*Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV)*
> “For 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.”
- - - - - -
🎯 **MAIN IDEA:**
When you were born again, a new war began. Your spirit was made new, but your flesh remembers the old ways. What you're facing isn't just struggle—it's **warfare**. Spiritual, personal, relentless. But God has already equipped you to **stand and win**.
2 Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
- - - - - -
📖 I. **A NEW LIFE MEANS A NEW WAR**
> “The moment you were born again, a new war began.”
* Your **spirit** is saved, but your **flesh** still fights.
- "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" Matthew 26:41 KJV
* The enemy attacks where your old nature used to reign — your thoughts, emotions, habits.
* Temptation isn't random — it's **targeted**. The devil knows your weakness and doesn’t play rigjt and doesn't fight fair.
*temptation is not sin but temptation can lead to sin. Temptation is really an enticement to sin. God tests, Satan tempts.
#Temptation
Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:13; Luke 4:1-13
> ⚔️ *“This isn’t a metaphor, it’s a war.”*
📍 *Key Insight:* Don’t let the devil divide what God wants to use. Unity is spiritual warfare. Unity with the Lord with his word.
Joshua 1:8: "This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; you must meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."
- - - - - -
🤼 II. **THIS IS PERSONAL — HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT**
> “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood…”
* Paul doesn’t call it a “war from afar” — he calls it **wrestling**.
* Wrestling is **intimate, exhausting, constant**.
* This battle is **daily, close-range**, and personal — in your thoughts, your emotions, your desires. The enemy has a strategy for your **family**, your **mind**, your **faith**, and your **future**.
* The enemy aims to steal your peace, break your relationships, exhaust your hope, and silence your voice.
> 💡 *You’re not weird for struggling. You’re in a match. The winner isn’t the one who never fell — it’s the one still standing when the fight is over.*
🛑 **Warning:** When life feels especially hard, it may be because you're in the middle of spiritual resistance.
- - - - - -
🧠 III. **WINNERS TRAIN — AND NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE ENEMY**
**THE BATTLEFIELD IS DAILY LIFE**
> “Be sober, be vigilant…” — *1 Peter 5:8–9*
* Wrestlers don’t just train for power, they train for **strategy**.
* You need more than discipline — you need **discernment**.
* Don’t go into spiritual war casually. The enemy has **plans and devices** (2 Corinthians 2:11).
* This warfare takes place in **homes, minds, workplaces, relationships**, and even churches.
* The devil works in subtle ways — distractions, discouragement, division, compromise, temptation.
* It’s not always dramatic. Sometimes, it’s just the quiet **drift** away from God.
> 🛑 *This isn’t the time for cute Christianity or occasional faith. You can’t win this with willpower — you need spiritual armor.*
📍 *Note:* If you're feeling tired, heavy, or attacked for no clear reason — you might be in the fight and not know it.
- - - - - -
🛡 IV. **ARMOR UP — AND STAND STRONG** | FIGHT BACK GOD'S WAY
> “Therefore take up the whole armor of God…” — *Ephesians 6:13-17*
* **Truth** is your belt — stay grounded in the Word.
* **Righteousness** is your breastplate — live with integrity.
* **Peace** is your shoes — don’t fight like the world fights.
* **Faith** is your shield — block fiery doubts and lies.
* **Salvation** is your helmet — guard your mind.
* **The Word** is your sword — speak Scripture over your situation.
> 🔥 *When the day is dark, when you’ve done all you can — you don’t quit. You stand.*
🔥 *Prayer is your strategy. Worship is your warfare. The Word is your weapon.*
See Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
- - - - - -
🙏 V. **YOU FIGHT FROM VICTORY, NOT FOR IT**
* Jesus already won at the cross.
Matthew 28:6 “He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”
* Satan is a **defeated** enemy, but still dangerous — like a roaring lion, seeking weak prey.
* Your job isn’t to win the war — it’s to **stand in victory**, fully armed, fully awake, and fully engaged.
👣 **CLOSING APPLICATION:**
* **Don’t underestimate this fight.**
1 Peter 5:8: "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."
* **Don’t fight in your flesh.**
Matthew 26:41 ESV
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Psalm 18:6 ESV
In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
* **Don’t take your armor off.**
Ephesians 6:11-18
Belt of truth / Breastplate of righteousness / Gospel of peace / Shield of faith / Helmet of salvation / Sword of the Spirit / Prayer
* **Don’t forget who’s already won.**
Matthew 28:6: “He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”
> *“Put your armor on, guard your mind, strengthen your spirit, get on your knees and stay in the fight.”* Ephesians 6:11-18
---
🙌 **CLOSING CHALLENGE:**
> This is not a playground — it’s a battleground.
> But in Christ, **you are more than a conqueror.**
> Keep standing. **This is a fight.**
---
🙏 **CLOSING PRAYER:**
“Lord, open our eyes to the real battle we’re in. Teach us to fight not with fear, but with faith. Clothe us with Your armor, surround us with Your presence, and remind us that in You oh GOD, is our GOD, and we are more than conquerors.
In Jesus name we pray
Amen.”
#ThisIsAfight,
#WordOfGod,
#PreachingNote,
#Ephesians 6:12,
#SundayService,
#istariray23moments,
