 In Ephesians chapter 6 verse 14, Paul writes, Stand therefore having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness. We're gonna be looking at the first portion of verse 14 as we're continuing our series that we've just begun here in chapter six related to the weapons of our warfare and or spiritual warfare. So last time when we were together, we spent time developing a closer look at the enemy that we have the devil and Paul had made it clear that we wrestle, we're in a wrestling match if you will and we wrestle, he said, against spiritual forces. He said in verse 12, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. And so Paul made it very clear that we wrestle against spiritual forces. That word wrestle, as I mentioned to you last time, speaks of struggling in hand-to-hand combat. It speaks of a face-to-face personal combat. So we're not in a battle with human beings. We're in a battle against demonic forces. The battle obviously is spiritual. And so Paul wants us to understand that our weapons are also spiritual. That's why in verse 10, he had said, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. You see, by telling believers to be strong in the Lord, he's reminding us that we're saved. We are no longer taking our cues from the enemy. We are now what we'd be called kingdom citizens. Colossians 1.13 says that he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his dear son. In Philippians 3, 20 and 21, he said our citizenship is in heaven and we eagerly await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ who by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. So we're kingdom citizens, but we still live on planet earth. And so because of that, Paul was pointing out that we encounter spiritual obstacles. We have an enemy, we all are familiar with this enemy. He constantly works in opposition to God. Jesus spoke of him as the father of lies. He's described in scripture as a destroyer and he has pointed out as one who seeks to ruin us in every way. When the apostle Peter was writing in 1 Peter 5, 8 and 9, this is what he said. He said, be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour, resist him, standing firm in the faith because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. He's powerful this enemy, but Paul exhorted believers not to fear, but to trust in God. Like it says in the Old Testament in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 20, verse four, where it reads the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you the victory. In Joshua 1 9, have I not commanded you be strong and courageous, do not be frightened, do not be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. So we need to understand that God hasn't left us defenseless. God has provided spiritual armor for us and we are to put on as Paul says, the whole armor and we're to stand against the wiles of the devil. So we are in a battle, but it's God who delivers us and it's God who gives us victory. We don't just coast through the battles, we fully participate. But in the end, the battle is the Lord's and we enjoy the fruits of victory. That's why in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 57, Paul said, thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Now sometimes the battles we find ourselves in are what we would call like a brief skirmish, but other times it seems as if the battle is never going to let up. When you desire to serve the Lord, often the enemy does what he can to stop you. Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 2 18, we wanted to come to you, certainly I, Paul did, again and again, but Satan blocked our way. And so the enemy is in opposition to you. Even Paul himself spoke of how Satan blocked his way to see the Thessalonians. What do we do when this happens? Well, we hold fast and we persevere. Isaiah 40 verse 31, those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. Now, I don't want to spook you or anything, but might as well try, here we go. Every one of us in this room has been closely monitored over your entire lifetime and not just by your mom and dad or some of you by the police. Even right now I see those ankle bracelets. Every one of us has been closely monitored over our entire lives. And the enemy of our soul is aware of our strengths but he's also taken note of our weaknesses. And what he's done as he's strategized, as he's watched, as he's observed, he's devised plans and he's devised methods that he uses against us. And we see this in scripture when God spoke to Satan about Job. Remember how God had asked him a question that's found in Job chapter one, verses seven through 11. The Lord said to Satan, where have you come from? And Satan answered the Lord from roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it. Then the Lord said to Satan, have you considered my servant Job? There's no one on earth like him. He is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. Well, does Job fear God for nothing? Satan replied, have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has and he will surely curse you to your face. Have you considered, was the question, that word considered, have you set your heart upon Job? Have you given him your attention? Have you scrutinized him seeking a weakness in him? And so God asked him, God is calling him to account. And God says to him, given account, have you done this? Have you set your heart on him? Are you watching him? Are you seeking something in him you can exploit? And to this Satan made it clear that he had but he couldn't touch him. You see Satan thought Job's wealth and status was a weakness that could be exploited. He also thought his good health could be used against him. He thought by taking his family, his holdings, his servants, his health that he could turn him against God. He watched him. Have you considered him? Have you weighed him? Have you strategized against him? Yes, I have. And he had a strategy. So be aware that the enemy observes your weaknesses and be aware that he devises strategies against you. You know what? He's quite aware of who God's children are. That's why we put on God's armor and that's why we're to be aware of his strategies. Well, someone says, how did I get into this battle in the first place? I don't remember enlisting. Well, we entered in through salvation. When we were saved, we immediately entered into spiritual war. You see, prior to being saved, Paul made it clear in chapter two verse three here in Ephesians that we were by nature children of wrath. And all we had waiting for us before we got saved was judgment. In the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes 12 verse 14, it simply says God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. If you haven't given your heart to the Lord, if you haven't gotten saved, even the things you think are best hidden are what God is well aware of. And you will come to judgment and you'll give account of those things. But when we heard the gospel and when we desired Christ by faith, we received salvation, we entered into warfare. We came into a relationship with God by a decision of the will. In John 11 and 12, it says this, he speaking of Jesus came to his own and his own didn't receive him. But as many as received him to them, he gave the right to become children of God to those who believe in his name. So when we heard that gospel, when we said God be merciful to me, I'm a sinner, I have sinned in thought. I have sinned in word, I have sinned in activity. God, I'm a sinner. When he said that God forgive me a sinner, I received the forgiveness, I received the washing, I received the new life. By faith, I received Christ. Well, we were instantly brought into the family of God. We became his children. We became members of his kingdom. And at that point, God's enemy was revealed to be our enemy. We are now in spiritual conflict and we need to be armed for the battle. And because of this policy instructing his readers that we have weapons. You see, we don't war against flesh and blood. So our weapons have to be spiritual. In second Corinthians 10, three and four, it says, though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. And so God has equipped us and Paul is speaking of the war that we're in and now he's beginning to identify the weapons of our warfare. Now again, in verse 11, notice how Paul had said, put on the whole armor of God. I mentioned to you that the words put on spoke of sinking into, sink into the entire armor of God and do not leave one weapon out. And this armor is to be worn at all times. And at all times, be on the alert. But in verse 13, he said, therefore take up whole armor of God. That means to pick up or take on. So the command to put on our armor is like what he had written to the Romans in chapter 13 when he said at verse 12, that the night is far spent. The day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness. Let us put on the armor of light. So putting on the armor of light can be a reference to putting on the Lord Jesus Christ. Because in Romans 13, 14, he said, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its last. So the various pieces of armor that we're gonna be looking at are aspects of the person of Christ that we have received when we got saved. They are essentially his qualities that he has clothed us with. We're putting on Christ. So we take up this whole armor because we're attacked in various areas. And each piece of the armor that we'll be looking at reveals something that we've received from Jesus as we'll see in a moment. Now, as Paul is writing, remember, Paul spent time under observation of the Roman guards. He was in jail. He's a jail bird. And he was aware of the Romans and he was aware of their soldiers and he used their armor as a model. You see, he'd seen Roman soldiers in their armor enough to know. One commentator pointed out, and you'll see this as we go through this, the order in which the armor is enumerated is the order in which the armor of a Roman soldier was put on. So he begins to identify for us piece by piece what he refers to as the whole armor of God. And he identifies each weapon, assuming that believers would understand that they're engaging in combat. Now, let me develop that with you for just a moment. I know I have military vets in this room, perhaps I have some combat vets. I know I have them in my, in our church, combat vets and all, but military vets will understand what I'm about to say. One thing, one of the things that a soldier needs to decide is whether he's gonna fight or not. You have to decide that. It's something you have to decide. Am I going to fight or not? You go through training, et cetera, but you really need to know, will I fight? Am I ready to fight? Do I really care to fight? You have to understand that as a soldier, you're trained to do that. But you have to make the decision to actually engage. That's something you decide to do. Am I ready to fight? I was sharing with John the other day something about when I was in the Army. And I served in Fort Bragg and Fort Bragg. The division I was in was the 82nd Airborne and we had boxing, people were boxing and they represented the division in this and that. And one of the guys was, he weighed 104 pounds. And I mean, he was just a little guy. He weighed 104 pounds and he was something like 12 and 0. He was undefeated. Undefeated is a little Filipino guy and he was undefeated. Well, the reason he was undefeated is there was nobody small enough to fight him. And so we'd go to the boxing matches and he would go out into the center of the ring. He'd lift up his little gloves and he'd bounce around like that, and they'd say in this corner and then he'd get a, he won every fight. 12 and 0, 12 times he did that. But on his 13th fight, they found someone small enough to fight him. So he stayed inside the locker room and cried. And he retired 12 and 1. Now, you know, all these years later, he sits around in some bar with his friend saying, yeah, I was 12 and 1, fought for the 82nd, but if I were there, I'd say, yeah, yeah, yeah, but you never even had a fight. You have to decide whether you're gonna fight. You have to. And there are a lot of people who have, all of that bravado, they have that attitude, yeah, but when it comes down to it, they're not prepared. They don't have the mind to fight. They're not ready. Paul is saying you need to be ready. Now, remember in verse 14, how it says here, stand therefore, having girded your ways with true, stand therefore. Well, in verse 13, he had said, therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand. So it's interesting how he says, withstand. He says, stand. And then in verse 14, once again, he says, stand. Well, verse 13, that word stand, as I mentioned to you last time, speaks of taking the stand of a victor. It speaks of firmly planted feet and you're standing victorious. This is a different word than the one he used here in verse 14. In verse 14, the word stand there is actually a word that is used for taking a stand. It speaks of being ready for combat, having a mentality that you're ready for warfare, for engagement. And that's part of a warrior mentality. It's be expecting the onslaught. Be expecting, be stand, be ready for the onslaught for what is about to take place. It's not simply standing as a victor. That's where your mentality is. You enter in with the knowledge you win, but you have to be prepared for each individual fight. And so he's speaking in a different way here. It's like a lineman on the football line. He's waiting and he's got the opposing individual who's coming at him. He has to be braced and ready for what's about to take place. And that's the point he's making here. You need to be ready. You need to have a fighter's mentality. You need to be the kind of person who's entering in, not just to fight, but to win. And so he speaks of this and he says in verse 14, stand therefore having girded your waist with truth. That word waist, there's another word that is used often in the King James. It's the word loins. It's speaking of the same thing. You see Roman soldiers had an outer garment. It was called a tunic and they wore it over their armor. And to fight hand to hand, they had to secure the tunic with a belt, which is also called a girdle, which is something John wears. I'm sorry, man. I let him know, bro. I let him know. I've been teasing him about this for days. I did that on purpose, right? Anyway, I better get back to the study. You see, in order to fight hand to hand, they had to secure the tunic. They did it with a belt. Now they could handle their sword, their shield, the other weapons. They could do so undistracted. They were prepared for the fight. It's a fight that they knew they were already engaged in. Again, this is something that we do. No one else does this for me. I have to be seriously aware of a battle. I have to stand prepared. Now I'm part of a squad. I'm part of a military squad. Those of you who understand that, you were part of a squad. I've been part of a squad. I've been a squad member in the military. You're part of a squad. There are a group of men around you. You work together. You fight together. You're part of what it is. It's like a team. And so you're never really alone. The body of Christ is to be united together in opposition. And so you're an individual combat soldier, but you're part of a squad. And so what you are now is you're prepared. You're prepared on a personal level. You're standing prepared because in order to win, you have to have the mindset that is resting on certain victory. You never enter in with this thought I'm gonna lose. Again, you know, I grew up watching boxing. My father watched it on Friday night and Friday night boxing. So I grew up, I had an uncle who was a professional fighter. I had cousins who were boxers and stuff. And so I grew up seeing that, that kind of thing. And I learned from them they would say it and all my uncle would share it. It's not like I have some kind of combat experience in that way I don't, but I do know this, that if you're gonna enter into a battle, you have to enter in with the attitude you're gonna win or why get involved at all. Why fight at all? You have to go in saying I'm gonna win. Now sometimes people go in arrogantly, I'm gonna win and then they get knocked out in 10 seconds. You have to also know how to fight and you have to be prepared. But when you box, when you fight, when you're in a war, you have to go in and this is a very important point. I don't wanna minimize it with this knowledge. We are winners in Jesus Christ. You cannot go in thinking you're gonna lose. Anybody who enters into the ring thinking they're gonna lose, not to get in the ring. You shouldn't get in the ring. You go into the ring confident your training and all that you've done is gonna take you through. You also go in, go in expecting, not with arrogance but with humility and awareness that you're gonna do your best. Well in Christ we never lose. We win in Jesus Christ. In Philippians 3, 13 and 14, brothers and sisters I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me, heavenward in Christ Jesus, I press towards the mark. I'm not just kinda coasting and floating, I'm moving towards it. You see Peter gave a similar charge to believers in 1 Peter 1, 13. He said, therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Rest your hope fully upon the grace. Resting in that. Knowing God, knowing who your enemy is but knowing who the victor is, Jesus Christ and we are with him. See, we individually gird our waist carefully and notice with truth. It speaks of, when he speaks of waist or loins, it speaks really, it most commonly speaks of the seat of physical strength. In the Old Testament very often it represents procreative power also. But we are girding ourselves with the strength of Christ. Jesus is truth. When we put on the Lord Jesus we are putting on truth and we're to be strengthened with truth and we're to disseminate this truth in the gospel to other people. We experience truth when we come to faith and we give this truth to others when we minister. Now the gospel of Jesus Christ is the truth of God and we're saved by this truth. Paul had said it in chapter one verses 13 and 14 here in Ephesians. When he said in him, you also have after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, having also believed you were sealed in him with the Holy Spirit of promise who is given as a pledge of our inheritance with a view to the redemption of God's own possession to the praise of his glory. We have listened to the message, the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation and we're saved by that. So God's word is received, it's believed, it's trusted completely. And if we don't hold fast to this, we can't enter warfare with any hope of success. You see, Jesus modeled that for us when he was tempted by Satan. Satan said to Jesus, turn these stones into bread. And what did Jesus say? It is written, man doesn't live by bread alone but by every word that proceeded from the mouth of God. And then Satan, once again, attempting to test him, says, well, leap from the pinnacle of this temple for it is written that the angels, he has given charge to the angels that they will lift you up and you won't dash foot against the stone. It is also written that you are not to tempt the Lord your God. Jesus responds with scripture. He tells him, he says, look at the kingdoms of the world. All of this has been given to me and I will give it to you. All I require from you is for you to bow down and worship me. It is written, you're to worship the Lord, thy God and him only are you to serve. Every time the enemy gave to him a temptation, Jesus responded with a scripture. We have Jesus, we are clothed in him, his armor represents the essentials of him and we are to hold fast to what is actually truth. His word identifies our enemy, how he attacks and also where our strength lies. And in being certain his word is truth, we are actually equipping ourselves for battle. In Psalm 119 verse 160, it says, the entirety of your word is truth. When I first got saved, how would I know the entirety of his word? I just got saved. I couldn't even pronounce a lot of the words in the Bible. But I knew one thing and I have never veered from this. I knew that this book I have here, this Bible, it's the very word of God. I believe that with all of my heart still do. This is the very word of God. When I spoke to my father and my dad who had never even talked about God, the only time I ever heard the word God come out of his mouth was when he was blaspheming, when he used his name in vain. It's the only time I ever heard my father use the word or the name of God is when he was cussing. But when I spoke to him and my mom and when they came to faith in Christ, I pointed to the Bible and I said, mom and dad, this is the word of God. I have never had a doubt that this is the word of God. Listen, if you can believe the first few words of the Bible in the beginning God, you can believe the rest of it. But if you have a problem with the first few words in the beginning God, you're not gonna believe anything. I believe the first few words. In the beginning God and everything else flows from that. And when you have spiritual warfare, you need to know there's such a thing as truth. And I'll talk to you about that in just a moment. So Paul is speaking of a couple of things. He's speaking of content and he's speaking of holding fast to the fact that there is such a thing as truth. So it's a subtle belief that God's word is truth that you need to have. In second Timothy 3.16, all scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. When Jesus was praying in John 17 verse 17, he said, sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth. You see, this is important for us because we're living in an era of moral relativism. You see, if people believe it and it appeals to them, it becomes what they call their truth. You've heard it, I've heard it. Well, this is my truth and that is your truth as if truth is defined by my emotions or attachment. Truth is something that is objective. It's something outside of us. Either you embrace it or you don't because I might say, well, my truth is if I jump off this building, my truth is that I can fly and then I squash myself and I die. My truth was wrong. There is such a thing as objective truth. And so we have to hold fast to that. A lot of people don't believe that. You see, we're drowning as a society in moral relativism and Proverbs 12, 15, it says the way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise. And you see, the result of this is today, there are many who don't have a foundation for moral belief. Let me ask you some questions. I'm not asking you to shout out an answer, but let me ask some questions and then I'll supply the point that I'm attempting to make. They don't have foundation for moral belief. So if I ask the question, what is love? Or is it wrong to kill, to steal? Is it wrong to lie? Is it wrong or right to be unfaithful to your spouse? Is it okay? Is it morally right to engage in premarital sex? Is homosexuality acceptable? Is it okay to leave your spouse and kids for someone else if it makes you happy? Can you change your gender if you want to? Can you end the life of a baby in the womb? How about older people who can't take care of themselves? Can we kill them too? Is it wrong to get high, to get drunk? Is it wrong to gossip about someone? Can I choose my gender as pornography good? Well, how about child porn? Is that good? Should somebody else's need ever be more important than mine? Is it okay to hate people of another race? How about prostitution? There are a lot of questions in this society and a lot of you already know the answers that are being supplied for us right now. They don't have any truth. They don't hold to the word of God and therefore it's what is called morally relative. It's what you want it to be. It's how you feel about it. You see, I really believe that today confusion and moral darkness is considered sophisticated. The Bible records a conversation that Jesus had with the governor, a political official by the name of Pontius Prather, a Roman governor. In John 1837 and 38, Jesus, while he was speaking to him, said this, he said, to this end I was born and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth, here's my voice. And Pilate said to him, what is truth? So Pilate's question, what is truth remains with us today? What is truth? Truth is God's word revealed in and by Jesus Christ and is trustworthy in every way. The Bible is made up of 39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament books, 66 books that compose the one book. There are around 40 different contributors, including prophets and kings, doctors, rabbis, lawyers and fishermen. There are 30 Old Testament and 10 New Testament contributors, but they all have one central theme, salvation through Messiah. The Bible was written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek across 1500 years on three separate continents. There are more than 5,800 copies of portions of the New Testament dated between 50 to 100 years after the original writing. In comparison, there are only 10 copies of Julius Caesar's Gaelic Wars, which are dated 900 years after the fact. It is the only book that contains prophecy that has been fulfilled, including over 300 fulfilled by Jesus Christ. And that's the foundation we wage spiritual warfare on. We can trust the word of God. It is God's very word. We also have our ways girded with truth, which speaks of an attitude of truthfulness. Truth is a sincere commitment to that which is truth. We are committed and we're diligent to model truth in our lives. Again, we've girded our ways with truth. Paul already said deceitfulness is the mark of the man of the world. And that's why in Ephesians 4.25 he said, putting away lying, that each one of you speak truth with his neighbor before he are members of one another. In Ephesians 5 verse nine he had said, the fruit of the spirit is in all goodness, righteousness and truth. And so believers are committed to truth. To the fact that there is something called truth, the fact that the Bible is the truth, the fact that Jesus Christ is the truth. He said, I am the way, the truth and the life. And so we hold fast to that which is true. So when I'm in spiritual warfare and when I'm in some kind of conversation or whatever that does take place over time and it happens often enough, the one thing I do and I've done for the longest time is I may not know every Bible verse and I don't. I may not know every clear theological construct, I don't. I'm not especially profound in issues of systematic theology or apologetics. I'm not that equipped but I do have one thing. I do have a 100% belief and I've had this from day one that this book is God's word. I hold fast to that, I hold fast to that and I do. And I say that because when you're in a position such as I that people look at you sometimes and they wanna take their shots at you you know, I'm not one who wants to argue and I say this very quickly. I, you know, man of God is not to argue. I'm not a person who wants to get into debates and argue. I learned a long time ago that if somebody is really honestly seeking an answer that they're gonna be open and receptive to the responses at least they'll be fair minded. Over time I've discovered that there have been people who really came loaded with, you know, for bear they want to argue, they wanna bring down the pastor. I've had that happen more than once where they do that and I get it, I understand. You know, the person wants to demonstrate that they're brilliant and this and that, I get that. But I don't argue anymore, you know. I leave them in the hands of the Lord. I'll quote a scripture and then I just say God, kill him. No, I, it's just something, some things. Some things, some, you can know the difference between an honest question and someone who's trying to set you up. You can tell that and so when someone's trying to set you up, you don't have to feel obligated to stay there and debate with them. You can just give them a scripture and say just think about that and leave it alone. That's what I do. Just think about that, leave it alone. Because you're not gonna win every argument and sometimes you may win an argument and still lose the person. Because of the way you and your attitude. You know, I had to learn that a long time ago when I was a new believer. Because I, like I said, I was very caught up and very caught up with this being God's word and I used to get into arguments with cult members as a new believer. I read up on it and I actually would drive through neighborhoods looking for them to argue. I really did, you know, I went into places, you know, and where's, who do you got here? I wanna talk to them and I would do that because they were lost and I wanted to tell them the truth and then it took a long time for the Lord to teach me to have a loving compassion and kindness towards people because, you know, I was one of these who got saved and said, you know what? I'm gonna tell you the truth, like it or not. That's why I told my dad, you're going to hell. You'll be the best man in hell if you don't give your heart to Jesus Christ. That's a pretty straight thing to tell your own dad. But you know what? And I still do, but I've learned to, like Pastor Chuck said one day, he said, put a little sugar in the spoon. I've learned to be kinder, you know? And so, you know, sometimes we can be pugnacious and argumentative and unkind and you may win the argument. A young man came to the door, Marie might remember this and he was Jehovah's Witness and he says to me, he says, I'm a Jehovah's Witness. And I said, oh, and he goes, have you ever heard of them? And I said, I have, yes, I have. And he says, well, what do you think about us? I said, what do I think about you? I think you're a false prophet and you're going to the hell that you deny exists. That's what I think of you. See, so I used to do that thinking I was loving them and he's just go, blah, blah, blah, like that. And that was a nice thing. It was true, but it wasn't nice. And so over time, I asked the Lord to help me not to be pugnacious and argumentative and having to win these arguments. I asked the Lord, help me to have a sense of what truth is to be fully committed to it, but to have a kind way of presenting it, to share it with love and compassion for people. And over the years, God has been slowly answering that question for me. I'm committed, I'm committed to truth. I've committed myself to that for over 50 years. So being girded refers to a commitment to God's word to his truth. To be half-hearted in your commitment is to be open to Satan's devices. You're mentally committed to truth, but you also live transformed by it. Now Solomon wrote words that should encourage us in our commitment to truth. He said in Proverbs two, one through five, listen to this, he said, my son, if you receive my words and treasure my commands within you so that you incline your ear to wisdom and apply your heart to understanding us, if you cry out for discernment, lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, search for her as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. It requires a pursuit. It doesn't happen just by me going to a Bible study and hear somebody teach me. It happens as daily I open the word and pursue God on my own in my devotions. As I read the word of God and I seek the Lord and understand his ways, I couldn't go to church a couple of times a week and expect to really grow if I'm not in the word on a daily process. Hopefully we all are because that's how you grow. You have to see it as if you were searching for treasure, for a hidden treasure. And so finally, let me close with this, we need to do at least three things. One, as I mentioned, diligently spend time in the word. If you have an opportunity, not only on your own devotional time, but if you have the opportunity and all to be part of a small group or to attend studies as often as possible, I really encourage you to do that. In 2 Timothy 2, verse 15, Paul said it like this, study to show yourself proved unto God, a workman who needs not be ashamed. So one, diligently spend time in God's word. Second, get serious about the things of the Lord. Ephesians 5, 16, we saw how it said, redeem the time because the days are evil. Verse 13 spoke of the evil day. When he speaks of this, this evil day is the time the devil has prepared against us, one of conflict and one of danger. So it is the time that the enemy works hard to destroy and to undermine. Being armed and prepared, we stand victorious through Christ. And when the battle is finished, we stand in victory. Don't be surprised, the more you study the word and even in this series, let me share something the Lord reminded me of today and I'll share it with you. This is nothing you haven't ever heard before, but I've said, oh boy, every time I teach on spiritual warfare, it's like we go through a lot. And in the spirit of the Lord, I was in prayer today and the spirit of the Lord, you know, gave me something. He said, well, yeah, the enemy is gonna come after you. But as you study, you're also growing more aware of the fact that you are in spiritual warfare. Sometimes I can be kind of like not even aware of what's going on around me and I'm gonna act in the flesh, which is easy to do. So I need to have the mindset that, you know what? We're in a battle. We're in a war. We like to look at the nation and we say this nation is in a spiritual war and it indeed is. But we individually, every believer in this room is in a war, in a conflict. You know it, you know it. Sometimes you wake up and you say, how did this happen today? Why is it, why are these, you know, is the enemy in these little imps? It's not always that way. But there are times when I say, oh, it's you again. I mean, you know it. This is normal. This is something that's stealing my joy. And the enemy loves to kill, steal and destroy. And if there's one thing he wants to take from you is the joy of your salvation. That's really something, you know, the joy of the Lord, didn't we read that in, you read that in the book of Nehemiah chapter eight. The joy of the Lord is my strength. The knowledge that God is on my side. And if God is for me, who can be against me? The fact that God is with me, that he's empowered me by his Holy Spirit. That my name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life that I am passing through, that I'm going to heaven. Jesus is, that knowledge ought to keep me in joy. But sometimes the enemy will say, well, look at this, look at that, this happened. Your friend did this, he betrayed you. Your daughter's not doing well. Your husband, your wife, whatever. And your mind is occupied with that. And you're failing to realize that. It's one of those things that very often is just a season it's gonna pass through and we can have joy in the midst of those tribulations. We can, not some kind of giggling happy kind of thing, but a depth within us that says, you know, no matter what, the Lord is still on my side. No matter what, I'm gonna make it. That's something, that's something we need to understand. Listen, you know, you're in the Lord's army and the enemy sees you now as an enemy. Do not be surprised when you're under attack. Be aware. And finally what I've done, and I encourage all of us to do, is I wanna spend time in his word, I wanna be serious, but I also have presented myself to God. In Romans 12, one and two, Paul said, I urge you brothers in view of God's mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, is good, pleasing and perfect will. I can tell you this, that there were times when my children who are now adults and in all, but when they were young, there were times when I was so concerned for my kids that I would be in my room by myself and I would be praying for my baby. And I'm not telling you that you should do this, I'm just telling you what, I'm just trying to make a point and close with thought. But there were times when I would be crying out to the Lord for them because I was concerned for my kids, I still pray for my babies. Of course, you never stop praying for your children and for me now, Marie, our grandchildren, but I would actually open my mouth and loudly say, and I don't know if this is wise to tell you, but I've said it before, I'll say it again out loud, I would say, take your hands off my child, you cannot have him, you cannot have him. I dedicated him to Christ, he belongs to you. You cannot have him. And I get emotional because I'm transporting my heart back to those moments. You cannot have them, they belong to Jesus Christ. You cannot have them. It was just, it was a battle, it was a battle, Marie's done the same thing. It was a battle for their soul. It was a battle for their heart. It was a battle for my children. And yes, that is real. And yes, I did it. And yes, I still will. They can, he cannot have my children. He cannot have my grandchildren. They belong to the Lord. And I am telling you, you have to enter in, and I'll close with this, with a sense that in Christ we are victorious. We, in Jesus, have already won. So we enter into the battle, girded with truth, and we know that we stand victoriously. And even as we're braced for the onslaught of his attacks, he cannot overcome, because greater is he that is in me, that he that is in the world. And Jesus Christ, by his word, we have victory. Hold fast, because the one thing he wants to do is he can't steal your salvation, but he can steal the joy. Be aware of that. He can take your joy. And there's hardly any poorer witness than the angry, mad, and bitter Christian. That's just, it can be a terrible witness. Been there, done that, not a good thing. So I asked the Lord, oh, Lord, renew my strength. And Lord, renew the joy within me. Father, I bless you, and I thank you.