Battle for Your Promised Land

The battle is real, but the battle is the Lord’s Matthew 10:34 (NIV) 34 "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. John 16:33 (NIV) 33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." 1 Samuel 17:47 (NIV) 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands."

Apart from me you can do nothing… John 15:5 (NIV) 5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. Psalms 73:23 (NIV) 23 Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.

Jesus didn’t come to take sides, He came to take over Joshua 5:13 (NIV) 13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?"

He doesn’t pick sides. We do. Choose which side you will be on… 1 John 3:8 (NLT) 8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:9-10 (NLT) 9 Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. 10 So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.

Battles: For our own ground For others Any time I have a selfish thought, an unbelieving thought I have a battle to fight Anytime someone in my world is being blinded into unbelief and disobedience, I have a battle to fight

Take Captive Every Thought 2 Corinthians 10:2-5 World’s standards: WIIFM / God’s Standard: Love 2 I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. World’s ways of war: win-lose / God’s way: win-win 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. World’s weapons: destroy people / God’s weapons: disarm and set free – destroy the stronghold 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. The Strongholds: arguments and pretensions  5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Not against flesh & blood… Ephesians 6:12 (NIV) 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.

Weapons are mighty – divine power Any time I have a selfish thought, an unbelieving thought I have a battle to fight Anytime someone in my world is being blinded into unbelief and disobedience, I have a battle to fight God’s weapons: disarm and set free – destroy the stronghold Prayer Bible Worship Obedience

Occupy Joshua 1:8 (NIV) 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.