I am a soldier, a prayer warrior, in the army of my God.
The Lord Jesus Christ is my Commanding Officer.
The Holy Bible is my code of conduct.
Faith, Prayer, and the Word are my weapons of warfare.
I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, trained by experience, tried by adversity, and
tested by fire.
I am enlisted in His army for eternity and I will not turn back.
I will not get out, sell out, or be talked out.
I will be faithful, capable, and dependable.
When I am called to action, I will stand at attention, act with precision, and serve with devotion.
I am a soldier, a prayer warrior. I am not a baby.
I do not need to be pampered, petted, primed up, pumped up, picked up, or pepped up.
I am a soldier, a prayer warrior.
No one has to call me, remind me, write me, visit me, entice me, or lure me.
I am a soldier, a prayer warrior. I am not a wimp.
I will stand my post. Saluting my King, obeying His orders, praising His name, and
building His Kingdom.
I am a soldier, a prayer warrior.
No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food, cards, candy, or handouts.
I do not need to be cuddled, cradled, coddled, cared for, or catered to.
I am committed.
I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me back.
I cannotbe discouraged enough to turn me aside.
I cannot suffer enough to cause me to quit.
When Jesus called me into His army, I had nothing.
If I leave the field of battle with nothing then I still come out ahead.
My God shall supply all of my needs. I shall win because my Savior is the Victor. I am
Hissoldier.
This morning the war rages on andcasualties are mounting. Before you are led to believe that I am speaking aboutthe war that is taking place in Afghanistan let me steer you in the right direction. There is a war taking place. A war fargreater than the war against terrorism. A mission far more crucial than”Operation Enduring Freedom.” The war that I want to speak about thismorning involves every single person on the face of the planet. The war isbeing waged against men, women, boys, and girls of every race, everysocio-economic background, the educated and uneducated, those who are ablebodied, and those who confined to nursing homes, wheel chairs, or hospitalbeds. The enemy is not a Saudi, Communist, Terrorist, or Afghani Muslim, butthe enemy is the sin within. The war that American fighting forces are wagingwhile we are sitting securely in the sanctuary is a very real war, but the factof the matter is that even with the devastation that has come upon our country- few American lives have been effected. I don’t say that with insensitivity orwith a callous heart. I know that there have been tens of thousands of livesimpacted by the attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Lives scarred bythe loss of a parent, husband, wife, brother, sister, daughter or son. I knowthat anthrax has paralyzed, immobilized, and terrorized many who sort, carry,and open their mail. I know these things, but when you consider that there are300 million Americans the effects of September 11 are minimal compared to theeffects of the deadly disease and diabolical devastation caused by a muchgreater enemy.
Manyare succumbing to sin’s blistering bombshells, passionate pursuits, andagonizing attacks. Sin’s options of attack on your life and mine are limitless.The scope of its mission is far reaching. Its ultimate aim is the completeannihilation of every life on the planet. Sin’s success can be measured bymerely looking around and seeing the devastation.
Homesare in ruins. Hearts are in shambles. Heads are fuzzy with trying to make senseof it all. Lives full of promise and potential are lying lifeless. Bright youngminds capable of becoming our nation’s scientists, leaders, teachers, and greatthinkers are being turned into mush with drugs and alcohol. Boys and girls arechanging their plans for the future so that they can change their baby’sdiapers. Little Cinderella and little Prince Charming are finding their soulsscared and their hearts shattered because of promiscuous “hook ups,”one night stands, and thoughtless sex that will remain in their thoughts foryears to come. Weddings that overflowed with hopes and dreams for the futurehave turned into webs of hatred and bitterness. Fathers and mothers who havebeen given the gift of showering their children with grace and teaching themabout the glory of God turn their passions to less honorable pursuits. Arrogantattitudes rot the soul of those who look upon those of other races as inferior.Those who say they serve the One who is known as “The Way, the Truth, andthe Life” live wayward lives full of lies and deception. Rage ruins atender spirit. Bitterness is poison that kills more than relationships. Purityis forgotten as pleasure pulsates in the minds of the masses. Integrity iscompromised for the rush of the moment. Honor is neglected as dollar signstighten their grip. Neighborhoods like ours, full of children capable of somuch, years later are full of adults who have done so little because of sin’sdevastating success. Churches all over this city, full of so many adults whohave so much, and yet they are full of folks who are preoccupied with what theycan get.
What dowe do? How do you wage war against an unseen enemy? Who do you set a plan ofattack when so many do not even believe the enemy exists or that God has morein store for those who will seek Him? Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4,
4Thegod of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot seethe light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2Corinthians 4:4 NIV)
Theenemy who poses the greatest threat to you and me is sin. Sin’s schemes aresmooth and slick. They are sly and sensuous. They are alluring and attractive.They are deadly and devastating. The bad news is that we can see sin’s powerfuleffects all around us and left to our own devices and strength – we arehelpless. The reason we are helpless isbecause we were born sinners, with a sin nature. The Bible teaches us that because of our inheritance, the sinnature that was passed down from our parents, we have a natural inclinationtowards sin. Paul wrote in Galatiansabout our sin nature. He also contrasted the lives of those who live accordingto their sin nature with those walk in the Spirit and have crucified the sinnature. Read along with me in Galatians 5:17-25
17Forthe sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit whatis contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so thatyou do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are notunder law. 19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality,impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy,fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness,orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live likethis will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22But the fruit of the Spirit islove, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness andself-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to ChristJesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Sincewe live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:17-25NIV)
You donot have to be taught how to fly into a fit of rage. I have a daughter inKindergarten and Annie is learning all kinds of great things, but Mrs. Beasleyisn’t teaching her how to have “selfish ambition.” We do not have toenter an institution of higher learning to master the art of impure thoughts.These come naturally my friend because of our sin nature. These things willdestroy our lives and yet we don’t have the power to overcome them. The goodnews is that God has not left us helpless. He has given us every weapon that weneed to wage a successful frontal attack on sin’s ploys, plots, and plans. I want to spend our time this morning takinga look at God’s provision for you and me. This lesson is of great importancefor all of us because we know the consequences of giving in to a life livedapart from God, a life of sin. Turn with me to Ephesians 6 as we look at ourScripture for today.
10Finally,be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God sothat you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle isnot against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evilin the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that whenthe day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you havedone everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckledaround your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and withyour feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16Inaddition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you canextinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet ofsalvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray inthe Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With thisin mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Ephesians6:10-18 NIV)
I wantyou to notice something about what Paul has written to us who are on thebattlefield. Paul says in verse 11 that we must “put on the full armor ofGod.” You need to notice somethingvery important. Paul doesn’t say that because you go to church, have acceptedChrist into your heart, or listen to Christian radio stations that youprotected against the war being waged against you. He says, “put on the full armor of God.” We are in abattle. You don’t even have to be conscious of it, but you are in a battle. Youdo have to make a conscious decision every day to arm yourself with the armorof God. You can’t go to battle without your armor and expect to survive. We need the full protection of God’s armorto be able to wage war against the enemy. Notice the items listed by Paul:
* Thebelt of truth.
* Thebreastplate of righteousness.
* Yourfeet must be fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
* Theshield of faith is needed to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
* Thehelmet of salvation.
* Thesword of the Spirit.
*Prayer for all occasions.
* Youmust be always on the alert and always praying for all of the saints.
You and I must realize that apart fromGod’s provision we are helpless, defenseless, and certain of sure defeat. Iwant you to notice that all of the items in the list are defensive except fortwo items: the sword of the Spirit and prayer. God is so good in His provisionfor our lives. Before we take a look at the two offensive weapons God has providedfor us, I want us to take a look at the first five provisions of God. If youwill read through each of these you will begin to notice a common thread thatbinds them all together. The commonthread is Jesus our Savior. He is our truth. He is our righteousness. He is theone who is our peace. The Bible says, “Thou O Lord, art a shield aboutme.” (Psalm 3) He is our shield. And last of all, Jesus alone is oursalvation. Paul states the same truthin Romans 13, when he writes,
14Rather,clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how togratify the desires of the sinful nature. (Romans 13:14 NIV)
Every day we must clothe ourselves, wrapourselves, arm ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. How do you do that? Greatquestion. We can do that by crying outevery morning to our Savior and confessing to Him that we need Him just to makeit through the day. We must confess that we will surely be destroyed if weleave our homes in our own strength. We must ask Him to take control of ourminds, bodies, and actions so that He lives through us.
We are in a war, but we do not engage inbattle like the forces of the world. There is an important distinction to bemade about how the world wages war and how God has instructed us, the Body ofChrist, to wage war against our enemies. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians,
3Forthough we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weaponswe fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they havedivine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and everypretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we takecaptive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NIV)
Paul makes it very clear that we don’twage war as the world does. We do not use bombs and planes, psychologicalwarfare tactics, and manipulation. We do not stir rage and anger. We do notseek revenge when we are mistreated and maligned. We do not seek theannihilation of our enemies, we seek their salvation. Our behavior on the fieldof battle is altogether different than anything known by the world.
Now,before we go I want to take a look at the last two weapons the Lord hasprovided for us. First of all, we see that God has provided for us the”sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” What a wonderfulweapon for you and me to use as we are being attacked. If you will read God’s Word then you willsee that this is the same weapon Jesus used when He was being attacked by Satanin the wilderness. As Jesus was beingtempted by Satan in the wilderness, Jesus response to Satan was not logic orreason, it was the Word of God. Jesus answered Satan’s temptations with thesethree words, “It is written…” You and I should adopt the sameresponse to the temptations that come into our lives. We must fight temptation not by reasoning or rationalizing, notby looking logically at what seeks to destroy us, but by utilizing God’sWord.
Last of all, we are given the weapon ofprayer. We are told to pray in theSpirit. This is so important for you and me as oftentimes we don’t know what weought to pray for in many situations we face in life. Have no fear, God hasprovided His Spirit to intercede for us. In Romans, Paul wrote,
26Inthe same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we oughtto pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that wordscannot express. (Romans 8:26 NIV)
Isn’t God good! When you don’t know how to pray, when you don’t know what youought to pray – God knows and He has provided His Spirit to pray for you andme. What an awesome God we serve!
There is a battle going on this morning.Are you aware of it? Do you hear the mortar fire overhead? Have you stepped onany mines this week that have left you maimed and broken? Have you been ambushed? You didn’t see itcoming, but now you feel its effects. You need to know that God has provided for you this very morning. Youhave not been left defenseless my friend. You are more than a conqueror, butonly in Christ Jesus.
The war is not going to end. As a matterof fact, Peter wrote to the people of his day the same words he would say toyou and me if he were with us today. Listen closely.
8Beself-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaringlion looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith,because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing thesame kind of sufferings. (1 Peter 5:8-9 NIV)
Jesus said to His disciples that “thethief comes to steal, kill, and destroy.” He has successfully done thatthroughout the generations, but you and I don’t have to be a casualty. If youhave already found yourself in the infirmary because of the pain the enemy hasinflicted upon your heart or home, then you need to know that the Savior canheal you and raise you with His strength to face the battles that are still tocome.
One lady who knows what I am talking aboutis Maria Leos. Maria found herself in aplace she never dreamed she would ever be, but in her desperation she cried outto Jesus and He saved her. I will let Maria tell her own story.
My nameis Maria Elena Leos, I’m 52 years of of age. I was born in Upland, California,San Bernardino County. Until the age of 28 I never knew anything about the lifeof a heroin addict, I never thought that one day I would end up in and out ofprison, homeless, and down all the way to a life of prostitution. I startedusing at the age of 28 with my first husband who had just been released fromSan Quentin, a California State Prison. We both started doing armed robberies,and I was picked up in 1980, and I became a criminal. While incarcerated Ireceived news that my husband had been killed while being involved in arobbery. I felt that my life was over; I had nothing to live for.
Whileall this was going on, I left the responsibility of my three children to myparents, I was in no condition to be a mother. In 1988, I met another man, justanother drug addict; we were later married. In 1991 I was lost again to theworld of drugs; my husband and I were homeless, sleeping under trees, searchingevery day for nothing. Then for some reason or another we felt tired, and Iknew that way down deep in my heart I was crying out to the Almighty God, LordJesus help us. God sent a man to us, a correctional officer, and he took us in,and said,” you are going to change. We went to a place in, Ontario, CA,Soldiers for Christ, a Men and Women’s Rehabilitation center. My husband Peteand I went into their programs, and we both graduated, but first we gave ourlives to our Lord, Jesus Christ, and today my husband and I have been servingGod for seven years. I also serve in our church where I am a member of theprison team and I sing in the choir. My husband Pete works as a mechanic and Iam employed at Sports Chalet as a security guard. I love my children and I thank God for my parents, my church, andmy pastors, Frank & Angie Castrejon. If God did it for me He can do it foryou.
LoveAlways. Maria Elena Leos
Praise God for His provision for Maria.Will you cry out to the Lord this morning and allow Him to rescue you from theenemies clutches, heal your broken life, and clothe you with His mightpower? Jesus said,
33″I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In thisworld you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”(John 16:33 NIV)
He has overcome the world! Through Jesus, you too can become anovercomer my friend. Won’t you invite Him into your heart this morning?