(Ep30) Executing the Mission

In episode 30, we focus on executing a spiritual mission through three key elements (control, advance, and coordination) drawing parallels between military tactics and Christian spiritual warfare. We are walking anyone listening through how believers can move with purpose and discipline toward their spiritual objectives by submitting to God's direction, scouting the enemy's tactics, and working in unity with fellow believers.

Transcript

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Hey guys, welcome back. Whether you're joining us for the first time or if you've listened to several episodes, we really appreciate you being here, and we look forward to how these lessons are going to help you in the spiritual battles that you face every day. Now we're going to dive into episode 30 today of joining the fight, and this is a look at executing the mission, moving towards the enemy, and achieving your objectives. I'm Kyle Clark from Standing Word Ministries, a Christ in a ministry dedicated to equipping believers with solid biblical truth and practical training. We create scripture-based resources like our workbook Joining the Fight to strengthen discipleship, deepen our understanding of the Word to follow Jesus, and to help every one of us live with purpose as we stand firm in truth and carry the message of Christ forward. If you want to explore more teachings or grab this workbook, head over to standingword.com. Last time we talked about planning the mission, getting our hearts, minds, and steps ready before we move, applying those basic offensive characteristics to all of the elements of our plan. Now today we're going to talk about executing that plan. We take what we have created and we turn it into purposeful movement, moving towards those objectives and those enemies that are before us. In spiritual warfare, our movements should never be random. It should be spirit-led, intentional action that takes ground back for Christ. We're going to walk through three critical elements that turn simple movement into a real mission. Help us to accomplish all that we set out to do in Christ's name. Those three critical elements are control, advance, and coordination. When we get these right, we move with purpose under God's direction and together as his people. And whenever we're just wandering into this fight, everything requires some measure of control, first from God, and then us with what he has tasked us to do. So the very first element we're going to talk about is control. Control is the skill of directing actions and resources so every effort serves the mission God has given you. In spiritual warfare, this means submitting decisions to the Holy Spirit, staying aligned with Scripture, and keeping our eyes on Christ's objective instead of the pride, fear, and impulse the enemy uses to weaken us. Now, control looks at three different things when it comes to how we manage our resources and our direction. Now, when we talk about control, we talk about the route that we take, the resources that we use, and the reserves or backups we have for when things don't go well. Things don't go according to mission. So our route is about choosing the best path and how we move on it. Proverbs 3 6 speaks to this because before we move, we seek God's guidance in prayer and discernment. The route must line up with his word and be led by the Spirit. When it comes to executing offensive missions, the ends do not justify the means. We follow God and His example. We are led by Christ. Like a commander mapping the path to battle, we make sure our course honors Him, honors Jesus, avoids worldly risks, and heads straight towards His purposes. Now when we look at resources, this is about determining what is needed to accomplish this offensive. Philippians 4 19. Every mission needs resources, time, energy, prayer, knowledge, endurance, the help from others. Planning keeps us from being caught short. And when we incorporate these elements into our plan, we have those resources available when we move. But we rely on God's promises to supply what we need. We stay realistic in preparation, patient in waiting, and confident He will provide exactly what is required for victory. We've established our objectives. We've come up with a plan, and now these are the elements that make that plan a reality. And every offensive movement requires additional forces. We must look at who our reserves are. What's our backup plan? How are we going to maintain our flexibility when the enemy doesn't do what we think he should do? Looking at Matthew 10 16, every plan needs margin and flexibility. In battle, this is the reserve force or our fallback positions. In spiritual life, it is accountability, adaptability, and humility during our attacks. This is us not going in blind or alone. We stay in fellowship so others can encourage, support, and assist when challenges hit. Hebrews 10 25. Isolation makes us vulnerable, just as we've talked about in earlier lessons. So our community builds our strength and we use that community that's been established to execute those offensive movements. We use the community around us as reserves and backup. And we move with Christ-like humility. We don't brag or broadcast our moves to the enemy, just as Proverbs 16, 18 warrants. This kind of humble restraint confuses the enemy schemes. It's a part of our battle plan and denies him a foothold in our lives when it comes to pride. So when we look at this element, here are some ways to apply it this week. Bring one decision to the Lord in prayer and ask him to make your path straight. Proverbs 316. Write down what he shows you. Identify one reserve, an accountability partner, a scripture you'll lean on, a backup plan, a group that you belong to, and share it with someone that you trust. Now with our control in place, we get ready to move towards the engagement. We advance. Advancing towards your objective is the art of engaging the enemy. He stands in your way of achieving your objectives. You must move towards him. Advance is moving to gain or reestablish contact with the enemy that so we can attack. Jesus modeled this when he sent the disciples with clear instructions and a focused mission in Matthew 10, 5 through 20. And when he commanded them to go and make disciples of all the nations in Matthew 28, in spiritual warfare, advancing means moving forward with purpose under God's directions and within his boundaries. Now, advance requires three elements for us to look at reconnaissance or the gathering of information, security, how we guard ourselves on the move towards the enemy, and what we call axes of advance. So what are the boundaries of our advance? What are the left and right? What are the front and backs of the way we advance? So with reconnaissance, we face at times an unseen, deceptive enemy. So when we look at Ephesians 6 12, reconnaissance is prayerful discernment and study of that enemy. We identify Satan's tactics in our objective, in the situation we're in, in the community we belong to, in the person's life that we have focused our attention on. And like soldiers scouting the battlefield, we examine our environment and recognize the enemy's influence so we know how to respond to it. Now, as we advance, our security, as it's pointed out in Psalms 94:4, is about moving forward with God's support. Security in advance means constantly seeking His presence and trusting His promises of protection for us. We depend on the supernatural shelter of the Almighty, not just physical safeguards. We implement all of those tactics when it comes to defense that we've talked about earlier, about guarding our hearts and minds as we move towards the enemy. And when we talk about axes of advance, we must set up God-given boundaries. Proverbs 16 9s. These are corridors defined where movement is allowed. In conventional warfare, this is so we don't stray into somebody else's lane that's moving, advancing with us. We don't want a friendly to mistake us as an enemy. We don't want to move into an area that has really bad terrain and is going to hamper our movement and put us at risk. We don't want to open up a gap in our line between us and another force. All of these things can be applied to this idea of advance. Spiritually, this means following the path God sets through prayer, scripture, and wise counsel of other believers. Staying within His will prevents wasted effort, overextension, or unnecessary risk. Clear limits of how we move and where we move keep us disciplined, focused, and effective. Every step supports the mission without creating openings for the enemy. And so to apply that this week, prayerfully scout one area of the life that you have targeted or the area that you are wanting to attack. Ask the Lord to show you the enemy's specific tactic there. Choose one clear boundary the Lord has given you in Scripture and commit to stay inside it as you move forward and execute your plan. Now, as we advance, we also must continually be coordinating the whole effort. If this involves multiple parties, if we're a part of a joint operation, if our offensive has several moves and several benchmarks, coordination keeps us on pace, keeps us communicating properly, and keeps us in the fight exactly where we should be. Arriving when we should, receiving the support that we should, all of this can fall apart if there's no coordination going on between us and the forces around us. Coordination is how well we execute our part of the plan and how well we communicate with others. Practice makes perfect. This is why military units practice their movements over and over and over again. So when it's real and they move the way they've rehearsed, they are able to coordinate their efforts and communicate with others better. But in spiritual warfare, it's about practicing with purpose, keeping clear communications to God and to the other believers around us, and making sure the right support is in place for the mission to succeed. Now, when we talk about coordination, we must look at something I've already brought up that's rehearsal, communication, and support. We must practice on purpose. Jeremiah 29, 11, James 2.17, preparation through rehearsal builds readiness. Like muscle memory for soldiers under stress, we prepare by practicing prayer, rehearsing how to share the gospel, or thinking about scripture responses to tough questions. We look at what we've gained through reconnaissance and we rehearse how to respond to those elements. See, our faith without preparation has the potential to be a weak faith. But faith combined with the practice, the muscle memory that we have gained through scripture and following Christ strengthens us to act when we've been challenged. And as we rehearse, we also must practice communication. Proverbs 15, 22. We must stay informed and unified, and clear communication prevents confusion and keeps us unified. We seek God's counsel, we seek the wise counsel of other believers, we share information with fellow believers, we keep an unbroken communication with them and with God. Miscommunication can derail a mission, but spirit-led communication builds trust, clarity, and unity. Now, on top of this, we must evaluate the resources that we're using and how they're to be used wisely. We take everything that we've set aside for this mission and we look at how it's going to be applied to the mission while on the move. Strength in numbers is powerful when coordinated, but it must be managed wisely. Too few leaves us vulnerable. Too many without purpose will slow us down and distract us. So effective support means believers joining at the right time in the right way. A well-timed encouragement, a prayer partner, acts of service that shift the spiritual battlefield, moving different elements at different times. Look, it's the same way when we look at mission trips. You come before a church and say, We're going here and we're going to do this and we're going to preach the message of God and it's going to be great. And you have 200 people who want to go. Well, bringing 200 people into the jungles of Ecuador is not practical. And you know that you can do it more effectively with where you're going with 16. And so you look at those 200 people who volunteered and you look at who is going to be those 16 people, and what other ways can those other people provide assistance remotely or in another location or coming in right after the original 16 and you stagger your movement. You know, you have to have a plan on how you use your resources. Your support element has to be in place. It's just like logistical support in a real-life combat zone. You have to know how to move your resources, when to commit your resources, and what's needed as you move and as you attack the enemy. So the way we can apply this this week is to pick one spiritual drill, memorize a verse, practice sharing your testimony out loud, or rehearse a gospel conversation and do it at least twice this week. Reach out to one person with encouragement or prayer and ask how you can support them in what God has been doing for them and what they are doing for God. Now let's go ahead and wrap this up with prayer, and then we'll close out with some finishing thoughts. Father, thank you that you never send us into the fight to wander. Teach us to move with control, to choose the routes that honor you, to trust you with every resource you've given us, and to keep our humble attitude in reserve ready, and to keep our humility in the forefront and ready to be utilized. Train us to advance with courage and wisdom, to scout the enemy's tactics, to rest under your cover, and to stay inside the boundaries that you have set for our operations. Help us coordinate with excellence, to rehearse with purpose, to communicate with clarity, and to support one another at the right time in the right way. We don't just move. We want to take ground back for your kingdom on this earth. Make our movement purposeful, spirit-led, and united. And it's in Jesus' powerful name that we pray. Amen. We never just wander into a fight. We move with self-control, we advance with a clear heading, and we work together with a shared purpose. When we are prepared, simple movement becomes a mission. We are not just walking, we are taking ground back for Christ. And when we move with these three elements, when we execute our mission with control, advance, and coordination, we grind the enemy down in front of us and we achieve our objectives. And next time, as we keep pressing forward, we're going to talk about what it really means to engage the enemy with a mindset that matters. But as we close out, here are our challenges for you this week. When it comes to control, what's one decision you will bring before the Lord this week for clear direction? Proverbs 3.16. When it comes to advance, where do you need to scout the enemy's tactics and then move forward under God's security? Ephesians 6.12, Psalms 91.4. When it comes to coordination, what one spiritual drill or act of support will you practice this week so your movement is coordinated and effective? Ecclesiastes 4 12. Thank you for being here with us. Keep pressing forward. Remember, this fight is not over. We're in this fight together. And see you next time on joining the fight. God bless.