Three Battles by Brother Duke Hansen

         This morning we will be reading from two or three different books for this message. The first place you will need to turn to in your bibles is the book of Romans chapter 7. We will start at verse 7.

        7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

        8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

        9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

        10 And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.

        11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.

        12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

        13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.

        14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.

        15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.

        16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that is good.

        17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

        The basis of our Christian walk is relationships. Many of us have been fighting in spiritual warfare before we became a Christian. We didn't know the first thing about principalities or strongholds with our head knowledge but some of us fought our way out of horrible settings. Out of broken mindsets or victimization. There are three battles we will be in all the days on the earth as a son or daughter of God. The first battle you will be in is with your own mind. The battlefield of your mind will get more intense the deeper your relationship to God becomes. Why is that? Your flesh, your ego always wants to lead and decide your present and future while ignoring or hiding your past. Man's flesh is why there are horrible and dank secrets in families. Man's ideology is why there is a prevalent confusion in many people's lives. In the battle with our own mind, know that you are going to be in disagreement with people. A lot of them are too polite, or passive to disagree with you in public, but they will do it in private. They will run that mouth to others about you, and smile at you in public. 

        Going to verse 7 of Romans 7, this verse illustrates that the law is not sin but that it shows and explains sin to you. As you get deeper in your understanding of the word, when you have an errant thought or misleading doctrine you entertain because it may tickle your flesh, that understanding of the word should have the necessary knowledge and warning to reel your mind back in. 

        The devil is not omnipotent. His sole purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. If your thoughts all stem from those three lines, those thoughts are not from God. The thoughts that cause your flesh to groan and your ego to grumble into subjection, that's good. That is God at work.

        Keep in mind, the fights waged on the battlefield of your mind is not just isolated within you. The battle affects those who are close to you. Family and friends are directly affected. This stretches out into your work places with colleagues.

        Repentance is separate from remission. These are two entirely different things which man has the tendency to confuse. Repentance is knowing that you have sin and need to get rid of it. Remission is removing that sin. Don't believe the lies your flesh is selling you. If you know drinking in excess is bad, yet you do it in weakness, and you're sorry? That's repentance. If you know drinking in excess is bad, and the feeling hits only you go to your knees and cry out to God until it passes? That's remission.

        The second battle we have in this walk is with other individuals. We are going to turn to the book of 1st John chapter 4. We will start reading at verse 1. John writes about some things which still apply to our walk today.

        Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

        2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

        3 And every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

        4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

        Look at verse 4 again. Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. You need to separate your emotions from truth. If you lean into your own emotion more than the truth, you will find yourself lost in yourself, your spirit prey to those emotions which you discern from. As John explains in this scripture, there are spirits guiding man. We can listen and follow the call of a wrong spirit if we are not discerning nor aware of what is good and evil. This is why it is so important for you to judge yourself. To crucify your flesh daily. You will be judged in the end time and this judgement is from the law of God rather than the law of man.

        The third battle you will have is the battle with the devil. Now, if you haven't been truly born again, or if you have but are not wearing the armor of God like Paul writes about in Ephesians 6: 10-18, you have no business going out to fight the devil. The best thing you can do as you start out is have three people who have your back and not run their mouth behind it, The best thing you can have is a church that prays, lifts you up, and you are covered by the blood. 

        The battle with the devil can be the easiest battle you can fight. The devil is a loser! He lost thousands of years ago, and you have the power to rebuke him and his spirits in Jesus name. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. The power of his might is in the name of Jesus. The spirit is one of overcoming and victory. Once you have all the pieces of the armor of God, you don't go charging out toward the enemy swinging. You pray!! You pray with a humble heart and contrite spirit to God in the his spirit. Armor is for protection on a person, not for fighting! God has never been in the babysitting business. He's never had a history of having sons and daughters in his name and keep them infants spiritually. God is into building strong believers of faith. If you are struggling with fighting all the time, whether or not its online in a comment section, at work with a co-worker, at home with your spouse, or at Christmas with your wild relatives; keep in mind it is in our nature to fight, when Jesus, your Lord and God wants his children to be peacemakers.