(Ep31) A Mindset That Matters

In episode 31, we look at how to maintain the right mindset during our engagements in spiritual warfare by remembering who the enemy is, why we fight (the Great Commission), and what role each soldier plays. Along with this, we also want to emphasize staying focused on God's mission rather than the enemy's distractions, relying on God's power rather than our own strength, and triumphing through the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11).

Transcript

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Hey guys, welcome back. If you're joining us again from previous episodes, or if this is your first time listening, we are so grateful that you're here with us today. Get comfortable as we settle in and dive into episode 31 of Joining the Fight. A look at the mindset that matters once we go on the offensive and engage the enemy. I'm Kyle Clark from Standing Word Ministries, a Christ-centered 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 the truth and carry the message of Christ forward. If you want to explore more teachings or grab this workbook, head over to standingword.com. In episode 29, we talked about how we plan the offensive mission. We sharpened our spiritual disciplines and built that mental and emotional readiness so that we were not caught flat footed and off guard when the pressure hit. Then in episode 30, we talked about how we execute that mission, leading with hope and faith, letting encouragement fuel our perseverance when the road gets long and heavy, or the enemy's tactics don't align with the mission that we planned. Now let's step into how we focus and maintain the correct mindset in the actual engagement. The enemy doesn't roll over when we plan well or start moving towards him. He's gonna push back. And right here, that's why our mindset becomes so important. It is the difference between advancing and faltering. Victory requires remembering who we face and staying focused on what matters. We're not fighting in our own strength. We are strong in the Lord and his mighty power. So let's look at the verse that points to all of this, Ephesians 6 10. Finally, be strong in the Lord and His mighty power. We must remember the realities of spiritual warfare, who we face, why we fight, and the role that we play on the battlefield. These things help us stay strong in the Lord. When we advance in obedience, the resistance against us is going to increase. So we must remember what keeps us focused and prevents us from getting careless. First, we go back to those basic principles that we talked about in the very beginning of the series. We remember who our enemy is. Jesus said in John 10 10 that the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Peter warns us in 1 Peter 5 8 to stay alert and watch out for the great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. When we press forward, when we press into his territory, he intensifies his attack. And we must look at this and remember this, not to be scared, not to incite fear within us, but to prepare us so that we are not surprised when it happens. We've seen this pattern in scripture and in our own lives. The closer we get to reclaiming ground for God, the louder the resistance gets against us. Remembering this truth keeps us alert without having us live in fear. We must respect the enemy and his power and his ability to hurt us outside of the power that God provides. Second, we must remember our purpose as believers, as followers of Christ. He gave us the Great Commission in Matthew 28. He said to us in verses 18 through 20, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations. Our purpose is not revenge, it's not conflict, it is reclaiming people from the enemy's grip and advancing the kingdom further into the enemy's territory. That why has to stay bigger than our feelings or the fight itself. That why must always be in the forefront of our minds. When we forget why we're in this, we start fighting the wrong battles or we lose heart when it gets costly. We stop being dedicated to that great commission. We freeze into fear or we only stay on the defensive. And third, we must remember our role. Every believer is a soldier in Christ's army. Paul tells us to put on the full armor of God so that we can stand firm. Ephesians 6, 10 through 14. Back in episode 8, we talked about the three jobs that every soldier has on the battlefield, and that is to shoot, move, and communicate spiritually. That means resisting temptation, moving in obedience, and staying connected to God and to each other. This directly builds on what we covered in episode 29 when it comes to planning and episode 30 when it comes to executing. We plan with readiness, we execute with hope and perseverance. Now we engage with clear eyes and a steady heart because we know exactly who we are and what we are called to do and who we are doing it for. Here's what we can do together this week to make this more real for us and to apply it to our lives. Name one area where you've felt increased resistance lately and pray specifically over that area. Pray by name for one person or household you believe God wants to reclaim and choose one of the three shoot, move, and communicate to practice intentionally every day this week. We must remember the ground around us. We must remember the battlefield. But in the heat of our engagement, we also need laser focus or we drift into side battles that waste our strength. We get distracted by the enemy. We must focus on what truly matters because the enemy is going to constantly be trying to distract us. It is one of his greatest weapons. So focus keeps our hearts and minds fixed on Christ and the real mission that he has given us. So first, we stay on mission. We obey God's word and live out the calling he has placed on us. Side battles and distractions drain resources we need for the main objective. When we start chasing every rabbit trail the enemy throws at us, we lose momentum and we lose ground we've already taken. Staying focused means we keep the main thing in our sights. We keep our eyes on what our mission is set out to accomplish. Second, we must always rely on the power of God while we are fighting those battles. True victory is found only in submission to God and operating in his power, not our own. Isaiah 40, 29. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. It's not about your power, it's about the power of God that he has given us. And James 4, 7 through 8 gives us a practical order for this. Submit yourselves then to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. So we're not bearing through in white knuckling our own way through this engagement. We are first submitting to God, then we resist from a place of dependence in Him. That's how we fight from victory instead of for victory. And when it comes to focusing on what truly matters, third, we must keep our eyes on the end result. Romans 6 22 tells us the fruit of a life surrendered to God leads to holiness and eternal life. We fight not to destroy people, but to see households saved and God's will done on earth. Every battle we step into has an eternal purpose attached to it. When we remember that, even the hard days carry meaning. Even the difficult struggles have a purpose that allows us to stay focused. And here's one of the ways we can help do this week. Identify one distraction that usually pulls you off mission and pre-decide how you'll handle it. Prepare yourself for that distraction and what you'll do to overcome it. Start each day with a 15-second surrender prayer to God before you do anything else. Something like this Raise your hands or bow your head and say, Lord, I submit to you and receive your strength right now for the rest of the day and all the challenges that I face. And then add one person to your rescue list and pray specifically for their salvation this week. This kind of focused, remembering mindset isn't just a theory. It's how we actually triumph in God's presence when the pressure is on. And that triumph through the right mindset is the whole purpose of this. Listen to Revelation 12, 11. They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. They did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. This is the mindset that carries us through an engagement. We stand in the finished work of the Lamb, of the redemptive power that Jesus has bestowed upon us, about the reconnection with God that a relationship with Christ has given us. And we speak that truth in our testimony and in our everyday lives. And we hold our lives loosely because Jesus is worth more than everything. This is the same attitude that fuels the planning we talked about in earlier episodes and the perseverance that we need to execute those missions. Because we're not improvising here. We have been issued godly equipment. He has trained us and prepared us, and we are being led by the one who has already overcome. When the enemy lies to us, we answer with the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. When fear tries to make us shrink back, we remember that our lives are not our own, but we have been given a gift we cannot repay. We have been restored to our rightful place, and we have been bought with a price. This is how we engage, not in our own strength, but by the power of the one who has already rescued us and won the victory. And here's how we hang on to this throughout the week. Write down one sentence of your testimony that you can speak out loud when the enemy lies to you and choose one place where you've been shrinking back and declare, I will not love my life more than I love Jesus and the people he has came to save. As we wrap up, let us close in prayer. Father, thank you that we don't step into this fight empty handed or alone. Help us to remember who our enemy really is so we're not surprised. Remind us of our purpose so that we can reclaim what he has stolen and advance your kingdom. Keep us clear on our roles as soldiers who are asked to shoot, move, and communicate with you and with each other. Give us focus, Lord, keep us on mission, let us operate in your power and not in our own works, fix our eyes on the end result, a transformed life and eternal fruit, and teach us to triumph by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony, holding nothing back because you are worth it all. We submit to you, we resist the enemy, we come near to you, strengthen us for the engagements ahead, and it's in Jesus' mighty name we pray. Amen. So as we wrap up and we close, here's our simple rhythm moving forward. Remember, focus, triumph in Him, and don't wait for when the fight gets loud before you practice this mindset. Practice it now. Remember, focus and triumph in Him. While it's still quiet, know these things and be able to recite them when trouble comes. Let it be second nature when pressure hits for you to default back to these things and run into God's presence. Now, next time we're going to talk about waiting for an opening and engaging the enemy with wisdom and courage. But before we sign off, take a quiet moment with us to reflect on all that we've talked about. When it comes to remembering what reality, the enemy, our purpose, our role, do you need to rehearse out loud this week? When it comes to focus, where is distraction pulling you off mission right now? And what is one step you will take to fix your eyes on Jesus? When it comes to triumph, how will you live out Revelation 12, 11 this week? Standing in the Word of God, speaking your testimony, or refusing to shrink back when the enemy attacks. Remember, we are in this together, and you've got a commander who will never lose, and a family of believers walking right beside you. Keep pressing forward, keep that mindset sharp, and remember we're in this fight together. Thank you for being with us today. See you next time on joining the fight, and God bless.