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Ephesians 6:10-12

“What Satan Doesn’t Want You to Know”

Part 2 of 3

What is your worst fear?•Or do you have so many they keep you up at night and give you ulcers?•That kind of anxiety leads to depression•Depression generates more fear•Do you know who the “author” of fear is?•The bible says it comes straight from the Devil

“10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Ephesians 6:10-12, NASB

A. The Fourth Secret Weapon of Satan•Last week we looked at the first three:•Persecution, Infiltration/compromise, Counterfeits•This week we’ll look at different aspects of the fourth: Fear•Psychological warfare is one of the greatest tools of any war…

“10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Ephesians 6:10-12, NASB

A. The 4th weapon: Fear•Satan knows how effective this tool is•That why the Scripture says, “Don not be afraid” 58 times, and “Fear not” 129 times!•Once your enemy’s heart is captured with fear, they’ve all but laid their weapons down and surrendered•When a soldier loses heart, he doesn’t think he can win

B. Prudence vs. Paranoia•Most fears are illogical, self-produced, and never actually come true•But fear is still real, and can really disable you•A deep seated dread, or anxiety can grab your heart deep down– I’m not talking just about daily concerns•When concern turns to fear, the healthy state of ‘prudence’ turns to the dangerous state of ‘paranoia’

B. Prudence vs. Paranoia•Understand the difference? Here…•Prudence washes hands; paranoia avoids all human contact for fear of disease•Prudence wears a seatbelt; paranoia doesn’t get into a car at all, for any reason•Prudence prays for the pilot of the plane you’re on; paranoia says, “I’m not getting on a plane”

B. Prudence vs. Paranoia•Prudence prepares for the future; paranoia turns one into a miser like Scrooge, hoarding everything and becoming selfish•Prudence is healthy preparation; paranoia is a million dollar bunker with 20 years supply of food, water, weapons, and ammunition•See the difference? Which one are you?

C. How fear works in your life…•In 1 Samuel 26, David is a fugitive from Saul…•Throughout the 10 yr period, David is close to the Lord•God kept him from doing wrong, because David sought Him out and spent many hours with Him •But by Chapter 27, David is listening to himself instead of God– 3 big problems

Then David said to himself, “Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines. Saul then will despair of searching for me anymore in all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand.”

1 Samuel 27:1-3, NASB

Then David (1)said to himself, “Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines. Saul then will despair of searching for me anymore in all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand.”

1 Samuel 27:1-3, NASB

Then David said to himself, “Now (2)I will perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines. Saul then will despair of searching for me anymore in all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand.”

1 Samuel 27:1-3, NASB

Then David said to himself, “Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul. (3)There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines. Saul then will despair of searching for me anymore in all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand.”

1 Samuel 27:1-3, NASB

C. How fear works in your life…1. David is counseling himself•So I shouldn’t talk to myself--- NOT the point•He wasn’t seeking God’s counsel2. He forgot God’s promises and faithfulness•Forgot God said he’d be the next king•Looked at the situation from his perspective, instead of God’s

C. How fear works in your life…•Just like with David, that’s how Satan operates on us•He wants us to ignore God’s promises and faithfulness to us•God Promises: He’ll never leave, nor forsake•Provide all our needs according to His riches•No one can steal us from Him, Abundant life, etc.!

C. How fear works in your life…3. Moved in with the Enemy•David not only forgot all God said, but thought it would be safer for him in enemy territory•Can you say frying pan to the fire?•Notice the progression:•It begins subtly, almost innocently, with a simple thought of consulting your own strayed mind-- that takes you away from God

C. How fear works in your life…• It goes to the stage of willfully ignoring God’s promises and faithfulness•Then, you make a decision to move into the “enemy ’s territory” to be with them•This happened to Peter at the high priest’s courtyard during Jesus’ Sanhedrin Trial •This happened to Abraham’s nephew Lot outside Sodom • It can happen to any of us

D. How to fight against fear•The Dictionary definition of fear is, “a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined•Fear is often rooted in control over life’s circumstances•Fear of losing control over people or things•Worry breeds fear; check this out…

D. How to fight against fear• If you are a person who are fearful often or who’s prone to worry about something all the time, ask yourself this question: •Does my worry make my situation any better?•Never. Only worse•The solution for fear is NOT trying to control your life or the situations around you•The solution is in TURNING to the One who has the absolute control over everything for eternity!

25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his

life? 28 And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or

‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Matthew 6:25-44, NASB

D. How to fight against fear•As you learn to lean hard onto our all-capable God in prayer and by the reading of His Word, you will soon find that the vast majority of your worries and fear are unfounded•Our worst case of fear is a great opportunity to become the best case of trust in God•Let your fear fall victim to your courage and faith in the Lord

7 “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity {fear}, but of power and love and discipline {a sound mind}.”

2 Timothy 1:7, NASB {NIV}

Take Home…1. We must remember; the vast majority of

our worries/fears are unfounded, because they are self-made. God can handle the bumps in the road

2. God’s omni-presence allows us the leap of faith in/to Him; we can trust Him to keep His promises

3. Whenever you are fearful of the unknown; Pray: the Lord know all things, trust Him!