeit our right to the armor of God and hence, become vulnerable to the enemy?

--An interesting note: Paul starts with parents and children (home…then servants and masters (work)…and then our text (spiritual warfare – our walk with God – church).

Ephesians 6:10 (NIV)
¹⁰  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 

--We are exhorted (actually commanded) to put on God’s armor (it is our responsibility). Good news is this, we put on the armor but our strength and power comes from the Lord.

--It is something that has to be done intentionally…God will absolutely do His part but we must cooperate with Him and do ours…put on the whole armor of God…You put it on!  It is a command!

--In my reading I came across something very interesting when it comes to our choices and how we live. Leading on Empty by Wayne Cordeiro…a God send for me.

Cordeiro – There are four basic courses by which we can live. These may not be planned but they will be followed regardless.  Every life follows a set of rules, a default of ideals that have been caught more than taught.

--He says that we will have to intentionally choose one of these courses for our lives because this choice will alter our future once and for all.

--Attempting to opt out will only default you to one of the first three. What do we want our future to be especially in light of this battle we are in?

1. In this spiritual warfare we can choose to live a life of reaction.

--With this paradigm we plod forward until something forces us to change…the loss of a job forces us to find another…the perceived acceptance or rejection of another will dictate our circle of friendships.

--Many times we only change when we are faced with the consequences of our bad decisions or course of action

…I spent 6 months thinking I was going to jail…every time I saw a police car my heart sank.

--How we are treated by someone determines our course of action when it comes to our circle of friends…treat me right, I am in…treat me wrong and I am out!

--Is that a friend? A friend is someone who will tell you what you need to hear not just what you want to hear.

--A life of reaction is a life that is lived somewhere between conservative and extremely active…between hope and dejection, between being passively indifferent and compulsively hyperactive! All over the place, roller coaster. Easy targets for the enemy.

--Cordeiro says a life of reaction is disorienting, sometimes a dangerous way to live, but the majority of people have chosen this lifestyle, most of them, because they have chosen no other course. Apostle Peter.

2. In this spiritual warfare we can choose a life of conformity.

--In this course of life we live according to the view of the crowd. We float on the current of popular opinion.

This explains how the crowd in Jerusalem could go from Hosanna to Crucify with Jesus.

--We tend to gravitate toward trends for our sense of wellbeing. We allow how we look to trump what we believe, and we permit what others think drive what we do.

--This course of life usually enrolls those who feel best when they are needed and who thrive on being liked,,, they get their affirmation in the wrong places. Very dangerous way to live.

--These people wrestle with appearances and grapple with perceptions…they are fighting the wrong battles so they are easy picking for the enemy.

--It is another dangerous way to live…it puts you at the mercy of opinion. Watch and study politicians who serve people this way. This year they are pro-life and next year they are pro-abortion.

Leo Buscalia – The easiest thing in the world to be is you. The most difficult thing in the world to be is what other people want you to be, Don’t let them put you in that position.

3. In this spiritual warfare we can choose a life of independence.

--Men and women who choose this course for life cherish the illusion of autonomy. Self-reliance, self-direction, 

and self-sufficiency. They are usually the smartest person in the room…just ask them.

Proverbs 18:1-3 (NKJV)
¹  A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment.
²  A fool has no delight in understanding, But in expressing his own heart.
³  When the wicked comes, contempt comes also; And with dishonor comes reproach. 

--When they do find people to hang with, they find those who think like they do. They become clones of one another…whether it is going organic, sporting tattoos, or avoiding the organized church. 

--It could be what I have watched played out in the church for years…what education preference you have. Private verses public verses home schooling. This is what I think about that:

Philippians 2:12-16 (NKJV)
¹²  Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
¹³  for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
¹⁴  Do all things without complaining and disputing,
¹⁵  that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
¹⁶  holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

--Whatever sets them apart and unto themselves is trendy so long as it distinguishes them from the herd of the former generation (they have a mutual cause). Dealing with millennials.

--It can be a self-delusional way to live not to mention divisive and destructive. Satan loves when one of God’s children separates himself from the herd.

1 Peter 5:5-8 (NKJV)
⁵  Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."
⁶  Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
⁷  casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
⁸  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 

4. In this spiritual warfare we must choose a life of intentionality. 

--A life of intentionality is the re-structured life that we must choose…as good soldiers of Jesus Christ we must discipline ourselves to fall in line and obey!

2 Timothy 2:3 (NIV)
³  Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

--When we were young, life happened as a matter of course. When we were hungry food appeared fully prepared by a parent or sibling…clothes were washed and appeared in our drawers…magic!

--School was just out there waiting for us to get plugged in and making friends was basically a slam dunk, all we needed was lunch or PE and we connected with people. 

--And for the most part, our weight remained stable. We could pretty much eat whatever we wanted and stay fit and slim…no more! I look at a snickers bar and gain five pounds. 

--Stay with me, somewhere along the line things shifted from automatic to manual, from natural to deliberate, from involuntary to intentional. 

--You are not told when the switch takes place, but if you do not make the transition, you will always be in the wrong place in your life…off course and vulnerable to the enemy.

--It happens at different times for different people, but it does happen…life changes! The evolution comes without warning and it happens without your permission. 

--Your marriage which early on seemed to take care of itself will no longer survive the way it used to. Healthy marriages require intentionality and planned investment. 

--So will your waistline, your ministry, your faith, your spiritual warfare, and your emotional health.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NCV)
²⁴  You know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize. So run to win!
²⁵  All those who compete in the games use self-control so they can win a crown. That crown is an earthly thing that lasts only a short time, but our crown will never be destroyed.
²⁶  So I do not run without a goal. I fight like a boxer who is hitting something—not just the air.
²⁷  I treat my body hard and make it my slave so that I myself will not be disqualified after I have preached to others.

--You run, you fight this spiritual warfare with intentionality…it takes discipline, training, tenacity…you make that choice every day!