Spiritual Growth 2 Lesson 14

Acknowledgments
Living Logos was the heart-work of Bro
Dale Starks and Sis Josephine Starks,
missionaries to Singapore in the early
1980s. As the original authors of this
devotionals, the Starks meant for
these self-study materials to help new converts
(and matured saints alike) get a hold of an
understanding of God’s written Word. Since Sis
Stark’s passing in 2013, the couple had graciously
entrusted Tabernacle of Joy with its copyright.
Therefore, with every print run, we would like to
honour their life work and sacrifice in bringing the
gospel to Singapore. This copy is an updated and
revised version. Be blessed as you immerse yourself
in the Word and allow God to transform you into
the likeness of Jesus Christ.
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Growth 2
Lesson Fourteen
Spiritual Growth 2Spiritual
sPiriTuAL wArFAre iv
We have studied much concerning Satan and his kingdom
in the last three lessons. In this lesson, we will study how to
defeat him, and the demon spirits under his authority.
1. Don’t overestimate Satan’s power. Test yourself. Write
the opposite of the following words:
a. darkness
b. night
c. black
d. Satan
The answers are: light, day, white — but, surprise! The
opposite of Satan is not God or Jesus, but Michael or
Gabriel. In our wrong thinking we have placed Satan almost
equal to God, but this is not true. Satan is a fallen chief
angel. He has the same rank as Michael and Gabriel. In fact,
Michael and his angels fought and defeated Satan and his
angels (Revelation 12:7-9). Don’t be overawed by Satan’s
power. It can never be compared to the power of God.
2. Don’t be afraid of Satan.
a. Notice these verses of Scripture:
To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye
compare unto him?
— isaiah 40:18
To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare
me, that we may be like?
— isaiah 46:5
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...greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world
— i John 4:4
b. If we stay filled with the Holy Ghost, we will not have fear in our
hearts:
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and
of a sound mind
— ii timothy 1:7
c. Remember that angels have been commanded to watch over us, who
are heirs of salvation:
Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be
heirs of salvation?
— hebrews 2:14
The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and
delivereth them
— Psalm 34:7
For he shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways”
— Psalm 91:11
d. More important, remember that Jesus has promised that He will never
leave us:
...and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world
— matthew 28:20
...he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly
say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me
— hebrews 13:5-6
3. Don’t trust in your own strength:
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh
— ii Corinthians 10:3
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might
— ePhesians 6:10
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4. Use the spiritual weapons which have been given unto you:
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the
pulling down of strong holds;
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of
Christ
— ii Corinthians 10:4-5
Strongholds are walls which defend a place from the attack of the enemy.
Before an outpouring of the Holy Ghost can come to a nation, a state, a
city, etc., the people of God must use the weapons given unto them in order
to pull down the strongholds of hindrance and resistance.
We also need to realize there can be some strongholds in our own spiritual
life that have brought us into captivity, and keep us from truly being free in
Christ Jesus. See verse 5 above. For instance, many people have been hurt
by others, and are not willing to forgive them. This is a stronghold that
needs to come down in their lives. Only by forgiving others can we receive
forgiveness from Jesus, and truly be free (Matthew 6:14-15).
Racial prejudices, and all other types of prejudices are strongholds that must
be down away with. Evil imaginations towards others, inclinations toward
immorality because of something that has happened in our past, the list
could go on and on. God forgives sin, but He died to give us more than just
forgiveness. He died to give us complete victory over the power of sin. If we
fast and pray sincerely, the Lord will show us if we have any strongholds, and
through His power they can be removed, so that the enemy has “no hiding
place” in our lives.
For years, I struggled with a weakness in my character. It required much
prayer and fasting to keep this weakness under control. I suffered much
condemnation. Satan had convinced me that this weakness was God’s will
to keep me humble, and to cause me to pray and fast much. However, a
few years ago I went on a ten day fast, and was given complete victory over
this weakness. How much better it is to fast and pray for lost souls than to
be forced to fast and pray in order to keep from sinning! Jesus wants to be
more than just our Saviour—He wants to be our Deliverer.
If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed
— John 8:36
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The whoLe ArMour oF goD
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on
the breastplate of righteousness;
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench
all the fiery darts of the *wicked one.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the
word of God;
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching
thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints
— ePhesians 6:13-18
This spiritual equipment is given to us both for defense (to keep what we
have in Christ Jesus), and offense (to claim new terrirtory for Jesus Christ)!
1. The helmet of salvation and the breastplate of righteousness are given to
us to protect our minds and our hearts from the enemy.
2. The shield of faith is given to us to protect us from the fiery darts if the
wicked one, Satan.
3. The sword of the Spirit is the word of God, by which we stand, and also
defeat our spiritual enemies.
4. Our feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, because we
must take this gospel to the whole world, claiming new territory for Jesus.
5. The girdle of the truth of God’s Word keeps all the armour and
equipment in its proper place, and helps us to use it correctly.
6. We must pray “always, with all prayer and supplictions in the Spirit.”
Most of the above is essential just so we can stand, and not fall—not to
mention advancing on enemy territory and claiming new areas for Jesus
Christ.
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But what if we should still fall? At times like this, the “accuser of the
brethren” will come and inform us that Jesus Christ does not love us any
more, and will not forgive us.
...and they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb
— Revelation 12:10-11
The blood of Jesus Christ was offered for us for just such times. We should
try hard not to sin, but when we sin, we should be quick to repent, and
confess our sins to Jesus:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness
— i John 1:9
After you have repented, receive the forgiveness that Jesus has promised.
Satan will continue to accuse you, but you can say to him, “Get thee
hence, Satan. The blood of Jesus Christ has already cleansed me, and I am
forgiven!”
Don’T sToP FighTing!
You can and must learn from your failures. You can be closer to God than
ever before, even after miserably failing the Lord—but you need to learn
from the experiences. When you fall, get up, sincerely repent, and then tell
the devil:
Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit
in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me
— miCah 7:8
Some people say that a good man never fails, but the Bible says, “A just man
faileth seven times, and riseth up again.”(Proverbs 24:16)
use The nAMe oF Jesus
And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are
subject to us through thy name
— luke 10:17
...in my name shall they cast out devils
— mark 16:17
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A good formula to use when casting devils out of a person is, “By the
authority of the Word of God, and by the power of the name of Jesus
Christ, I bind you devils (or spirits) in the name of Jesus Christ, and
command you to leave!”
We must keep in mind, however, that people become demon possessed
because of certain sins they were guilty of. If they are not willing to confess
and forsake these sins, then don’t waste your prayers! The name of Jesus is
powerless to help a person like this.
Sometimes Christians are attacked by spirits. Normally, we will not
see anything, but become aware of an evil presence. Usually this is
accompanied with a feeling of fear. But we need not fear, we can use the
name of Jesus against this evil presence, and it must leave!
using The “sworD oF The sPiriT”
We have studied in a previous lesson how Jesus defeated Satan in the
wilderness by using the “sword of the Spirit,” which is the Word of God.
We need to take time out every day to read God’s Word, not just for the
purpose of studying for sermons or Bible Lessons. We need to feast on the
Word in order to get the spiritual strength we need from it. We can also
“pray the Word,” as we have already learned in a previous lesson!
The iMPorTAnCe oF FAsTing AnD PrAyer
Again, we have noted the importance of fasting in prayer in previous
lessons. This cannot be overemphasized. Jesus told his disciples:
Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing,
but the flesh is weak
— Mathew 26:40-41
The disciples did not join Jesus in his time of prayer, and when the hour of
crisis came, they all forsook Him. How important it is that we pray. Fasting
needs to be a part of our weekly discipline, also, because fasting helps us to
discipline our body, and bring the carnal nature under control.
Let us stay clothed with the armour of God, to protect us from Satan’s
attack upon us. But let us also take the assault weapons of the sword of the
Spirit, the blood of Jesus, the name of Jesus, and prayer and fasting in order
to tear down the very gates of hell!
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The will of God for our lives is victory!

VOCABULARY
overawed —
here it means “overconcerned”
prejudices —
a wrong attitude and/or feelings toward an individual,
a group, or race
because of their supposed different characteristics
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Spiritual
Lesson
Growth
Fourteen
2
Test
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10-15
Don’t overestimate ______________________________.
The opposite of Satan is _____________________________________.
Satan’s power can never be compared with the _____________________
__________________.
God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of ____________, and of
_______, and of a __________ mind.
Angels are ministering spirits sent forth to ________________________
___________________________.
What are strongholds that have to do with nations, cities, etc?
What are some of the spiritual strongholds people can have?
Jesus died to give us complete victory over ___________________.
Jesus wants to be more than our Saviour, He wants also to be our
____________________.
Name the equipment that is given to us both for defense and offense:
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16
17
18
19
20
When we sin, we should be quick to _____________________________
___________________________.
When you fall, get up, sincerely repent, and then tell the devil:
Use the ________ of Jesus, and the ___________ of the Spirit, which is
the Word of God.
The will of God for our lives is _____________________.
What was of interest to you in this lesson?
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