Ice Breaker

What's something you've tried to do but felt completely clueless about, like Kent's fishing experience with Bob?

Summary

This sermon focuses on understanding spiritual warfare and how the enemy actively works against Christians' prayers and spiritual growth. Kent uses the analogy of a fishing experience and a viral video of someone secretly squirting shampoo on another person's head to illustrate how Satan operates - constantly working against us while we remain unaware of his schemes. The message emphasizes that there is a 'physics' to the spiritual realm, using Daniel's 21-day prayer delay as an example of spiritual warfare hindering God's response. Kent challenges believers to recognize that their struggles are not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of evil.

The sermon concludes with a detailed explanation of the armor of God from Ephesians 6, encouraging believers to actively engage in spiritual warfare by putting on the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit. The pastor emphasizes the importance of recognizing the 'rotten fruit' of the enemy (despair, condemnation, hopelessness) and attacking the spiritual root rather than just dealing with surface-level problems.

Intro Prayer

Heavenly Father, we come before You today with open hearts and minds, ready to receive what You want to teach us through Your Word. We ask that You would help us to be receptive to Your truth and give us wisdom to understand the spiritual realities around us. Lord, we pray that You would open our eyes to see beyond the physical realm and help us grow in spiritual maturity. Remove any barriers that might prevent us from experiencing You more deeply, and help us to be honest about areas where we need to grow. We invite Your Holy Spirit to guide our discussion and reveal to each of us what You want us to learn today. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Key Verses

1. Daniel 10:12-13
2. Ephesians 6:10-12
3. Ephesians 6:13-18
4. Luke 22:31-32

Questions

1. Kent mentioned that most Christians 'believe in spiritual warfare but don't act like it.' How would you honestly assess your own awareness of spiritual warfare in your daily life?
2. Looking at Daniel's story where his prayer was delayed for 21 days due to spiritual warfare, how does this change your perspective on unanswered or delayed prayers?
3. Kent described three fruits of the enemy: despair (feeling helpless), condemnation (feeling death), and hopelessness. Which of these do you struggle with most, and how might recognizing it as spiritual attack change your response?
4. Paul says 'our struggle is not against flesh and blood.' Think about a difficult relationship in your life - how might viewing it through this lens change your approach to that person?
5. Kent shared about breaking 'agreements' with lies like 'you're such an idiot.' What negative thoughts or lies about yourself do you need to stop agreeing with?
6. Looking at the armor of God passage, which piece of armor do you feel you need to 'put on' most intentionally in your current season of life?
7. Jesus told Peter that Satan asked to 'sift' him, but Jesus prayed for Peter's faith not to fail. How does knowing that Jesus intercedes for us during spiritual attacks encourage you?
8. Kent challenged us to 'recognize rotten fruit and attack the root.' What practical steps can you take this week to better identify and fight against spiritual attacks in your life?

Life Application

This week, practice recognizing spiritual warfare by identifying when you experience despair, condemnation, or hopelessness. When you notice these 'fruits' of the enemy, stop and 'turn around to fight' by putting on the armor of God - speak truth over lies, do the right thing even when you don't feel like it, and use Scripture as your sword. Choose one piece of spiritual armor to focus on daily and actively engage in prayer that acknowledges there is an enemy working against you.

Key Takeaways

1. There is an active enemy working against Christians, and recognizing this reality is crucial for spiritual growth and effective prayer
2. The spiritual realm operates with a 'physics' similar to the physical realm - there are spiritual laws and processes at work that we need to understand
3. Our battles are not against people ('flesh and blood') but against spiritual forces of evil, which should change how we approach conflicts and difficulties
4. The enemy's primary tactics include creating despair (helplessness), condemnation (shame and death), and hopelessness in believers
5. The armor of God provides practical spiritual weapons for warfare: truth, righteousness, gospel readiness, faith, salvation, and God's Word

Ending Prayer

Father God, thank You for opening our eyes to the spiritual realities around us. We confess that too often we have been unaware of the enemy's schemes and have fought battles in our own strength. Help us to be mature believers who recognize when we are under spiritual attack and know how to respond with Your truth and power. We put on the full armor of God and ask You to strengthen us for the battles ahead. Protect us from the enemy's lies of despair, condemnation, and hopelessness. Instead, fill us with Your truth, righteousness, and hope. Help us to stand firm in our faith and to turn to You when we feel overwhelmed. Thank You for Jesus, who intercedes for us and has already won the victory. May we walk in that victory this week as we learn to fight the real enemy. In Jesus' powerful name, Amen.