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00:00 The enemy is so crafty, he's an expert historian.
00:03 He's so brilliant, he's an expert theologian.
00:07 He's so sly, he's such a liar.
00:10 He traffics in lies.
00:14 He has a methodology to take you out and me out.
00:19 (congregation applauding)
00:23 Please be seated.
00:24 I don't know if you've noticed this,
00:26 but I'm sure you have, as we look throughout history,
00:31 we see the power of motivational speeches.
00:34 I guess some of us who enjoy athletics,
00:37 we would go, man, there's nothing like
00:39 a great motivational speech.
00:43 I would argue that speeches can either cause victory
00:47 on the battlefield, victory maybe on the football
00:52 or soccer field or not.
00:55 But we think about some of these amazing speeches
00:58 from Abraham Lincoln to General Patton,
01:03 from Churchill to Martin Luther King,
01:07 from Martin Luther King to Coach Jimmy Johnson.
01:12 How about them Cowboys?
01:15 (congregation applauding)
01:18 Did I tell you that I played college basketball?
01:23 Did I tell you that?
01:23 (congregation laughing)
01:27 Last week I told you a story about my freshman year.
01:31 I didn't hardly play at all.
01:32 I didn't letter until my sophomore year,
01:35 but my freshman year I rode the bench
01:37 and we were playing the University of Kentucky
01:40 semifinals of the Mid-East Regional Championship,
01:43 nationally televised game, huge, huge thing.
01:47 So I'm thinking to myself, there's a great chance
01:51 I'm not gonna get in the game,
01:53 as I talked about last time.
01:54 But then I thought, well, I'm gonna hear from our coach
01:59 like an amazing speech.
02:02 This is Division I basketball at its finest.
02:06 And my coach, when he coached for another school,
02:10 went to the national championship against UCLA
02:13 back in the day, so I'm thinking, all right,
02:15 I'm gonna hear a great speech.
02:17 So we gathered everyone together in the locker room.
02:20 You could hear the crowd.
02:22 (panting)
02:23 We were getting ready to walk out.
02:25 And I'm thinking, this is gonna be it.
02:26 This is going to be the speech of all speeches.
02:29 And here's what my coach said.
02:31 My coach looked around, he smiled, he goes,
02:34 guys, let's just go out there and have a good time.
02:38 And then he looked at me, he goes,
02:43 Reverend, pray for us, would you?
02:45 Our father who art in heaven.
02:51 We got beat by 25.
02:53 That was not a very good speech.
02:57 Well, today we have an opportunity
02:59 to hear the Apostle Paul, I'm talking about Saint Paul,
03:03 the author of a good bit of the New Testament.
03:05 Paul is giving a pre-game, pre-battle speech
03:10 to all of the Christians.
03:12 He's talking about warfare.
03:16 I'll say it now, I'll say it again.
03:19 Whether you're here in the balcony,
03:20 whether you find yourself at one of our different locations,
03:23 we are at war.
03:26 Now to say that, that's a pretty risky statement.
03:31 That's a pretty in-your-face declaration.
03:36 But the truth of the matter is,
03:37 we are in a colossal conflict, whether we realize it or not.
03:42 Now right now, some of you are going,
03:45 oh yeah, I'm in a battle in my marriage.
03:48 I'm in a battle with my teenage son or daughter.
03:51 I'm in a battle at work.
03:53 I'm in a battle financially.
03:54 I'm in a battle over this deal.
03:56 I'm in a battle.
03:58 I feel you, my man, but I'm not just talking about that.
04:03 I'm talking about something deeper and more profound.
04:10 What if the battle you're facing
04:12 is not really the battle you're facing?
04:16 What if the conflict that you find yourselves involved in
04:21 is not really, I mean, I know it is somewhat,
04:25 but what if it's not really the conflict?
04:28 The apostle Paul tells us, he goes,
04:32 hey, your deal is you are in spiritual warfare.
04:37 That's what Paul's telling the Christians in Ephesus,
04:43 in Ephesians chapter six.
04:45 He's going, we are at war.
04:49 Now you gotta realize the apostle Paul was chained
04:51 to a Roman soldier while he was writing this letter.
04:54 And he's checking this guy out,
04:57 all of his gear, all of his armor,
04:59 and the Holy Spirit of God taps Paul on the shoulder
05:03 and tells him to use the armor of the Roman soldier
05:08 as a metaphor to the armor available to you and me
05:13 as followers of Christ.
05:15 And Paul simply says, hey, guys, you are victorious.
05:20 He's telling us we are winners
05:26 because of what Jesus did on the cross for our sins,
05:30 because of his resurrection,
05:32 and because of the power we have.
05:35 But, Paul says, if you don't tap into the power,
05:39 he's kind of saying, good luck.
05:44 Good luck.
05:45 I'm talking about sports and everything and the Cowboys.
05:50 Have you ever watched a replay of a Cowboys game?
05:55 Anybody?
05:56 I have.
05:58 It's interesting.
05:59 Let's say you have the NFL network and you're watching
06:03 and they'll give you the score
06:06 before they replay the game.
06:09 So they put the score up.
06:12 For example, I watched one recently,
06:14 the Cowboys versus the Eagles.
06:15 That was last year.
06:17 Wow, the Cowboys scored, I think, 50 points
06:21 against the Eagles in one of the games.
06:22 And so, as I was watching this game and the highlights,
06:26 it was scored sort of like,
06:29 well, Dak threw an interception.
06:31 No big deal.
06:32 I mean, when I saw the game in real time,
06:36 oh my gosh, interception.
06:38 But the second time, I was like, yeah, whatever.
06:41 I know the score.
06:42 Zeke fumbled the ball.
06:46 I didn't go, oh man, Zeke.
06:48 No, I was like, all right, it's all good.
06:51 It's all good.
06:52 I knew the score.
06:55 Pre-knowledge is awesome, isn't it?
06:59 And that's what Paul is saying.
07:00 We've won.
07:03 Here's the score.
07:04 We've won.
07:06 Act like winners.
07:09 Deal with this conflict.
07:12 Make sure to get dressed in the clothes of Christ.
07:17 Because the enemy, I'm talking about Satan himself,
07:21 is second in power to God.
07:24 We are no match for him alone.
07:27 No, it's not gonna happen.
07:30 And furthermore, Lone Ranger Christians
07:34 are no match for the enemy.
07:38 That's why fellowship is really a battleship.
07:41 Have you ever thought about that?
07:42 We are.
07:43 We should call this Battleship Church.
07:45 We get together.
07:48 We love one another.
07:50 We pray for one another.
07:51 We encourage one another.
07:53 We share our issues with one another.
07:55 We're in this battle, aren't we, together.
07:58 There's nothing like being in an army of God.
08:03 And that's what we are.
08:08 And that's a cool thing.
08:09 But if you say, well, yeah, I'm a Christian,
08:12 and you're not actively involved in this army,
08:17 if you're not on this battleship,
08:19 then I hate to bring bad news to you from the Apostle Paul,
08:24 but you are a sitting duck.
08:28 You're gonna get caught in the crossfire
08:31 if you're neutral or just like, yeah, whatever.
08:35 Well, I thought today we would get into
08:38 to some of the specifics about the battle you're facing.
08:42 Because remember, the battle you're facing
08:46 and I'm facing is not really the battle that we're facing.
08:50 The Bible says, and Paul says this,
08:53 that the battle is going on in the heavenlies,
08:58 in the spiritual realms.
08:59 We can't see that.
09:01 Have you ever thought about, we can't see gravity?
09:04 We can't see a weak nuclear force or a strong nuclear force?
09:09 We can't see electromagnetism?
09:14 We can't see those things.
09:16 Those are just things that we know are out there,
09:18 but we can't see them with the naked eye.
09:21 We cannot see the invisible
09:24 where these battles are taking place.
09:27 Yes, it manifests in the physical.
09:29 Yes, the physical matters.
09:31 But think about those spiritual places,
09:36 the heavenly realms, the Bible says.
09:38 And you know, the Bible does not give us
09:39 super specific information about these spiritual battles
09:43 because our little minds couldn't take it.
09:46 But the apostle Paul, in his pregame speech,
09:49 he goes, now, I wanna give you the what.
09:52 And here's the what, Paul says, be strong.
09:56 That's right, in the book of Ephesians,
09:57 Paul says, again, be strong.
10:01 And that's kind of a trite phrase to say,
10:04 hey, be strong in the Lord, you know?
10:06 Well, what does that mean, what does that mean?
10:08 Well, the Bible says, Ephesians chapter six, verse 10,
10:11 be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
10:13 Well, Paul, why, why, why?
10:16 Why can I be strong in the Lord?
10:18 What's the deal, or how can I be strong in the Lord?
10:20 Ephesians 6, 11, put on.
10:23 God doesn't dress us.
10:25 Say it with me, put on.
10:27 God doesn't dress us, we have to dress ourselves,
10:29 dress for success, put on the full armor of God
10:34 so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
10:40 Literally, the word schemes means,
10:47 and is pronounced in the Greek, methodoia, the methods.
10:51 Think about this, the enemy is so crafty,
10:54 he's an expert historian, he's so brilliant,
10:58 he's an expert theologian, he's so sly, he's such a liar,
11:03 he traffics in lies, he has a methodology
11:09 to take you out and me out.
11:13 Now, when I say that, I don't mean necessarily to kill us,
11:19 but I mean to take Christians and to neutralize us,
11:24 and to take those who've not stepped over the line in faith.
11:27 The Bible says he's put blinders over unbelievers' eyes.
11:32 So he has this strategy, he knows my strengths.
11:38 You've got strengths, I've got strengths.
11:40 He'll attack those.
11:41 He knows my weaknesses, he's watched the game film.
11:45 Think about the enemy, and you're like,
11:51 oh, Ed, I can't face that.
11:53 Yes, you can, yes, you can, because of Jesus,
11:56 because of the power of God.
11:59 We literally can dominate because of who we are in Christ.
12:04 But again, God doesn't dress us.
12:13 It's not like we say, God, dress me, dress me, dress me.
12:17 No, no, we have to get dressed in the full armor of God.
12:20 Have you ever used Armor All before?
12:23 I love Armor All, I really do.
12:24 It works on all surfaces, that's what they say,
12:27 and I sort of believe that.
12:28 It protects and has a shine, and this is true Armor All.
12:33 The armor of the tank is just a symbol,
12:37 an illustration of who we are in Christ.
12:42 So we're not playing from behind.
12:45 We're not playing defense on our heels.
12:47 No, no, no, we are walking and claiming hell
12:52 by the square foot.
12:54 So what, be strong in the Lord.
12:57 Why, because we need to put on the armor
12:59 because we can take our stand,
13:02 Hebrews chapter six, verse 11, against the devil's schemes.
13:05 You know, when I'm talking about armor and stuff,
13:08 the armor of God being clothed in Christ,
13:11 it's fun to put on uniforms, isn't it?
13:15 You remember uniform day?
13:18 You know, a lot of us have gone back to school.
13:21 Maybe your school has uniforms,
13:23 and they give you uniforms.
13:24 You try the uniforms on.
13:25 Maybe you're playing on some, I don't know, soccer team,
13:28 or maybe you're playing baseball or basketball or whatever,
13:31 all sports a year around.
13:32 Now you put the uniform on.
13:34 We love uniforms, uniforms, and uniforms.
13:38 This is the uniform that we're to put on each and every day.
13:43 The armor of God.
13:47 The belt, and we're gonna break that down next week.
13:52 The breastplate of righteousness.
13:55 The shoes of peace.
13:57 The shield of faith.
13:59 The sword of the spirit.
14:01 The helmet of salvation.
14:02 All those things are items,
14:06 are elements in this amazing wardrobe.
14:08 So I gotta just say to you straight up front,
14:12 it's time that we dress for success.
14:17 So where does this battle take place?
14:20 I've answered it for you,
14:20 but let me let scripture unpack it.
14:23 Ephesians chapter six, verse 12, it says,
14:25 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
14:27 "but against the rulers, against the authorities,
14:29 "against the powers of this dark world,
14:31 "and against the spiritual forces of evil
14:33 "in the heavenly realms."
14:36 Do I know exactly where that is in this dimension
14:38 or that dimension?
14:39 No, but it's in the heavenly realms.
14:43 We are just discovering now, as far as technology,
14:46 how to be in two places at once.
14:50 Lisa and I have a new book coming out.
14:55 It's sort of about our story,
14:56 and it's about dealing with pain in our lives,
15:00 and specifically the pain of losing our daughter
15:03 two years ago.
15:04 Well, recently we were in a meeting,
15:08 a marketing meeting with our publisher.
15:10 It was a Zoom meeting.
15:13 One of the participants in this meeting was from Oregon.
15:18 Another one was from Virginia.
15:20 Another one was in Michigan.
15:23 Another one was from Dallas.
15:25 Yet, due to technology, isn't that cool?
15:28 We could be at two places at once.
15:31 Well, as a follower of Christ, I'm here in the flesh, right?
15:37 Matter matters.
15:38 Don't sit there and go,
15:39 "Well, the physical doesn't matter."
15:43 Oh, it matters.
15:44 But I'm in two places at once.
15:47 Check this out.
15:48 I am here, but I'm also there.
15:52 What do you mean there?
15:53 The moment I become a believer,
15:57 I'm seated with Christ in the heavenly realms.
16:02 Now, think about that.
16:03 So not only am I here, I'm also there.
16:09 The Bible says, in Ephesians chapter two, verse six,
16:12 and God raised us up with Christ
16:15 and seated us with him in the heavenly realms
16:18 in Christ Jesus.
16:21 Is that awesome or what?
16:23 In Ephesians 1, three says,
16:26 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
16:29 "who has blessed us in the," say it with me,
16:33 "heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ."
16:37 So my friend Brian is on the second row.
16:41 So Brian is seated on the second row.
16:45 Brian's nickname is Big Daddy.
16:47 He's a cool dude.
16:48 So Brian, you're on the second row
16:51 at Fellowship Church right now,
16:53 but that's not just the only place you're seated.
16:57 You, my friend, because I know Brian,
16:59 he's a follower of Christ,
17:00 he's also seated in the heavenlies with Jesus.
17:05 And furthermore, as I just read to you,
17:08 our blessings are in the heavenly realms.
17:12 So we have a seat in the heavenly realm.
17:16 We have blessings in the heavenly realm.
17:19 We have angels in the heavenly realm.
17:23 Do you realize we have angels that minister to us?
17:28 Again, the Bible does not say in specific terms
17:32 about all the angels.
17:34 I've done a series on angels.
17:35 I'll do it again.
17:36 But I just want you to know,
17:39 angels, we can't see them minister to you and me
17:44 here and there.
17:47 Also, demons are there.
17:52 Who are the demons?
17:52 The fallen angels.
17:53 Remember when Satan tried to do that kingdom coup?
17:58 He was kicked out.
17:59 He was fired by God the Father, God the Son,
18:01 God the Holy Spirit.
18:02 He took with him a third of the fallen angels.
18:06 They are there as well.
18:09 So it doesn't take someone brilliant to realize
18:12 there's a lot going on up there.
18:15 Are you feeling me?
18:16 So maybe your issue is not just here,
18:21 it's also there,
18:23 because there really influences what's going on here.
18:28 Spiritual warfare, spiritual victory.
18:35 Again, if you're keeping score, what?
18:37 Be strong, that's what Paul says.
18:39 Why?
18:40 Well, the devil schemes.
18:41 He wants to take you and me out.
18:43 The demons have watched film on you and me.
18:47 They know our weaknesses.
18:48 Where?
18:49 In the heavenly realms.
18:51 When does this take place?
18:53 Well, now.
18:56 What?
18:57 It takes place now, because in verse 13,
19:02 Paul says, "Therefore, put on the full armor of God,
19:07 "so that when the day of evil comes,"
19:10 when is that?
19:10 Look around.
19:14 You're talking about a day of evil.
19:17 Man, wherever we turn,
19:19 I don't want to be a doggie downer here,
19:21 but it's just like wherever we look,
19:24 wherever we turn, we see evil.
19:28 So when the day of evil comes,
19:29 that you may be able to stand your ground.
19:34 And then Satan also uses strongholds.
19:41 So he uses different strategies.
19:45 He uses the TLC strategy.
19:47 I'm not talking about tender, loving care.
19:49 I'm talking about temptation.
19:51 I'm talking about lying.
19:54 And I'm talking about condemnation.
19:57 When we fumble the ball, when we sin,
20:00 he takes his helmet, another football metaphor,
20:03 and boom, whacks us in the small of our back.
20:08 You don't deserve anything.
20:10 You're a no-count.
20:12 Who are you?
20:13 The enemy loves to use strongholds in your life and mine.
20:19 What is the first sin?
20:22 What is the sin that's the precursor
20:24 to all the other sins?
20:26 Pride.
20:27 The enemy going back to before he became the devil,
20:31 he was known as Lucifer, the star of the morning.
20:33 He was the worship leader in heaven,
20:35 maybe an archangel, we're not sure, we think so.
20:38 He attempted this kingdom coup, as I said earlier.
20:43 He wanted to elevate himself above God.
20:49 He wanted to become God.
20:51 So you have pride going on.
20:53 He has throne issues.
20:55 He was kicked out of heaven, as I mentioned earlier,
20:58 and now on earth, he's trying to get accomplished
21:01 in your life and in mine,
21:03 what he didn't get accomplished in heaven.
21:07 He wants you to rule your life.
21:12 He goes, man, you know what's best for you.
21:14 You sit on the throne of your life.
21:17 And the moment we sit on the throne of our lives,
21:22 here's what happens.
21:24 A stronghold can occur.
21:27 And the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 10, verses four through five,
21:32 the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of this world.
21:36 On the contrary, they have divine power
21:39 to demolish strongholds.
21:41 Praise the Lord for that.
21:44 We demolish arguments.
21:45 Here's, okay, here's the definition of stronghold.
21:48 Arguments.
21:48 We demolish arguments.
21:50 Every pretension.
21:51 It's another definition of strongholds.
21:55 Arguments, pretension.
21:57 That sets itself up against the knowledge of God,
22:00 another aspect of it,
22:01 and we take captive every thought
22:05 to make it obedient to Christ.
22:06 Don't give the devil a foothold
22:10 because the foothold can become a stronghold.
22:13 So he uses TLC.
22:15 He also uses strongholds.
22:17 And strongholds begin with pride.
22:21 Strongholds are those areas
22:23 that we've not completely surrendered
22:26 to the Lord Jesus Christ.
22:28 And when we start dealing with strongholds,
22:32 when we start making those Holy Spirit-inspired decisions,
22:37 here's what happens.
22:39 We take one bag and another and throw it out.
22:44 We take one bag and another and throw it out.
22:49 Step by step.
22:52 Yes, Jesus can and does break strongholds like that,
22:56 but as we live it out,
22:58 every decision we make that honors the Lord Jesus,
23:01 whether it's anger, whether it's greed,
23:05 whether it's lust, whatever it is,
23:08 the strongholds are broken.
23:12 But I'm gonna tell you,
23:13 the enemy wants to camouflage your strongholds
23:18 and he wants to entrench himself
23:23 and build all of these sandbags around it.
23:26 As I'm talking right now,
23:27 the Holy Spirit of God is just saying,
23:30 "Here's your stronghold."
23:32 It's that hurtful habit.
23:35 It's that thought process.
23:41 It's maybe a wound from your background
23:44 and you've given the enemy a foothold.
23:47 Maybe it's a certain tendency.
23:50 God wants to break strongholds.
23:56 Only the Lord can do it.
23:59 I can't do it, nor you.
24:02 A world-renowned chess player
24:07 was touring the Louvre years ago
24:10 and he saw this painting
24:12 and the painting was entitled "Checkmate."
24:17 It was a painting that depicted Satan playing chess
24:23 with just a normal, average guy.
24:29 And as this champion looked at the painting,
24:34 he could tell the guy playing Satan was freaked out.
24:40 Sweating, like, "Oh no, the game is over.
24:45 "I can't deal with him."
24:47 And this world chess champion
24:51 was just mesmerized by the painting.
24:55 So he studied it and studied it
24:57 and then he was like,
24:59 "Man, something is not right about this painting."
25:02 So he told one of the main workers there,
25:09 maybe the curator or something,
25:11 "Hey, do you have a chess board?"
25:13 So they found a chess board
25:15 and this world-renowned chess player
25:18 put the chess board down and set the pieces up
25:22 exactly the way they were set up in the painting.
25:25 And he's like, "This isn't 'Checkmate.'"
25:30 And it's like he started talking to the guy in the painting.
25:34 He goes, "You have another move.
25:39 "It's not over.
25:42 "See the king, peace.
25:44 "The king has another move."
25:48 So I got up this morning to tell you
25:52 that you, by God's grace and power,
25:56 have another move.
25:59 That you are a winner,
26:01 that you are victorious in its time.
26:05 That we break, by the power of the Holy Spirit,
26:09 these strongholds.
26:12 Hi guys, thank you so much
26:13 for watching the Ed Young YouTube channel.
26:16 That's right, and if you wanna be inspired,
26:17 encouraged, and challenged like never before,
26:19 subscribe and click the notification button.
26:22 We believe this channel can help change your life.
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