Numero Cinco

July 2 Notes.

Ephesians 6. Prayer.
“In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.”
When we know the enemy is on our back, how do we get him off?
It’s a daily warfare. Pray always, on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers.
The battle is in prayer. Pray for something until it happens.
Pray in the Spirit; it’s not the words that make a prayer a prayer. It’s our position in the Word.

Romans 8:26.
No thought is ever waisted. The Spirit knows what to pray for.
The mind that is controlled by the Spirit is in fellowship with God.
You can’t do what you’re thinking about doing.
God plants something in your heart and you can’t get it out of your head.
Get outside the boundaries of prayer.
When you live a life of prayer you will never need to be reminded that you’re in a war.

FINALLY, BE STRONG IN THE LORD. YOU PUT ON THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD AND YOU STAND AGAINST ALL OF THE DEVIL’S SCHEMES.

Don’t get dressed up with nowhere to go.

Night of July 1 Notes.

Ephesians 6.
Repentance..
He doesn’t repair a broken heart, He gives you a new one.
Romans 8:5
If anyone doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ, they don’t know the Lord.

YOU take the Helmet of Salvation.
Don’t fabricate the helmet. TAKE it, don’t MAKE it.
And the Sword of the Spirit.
The helmet of salvation is offered to you as a result of the Word of God.
There is no fine print. There is no “catch.”

“COME TO ME.”
During battle, soldiers we a liner under their actual helmet to protect their heads from the rough helmet.
The liner doesn’t protect you from anything if it’s worn by itself.
No one in their right mind would go out into battle without their helmet.
You’ve put a liner called religion on, and it looks good, and nothing’s bein’ thrown at you, but there’s one big blow, and everything’s exposed.
Religion is not the source, it’s a resource.

Salvation comes from the Lord.
The Word of God is sharp. It’s like a two-edged sword.
God wants people to be told about Him.
Take the gift of the Helmet of Salvation. It begins and ends with the mind.
Life or Death?

God won’t let you live by your own hand and your own strength. He won’t let you substitute another for the One, Christ.

July 1 Morning Notes.

Ephesians 6.
The call of God is the same for everyone.
Fathers, don’t exasperate  your children.
Don’t get Spiritual Separation Anxiety.

God IS. Yes. Where He is, we shall be also.
There is motion in the Christian life. It is not stationary.
No one wants to just look at the bride; they want to watch her walk down the aisle.
God doesn’t want to gaze, He wants to engage.
God is here, BIG DEAL. It’s not the promised presence of God, it’s the manifest presence that matters. He could be here and we could leave the same as when we arrived, unchanged.
He expresses Himself.

If we believe what we say we believe, we shouldn’t ever be without God.
We can’t live on another person’s faith. Faith can only come in gift form from God. Not from man.
It’s not your power, it’s God’s power.
Once you put on the armor of God, it’s who you become.

YOU take up the Shield of Faith.
Faith is other. It is other than what we have by nature.
No one can do this for you, you have to do it yourself. If there is no exertion on your part, there will be no reception of faith.
This shield doesn’t just catch the flaming arrows, it extinguishes the fire.
Faith goes way beyond just protection. It is an active demonstration of God.
WHEN the flaming arrows come, the shield of faith the extinguish the arrows fire.
What we can do together is much greater than what we could do alone.
TRUST GOD. Everyone needs to experience God.
The church of Jesus Christ wasn’t meant to be passive. It was meant to be aggressive.
The gates of Hell will not prevail against you.
Would you please just knock the gate down?

The blood of Christ is for my sins.
The cross of Christ is for my flesh.
The name of Jesus is for my enemy (Learn how to name-drop).
The faith of Jesus is for my attack.

The arrogance of religious flesh will ruin spiritual freedom.
Not a message that has to be believed. It is an experience of faith that becomes a message.
Your day needs to begin with putting on your armor. You could get real hurt if you were trying to put your belt on in the middle of a war.
FAITH IN JESUS SAVES YOU, BUT THE FAITH OF JESUS MOVES YOU WITH CHRIST.
THE CHRISTIAN LIFE HAS GOT TO STOP BEING A COURSE WE NEVER GRADUATE FROM.

July 1.

Matthew 6:25-34
“If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at meal times or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him that birds. Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion — do you think it makes that much of a difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby next to them. If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers — most of which are never even seen — don’t you think He’ll attend to you, take pride in you? Do His best for you? What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and how He works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how He works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”

Psalm 46:10
“Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything.”

June 30 Notes.

Ephesians 6.
Sandals of Peace.
Feet have to be protected to be able to walk.
Peace and War? Where does peace fit in with this?
Peace = the presence of Christ.

The good news of peace is not always good news to everyone.
Bring the midst of Jesus into the fallen world and it’ll cause conflict. We are living in the midst of a fallen planet, and it is not friendly to God.
God is all about winning.
God is jealous. He wants all of our attention and heart.
I mean, he deserves to be jealous. HE MADE US.

Jesus has left the planet. He left a comforter.
We are the Body of Christ. He wants His body to function and move around.
The Gospel of Peace.. We’ve sanitized the gospel.
We’ve made it so that it’s peaceful and not offensive to anyone.
YOU NEVER BRING PEACE BY LYING. You can’t bring someone to the Lord by lying to them about it.
“There are times when it’s socially appropriate to pretend.”
It’s way past uncomfortable, it’s immobilizing! Telling people the truth is what brings peace.

(Matthew 7) He will not lie to you.
PEACE. Where is the absence of conflict? We live in peace because of conflict.
A life of compromise is the greatest advertisement for Hell there is.
BE STRONG.
Do you have the peace of God?
A person that is absolutely unafraid to die is the most dangerous person to go into battle with.

You cannot stay where you are in your heart, and go with God.

June 30 Morning Service.

Ephesians 6.
When you become a Christian the battle gets harder.
Satan is a master at manipulating the Word. He’ll use it against us.
Nothing with flesh on is the source of your problem.

How many times do you find yourself at a spiritual stand-still?
Like arm wrestling: it’s all boring except for those 2 seconds of excitement when somebody flinches.
“After you’ve done everything, just stand.”
It makes the difference in honor and glory for God.
The heart is what usually wins the battles.
What we reach deep down for is the motivation, which is what we wear for the glory of God.
“STRENGTH & HONOR”

Wear the Breastplate of Righteousness.
Integrity – bein’ who you’re supposed to be. Doin’ what you’re supposed to do.
Put on the “breastplate of God’s integrity.”
That means that everything in the Bible is true.
If you’re goin’ into war, you better be thinking about death. It’s hard to get away from.

Just because you do what God says to do, the way He said to do it, when He said to do it, where He said to do it, doesn’t mean you won’t feel/experience pain.
We should fear going to a place where there is no honor, no glory; not death.
There’s absolutely nothing to fear about death.
I’m afraid of dying before I die. Lightening to strike the just and the unjust.
We have been given the armor of God.

Physically, God didn’t leave you unprotected. Spiritually, he didn’t either. We have to put it on.
(John 10:10.)
The insignia on your breastplate tells people who they’re dealing with.

Are you protected? Why would you go into war unprotected?
The reason you got hurt was because you left yourself unarmed, unprotected. Don’t try to risk one day without the covering of Christ. When I’m covered in Christ, no accusation can withstand me.

June 30.

Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own.”
You can’t trust something you don’t love; You can’t love something you don’t know.
Do you really know the Lord? If you’re not spending solid amounts of time in His words to you, you cannot really know the Lord. God is not our part-time God; He knows what He’s doing with our lives, and it’s up to us to trust Him and let him show us how to live it.
Let Him choose your path and then control every aspect of it.

2 Peter 3:9
“God isn’t late with His promise as some measure lateness.  He is restraining Himself on account of you, holding back the End because He doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change.”

Ephesians 5:17-18
“Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants. Don’t drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of Him.”

1 Thessalonians 4:3
“God wants you to live a pure life. Keep yourselves from sexual promiscuity.”

James 1:5-7
“If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought.”

I CAN’T DO IT. BUT GOD CAN.
You have to trust Him and love Him and ask Him for help.

Ephesians 6:13-…
How do you become the person where what is written about you is true about you?
Is Christianity just a religion for you, or is it a lifestyle?
We have an enemy that is more real than our breath.
“Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so taht when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet.”
The Day of Evil IS gunna come.

“Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, & salvation are more tahn words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon.”

Put on the Belt of Truth.
Your posture changes; you can handle more weight; you’ve got support.
The older you get, the more support you need.
Once the war starts, you’re in it until somebody dies or gives up.
Young, stupid people are easy to defeat.
God wants us to endure life to the end.

This Christian life is a long term thing; daily-life-long deal.
Knowing the source of all the verses gives us the support we need.
We have to know the Truth (John 8:35) It wasn’t a What, it was a Who.
Jesus talked in complete thoughts; He didn’t speak in verses, so don’t quote half of what He’s said.
“If you hold my teachings, then you’ll be my disciples. If you don’t then you’re not.”

Where is the sinners prayer? IT. DOESN’T. EXIST. There’s no prayer that you pray and God has to let you in to His kingdom.
Knowing God is what sets you free; knowing about God doesn’t.
The experience of the truth sets you free.
When the accuser comes, I’ll use the Word against him.
John 5.

Morning of June 29.

Ephesians 6:10
“And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and He wants you strong.”
You can’t do it; You’re not strong enough.
Empowered by your union with the Lord, Jesus Christ.
“So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws at you.”
YOU put ont he full armor of God so YOU can stand up against the Devil’s scheme.
There’s an implied You.

God will not do for you what He told you to do for yourself.
For God to help us, we have to do what He told us to do.
He will rescue us, but He won’t violate Himself; we have to obey Him.

1. God loves you and has a wonderful plan for you.
2. Devil hates you and has an awful plan for you.

We woke up, spiritually, in a war zone.
If we could really see what was going on, it would be terrifying.
FINALLY, BE STRONG INT HE LORD’S MIGHTY POWER, AND PUT ON THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD SO YOU CAN TAKE YOUR STAND AGAINST THE DEVIL’S SCHEMES.
We have been given the equipment.

“This is no afternoon athletic contest that wi’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and his angels.”
Not against flesh and blood; people are not the problem. It’s all spiritual.
You’re NOT your problem.
All God wants is glory.

1/3 of all the angels in Heaven were thrown out and despised, and are now angry & on Earth with us & Satan.
God wants us to overcome the problems in our flesh so we can glorify Him and be victorious.

Speaker: Mike Curry
Worship: Jimmy Needham

Night 1 Notes
Romans 8:12-14
“So don’t you see that we don’t owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There’s nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial & get on with your new life. God’s spirit beckons. There are things to do & places to go!”
MAKEWAR… Against what or who? Where? When? How? Why?
We’re all sinners, so we’re all dead.
There’s always a war. It’s a matter of our will. There’s always a battle ground happenin’ in us.

“If you live according to the sinful nature, you’ll die, but if you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you’ll live.”
Pretty much, if the source of life for you is flesh, you’re dead. The ‘sinful nature’ IS our flesh.
Trying hard will get you dead. You don’t gain anything by trying hard, and then losing.
You win by winning.

If we live by what feels good, we’ll be dead. Until you admit that, you’re by yourself.
Your internal has to reflect your external.
It’s in our nature to do what only God can do.
If the source is the Spirit of God, and by the source you put the death the flesh/mis-deeds of the body, you will live complicated; becoming a Christian doesn’t make anything easier. It’s supposed to get harder. We live complicated.
We’re not the Holy Spirit of God, so why do we act like we are?
Do be the “little sinner that could.” NO YOU CAN’T.

It’s a whole lot easier to control sin thatn kill it.
You have to have total dependancy on God.
“If life for you is the best you can do and what feels right for you, you will die.
You get rid of ‘em, they come back. YOU CAN’T DO IT; the Spirit of God has to put them to death.
You enjoy God when what He wants is what you want.