Spiritual Warfare - Part 1

In this week's episode of the TRUTH Be Told Podcast, join Evangelist Michele Love and Pastor Steve Hofmeister as they a discuss Spiritual Warfare in the first episode of this multipart series.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Well, good afternoon, Michelle. Here we are again.

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Yes, good afternoon. We are excited to do another podcast.

SPEAKER_02 0:07

Yes, welcome to the Truth Be Told Podcast. I'm Pastor Steve. This is Evangelist Love. Right? At work. That's what they tell me. That's what they tell you. So, um, yeah, so we're gonna go ahead and get started on this week's episode. We're going to do our opening, we're gonna get into prayer, and then we're gonna hit the word.

SPEAKER_00 0:38

Truth Be Told is a conversational exploration of biblical truths with your hosts Reverend Michelle Love and Reverend Stephen Hoffmeister from the Voice of Truth Center in Bel Air, Maryland. Let's join Reverend Love and Pastor Steve as they discuss this week's topic.

SPEAKER_02 1:00

Heavenly Father, we thank you, Lord, for another episode and time together to be with you and share with the masses through this wonderful media outlet that you provide for us, Lord, to reach the world with your glory. Father, just be with us as we talk about the word, we share your word, and we share you most of all with the world. Father, be with us both as we do this. Allow us to connect with those who need to hear you and understand today's topic on spiritual warfare. Father, just guide this and guide those who need to hear it in Jesus' name.

SPEAKER_01 1:40

Amen, amen, amen, amen.

SPEAKER_02 1:42

Alright, so what are we up to? Where are we at?

SPEAKER_01 1:44

Spiritual warfare.

SPEAKER_02 1:46

Spiritual warfare.

SPEAKER_01 1:48

I know that as true Christians, believers of the gospel, we know and understand that spiritual warfare is a real thing. Very much so. It is happening right now. Yes. Spiritual warfare is rampant, the it's the devil's tool. It's demonic, it's uh spirits. I mean, I could go on and on and on. It's dark, yes, and it's spiritual warfare because it is spirits of the kingdom of darkness versus spirits of the kingdom of God.

SPEAKER_03 2:37

Right.

SPEAKER_01 2:37

I don't even like to say kingdom of darkness because, but it is, that's what it is. That's what I said. Um, and so we have to understand as believers how we are to respond, not react, respond when there is spiritual warfare going on.

SPEAKER_03 2:57

Right.

SPEAKER_01 2:58

It has been going on for a very long time. Yes, it has. Um, going way back to Genesis, it was going on.

SPEAKER_03 3:04

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:05

Um, it is anywhere that the devil wants dominion over God's people, right? Um, he does not respect who Jesus Christ is. The enemy does not respect the word of God. As a matter of fact, he uses it in his own domain, twists it, he twists the word of God. Um, and I know in the future we are going to be talking about the darkness and the spiritual warfare with children, human trafficking, right, um, and all those other things that's coming. Uh, but Christians, and I will go, I will continuously say true Christians, right? Because there are Christians that call themselves Christians, but I don't know if they really understand the full dynamic of salvation and what what salvation means and what's coming into your life when you truly are saved again and getting the full picture of it, right? Because true salvation, there is a path and a journey that you go on with God. Yes, you know, where you're truly following Christ and dying to your old self, yeah, which became dead when you received Christ as your savior. Right now, if you are not dead to self or working on being dead to self, right, your salvation is in question. Right. Because you you there are actions that you take with the Holy Spirit's help when you get saved. And I think that in order for you to understand our topic today, you have to understand and ask yourself the question. Yeah, are you really saved by the grace of God?

SPEAKER_02 5:08

Right. Yeah, we hope we've all had to do it at some stage in our journey. We've all had to have done that. If you haven't yet, but you need to. That's what we're emphasizing. It's very important step to take.

SPEAKER_01 5:20

It is not just saying the prayer of faith and receiving all the benefits. Right. It is uh taking your entire life, your mind, your body, your spirit, giving it to God, right, and saying, Here I am, use me, send me. Yes, take things out of me that don't belong in me, create in me a clean heart, renew my mind. Yes. I choose you, God, every second of every day.

SPEAKER_03 5:52

Right.

SPEAKER_01 5:52

It is a truth walk, it is a word walk. You do what the word of God tells you to do, yeah, and you speak it out of your mouth, and you praise him through storms, and you understand that spiritual warfare is going to happen, and we're going to give you some tools today and explain it a little bit more. The greatest way to explain spiritual warfare, you are battling the principalities, the the devices, the demonicism, if for lack of better words of the evil, the enemy, the darkness in the world. The devil is here.

SPEAKER_02 6:48

Right. The wiles of the devil, the tools of the devil. Yes, right. His work and his handiwork.

SPEAKER_01 6:53

And so we're gonna go through some scriptures that are gonna kind of bounce around. I do believe in my heart that the spiritual warfare podcast, there will be a part two because there's a lot to cover.

SPEAKER_04 7:04

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:05

Um, I mean, if you if you look up spiritual warfare in the Bible, there's probably 30, 40, 50 scriptures because it's profound and because Jesus spoke about it, and because he went through it.

SPEAKER_03 7:19

Right. Yeah, he did.

SPEAKER_01 7:20

And so did the prophets in the Old Testament. They all went through it. Right. And the devil can use people, places, and things. And what he uses more than anything is our words. Oh, yes. He twists our words. Oh, yes, he uses our words. He, if you give him a foothold, he'll come in and wreak havoc on your finances, on your family, on your marriage, on your business, on your career, on your everything.

SPEAKER_03 7:48

All right.

SPEAKER_01 7:49

And people need to understand that spiritual warfare starts with understanding who the enemy is, why he wants to take you out, right, and why he wants you to give up praising God and believing in Jesus Christ. All right. That's his whole mission.

SPEAKER_03 8:06

Exactly. Knock you off the path. That's right.

SPEAKER_01 8:08

That's his whole mission. So we're gonna start in 2 Corinthians chapter 10. We're gonna start right there in verse one. Now I, Paul, myself, am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent and bold towards you. Love that. I love that. That's that's who we are, that's what a Christian is. You are meek and gentle, but you are bold with truth. You Paul is giving them truth because he knows the truth will set them free, and the truth always helps us understand and have discernment of what is going on right now. That's right.

SPEAKER_02 8:54

And Roy paints the picture about Paul's personality when he was dealing with the church.

SPEAKER_01 9:00

Yes. And he was dealing with, he had to literally explain every dynamic. And the wild thing about Paul is Paul was the spiritual warfare.

SPEAKER_02 9:13

Yes, he was.

SPEAKER_01 9:14

That they were Stephen and Peter and all of them were dealing with before he was converted. That's right. So he what he knows spiritual war very well. And he was going after God's people. He was the tool of the devil. And now he's teaching it.

SPEAKER_02 9:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:34

That's God.

SPEAKER_02 9:35

God could use anybody to his best.

SPEAKER_01 9:38

That's how God does it. Never, never deplete a human because of their war they're causing in the demonic world, because God can flip it.

SPEAKER_02 9:50

That's right. He can flip the sword.

SPEAKER_01 9:52

And he can use that person to do exactly what that person was against before Jesus Christ showed up.

SPEAKER_03 10:02

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 10:02

So, okay, verse two. But I beg you that when I am present, I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. So those are the naysayers. Yeah, those are the non-believers, those are the ones against God, right? Against Christ. Now, part of spiritual warfare are people will come against you, and they will tell others they're not from God. If you're not from God, you're from the flesh, right? You're from the enemy.

SPEAKER_02 10:51

Right.

SPEAKER_01 10:52

People against God will say whatever they want to get people to believe them instead of what you preach or teach or do that is the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So understanding it's going to happen.

SPEAKER_02 11:11

Oh, yes, we've seen it happen.

SPEAKER_01 11:13

People are going to try to destroy your reputation as a Christian.

SPEAKER_02 11:17

Right.

SPEAKER_01 11:18

People are going to say women can't preach. People are going to say he used to be uh a very verbal mouthy person. Yeah. He used to cuss. He used to walk around with pride puffed up.

SPEAKER_03 11:34

Right.

SPEAKER_01 11:34

You know, they're going to use anything about your old life against you.

SPEAKER_03 11:43

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 11:44

I I have my own vices from my old life, and people try to rear their ugly head, the ugly head all the time. But you can I tell you right now what your response is when the enemy and the spiritual warfare starts against your character. You say these words peace be still. I am redeemed and a renewed creation of God.

SPEAKER_04 12:12

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 12:13

Because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross. The old me has passed away. I have become a new creation in Christ. So no weapon formed against me shall prosper in the name of Jesus. Yes. You call it forth as though it already was, because it already was. So that's enough of that's another form of spiritual warfare. Verse three. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. Warring is praying, travailing, interceding, praying in the spirit. We war in all those things. We don't war with guns and knives and shouting battles. We war in spirit because spirit is always in truth. So we war according to the scriptures. We war our pleas and cries up to God. That's why it says we do not work war according to the flesh, because we operate in the spirit of the Lord.

SPEAKER_03 13:47

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 13:48

Okay. So verse four. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds. Yes. We just said that. Our weapons of warfare are the Bible, scripture attacking whatever the warfare is, prayer, two or three coming together in one accord to the Father because he says, I am there and it shall be done. That's right. On our knees. Bowing down to the Father. That's all the weapons of warfare. Yes. All of it. And we're going to get there in a minute with the additional weapons. But word is key.

SPEAKER_03 14:41

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 14:42

Prayer. Now people say to me, What is travailing? Trevailing is when you are praying in the spirit, when you are screaming out, crying out to God, when you are on your face, when you are down as low as you can possibly go, crying out to God, for the missing children in the world. We should be travailing. Interceding. Interceding is when you intercede for those who cannot intercede for themselves. The Bible makes it clear. We can go to God for others.

SPEAKER_03 15:18

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 15:19

Especially if they're not walking in truth, if they've walked away from God, if they're about to be saved because the Lord's putting them so hard on your heart, He's about to choose them. So you're interceding on their behalf. You're going to God for them.

SPEAKER_03 15:36

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 15:37

And there are people who are called to be intercessor warriors.

SPEAKER_04 15:41

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:42

And those folks are profound when it comes to spiritual warfare. And if you don't know if you're an intercessor and a travailer, if you feel promptings from the Spirit of God to just stop in your tracks and pray, do it.

SPEAKER_04 16:04

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 16:05

Pray in the Spirit. You pray in your prayer language. When you are baptized in the Holy Spirit, we've talked about that.

SPEAKER_04 16:13

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:14

It is in Acts chapter 2: being baptized in the Holy Spirit and the fire. Just ask God. Say, Lord, I want to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. I want the fire. Trust me, when you are baptized in the Holy Spirit, Spirit will give you promptings. He'll give you names. He'll give you places. He'll give you scenarios. He'll put it on your heart. Get up in the middle of the night. Get on your face. Get on your knees and war for whoever he puts on your heart. And that, my friend, is the greatest weapon of spiritual warfare.

SPEAKER_04 16:59

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:59

Right there.

SPEAKER_04 17:00

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:01

So verse five. You cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. This is powerful, y'all. Oh yeah. You in spiritual warfare, using the weapons of warfare, prayer and the word, you are able to pull down the strongholds, cast down arguments, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. Anything that comes against the word of God, the truth of the gospel, the truth that God has placed in his son Jesus and in his word, you are able to cast down every single thing the enemy throws up that is against God. And the warfare weapon is prayer and word.

SPEAKER_04 18:19

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 18:20

It is prayer and word. Yes. You bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. That means you renew your mind every single day. It's in Romans 12, 2, I believe. You renew your mind. You do not conform to this world. You do not conform to the wiles and the ways of the devil.

SPEAKER_03 18:50

Right.

SPEAKER_01 18:50

You do not, you do not conform to the flesh because your flesh died when you received Christ as your Savior. So this is saying everything has to come in obedience to Christ. And the only way to do that is to pull down the strongholds, cast out everything coming against your mind, and put everything in obedience, in alignment with Christ. How do you follow Christ? You read the gospels, you do what the word says. What Jesus did, you do. What Jesus said, you said. You have to stay in alignment with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. You cannot do that in the flesh.

SPEAKER_03 19:42

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 19:43

You have to do that in the Spirit. So every morning when you wake up, you say, Today I die to my flesh. I take up my cross, which is your mission on this earth, which is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and you follow Jesus. That is our mission and our prayer every single day. And I'm pretty sure that's in James 4:7, but we'll check it in a minute. Die to yourself, the old you is gone, the old habits, the old mannerisms, the old words you used to speak is dead in Christ. No longer do those things have a hold on you. So you want to make sure every day you place your mind in alignment, in obedience, cast out anything that comes into your mind that is not of Christ, that is not truth. Because spiritual warfare begins in the mind. What you see, you may believe. All right, verse seven, or no, that's actually that we're gonna stop there in 2 Corinthians 10 6. Any questions, Steve?

SPEAKER_02 21:26

No, I don't have any questions.

SPEAKER_01 21:28

It's really important that we understand to put the mind in alignment with God's word.

SPEAKER_03 21:36

Right.

SPEAKER_01 21:37

If you have your mind in the Bible meditating on it, understanding what God said Word says. And remember, I learned this the first day in Bible college. The Bible means what it says and says what it means. Stop interpreting it for your own selfish desires.

SPEAKER_03 21:58

Right.

SPEAKER_01 21:59

If you read Something in the Bible, and you're convicted, something you might be doing that you know you shouldn't be doing, and all of a sudden the Holy Spirit took you right to this word. Right, you can't twist that and turn it because that's what the enemy does.

SPEAKER_03 22:14

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 22:14

So now you're living carnal in the carnal way.

SPEAKER_03 22:18

Right.

SPEAKER_01 22:18

You're now appeasing the devil while you're in the word of truth, right? And he will pounce on you.

SPEAKER_03 22:26

Oh, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 22:27

And spiritual warfare begins.

SPEAKER_03 22:30

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 22:31

So, all right, now we're gonna go to uh James 4 7. Okay, oh that's what that scripture is. My bad. James 4 7. Along with dying to flesh, taking up your cross, and following Jesus is James 4.7. Therefore, submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. I'm gonna go on a little bit further. We'll do eight and ten too, okay? Eight through ten. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up. This is all about humility. This is all about not living in the world.

SPEAKER_03 23:46

Right.

SPEAKER_01 23:46

Because the world does not get up and say this prayer, Lord, I submit to you. I resist you, devil. You will flee from me. I will draw near to you, God, you will draw near to me. Lord, I cleanse my hand. I am a sinner. Purify my heart. I do not want to be double-minded. I will lament and mourn and weep, Lord. I will let my laughter be turned to mourning and my joy to gloom. I will humble myself in the sight of you, Lord, and you will lift me up. This is repentance. That's right. This is how you come back to God.

SPEAKER_02 24:24

That's right. It's realizing that you did something wrong, that it's realizing the impact of what you did wrong, and then it's giving it back to God and going, I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_03 24:34

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 24:34

In simple, easy, layman terms, that is the core of what it's saying.

SPEAKER_01 24:39

And if you this is another weapon of warfare. Repentance is the greatest weapon of warfare.

SPEAKER_03 24:47

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:48

The devil hates when we repent.

SPEAKER_03 24:50

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 24:51

Is he gonna come at you harder? Absolutely. He only comes at people who are doing God's will.

SPEAKER_03 24:58

Right.

SPEAKER_01 24:59

And what is God's will? Preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

SPEAKER_03 25:03

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 25:04

And preaching the gospel entails living the gospel.

SPEAKER_03 25:08

Right.

SPEAKER_01 25:08

Living the way Christ did.

SPEAKER_03 25:10

Right.

SPEAKER_01 25:11

Dying to self.

SPEAKER_03 25:12

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:13

Being raised up again as a new creation, a renewal of our of our being, renewal of creation is the resurrection.

SPEAKER_03 25:22

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 25:23

Understanding that the whole gospel covers every single part of our life, the mind, the body, and the spirit.

SPEAKER_03 25:28

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 25:29

It is all in word. It is all inclusive.

SPEAKER_03 25:32

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 25:32

And not only do we have the Bible to help us, which is what we're using right now, that's right. Because it's a weapon of warfare. Absolutely. Word is a weapon.

SPEAKER_02 25:40

There's a reason it's reformed. Word is a weapon. Yes. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 25:44

And first scripture was about renewing your mind, understanding that we do not act in the flesh, we act in the spirit, and understanding to be in alignment with Jesus Christ, which means being alignment in his word. Yes. Being in alignment in truth. If you're in alignment in God's word, and then you come into this verse in James where you repent, you turn from the wicked ways, and you come back to God. You draw near to God, he will draw near to you. And I like how it says cleanse your hands, you sinners. That's repentance. Purify your heart, you double-minded. A double-minded person is one who is uncertain, they doubt a lot, and they ride the fence.

SPEAKER_04 26:34

There you go.

SPEAKER_01 26:35

A double-minded person is a fence rider.

SPEAKER_04 26:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:38

They are a person who sometimes enjoys and reaps the benefits of the kingdom of God, but also sometimes dabbles in the the world and and dabbles with you know darkness and and desires of the flesh.

SPEAKER_03 26:56

Right.

SPEAKER_01 26:57

In the kingdom of God, you're in the spirit. Always. Yes. It is possible. Jesus did it. We follow his example.

SPEAKER_03 27:04

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 27:05

In the world, we are in the flesh.

SPEAKER_03 27:07

Right.

SPEAKER_01 27:08

And the and the devil will do everything he can to keep you over there. Oh, yeah. He will taunt you. He will tempt you. He will dangle things in your face. He will have you convinced. This is spiritual warfare.

SPEAKER_03 27:22

Right.

SPEAKER_01 27:23

He will have you convinced that his ways are the right ways.

SPEAKER_04 27:28

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:30

And the sooner you get back in word, call on the warriors to pray for you. Right. The sooner you repent, like we just read, the sooner you come back into the kingdom of God. And you ask God to keep you there. I'm telling you, James 4, 7 through 10 should be your prayer every single day. Yeah, I agree to that. So when it says lament and mourn and weep, that is you being serious in your prayer life, in your cries, in your I am sorry, God.

SPEAKER_02 28:06

Breaking it down and cleaning it out.

SPEAKER_01 28:08

Absolutely. That's why laughter in this sense is considered foolishness. Laughter against God's truth. Right. Laughter against Jesus. Laughter against the kingdom.

SPEAKER_03 28:22

Right.

SPEAKER_01 28:22

And he says it will be turned to mourning because God wants you to mourn your sin and your wickedness and turning away from him.

SPEAKER_03 28:29

Right.

SPEAKER_01 28:29

Because if you know Jesus and you left Jesus and went for a walk on the wild side, you better be lamenting, mourning, and weeping. Because he's going to say to you when you arrive to heaven on judgment day, I don't know you. Right. Because you played around with word, with truth, with my son, what my son did and danced in the devil's den. And now you're crawling back to me. When it's over, I don't know you.

SPEAKER_02 29:03

Too late.

SPEAKER_01 29:04

It's sad.

SPEAKER_02 29:05

It is. It's very sad.

SPEAKER_01 29:07

It's it's sad. I won't say words like too late. Because that's you and that's not me.

SPEAKER_02 29:11

I'll give you.

SPEAKER_01 29:12

It's okay. That's not me. My heart is my heart. I'm not dissing you. I'm just saying. I can't say that.

SPEAKER_02 29:17

Well, what I what I meant, let me let me clear what I clear is what I meant by that is you are given many chances to get right.

SPEAKER_01 29:26

We want to make sure that we don't ever hear anybody say too late.

SPEAKER_02 29:29

When you get exact, exactly. You get to that point, you've reached you got it.

SPEAKER_01 29:36

But you should be mourning. You're mourning, your your laughter is turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. And it is because, and Steve, this is the reverential fear of God when you have walked away from the Father, because you create your own spiritual warfare.

SPEAKER_04 29:54

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:54

Do you understand that when you are in the kingdom of God and you profess that you are saved and you are walking with Jesus, and all of a sudden something comes along, the devil put a human in your path, and they just kept swaying you and swaying you and swaying you till finally you jumped over the other side of the fence and you are now in the world full blown. Oh yeah. Coming back to God is is a serious, oh yes, is profound. Yeah, it is a humility act.

SPEAKER_03 30:32

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:33

It is that's the reverential fear of God.

SPEAKER_03 30:36

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 30:37

Dear God, please take me back.

SPEAKER_03 30:39

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 30:40

I have screwed up.

SPEAKER_03 30:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:42

I have left you.

SPEAKER_03 30:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:44

Because you literally walk out of God's grace.

SPEAKER_02 30:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:48

And that's a very scary place to be.

SPEAKER_02 30:50

It is, I know. Been there, done that.

SPEAKER_01 30:53

And people need to understand that he's a loving Father.

SPEAKER_03 30:57

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 30:57

And he'll take you back.

SPEAKER_03 30:58

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 31:00

But you don't want it to be like you said, too late. Amen. Saying it not in a too late, but saying it in a way like you don't want it to be too late for you.

SPEAKER_02 31:11

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 31:11

To come back.

SPEAKER_02 31:12

Right.

SPEAKER_01 31:13

Because God wants you to come back.

SPEAKER_03 31:16

Right.

SPEAKER_01 31:16

And what we're what we're slowly teaching people is how to stay with the Father. So my I really do recommend that you make James 4 verses 7 through 10 your prayer. Because the more that you make it your prayer, um, the more you will understand. Because I'm going to read it now actually. I'm in 1 John chapter 4. Listen to this. These are all going in order of what of God's grace and mercy and favor. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God. And everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God. For God is love. The Lord says, tell them right now, the devil doesn't love you.

SPEAKER_03 32:14

No.

SPEAKER_01 32:14

The devil hates you.

SPEAKER_03 32:15

The devil doesn't love anybody.

SPEAKER_01 32:17

He just wants people ruined. Right. And wants to profess that God and Jesus and the Word and the Holy Spirit will ruin your life. Well, you are a liar, devil.

SPEAKER_02 32:29

You're a liar from the pit of hell. Devil's only interested in his own superiority over God.

SPEAKER_01 32:36

In this, the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. There you go, boom. That's how we live. Through Jesus. In this is love. Not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. He was the one chosen to take our place. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. That is another weapon of warfare.

SPEAKER_04 33:22

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 33:23

The love of God in us through Christ to all, even those who persecute us.

SPEAKER_03 33:33

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 33:33

That is a weapon of warfare, my friends.

SPEAKER_03 33:38

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 33:39

Love one another as God loves us. Jesus said, Love thy neighbor, love thyself. The love of God is a weapon of warfare. When they persecute you, you pray for them, you give to them, you love them, you go to God for them. That's right. You turn the other cheek.

SPEAKER_03 34:10

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 34:10

This is law, this is love. This is everything Jesus did. It is. When he was walking through the streets with the cross, all that spiritual warfare that was around him, egging people on spit on him, throw a rock at him, shake him, put that cross on him even heavier. Make him get back up when he falls.

SPEAKER_02 34:32

Whip him wise down, right.

SPEAKER_01 34:35

He had so much love in him. He never mouthed back to them.

SPEAKER_03 34:42

No.

SPEAKER_01 34:43

He never said stop it. He never called them names.

SPEAKER_03 34:48

Right.

SPEAKER_01 34:48

He never spoke ill-hearted about them.

SPEAKER_03 34:52

Very true.

SPEAKER_01 34:53

Jesus showed true love the moment he arrived on Christmas Day.

SPEAKER_03 35:01

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 35:03

He never stopped showing the love of the Father to all. And that is a weapon of warfare. Yes. And people need to understand we are cast out, separated, and different.

SPEAKER_03 35:20

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 35:21

We are to appear, look, talk, act, walk, go, and be like Christ. There you go. So when people see us, hear us, follow, they see Jesus. And they want to understand what we know, the truth. Right. Because they want it for their lives.

SPEAKER_03 35:53

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 35:55

And I really feel in my heart, as we begin this journey of tackling spiritual warfare, we have to explain that spiritual warfare begins in our heart, our mind, our spirit. And we have to take on what Jesus took on so that we can respond the way he did. I mean, think of all the things that Paul went through, all the spiritual warfare Paul went through.

SPEAKER_03 36:30

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:31

You know, and and and Paul got up, shook it off, and kept on moving.

SPEAKER_02 36:35

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 36:35

So did Jesus when they came after him.

SPEAKER_02 36:38

Even in captivity, Paul did not stop.

SPEAKER_01 36:41

Right. The Lord's putting on my heart when they came to the Garden of Gethsemane to get Jesus. He already knew that Judas was going to kiss him on the cheek. And one of the soldiers. Who was the one who drew the sword and cut the ear off of Peter, of the one of the soldiers? That spiritual warfare. Do you see how Peter used physical things to attack the soldiers who were manhandling Jesus? Right. Jesus kept the peace. That's why he kept telling them to stay awake, stay alert. It's coming. You have to prepare. Pray with me, pray alongside me. Right. You have to prepare for the spiritual warfare that's about to show up.

SPEAKER_02 37:32

It was so much more than them just staying awake and keeping watch. You needed them to be spiritual.

SPEAKER_01 37:37

They were the intercessors and the travailers.

SPEAKER_02 37:40

Right.

SPEAKER_01 37:41

But they did they couldn't do it.

SPEAKER_02 37:42

That's why Jesus was so upset the twice the two times that he found them asleep.

SPEAKER_01 37:47

Because they were they were to be there travailing and intercessing for what Jesus was about to go through, which was all spiritual warfare. That's right. Because it was everything against God.

SPEAKER_03 38:03

Right.

SPEAKER_01 38:03

You know, and and the whole the whole crucifixion time period, you know, of Jesus being accused and pulled out of the garden and flogged and and given the cross and crowned with the thorns. All of that is the big picture of spiritual warfare. In all honesty, that's exactly what spiritual warfare is.

SPEAKER_02 38:32

It's a visualization of it, the perfect visual visualization of it.

SPEAKER_01 38:35

And then him being on the cross. That's the end result of spiritual warfare, sin, sickness, um, addiction. Yes. Everything, everything against God was on that cross. That was the perfect picture of what happens when you go up against spiritual, what what happens to define spiritual warfare when the profound they're the spirit the two spirits, because not everybody is a spirit of the Lord, they're battling.

SPEAKER_03 39:13

Right.

SPEAKER_01 39:13

And and all they want is the devil wants to overcome everything Christ did.

SPEAKER_03 39:21

Right.

SPEAKER_01 39:21

And he can't. The resurrection shut that down.

SPEAKER_03 39:25

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 39:26

It's in the book of Revelation.

SPEAKER_03 39:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:28

That that it the keys have been taken back from the devil. It's already done. So he's just buying his time on the earth right now, right? Hurting people every single day. Disrupting everything that he can in the meantime, right? He the Bible says he goes around like a roaring lion looking for someone to kill, steal, and destroy their life, to kill truth getting to them. He wants to kill that. He wants to steal their their faith in God. And he wants to destroy their spirit.

SPEAKER_03 40:09

Right?

SPEAKER_01 40:09

It's all very scriptural what he's trying to take away from.

SPEAKER_02 40:14

I've got to use the word man very generically in what I'm gonna say right now, but it's the acts of a des the acts of a desperate man. His days are numbered, he's gonna do everything he can because it's desperation. He knows that the end, he knows that he's done. The game is over.

SPEAKER_01 40:32

And the signs of him really bumping up what he's doing, especially to the children, especially human trafficking. I mean, they're they're about that it's so much stomach. I I read something this morning about the red shoes group. Have you heard about that?

SPEAKER_03 40:51

No, I haven't heard about that one.

SPEAKER_01 40:53

I haven't researched it, but I did look at a couple of things that were involved, and it's red shoes made from skin of the children. Oh my gosh. And if you have these red shoes, you believe in that satanic uh demonic.

SPEAKER_02 41:11

I do recall hearing something similar to that. So I I believe, but yeah, I don't doubt, I don't doubt the validity of that one, let's put it that way.

SPEAKER_01 41:21

It is very um it we are hearing and seeing things that I think are flooring a lot of people.

SPEAKER_04 41:33

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 41:34

And see, but I also think that there are people who um they act like it's not happening.

SPEAKER_02 41:42

Right. It's that blinders thing that I keep talking about. People put blinders on. So they're not praying around them.

SPEAKER_01 41:49

Right. They're not warring. These children need our warring.

SPEAKER_04 41:52

Oh, yes.

SPEAKER_01 41:53

These children are in the thick of spiritual warfare. Oh, yeah. And we are, I'm just gonna say it, we are getting ready on April 25th to have a human trafficking uh introductory class using Word and Tools. We are teaming up with um Hope Works Global Ministry. Uh, and we are also moving into the realm of helping.

SPEAKER_03 42:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 42:24

We don't know the all the pieces of it, but if you want to attend this class, shoot us a message, an email, text, um, definitely, and we can give you more details. We will be posting it too. We're gonna put together a flyer sooner than later because it's right around the corner. Um, we are also going to Nashville, Tennessee in September, September 7th through 12th with um ARC, which is Actively Rescue Association for Rescuing Uh Children, um, ARC. We are gonna be signing up to go to a five, five or seven-day class in Tennessee. If you are interested in that, please let us know. So, but right now we are really uh bumping up training on spiritual warfare because we are gonna need it. Oh, yes, and we are really uh bumping up to put education out there so that people have biblical knowledge and knowledge from people who have been in that arena rescuing people and helping people through this. We don't exactly know our part yet, Voice of Truth Center, but we do know that there's a lot of pieces coming together so that it's making making it clear to us from the Lord.

SPEAKER_02 43:40

The picture's being painted. We just don't know what the masterpiece plan he has for us. That's right.

SPEAKER_01 43:46

And we're gonna be talking about that as soon as the Lord continues to give us revelation on that. Yes. Um, the RV getting on the road. What's it called? Hope on Wheels.

SPEAKER_02 43:56

Hope on Wheels, blessings on board. That's it's that's it's

SPEAKER_01 44:00

Hope on Wheels, Blessings on Board. Um, we're hoping to have that at the beginning of the summer. Um, and we'll discuss that more too. But there's a lot of things that God is calling us to do, and it's all, all, all around spiritual warfare and what's happening to people in the world right now. And um, we are gonna be teaching through the word how to combat. So if we recap today, we understood that um coming in alignment in your mind, breaking away from operating in the flesh and operating in the spirit, repenting, really mourning the sin that that you've committed to be out of God's grace, that's right, and come back to have that reverential fear of God that He is and He He's gonna take you back.

SPEAKER_03 44:55

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 44:56

As shown in 1 John, his love for us is so deep and so wide, nothing can separate us from the love of God.

SPEAKER_02 45:04

The toolbox for combating spiritual warfare.

SPEAKER_01 45:07

Yes, so prayer, intercessing, travailing, repenting, love. That's those are tools we learn today. That's right, straight from the word. Straight from the word. And we I do believe, Steve, this is gonna be a continuing podcast so that we can help people understand. It's also gonna be a class we're gonna be teaching in May, which we're gonna go deeper in in spiritual warfare. That's right.

SPEAKER_02 45:30

People need to know this stuff.

SPEAKER_01 45:32

They do. You can't you can't hide from it.

SPEAKER_02 45:34

Right. There's so many people out there that just don't understand the dynamics of spiritual warfare, and that's what breaks them down. That's how they end up in a spirit of depression and just it's all the fruit of it, defeat and everything else. All roots of spiritual warfare.

SPEAKER_01 45:52

I'm tired, I'm wiped out, it's too much. Too much is attacking, you know, and you know, in in walking as a Christian, there are things that are happening. People have left my life. Um, people who I love and and and adore have have decided not to speak to me anymore. Um, there are things coming against my marriage, things coming against our finances, things coming against, you know, even like uh my dog. I mean, there's things that are coming against our lives right now, that is just the devil trying to stir spiritual warfare. And it's not just me, it's Steve, it's people in our ministry.

SPEAKER_02 46:37

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 46:38

Every day I wake up to text messages from different people that some I've known for years, some I just met, some who are part of the ministry, some who are not, that are just crying because it's so much. And the first thing I ask is, have you been seeking God? Are you doing something for the Lord? Are you preparing? And they say yes. And I say it's spiritual warfare. Let me get you scripture. Let's throw at, throw down, I call it throw down a prayer.

SPEAKER_03 47:13

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 47:13

We're gonna war for you in the spirit, in truth of the word of God. That's right, because that is what we do first.

SPEAKER_03 47:25

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 47:26

Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness and everything else you need will be provided. That's Matthew 6 33. Go to God first. He said it in James. Remain in him, he will remain in you. He will show you exactly what to do because he loves you, you have been called for a purpose, he will help you stay on the path, he will give you strength, confidence, energy, he will give you a vision, he will give you provision, he's given you the word himself, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit to help you. He is trying to tell you you are never alone. He will never leave you, he will never forsake you. Stay in the kingdom of God, remain with him, pray, pray, pray. Word, word, word, truth, truth, truth.

SPEAKER_04 48:32

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 48:33

For the mind, body, and spirit, and you will get through the storm and the persecutions and the challenges and the trials that you are in right now in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. God is seeing you through it. God is seeing us through it. No matter what is needed, God is there. No matter what you're facing, God is there. Do not leave his side. That's right. He is fighting the battle. Jesus already overcame, and the Holy Spirit is with you to help you, comfort you, lead you, guide you, and show you in word where to go. The Holy Spirit will dissect the word for you, even if your tears are flooding all over your Bible. The Holy Spirit will show you where to go, He will get you through this warfare because He is faithful. God is faithful, Jesus is faithful, and Jesus already overcame it, came through it, rose out of it, and he's back up there with the Father. So will you. That's right. In Jesus' name, Lord. That was our prayer, Father. There we go.

SPEAKER_03 50:01

In Jesus' name.

SPEAKER_01 50:02

You have got this, Lord. We cannot give up, Lord.

SPEAKER_03 50:06

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 50:06

We are not Jesus didn't give up. That's right. If he gave up, we wouldn't even be doing this podcast right now. We'd all be going to hell. Literally. We cannot give up. We follow Jesus. Jesus didn't give up, Lord. We're not either. You bless. You bless us every single day. And our blessings only come from above. Where you are.

SPEAKER_03 50:38

Thank you, Lord.

SPEAKER_01 50:40

So, Father, I pray people receive this podcast. Yes. I pray people understand this is just the beginning of understanding spiritual warfare.

SPEAKER_04 50:49

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 50:50

I I I strong we strongly encourage you continue listening to this.

SPEAKER_03 50:55

Yes, please.

SPEAKER_01 50:56

Because it will flow each for the next week or two, will flow through. And if you have prayer requests, dear Lord, please have them. Send them to us because it's important that we war with you. Twofold, threefold, fourfold cord, whatever, however many.

SPEAKER_03 51:13

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 51:14

It's important to God. What you're going through is important to God. And we're here for you too. So reach out to us, please.

SPEAKER_03 51:24

That's right. Please.

SPEAKER_01 51:26

And thank you, God, for this beautiful opportunity.

SPEAKER_03 51:29

Thank you, Lord.

SPEAKER_01 51:30

We trust in you, Lord, not man, not money, not anything, but we trust in you. Yes. So thank you in Jesus' name.

unknown 51:39

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 51:40

Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.

unknown 51:42

That was powerful.

SPEAKER_02 51:43

That is powerful. And I look forward to the continued discussion on this. And we would love to hear from you. We love to hear your questions. I know I didn't have any questions when Michelle asked me, but you very well might. So please reach out to us. You can find us now on the Voice of Truth website, V-O-TC.us. That's the short name. Um, everything you need is now there. We're not doing Trinity Productions anymore. It's all under the Voice of Truth. So you can find that there. You also can find Fence Rider on the Voice of Truth website now, too. If you want to get Michelle's book, Fence Rider, you can find that on our website. So with that, we thank you for listening. God love you, God bless you, and we will see you next week.

SPEAKER_01 52:28

Amen. Bye guys.

SPEAKER_02 52:29

Bye everyone.

SPEAKER_00 52:33

We hope today's program has helped grow your understanding and will help grow your closer relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Voice of Truth Center is a non-denominational Christian ministry. We believe in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. We believe the Bible is the every word of God for every aspect of the Spirit. We believe this is a website. If you think of this episode, we ask you to perfectly consider your supporting ministry in the money. We thank you for listening.