EPHESIANS 6 SPIRITUAL WARFARE SERIES PART 5 THE WEAPONS2006 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Ephesians 6 Spiritual Warfare Series Part 5 The Weapons

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2006. What is our job in spiritual warfare? Do you remember? It's not Sunday morning. Are you guys awake? It's the heat, isn't it? What's our job in spiritual warfare?

Our job is to stand. We looked at that as we've been looking through over and over again here at the beginning part of Ephesians chapter 6. And over and over, Paul tells us to stand and to withstand and to put on the full armor of God that we may be able to stand. As we talked about the warriors that are involved in spiritual warfare, we learned that our job is not like the other warriors. Our job is different. Our job is to stand.

As we talked about the wrestling that takes place, we looked at five different ways that there is a wrestling that's going on. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, against the people around us and the people in our lives, but we wrestle against principalities and powers. And they come against us, number one, with temptation.

Number two in spiritual attack. Number three in emotional attack. Number four in mental attack. And number five in physical attack. The battle, as we discussed, it's very real. The opposition is great. And so there is a need for us to stand. And even when we do not feel that we can stand any longer, that we must stand and not give in.

The only way that we can stand, we learned last week, is if we have the whole armor of God upon ourselves. The wardrobe that we talked about last week consisting of five elements. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation. And as we learned last week, whose armor is it?

It's God's armor. We stand in his strength and the power of his might, which he has given to us. We have everything that we need to stand in the armor that God has given to us. And as we talked about last week, those five elements,

The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, and the helmets of salvation. They're all found in Jesus Christ. He is the key to all that God has for us as believers in Jesus Christ. Finally, tonight we looked at the weapons. What are the weapons of our warfare? Well, would you please turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 10. 2 Corinthians chapter 10, we'll be referring back to Ephesians 6, but Ephesians

In 2 Corinthians, a few pages to your left, chapter 10, Paul here gives us some great insight about the weapons that we have, the spiritual warfare that we're fighting and the weapons that work mightily for God. 2 Corinthians chapter 10, verses 3 through 6 says this, For we walk...

For though we walk, I'm sorry, in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

The key verse here in 2 Corinthians chapter 10 is verse 4, where Paul tells us that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, which means they're not of this life. They're not of our own flesh. They're not of our strength or anything that we can muster up. The weapons of our warfare are

are spiritual weapons, and they are mighty in God for pulling down strongholds. They're not weak weapons. They're not, well, they can kind of work a little bit weapons, but they are mighty in God. The word mighty there, it's the word from which we get the word dynamite. They're powerful, explosive weapons that God has given to us. Now, the context of this portion that Paul is writing in 2 Corinthians 10 says,

is that Paul is dealing with false apostles who are attacking him and his ministry. But Paul is confident in the validity of his ministry, so he warns the false apostles. Hey guys, you better not be messing around with God's ministry, with what God is doing, because the weapons of our warfare are mighty. I'm not going to come there with carnal weapons and just argue better than you or try to outwit you in some way.

No, the weapons that I'll come with are mighty in God and they accomplish much. In fact, four things Paul says that they accomplish, that the weapons are mighty for. Number one, they're mighty for pulling down strongholds. And we'll be talking about that. Number two, they're mighty for casting down everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. Number three, they're mighty for bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

And number four, being ready to punish all disobedience. The weapons that God has given to us are mighty, incredibly mighty, probably more than we are able to understand.

Last week, as we looked at the wardrobe, we looked at defensive things in our life, the shield and the breastplate and the helmet, things that protect us, our defenses. And we found that as powerful as the defenses are, they're for our defense and they're found in Jesus Christ. But tonight, as we look at the weapons, our offensive tools that God has given to us, we find that these weapons are

are found in the Holy Spirit. Our defenses are found in Jesus Christ and our weapons are found in the Holy Spirit.

You remember in John chapter 16, when Jesus is getting ready to depart, he's warning his disciples, giving them some last instructions, and he talks to them much about the Holy Spirit. In John chapter 16, verse 7, Jesus says, It is to your advantage that I go away. For if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send him to you.

Now, as I've been studying and preparing for the message this evening, I've been building in excitement because the things here that God is speaking to us are just incredible and phenomenal. And I want you to stay tuned and try to pay attention and tune in, no matter what distractions are going on around you or what other things you have on your mind. Because the weapons that God has given to us, they're mighty in God and they're through the working and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus says to his disciples and to you and I this evening, it's to your advantage that I'm not physically with you because when I go to the Father, I'm going to send the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, it's better that I go. And we often ask, well, how could that be better? I'm sure I would rather have Jesus right there with me. But see, it's better for Jesus to go than

And for the Spirit to be with us. Because according to John chapter 19 verse 30, Jesus hung there on the cross and he said, It is finished. The work of Jesus Christ is finished. It's done. It's accomplished. But the work of the Holy Spirit is finished.

Is ongoing. Jesus Christ did it all. He paid for it all on the cross. And that's why our defenses are all in Jesus Christ. And it's all taken care of. Our defenses are there. But the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit continues to flow. And to move. And to work powerfully and mightily. In this world and in this life.

John chapter 16, verse 8, the very next verse from what we just read, it says, And when he has come, he will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. Jesus says, I'm going away because my job is going to be done. But I'm going to send the Spirit because he has much work to do in convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. It's interesting to me that the Spirit's convicting work corresponds to the weapons of our warfare that we saw in 2 Corinthians 8.

chapter 10. First, the Spirit convicts of sin and deals with the strongholds of 2 Corinthians chapter 10. And every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, that's called sin. And the Holy Spirit has been sent by Jesus Christ to deal with strongholds in your life, in the lives of those around you, in the lives of society in general. The Holy Spirit has been sent by Jesus Christ to cast down

Everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin. Secondly, he's convicts the world of righteousness. Righteousness, which corresponds in 2 Corinthians chapter 10 to bringing every thought into captivity. Notice, to the obedience of Christ. That's righteousness, right living in Christ. And he's been set by Jesus for us.

that we might bring every thought into captivity, that we might be obedient to Jesus Christ, that we might live in righteousness. Finally, thirdly, he's come to convict the world of judgment.

which corresponds in 2 Corinthians chapter 10, being ready to punish all disobedience, the punishment, the judgment that is coming. The Spirit has been sent by Jesus to convict the world, you and I and our neighbors and our co-workers and our friends and our family. He's been sent to convict us of judgment that is to come, to remind us that judgment is coming and we must get right with God.

Our defenses are in Jesus' finished work, but our offensive weapons are in the continuing work of the Spirit and convicting the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. And His work and His working through us gives us weapons that are mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, for casting down everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, for bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and

And for being ready to punish all disobedience. The Spirit of God is at work. He's given us mighty weapons. And we must learn to use them. Well, there's two of them. Back in Ephesians chapter 6, we find them in verses 17 and 18.

He says at the end of verse 17, there he says, and take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. That's the first weapon, the sword of the Spirit. The second weapon is in verse 18, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. Notice, it's the sword of the Spirit, and it's the prayer and supplication in the Spirit that are our weapons, that are mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.

As I said, our defenses are in Jesus Christ, but our weapons are through the power of the Spirit, the sword of the Spirit, praying in the Spirit, and they're mighty in God for bringing down strongholds. The sword of the Spirit, what is he talking about? There's several things that I want to look at about the sword of the Spirit. First of all, the word sword, it's a word that means a short sword. The sword of a Roman soldier is called the gladius.

The blade of the sword would be about 18 inches long, a foot and a half long. Not a big, long, broad sword, but a short sword. It would be double edged and come to a point. And it would be used for close hand to hand combat, personal combat with the enemy. Now, as Paul brings up this sword, I must ask the question, whose sword is it? It's the sword of the spirit.

The sword of the spirit, which means it's the spirit's sword. The word of God is the sword of the Holy Spirit. It's not our sword. And that's very important for us to know. The word of God is not our sword. It's not my sword. When we use the word as our own sword, it becomes legalism.

It becomes the letter of the law and not the word of God. Second Corinthians chapter three, verse six, Paul warns us that the letter kills, but the spirit gives life. In John chapter six, verse 63, Jesus says it's the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life.

It's the word of God in the hands of the Holy Spirit that is the sword. It's not the word of God in my hands. There's a big difference between the Spirit's use of the word, which brings life, and my use of the word, which brings death. The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. If we try to do the work of the Spirit, even if we use the word of God, it brings forth death.

If we try to convict or if we try to change or to impact without the power of the Holy Spirit, it just brings death. It doesn't bring life. We bring the letter of the law and we kill instead of giving life. And it happens very often that people use the word to bring death upon others, trying to get them to conform or obey or to convert.

And we say to ourselves, they cannot be doing this. They cannot be doing that. They're supposed to be living this way. We will even kill ourselves with the word if we have tried to apply the word and conform to the word of God on our own. I've seen it. I've seen Christians hacked to pieces by themselves or other believers, beaten up, bruised, and put to death. They meant well, but they were using the word incorrectly.

Kind of like Peter in the garden. Remember him pulling out the sword. He didn't know how to use it that well. And strikes the high priest's servant. But he ends up just chopping off an ear. And there's been plenty of Christians who have had an ear chopped off by another well-meaning Christian trying to impact or influence without the power of the Spirit. It needs to be the sword of the Spirit. It's kind of like Job's friends. They had a lot of good things to say today.

But instead of the sword of the Spirit, they were just beating them up with their Bibles. We need the power of the Spirit to be at work.

And not wielding the word on our own. But it needs to be done by the Spirit of God. The word is not pictured as a sword for no reason. It's pictured as a sword because it's sharp and it cuts deep. And when it's used properly, all the word cuts to the heart and it brings conviction. It works wonders. It performs surgeries. It does miraculous things within the hearts and lives of people.

But when it's used improperly, the word cuts and brings injury, hurt, and condemnation. We want the Spirit to be at work through the word, bringing conviction and change and hearts towards God. But if we force it on our own, it brings condemnation and pushes people away from God. Now, this is not to scare us, you know, not to share the word with people, but to warn of the danger of speaking on behalf of God

Something that he is not saying. We need to be careful. We need to not speak on behalf of God something that he is not saying. We are not the Holy Spirit. It's not our job to change and to convict. But it's our job simply to share and allow the Spirit to do the work. We need to make sure that we are prompted by the Spirit to speak the Word of God and not just shove it down people's throats. The sword of the Spirit. It's the Spirit's sword.

Paul goes on to describe for us that the sword of the Spirit is the word of God. It's the word of God. Now, the word that he uses for word there is important. It's significant. Because it's a different word than we might normally think, if you've studied a little bit. The word...

for word that he uses. I know that could be confusing. But when he says word of God, the word he uses for word is rhema in the Greek. Now, the word rhema in the Greek is an exact spoken word. It's a specific saying or command. There's another word that's more common in the Greek. It's the word logos. You might have heard of that word before. It's the word in John chapter 1, 1, where it says the word was with God. The word was God. It's the word and it's the general term.

Word of God. It lumps together the entire sayings of God, the entire Bible that we hold in our laps. That's the Logos, the Word of God in general. But the Rema is a specific word, specific command. Now, remember the picture. He's looking at the armor that's attached to a soldier. And how is the sword attached to a soldier? It's by the belt on his side.

There's a sheath there on the belt that he keeps the sword in. Now, the belt was the first piece of armor that we looked at last week. It's found in Ephesians chapter 6, verse 14. But it's the belt of truth.

And as we learned, the belt of truth is the entirety of the word of God. The whole Bible is the belt of truth. Psalm 119 verse 160 says, And every one of your righteous judgments endures forever. It's the whole word of God, the belt of truth.

And there's much that we talked about and much more that we could talk about with the word of God being the belt of truth. But just as a sword is drawn from the belt, the sword of the spirit, which is the remna or the word of God, it's drawn from the belt of truth, the entirety of the word of God. In other words,

The word that Paul is using here, the rhema, it will be a portion from the Bible that speaks a message from God for a specific situation. It's a specific message, a specific verse or portion or passage that comes from God.

The entire word of God, the logos, the belt of truth, the sword of the spirit is a specific word from God for a person or situation. It's not just a word at random or when I happen to memorize, but it's what God wants to say to a specific individual at a specific time for the things that they're facing and the things that they're going through.

It comes from the entire word of God. And that's why it's so important for us to have on the belt of truth, which means that we need to be familiar with the whole Bible. The better we know this book right here, the one that you hold, the better you know this book, the better equipped you will be in spiritual warfare because the weapons of God are mighty.

And the more we know this book, the bigger arsenal we have to be used by God to accomplish work for him. In John chapter 14, verse 26, Jesus talking about the Holy Spirit. He says, the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the father will send in my name. He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Read the Bible. Read the whole Bible.

From beginning to end, I encourage you, I beg you, put on the belt of truth. The Holy Spirit will teach you all things within it. That's what Jesus said the Holy Spirit would come to do. So ask for the help of the Spirit and read the Word of God. And then, at the appropriate time, He will bring to your remembrance the things He has spoken to you, that you might unsheathe the sword.

And share with someone or even your own self in a specific situation or circumstance. The word that God would say to them right at that moment, right at that instant. An interesting side note, the Roman soldier's sword would be attached to their right side and not their left. Most of them were right-handed.

But they would attach it to their right side. And so their sword would always be right there, right at their fingertips. It would just be right there. They wouldn't have to reach for it as if it was on their left side, but it would just be right there. And they would draw it out and they could go to battle. They could put it to use. The word of God should be the same for us. Have it with you at all times so you don't have to reach for it. Study it. Meditate on it. Memorize it.

So that you don't have to reach for it. Let's learn the word of God so well that we don't have to reach for it, but that it's right at our fingertips, right there to be used by God in whatever battles may come. So the sword of the Spirit, it belongs to the Spirit. It's the word of God, which is a specific word for a situation that someone might be facing, a battle that might be raging.

And finally, how is it used, this sword of the Spirit? It's used very simply when we speak what the Holy Spirit is prompting us to speak. Jesus, in warning his disciples about the troubles and tribulations that would come, Luke chapter 12, verse 12, he says, you know, when things happen to you and you have to go before judges and

People put you in tight spots and tough situations. Verse 12 of Luke 12, he says, don't worry about what you're going to say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say. Jesus is saying, be studied, be ready, know the word, but don't stress in the middle of that situation.

Because at that time, the Spirit will bring to your remembrance. And He'll remind you of the things. And He'll teach you what to say. He'll give you the rhema of God. The Word of God for that specific situation. The Word of God. Sometimes it's to be used on ourselves. An exact word being given to us in a moment. Remember Jesus when He was being tempted. Tempted.

His temptation in Matthew chapter 4 and Luke chapter 4. He answered with an exact word. The enemy came at him with a scenario, with a situation, and Jesus took a specific word from the entire word of God. It was a specific word that related to the situation that he could put into obedience instantly and be victorious over the attacks of the enemy.

He was involved in spiritual warfare and he used the rhema of God upon himself to keep himself from falling, to keep himself. He used it to cast down everything that exalted itself against the knowledge of God from 2 Corinthians chapter 10. All the things that the enemy tried to bring, the knowledge that he tried to bring, the things that he exalted against the knowledge of God. Jesus cast it down.

With the Ramah, the word, specific word for his situation of God. He used it to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. That he didn't entertain the thoughts of turning the stones to bread and so on and so forth. Immediately, the word was at his fingertips.

And he knew that man does not live on bread alone. He was able to apply the exact word of God for his situation at the right moment. That's the rhema, the word of God. Sometimes it's an exact word that's shared with others. Remember Peter in Acts chapter 2? In Acts chapter 2, we find this.

The first time that the disciples were baptized with the Holy Spirit. In Acts chapter 2 verse 4, it tells us that they were all filled with the Spirit. A crowd begins to gather and verses 14 through 36, Peter delivers this sermon, this message, speaking to them from the Word of God, the Old Testament scriptures that they knew and they had.

And the result was in Acts chapter 2 verse 37, it says that the people were cut to the heart. How is it that they were cut to the heart? It wasn't that Peter was throwing knives at them or daggers at them or they had people in the crowds coming up behind him and sticking them through. No, it was the word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit. There in that situation, at that moment, for that crowd, Peter stood up and the Spirit spoke through him.

The exact things that the people needed to hear. The exact things that were necessary for those people at that time that they would hear the word of God. And it was the exact word from Joel chapter 2. The exact word that Peter spoke to them that cut them to the heart and demanded a response. Either to receive Christ or to turn against him. Another example, Stephen in Acts chapter 6 and 7.

Acts chapter 6 verse 10 says that Stephen, he was full of the Holy Spirit and he would be discussing with the Pharisees and the Jewish leaders of that time. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spoke. He was speaking by the spirit, prompted by the spirit. And they couldn't resist because the weapons of our warfare are mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.

They couldn't resist. And then in Acts chapter 7 verse 54, after Stephen has done like Peter and shared specific things from the word of God, the scriptures that they knew, he shared specific things to them. And in Acts chapter 7 verse 54, like what happened when Peter shared the word, it says that they were cut to the heart. Again, cut by the sword of the Spirit. The word of God, the exact word that they needed to hear in that situation.

Now, in Acts chapter two, we saw the people, they were cut to the heart and they responded by repenting and coming to Jesus Christ. And three thousand people were saved on that day. But here in Acts chapter six, they were cut to the heart. The word of God spoke right to them and they chose to rebel. They chose to refuse to hear the word of God. And it goes on the end of chapter seven that Stephen is drug outside the city and they stone him.

to death. The word of God is mighty. The sword of the spirit, powerful for bringing down strongholds, for casting down everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, for bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and for being ready, preparing to punish all disobedience, to deal with sin,

And take care of those situations. Use properly the sword of the Spirit as a mighty weapon. It might be one word that the Spirit prompts us to give. Or it might be a phrase or a sentence, a verse, a passage, a chapter, or a book. By book, I mean a book of the Bible. I don't mean another book. The sword of the Spirit comes from the Word of God. It's drawn from the belt of truth. And it's used by God powerfully.

to cut to the heart, to speak to a specific person in their situation. But it is the Spirit prompting you to speak it. And it's from God's Word. And it's what God has to say for that specific situation. The Word of God. Oh, it's so important. Have you had those times where there's been something on your heart, you've experienced you're in the middle of a situation, trying to make a decision or not sure how you're going to deal with something, and

And God speaks. And it might be through a message. You might be here on a Sunday or Wednesday or maybe listening to K-Weave on the radio. Or someone might call you up and say, hey, the scripture is on my heart. I want to share it with you or whatever the case may be. Someone shared with you that exact word that met the need, that cleared up everything for you. What once was foggy and hazy and you couldn't figure out what to do.

God spoke to you that exact word that you needed to hear. Oh, it's happened so many times. I hope that you've experienced that. The word of God, the sword of the spirit. That's one weapon. The second weapon is prayer in the spirit. Again, Ephesians chapter six,

Verse 18, he says, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. Now, prayer is the last aspect of spiritual war that we'll be looking at, but it's not the least. In fact, last but not least is really an understatement when it comes to the idea of prayer. We can often have the attitude that prayer is our last resort.

Oh, has it come to that? There's nothing else. We've tried everything else. All we can do is pray now, and that's spoken in defeat many times by us. But may I remind you, 2 Corinthians 10, 4, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they're mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.

And casting down everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. And bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. And for being ready to punish disobedience. Prayer is a mighty weapon that God has given to us. You know, it's often been said, I don't know who originally said it, but prayer is not a means of getting my will done in heaven. But it's a means of getting God's will done on earth.

It's like Jesus said, not my will, but your will be done there in the garden. Prayer is mighty in God for getting his will done in our lives and in this earth. If your experience, rather, is that prayer is not very effective, then you need to consider this truth. Prayer is to accomplish God's will and not your own.

It's not for our will. It's not for us to get done what we want to get done. But prayer is for God to get done what he wants to get done. Consider with me James chapter 4 verse 3. Where James talking about prayer says, You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss that you may spend it on your pleasures.

He says you're asking, but you're asking for your own benefit. You're asking to accomplish your will and what you want to do. You're not asking with the right motive, with the right heart, for God to accomplish his will. Later on in the book of James, chapter 5, verse 16, he tells us, though, that the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. So if your prayers aren't very effective, James says, here's why.

You don't have the right heart or motive. You're not praying for God's will. You're seeking your own. But prayer is very effective. It is powerful. It accomplishes and avails much. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. John tells us something similar in 1 John 5. Please turn there with me. It's towards the end of your Bible. 1 John 5. A couple of books before the book of Revelation. Revelation.

1 John 5, verses 14 and 15, says this. And we have... No, I'm in the wrong one. 1 John 5, verses 14 and 15. Now this is the confidence that we have in Him. That if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions of the Lord.

That we have asked of him. Did you catch that? Do you believe that? 1 John chapter 5. He tells us very clearly. Listen. If you ask how many things? Anything according to his will. Whose will? God's will. Anything that you ask according to God's will. You can know and be confident that he hears you. Sometimes we wonder. Man, are my prayers going anywhere? It doesn't feel like they go higher than the roof.

Well, pray according to God's will. And you know, you don't have to have any question that he hears you. And if he hears you, he says in verse 15, then you know that whatever you ask, you have. That petition will be granted. And so the key to powerful prayer is to pray according to God's will. Now, here's where I say we're just barely scratching the surface because we could go on and on about this subject.

But let's leave it at that for now. The key to prayer for accomplishing much, availing much, is to pray according to the will of God. Because if you pray according to the will of God, you know that he hears you. And if you know that he hears you, you know that you have what you ask. It's not a question. The only question that we possibly could ask would be when. Because it might not be at the moment that we want it. But we know that he will answer that prayer.

Now, some will say, you know, if it's already God's will to do something, why do I need to pray for it then? I mean, wouldn't you think that? Maybe you're thinking that. Well, if it's already God's will, what's the use of praying? If he's only going to do what he wants to do, why should I bother praying? He's going to do what he wants to do anyways, whether I have any say so or not. So what's the use? What's the purpose?

Why do I need to pray for it if it's already God's will? And the answer is because it's how God has chosen to work. He's chosen to allow us to be a part of his work, to be a key role in the work that takes place, in people coming to know him, in the gospel being shared. He's chosen us to be a vital part. He's chosen to work through us and through our prayers.

In Ezekiel chapter 22, it's a little bit illustrated for us. God is telling Ezekiel, he says, I sought for a man among them who would make a wall and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land that I should not destroy it, but I found no one. God is telling Ezekiel here, listen, Ezekiel, the people, they were wicked. And so that's why I've destroyed the land and taken them into captivity.

But before I did that, I looked, I searched. I tried to find someone who would stand in the gap, who would intercede, who would pray on behalf of the people, who would ask me not to destroy them, who would ask me to deal with the sin and to take care of the situation. I tried to find someone who would stand in the gap between me and the people, who would intercede on their behalf. And I didn't find anyone. Nobody was praying.

On their behalf. Nobody was standing in the gap. And so they were taken captive. There was people who could have played a vital part. Who could have had a key role. Being used by God effectively because it was God's will. And at the same time, there was nobody there willing to pray for God's will. Remember Abraham in Genesis chapter 18? He gets visited there by the two angels and God himself. The two angels go on to Sodom.

And God tells Abraham, I'm going to wipe out Sodom and Gomorrah. Their sin, I mean, it's just piled up. I can't excuse it. I can't overlook it anymore. It's time to deal with the sin in their lives. And Abraham begins to intercede on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah. If there's 50 righteous there, I mean, that's not fair. That's not right. Shouldn't the God of the universe do justly and do right? Will you punish the righteous with the wicked?

Okay, Abraham, I won't do it if there's 50 righteous. Okay, well, please excuse me, Lord, but what about 45 if there's 45 righteous people? And then 40, and then 30, and then 20, and then 10. But there wasn't 10 righteous people. And so the Lord brought out

Those who are righteous, Lot and his family, and destroyed the rest. But Abraham there acted as an intercessor. He stood in the gap between God and the people and says, Lord, please don't destroy them. Lord, if there's any... Lord, please...

Moses, in Exodus chapter 32, and quite often actually through the wilderness, there's many occasions where he did this, but God became angry with the people because they continued to rebel against him in plain view of these huge miracles and provisions that he'd given to them.

And Moses continually stood in the gap. And he stood before the Lord. Lord, don't destroy your people. Lord, be faithful to your promise. Lord, you love them. Lord, what are the other nations going to say? And how is that going to glorify you? And he would stand in the gap on behalf of the people. Daniel is the same way in Daniel chapter 9. He knew the will of God because God prophesied through Jeremiah that 70 years they would be captive in Babylon.

And Daniel reads in Daniel chapter 9. He's reading through the book of Jeremiah and he sees, whoa, God said 70 years. He's doing the math. I'm like 86 and I was here when I, wow. It's like almost up to 70 years are almost done. He knows God's will is to release him after 70 years. And so what does he do? He prays. Because he knows the will of God, he prays.

And he stands in the gap. He intercedes on behalf of the people. He prays for God to forgive their sins and to work in their hearts and to take them back into the land, which he already promised to do, which it was his will to do. But Daniel prayed for it because he knew it was the will of God. God's looking for people to pray according to his will because he has chosen to use us and our prayers to accomplish his purposes. Incredible, the role that God has given to us. Are you willing?

To pray according to the will of God. To stand in the gap for this nation. What if there's no one praying for this nation? Standing in the gap, Lord, forgive us for our sins. Forgive us for the children that we have killed. Forgive us for the homosexuality that we've allowed to prevail. Lord, forgive us. We need to stand in the gap for our nation.

Second Chronicles 714. Won't go there. Write it down. Look it up later. But prayer, such a powerful weapon. Now, he specifically mentions in the spirit. There's four things I want to look at about praying in the spirit. We'll look at them briefly. What does it mean to pray in the spirit? Well, number one, I believe it means to be led by the spirit in our prayers.

To be led by the Spirit in our prayers. In the Spirit is a phrase that's often used in the Bible to describe being under the influence of the Spirit or being led by the Spirit. Galatians 5.16 is a good example. He says, I say then, walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Walk under the influence of the Spirit. Be led by the Spirit. Allow the Spirit to direct and control and you won't fulfill the lust of the flesh.

To pray in the Spirit means to be led by the Spirit in our prayers, to be directed by the Spirit. Just as we need to be led by the Spirit in our use of the Word of God, the rhema, we need to be led by the Spirit in our prayers, asking the Holy Spirit to direct us that we are praying according to the will of God and not our own will.

Have you ever experienced a time of prayer when you didn't really know the words that you were praying? Like, where are these coming from? I don't normally pray for this kind of stuff. I didn't know this was going on in this person's life. I didn't know this is what they needed me to pray for them. It's being led by the Spirit. The Spirit directing your prayers that you might pray according to the will of God. It's important for us to ask the Spirit.

To lead us in our prayers. To direct us. And to be open to the Spirit's leading and directing in our prayers. That we would pray according to the will of God. So praying in the Spirit, number one, it means to be led by the Spirit in our prayers. Number two, it means to be, or really to recognize, that we are sons by the Spirit.

Romans chapter 8 verse 15 tells us that we did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, Abba, Father. The spirit does an interesting work within us. The spirit poured into our hearts speaks to us and reminds us that we are children of God. Galatians chapter 4 verse 6 tells us the same thing, that we can cry out, Abba, Father.

An intimate, personal title, this word Abba, that we can call upon God specifically and personally, that he's our daddy, he's our papa, he's our father. When we approach God in prayer, as we pray in the spirit, we need to recognize that we have access to him as his sons and daughters. We can come to him with boldness and confidence, knowing that he loves us just as he loves his son, Jesus Christ.

We have the same access to him, the same right to his throne, the same volume in his ear. He gives us that right as his children. So it means, number one, to be led by the Spirit in our prayers, to remember that we are sons by the Spirit. Number three, a third aspect that

It can be a part of praying in the Spirit, but it doesn't necessarily have to be there. But it's being gifted by the Spirit and speaking about the gift of tongues. 1 Corinthians 14, verse 15, Paul talks about, I will pray with the Spirit and I will also pray with understanding and talking about praying in tongues. Praying in the Spirit is praying in the tongues in which the Spirit is giving utterance. The Spirit is speaking in a language that you don't know and don't understand.

And it's an important part of praying in the Spirit. Paul's referring to the gift of tongues, often called a prayer language. It's a genuine gift that is given to some. It's prayer that is done in the power and leading of the Holy Spirit. The person praying does not understand what is being said, but is allowing the Spirit to speak the prayer through them. It's an important element. If you do speak in tongues, you have that gift. Use that gift. Allow God.

To accomplish much through you as you pray in the Spirit, gifted by the Spirit. Fourthly, to pray in the Spirit also means to be interpreted by the Spirit. Romans chapter 8, verse 26 and 27. Paul tells us there that the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses.

For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought. In other words, we don't always know God's will or how we can pray or what we should pray. But the Spirit, he says, makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now he who searches the hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. The Spirit interprets our prayers.

There's times when we're too brokenhearted to pray. There's times when we can't find the words. It's too difficult. It's too confusing. There's times, as Paul says, that we're in weakness. And we don't know what we should pray for. But we desire to pray according to God's will. At those times, he says, the Spirit makes intercession for us. He prays on our behalf with things that cannot be uttered.

These elements are all important in praying in the Spirit with all supplication and prayers. Being led by the Spirit in our prayers. Remembering that we're sons by the Spirit and taking advantage of that relationship, that access that God has given to us. Using the gifts of the Spirit and speaking in tongues in the prayer language and allowing even when we don't have the words to say, don't know how we should pray, but allowing our hearts to be interpreted by the Spirit.

Lifted up before God. Paul goes on in verse 18 of Ephesians chapter 6. And he says, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication. He tells us to pray always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit. And be watchful to this end. What does that mean? Make sure, be alert, be aware that you keep on doing that.

Be alert and be aware so that you keep on praying with all prayers and supplication in the spirit. Do you remember Peter in the garden? Matthew chapter 26. Jesus calls Peter, James and John aside and goes up into the garden to pray. And he goes a little bit further than the other disciples. And he comes back and finds him sleeping, wakes him up. Hey, can't you watch and wait with me for one hour? Pray.

And he goes away again and again, and he comes back the third time. Verse 40 of chapter 26, he came to the disciples and said, Could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation. The Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. And don't we know that that's true? We've all experienced that. The Spirit's willing. Oh, yes. My spirit, I say, oh, I want to follow God. I want to spend that hour of prayer.

Then I find myself asleep. And so Paul exhorts us to be watchful and to persevere. Don't give up in your prayers. Don't cease to pray. Don't give up after a year if it doesn't happen. Don't give up after 10 years if it doesn't happen. If it's still on your heart, you need to continue to pray and to continue to pray until God tells you otherwise. Keep on praying with perseverance. Hang in there.

It's important that we be watchful to this end, that we stay alert. It's very easy to be dulled. I already prayed about that yesterday. I already prayed about that four times today. It's easy for us to be dulled. But Paul says, be watchful to this end. Be alert. Be aware. Recognize. Look at my attitude. Lord, correct my attitude and pray with fervency the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man availed much.

Be watchful to this end that you continue to pray with perseverance, endurance in it for the long run. Make sure that you are praying always. Remind yourself. Encourage yourself. Do not lose heart, but persevere. Even if you don't see immediate results, keep praying. Pray always. Pray without ceasing. Pray in the Spirit. We see it used. I'll use a couple examples very quickly. Jesus, in Matthew chapter 17, says,

Verses 14 through 21, he comes down from the mountain of transfiguration, finds his disciples in a big crowd and a little bit of commotion going on. There's a man there with a son who is demon possessed. And the disciples had been trying to cast it out of the boy, but they were not successful. Jesus comes down the mountain. Of course, Jesus is successful. The demon goes and later on, the disciples come to him and say, how come we couldn't cast out that demon?

We tried. We did the same things that we always do and that you did and you taught us to do. How come it wouldn't? And Jesus said in verse 21, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting. There was a stronghold. Remember that word from 2 Corinthians chapter 10? The weapons of our warfare, they're not carnal. They're mighty in God for pulling down strongholds. There was a stronghold in that boy. Demonic possession. The disciples said,

were not prayed up. They weren't ready. They weren't praying in the Spirit. And so they were not able to pull down the strongholds. Jesus Christ, in the Spirit, prayed up, was able, ready, to pull down that stronghold. He was equipped for the situation at hand.

The church in Jerusalem in Acts chapter 4, they had just experienced some persecution. The disciples had been beaten for proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ. They had been warned, don't ever teach anything or heal anybody in that name again. And they came back. Again, it's Peter and James and John. It might have just been Peter and John. But they come back to the disciples and

They share with them what happened, and the disciples immediately, they go to prayer. And in verse 29 of Acts chapter 4, here's what they pray. Lord, look on their threats and grant to your servants that with all boldness they may speak your word. The exact opposite, of course, of what the rulers had instructed them. But they prayed, Lord, let your word be. That was God's will.

He told them, get the word out. You're to be my witnesses here in Jerusalem and to Judea and the uttermost parts of the earth. And so they prayed according to God's will. In verse 31, it says, And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. They prayed according to the will of God. The word of God came.

was spoken through them with boldness. God answered their prayer by the power of the Spirit as they prayed in the Spirit according to the will of God. They were casting down everything that exalted itself against the knowledge of God, the rulers and the authorities and all the threats and things that they brought. And they were taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

All of the doubts and the discouragement and all of the things and temptations that could have been going on within them and those around them. And they said, no, we're going to be obedient to Christ. We're going to get the word out. We're going to be faithful to the Great Commission. And the word of God answered that prayer powerfully. And they spoke the word of God with boldness.

Used properly, prayer in the spirit is a mighty weapon for pulling down strongholds, for casting down everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, for bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, for being ready to punish all disobedience, dealing with sin in our lives and those around us. As I shared, I feel like we've just scratched the surface. There's so much more depth here.

In the spiritual war that we face. And the weapons that have been given to us. Man, it's powerful. They're mighty in God. How we need to employ these weapons. And not be satisfied just sitting there. Don't be satisfied just sitting there. Be in prayer. Be in the word. Be ready. Engage in the battle.

Put on the spiritual armor. Your defenses are in Christ Jesus. Hold on to him. Get to know him. Fall in love with him. Hold fast to him. Surround yourself with him and the things of him. Fill your life and your mind and your heart with Jesus Christ. And then allow the Spirit of God to work powerfully through you in your prayer and as you share the word of God with others. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal.

As hard as you try, with all of your strength and all of your wisdom and all of your ability to get around things and get out of situations and hit people right where they need to be hit, produces no eternal value. Accomplishes absolutely nothing spiritually. The best that I have to offer doesn't do anything. I can't accomplish anything of eternal value unless it's by the power of the Spirit. Through praying in the Spirit, through the sword of the Spirit, that's how God's work is accomplished.

Our nation needs help. Our nation is going down. What needs to be done? We need to pray. We need to share the word. There's people around you. We live in a lost and dying world. And God wants to accomplish so much through your life. He wants to impact your coworkers, your family, your friends. God has put you there for a specific person, for a specific reason. There's a purpose that he wants to accomplish.

lives that he wants to change, there's a light that he wants to shine through you. He's not going to do it through your good looks or your charm. He's going to do it through the Spirit, in your prayer, and in the Word of God, sharing the right word for the situation at hand. He's not looking for the super talented elite Christians. He's looking for the Christian that says, I'm available. I don't have much to offer. God says, it wouldn't matter if you did. He's looking for the

In the spiritual realm, you don't have anything to offer. All you can offer is yourself. And say, Lord, I will pray in the Spirit. Direct me and lead me in my prayers. Lord, I'm coming to you as your child, interceding on behalf of these people, on behalf of this person, in this situation. Lord, even the things that I can't express, Holy Spirit, interpret those things. Pray in the Spirit. And come before the Lord and offer to Him, Lord,

I don't have much, but I'm going to read your word. I'm going to prepare myself. I'm going to spend time every day in your word. And God, as I spend time in the word today, give me something. I'm going to give you this time. And what if you see fit to, to bring out a verse, a portion, a passage, a thought, let it just shine out to me. Let it speak to my heart. And then Lord, give me an opportunity and I'll share it with someone.

Let someone come into my path. Maybe someone I've never met or someone I'm familiar with. And Lord, just let me share this word that you've given me today. All God's looking for is our availability. Will we give him the time in prayer? Will we give him the time in his word? Will we allow the spirit to be working through us? Make yourself available to God. Read your Bible and pray every day. What do you need to do every day?

How do I deal with the strongholds in my life? I need to read my Bible and pray. Are there strongholds in your life, areas where you just cannot shake it? Satan has a grip in that area. You fall into temptation every time, or you give in to that, or you just can't escape this or that. You need to read your Bible and pray.

And if it's not been cast down yet, then you're not reading and praying enough. Spend more time in the Spirit, reading and praying. And read and pray and read and pray and read and pray until those strongholds are cast down in your life. Until those strongholds are cast down in your family. Until those billboards are taken down. Until that shop is shut down. Until the kingdom of God is established.

Read your Bible and pray and allow the Spirit of God to be at work. How do I go on the offensive in the spiritual war? It's not by screaming or shouting. It's by reading my Bible and praying and allowing God's Spirit to work in me. Are there strongholds, struggles, disobedience, thoughts that need to be cast down and taken into captivity? Is there sin that needs to be dealt with in your life, in your family, in a situation where you have

the authority to take care of it. Allow the Spirit of God to be at work. Pray, read, and then share as he gives you opportunity. Let's pray. Lord, what a responsibility and role that you've given to us. Lord, even though you've called us to stand in the spiritual battle, you haven't called us to simply be spectators, to do nothing. But Lord, you've given us

the role of accomplishing your will on earth. But it's not through our strength or our wisdom, our intelligence or talent, but it's simply by making ourselves available for your spirit to work in us. And so, God, I pray for us this evening, those who are listening to this, God, that you would make us available, that you would help us, Lord, to set aside time every single day to read your word. May it be

a high priority for us, Lord. First things first, help us to put on the belt of truth, to learn the entirety of your word, because the entirety of your word is truth, God. Lord, we don't want to have a limited arsenal of a couple things here and there that you're able to use in us, but Lord, we want to give you, Lord, a full armory that you can use. So help us, Lord, to learn your word backwards and forwards, front to back.

Give us a thirst for it, Lord, that we would desire your word, knowing that we don't live on bread alone, but by every single word that comes from you. Oh, Lord, may we hunger and thirst for your word. Lord, that when the time comes, as we're open to the leading and prompting of your spirit, you might remind us of those things that you've taught us.

Lord, that we might bring salvation into the lives of those who need to hear it. Lord, that we would bring deliverance from strongholds. Lord, that we would remove the blinders of those who have had thoughts and imaginations that have exalted themselves above the knowledge of you. Lord, that we would take all those things into captivity, that we would deal with sin as the Spirit works through your word, which we've spent time in for you. God, I ask that you would give us

an earnest desire to be with you in prayer. God, that we wouldn't just be satisfied with praying over our meals, but Lord, that we would learn to stand in the gap, to intercede on behalf of those around us. Lord, you've placed us in contact with people for a reason, that we might impact them, God, that we might pray for them. Lord, teach us to pray for everyone we know. Teach us to pray for our nation, for this world.

Teach us to pray for our missionaries. Teach us to pray, Lord, to pray always without ceasing, directed by your spirit, God, as you place upon our hearts specific situations and people. Lord, may we pray for them. Teach us, Lord, to be diligent and to be watchful, Lord, that we wouldn't be lazy.

Put off our time of prayer until later. Put off things that you put on our heart until later. But God, may we be diligent as you prompt us, as you lead us to pray. Lord, may we be confident to enter your throne room and to pray as your children, knowing, Lord, that it's by the Spirit we're able to cry out, Abba, Father. Lead us in our prayers, God. Give us a heart for the people around us. Lord, that the spiritual war that rages would be won for you.

Lord, help us to go on the offensive, to give you our time in the word, to give you time in prayer, that your spirit might work mightily through us. Thank you, Jesus, that our defenses are in you, that we don't have to worry about defending ourselves, but we just rely upon you and look to you and trust in you, that you've already done the work and it is finished. But Lord, we also thank you for the opportunity to impact others, to be a part of your work. And so we give ourselves to you in word and prayer.

We ask that you would use us by your Spirit. Lord, especially for those who have never received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I ask now that you would fill us, God, right now. We receive the complete filling and baptism of your Holy Spirit. Lord, that we might be your witnesses in Corona and Riverside, Southern California, to the uttermost parts of the earth. Work through us mightily, we pray. In Jesus' name, amen.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.