The Armor of God | The Fullness | Shannon Clark

Discover how to overcome life's toughest battles through spiritual warfare and the armor of God. This powerful message reveals the hidden spiritual dimension behind many of our daily struggles and equips you with biblical weapons for victory. Learn about the real enemy we face according to Ephesians 6:12 and how Satan seeks to steal, kill, and destroy in our lives. Understand why we fight from victory, not for victory, because of what Jesus accomplished. Get practical guidance on putting on the full armor of God including the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit. Find out how to transform your prayer life from defensive pleading to offensive declarations of faith. Perfect for anyone facing repeated setbacks, persistent negative thoughts, relationship struggles, workplace challenges, or feeling spiritually attacked. Whether you're new to understanding spiritual warfare or feeling battle weary from long fights, this message will remind you of your identity as a warrior called to bring God's light into darkness. Includes practical application steps for daily spiritual armor and reflection questions to identify areas where the enemy may be working. Learn why you're not just meant to survive spiritual battles but to win them as someone created for such a time as this. Essential viewing for Christians seeking to understand their authority in Christ and how to stand firm against spiritual opposition.


This sermon was recorded at a Sunday morning gathering at Church of the Lookout in Longmont, Colorado.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to the Lookout Weekly Podcast. Church of the Lookout is in Boulder, Colorado, and our vision is Jesus abiding in his presence, growing in his family, and living on his mission to transform the world with awe-inspiring love. Visit us online at thelookout.church.

SPEAKER_02 0:21

Again, welcome to the Lookout. So glad to have you guys with us this morning. My name is Luke. I'm the lead pastor here. I'm not actually speaking this morning. In just a couple minutes, we're going to have Shannon Clark come and bring the good word today. And Shannon is part of our teaching team, our teaching development team. We have a handful of people that I meet with every other week. And what we do together, we talk about the privilege, the gift of actually proclaiming God's word and what it means to preach and teach and communicate. And then we get into each other's lives and we're in the scriptures together. And it's an awesome group that we have here at the Lookout, just for the sake of equipping more teachers and communicators, preachers here. And so Shannon's a part of that team. What I love about Shannon, if you haven't met Shannon yet, Shannon's been a part of the Lookout for gosh, well over a decade. And uh and she's she's done a little of everything. So she has been in our youth ministry faithfully leading and serving our youth. You've seen her, you see her very regularly up here leading worship week after week. She uh several years ago even launched a youth conference called the Standard Youth Conference. Has anybody ever been to a standard? And a regional youth conference just calling young people all across the region to come and have a high view of who God is and what he wants to do in our lives and a new vision for what it means to live faithfully to God in a generation where that's it's hard to do that. And so um and so we so we asked you to speak this morning as we're concluding our series through the book of Ephesians. This will be the last week of uh Ephesians, the fullness is what we've been calling it, talking about the fullness of God. And listen, I just want to encourage you to dig in with us today. Um, and and you know, even come on, give you got to give Shannon just a little Pentecostal hey-ho every now and then, all right? Just shout her down from your seat, all right? If she says something that you love, let her know. And uh, and that's always fun uh, you know, to know that we're doing this together. We're not talking at you, we're talking together about the word of God, right? And so then at the end of the service, we're gonna do something really fun. At the very end of the service, we have three baptisms today. Come on! And we have three beautiful uh uh you know people within our community who are going to come into the waters of baptism over here and declare their faith in Jesus. And as a church family, we're gonna celebrate with them, okay? So don't take off too early today. It's gonna be the the rest of the morning is gonna be fantastic. So, that being said, I've talked enough. Guys, help me welcome Shannon Clark. Okay. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 3:01

Good morning. Give me a second, wanna set up all of my things. How's everybody doing? Yeah? Good morning. It's so good to see everybody, and it is my extreme pleasure to be up here yet again and be part of our family to be able to speak today and finish out our Ephesians series. How many of you enjoyed that? Hearing different voices from it within our community, and it's been really fun, and it's fun for me to be able to be friends with some of these other voices in this house, to be able to mutually discern together what God is doing in this house. It's not just one person who's like spearheading that, there's a whole team of people who are who are praying and interceding for what God is doing in this house and aligning this church towards that direction. How many of you guys really honor our leadership? All right. And if you haven't met me, I like what Luke said, I've been part of the lookout for 14 years now, which is wild to me. And I came here, um, I was a school a student over at the School of Ministry at Bethel and had moved into Boulder. And when I first walked into the doors of this place, I I literally felt the Holy Spirit and I went, Oh, I found home. And so when I walked in here 14 years ago, that became true, and I've been here ever since, and through highs and lows, and transitions and things, and it's been a wonderful journey seeing what God is doing in this place. And I, as a friend and as someone who's been in this house for a long time, can tell you there is growth that God is doing right now in such a significant way, and it's so powerful. So I am excited to see what God is doing next. All right. Let's pray. Holy Spirit, we invite you to come. We recognize your presence here. We put our attention and our focus on you, Jesus. Holy Spirit, rest on people. Stir within us and rest upon us. Lord, I ask that you would come and your voice would speak louder than any word that I could say. That your voice would speak to hearts today, that you would speak into the deep places of every person that needs to hear your voice. Father, I thank you that you want to speak today. You want to speak to the places where there's been questions and you want to speak to places of empowerment, and that you want to give us a sturdy foundation and identity in you, Jesus. Holy Spirit, come. And Father, I just declare that we just command any voice of the enemy, any voice of the accuser, any any fear, disbelief, doubt, we just bind it in the name of Jesus and we command it to go out of this room. Lord, we thank you for the blood of Jesus that washes our brains, our souls, our spirits, Lord, and fills us with your Holy Spirit. Lord, we thank you that you would speak now. And God, I thank you that your prophetic voice is speaking even right now. So, Lord, we invite the prophetic. We invite angels to come and minister. We invite your spirit to move even right now. Thank you, Lord. I just feel the presence of the Lord. Like I feel, I feel, it's almost like you're in a swimming pool. Like there's a like almost just this sweet movement of the spirit. So, Lord, we just thank you that you're gonna just refresh people today, that you're gonna refresh hearts and souls, Lord, for those who have felt like they have been in a desert and those who have felt thirsty, Lord, that you are gonna fill the thirsty. Lord, I thank you that you promise that you're gonna fill the thirsty. And Lord, we just bless and honor every person in here in Jesus' mighty name. Amen. Um, one thing I just felt like as I was praying this morning, um, I just saw a picture during worship where I just saw like the Lord shifting, like turning a dial, where it was like an off to an on. And I believe that God is going to shift something in people today. Um, and I believe that there's gonna be something inside of you that was that's gonna feel like it's been off, and then it's gonna be turned on, and that the Lord is doing this shift. And I I felt this verse where it was in Song of Solomon, and so I prophetically declare this that it says, and my beloved speaks and says to me, Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away. For behold, the winter is past, and the rain is over and gone, and the flowers on the earth, the time of singing has come. So I just declare in Jesus' name that the winter is over and the springtime has come. In Jesus' mighty name. All right, let's actually get into the message. All right, turn to Ephesians 6. All right, and we're gonna be reading some really familiar scripture. If you've been in the church for any real strong length of time, you probably have read this or you've seen it on a t-shirt or a bumper sticker at one point or another. And um I just want to speak to that. Like, sometimes we get so familiar with a passage that it starts to lack luster a little bit. We get kind of like, all right, that's yeah, I know, I know, I know. But I just want us to call our spirit to attention that there's a reason why it's familiar, it's because there's power and authority on it. And we need to have an attention to the scripture in a way where that it doesn't lack luster. It actually commands something to happen in the spirit, and it is the sword of the spirit. And we're gonna talk about that. It is the sword of the spirit, the word of the Lord divides soul and spirit, it divides bone and marrow, and that we need to approach the word with kind of a fear and trembling with the Lord, that this has power and authority. So, you guys good with that? All right, let's read Ephesians 6, 10, verses 20 uh through 24. It says, Finally, be strong in the Lord in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers, over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places. Therefore, say therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, having done all to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace, in all circumstances take up the shield of faith, which you can extinguish all of the flaming darts of the evil one, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication, to that end, keep alert, say keep alert, with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may boldly declare as I ought to speak, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, that uh doing Tyacus, the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will tell you everything. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and ha and that he may encourage your hearts. Peace be to the brothers and love with faith from the God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible. This is the word of the Lord. So this morning I am going to be talking about spiritual warfare. And it is uh, I really enjoy speaking about this because what it does is it gives empowerment to the body of Christ to actually step into who she is. And that means you. That means you being able to step into fully your identity in Christ, being able to withstand any scheme of the enemy without with being able to extinguish every fiery dart of the enemy by standing in who you are and whose you are. Because your God, your father, Jesus Christ, paid for it first. So this morning I have a couple of goals. So I want to get you guys all set up so to know what we're going for. I want to give us awareness that we're in a spiritual war. I want to equip us for the battle that we are in, and I want to empower and stir up remembrance for us to stand firm in the battle. So we are going to remember, and we're going to be empowered today. It's going to be awesome, you guys. You ready? Buckle up? All right. When I was a kid, um I so I was probably five or six, and my folks, they they've been Holy Spirit-filled for as long as my whole life, and they got saved in the Jesus People Movement. My mom's right over here if you haven't met her, Karen Clark. And um they got saved in the Jesus People movement in the 70s and 80s, and um, and so my whole upbringing was within a spirit-filled church, and I'm so grateful for that. But um, when I was like six or seven years old, I um was in Sunday school, and this unknown couple came to like teach us, I guess, at that point, and they came in and they were like classic 90s church crew. Like this lady had long hair and big glasses and and a jean dress, and and her husband was very similar. And in this, in this children's service, they taught us a song, and this song was this I command you, Satan, in the name of the Lord, to drop your weapons and flee, for the Lord has given me authority to stomp all over thee. Right? I probably was six or seven years old. And I remember, and we, you know, they had all hand movements and things like what we do in children's church, because that's what's memorable for us. And I remember they would say, like, hey, if you're ever scared at night, if the boogeyman seems to come around, if you're ever feeling scared, often that's the tactics of the enemy, so you just sing this song. So from that point on, in my childhood, I honestly, in my childhood, I would get nightmares a lot of times, and I actually believe that most children actually can see in the spirit, and the enemy tries to go after that with fear and try to shut it down. But in those seasons, I would like kind of see things in you know, normal boogeyman type of stuff at nighttime, and I would sing this song at night to myself, and I would feel so scared at times, I would feel so much fear, and I would just sing this song over and over and over until the fear broke. And that was when I first had revelation that we were in a spiritual battle. Now, I was probably six, seven, eight, nine. I didn't have language around that. I just knew that I was no longer scared. And I would sing this song. And how many of us have an awareness that we are actually in a spiritual battle? What you are walking in is not just circumstances. Sometimes it is, but we are not just walking through circumstances where, you know, something's going on at work that's really tough, something going on in your family that's really tough. And you're like, all right, well, this is just life. Actually, we are in a spiritual war. There is a second heavenly realm where angels and demons and they are fighting as we speak. There's a there is a spiritual battle that is actually taking place, and it says in verse 10, it says, Finally be strong in the Lord in the strength of his might, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places. When you have a war, there's two sides, right? It's two different sides, and we have a real enemy. Now, this might be good news for some people, and it might be a good reminder for us. Because sometimes for me, when I'm in the middle of my life, I'm like, you know, we just kind of go with the flow of life at times, and sometimes we just run into walls. We sometimes run into something at work, we run into something in our family, we run into something in our schools, we run into something where it's really challenging, and we kind of or even an internal reality. You're like, oh man, why do I keep doing this? Why do I keep stumbling like this? Why do I keep you hear the chatter in your own head, and sometimes it's easy to forget that we're actually in a spiritual war, and that actually God has empowered you for that war. And that in that in that we're gonna pray for a second. Lord, I ask for clarity in Jesus' name. Clarity in the spirit right now. That we're in a battle, but it's not against Iran, and it's not against your boss, and it's not against your family, or your spouse, or your kids, or the school system. You might have some people's faces that would pop up that go, man, those people feel like an enemy right now. But actually, it says in scripture that we do not fight against flesh and blood. We fight against the principalities, the authorities. And there is a demonic reality that it has authority in the area. But gee, or power, let me say that, they have power, but Jesus stole the keys of death and Hades. He took all authority away from darkness. All authority. Say all authority, all authority. They may have power, but Jesus on the cross died for us to be able to walk in authority over any kind of darkness. When I was 16 years old, I went to a conference called Jesus Culture, and there was a speaker that his name was Banning Leepsher, and he uh spoke about this kind of concept about light and dark, that this spiritual war that we're in. But he's like, you know, sometimes we give a lot of room for the darkness to have a lot of power. Sometimes it feels like it's bigger than it should be. But how many times have you gone into a dark room and flipped on the switch, and then you see this cosmic battle start over light and dark in the room where you go, come on, light. Come on, light, and you're praying and hoping that the light will turn on. When actually, when you turn on the light, darkness flees. Right? And that is the power and authority of Jesus in you. That is the power and authority that Jesus paid for for you. And Jesus, we do have a real enemy. His name is Satan. He is a deceiver, he's a liar, he's the accuser of the brethren, he's the prince of the power of the air, he's the father of lies, and he is the OG, the spirit, the serpent. And you know what Satan actually literally means? It means adversary. It means opponent. Now, I have a I'm a I'm a comp like a competitive person. And there was a point in my life where I was like, wow, Lord, you've given me this thing of like I I love competition, but it's gotta be in the right place. It's gotta be in the right place. And and I was asking the Lord, like, Lord, what do you mean for me to have this like competitive thing? Because in the church that can feel weird or can be weird, because I don't want to compete with my brother, I don't want to compete with my sister. But the Lord told me one day, he goes, You just need to know who your opponent is. And I went, okay, game on. Game on. Satan in uh it says in 1 Peter 5 8, it says, be sober-minded, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls like a roaring lion, seeking to devour someone. In John 10.10, it says that the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. And Jesus, I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. The enemy's whole goal is to steal, kill, and destroy in your life. So if you're seeing fruit in your life that's it, that something is being stolen, it's being lost, it's being killed, it's destroyed, often, often, this is the enemy. So I want us as a body of Christ to have awareness. I believe that the Lord wants to like pull off blinders off of our eyes to recognize your enemy, that He is actually. Fighting against you. He's fighting against your family. He's fighting against all these different things, our society, our whole region, our government, all of these things. And Jesus is so much bigger and so much greater, and he's paid for it all. And we do not fight a battle that he has not already won. We fight from victory, not a for victory. How many of us want to get into a battle where you're like, oh, I know I'm going to win? I know I'm going to win. It's the best. You know? When you finally walk into a battle where you're like, oh yeah, we're supposed to win. You as a Christian are destined to win. God Himself sets you up to be not just somebody who's, okay, I'm in the battle. I'm in the battle. I'm in the battle. He sets you up to win the battle, and he sets you up to be actually a justice bringer to what the enemy has tried to do in this world. He's called you to be a light bringer. He's caused you to be the one that turns on the switch in any room. That you are called to walk into rooms and shift the atmosphere. You guys are called, every one of us, every single one of us is called to be somebody who partners with God and shifts atmospheres. It's awesome. And it says, you know, in Matthew 28, 18 and 19, it says, And Jesus came to them and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Luke 10, 19 says, I give, I have given you authority, say authority to trample on snakes, the original enemy, snakes and scorpions to overcome the power of the enemy, and nothing will harm you. That's a good promise. Jesus has not set us up in a battlefield for uh, he's not set us up in a battlefield that we can't win, and he has not set you up where you're not going to be equipped. And so God never calls you into a fight he hasn't equipped you for. So sometimes we get into these battles, and sometimes we're like, Lord, I need some help here. And in here, in Ephesians 6, it gives us the armor of God. Now, the armor of God is so powerful. It's something that we all have equipping in, and we need to put on. It's an active movement. It's an active, like I heard Joyce Meyer one time, she said, she goes, You have to actively put on your clothes. You don't just walk into your closet and go, okay, put clothes on me. You actively have to put on the armor of God. You've got to actively put on something. So the armor of God, Ephesians 13 through 18, it says, Therefore, take up or put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened, tightened on the belt of truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and the shoes for your feet, having on put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith which uh with which you can extinguish the flaming darts of the evil one, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the spirit with all prayer and supplication. God has given us defensive and offensive items for us to wear, to walk in this world. He has equipped you for every good thing, every good gift. It says in, let's see, I've got all sorts of scripture, you guys. That's alright. We'll move on. So he's given you defensive items and offensive items. He's given you the belt of truth. Belts create stability, sturdiness, a foundation for the clothing you wear. It holds things together like your sword, your breastplate, and it means it's the truth, which is the word of God. So when we're in a battle, we have to tighten. We have to create foundation and sturdiness with the belt of truth. You need to hold fast to the word of God. You need to pull on the truth, not your truth, not living your truth, find the truth in here. You need to, it's it's gonna equip you to stand firm. It's the whole point to be able to stand firm. Then the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate is also a defensive piece. It protects your heart and your vital organs to keep you alive. I need my heart to be protected. How about you? Righteousness means to have a right standing before God, which is our identity. So put on the breastplate of righteousness, which is your identity that protects your heart, protects your vital organs, and keeps you alive. Hebrews 4.16 says, Let us then have confidence to draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace in the time of need. We have a right standing to be able to stand before the throne of grace. The shoes of peace. Shoes are defensive. Gives us the ability to be agile in all trains, to walk, to run, and to put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. How many of us, honestly, have put on shoes that are ready to share the gospel at any time? I know for myself I need to do this more often. Just to be ready. This is the point is that God is like, hey, I'm gonna create opportunities for you, but be ready to put on your shoes. Put on your shoes. Matthew 28, 18 and 19, he said, All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me, so therefore go. The readiness of the go of the gospel. He has equipped you with shoes that you can wear to be ready. Not that you have to stir it up, but that you can be ready in the spirit. Shield of faith. Shields are defensive. They protect you from the arrows and the flying attacks of the evil one. What are the fiery darts of the enemy? It says that lift in all circumstances, lift your shield so that you may extinguish the fiery darts of the evil one. This is the lies of the enemy. This is the attacks of the enemy. These are deceptions, doubt, health attacks, attacks on your family, your work, your circumstances, doubt, unbelief, fear, overwhelm, anxiety, depression, suicide, all of the above. He has given you a shield of faith that you get to lift up that would extinguish the fiery dice of the evil one so that when they come, because sometimes they come, that you'll be able to defensively hold against it and nothing would stick against you. Isn't that good news? That's good news. The helmet of salvation. Helmets are defensive. It protects your head, your mind, your thinking, and the mind of Christ. The helmet of salvation is probably one of the most important things that we need to put on today. We need to put on everything, but I will tell you, with the mental health crisis that has happened, and even just as simple as with the social media culture that we live in, we need the helmet of salvation to cover us, to cover our ways of thinking, to cover our mindsets, so that it directs and it dictates the way that we think. That we would think like the mind of Christ, that we would actually be able to walk into the mind as the mind of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10, 3 through 5 says, though, for though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive by the obedience of Christ. We must have the helmet of salvation so that we can take captive of every thought that lifts its head against the knowledge of God. That includes your identity. That includes who God says you are, and who the enemy tries to make you believe who you are, and what your history may say that you are. God has said something very different about you. Romans 12, 2 says, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good and acceptable in the perfect will of God. How many of us want to know what is good and acceptable in the perfect will of God? It's by the renewing of our mind. This is why we need the helmet of salvation that He paid for. Jesus was the head of the body of Christ. He is the head of the body of Christ. He actually died on Golgotha, which is the skull. So he died for your old way of thinking so that you could be able to step into a new mindset as the mind of Christ. One of the things that we should notice as well is that all of these armor is defensive all in the front. Right? There's nothing on the backside. Why is that? One, Christians don't run from a fight. We don't run from a fight. We are called to be conquerors and more than conquerors. We are called to be warriors of the spirit. We are called to win. So why would you run from a fight? Why would you run away? Why would you turn your backside? And even if you do, Isaiah 58, 8 says, and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. He is your rear guard. He is coming behind you and before you and all around you. So regardless of even your stance, even if you feel like you've tuckedtail and run at times, Jesus is your rear guard. He will protect you. He is the divine protector. He's also given us offensive items, weapons of warfare, the sword of the spirit. It's an offensive, it attacks. Our weapons are the word of God. It says that in Revelation 19, 15, that the word of God is like a sword that came out of Jesus' mouth. Hebrews 4.12 says, For the Lord the word of the Lord is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul, of spirit, of joints, and of marrow, discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. The word of the Lord is living and active. There is power in the Word of God. It has the power to divide everything. Everything in the spirit. Have you ever noticed whenever you've like shared something that was the word of the Lord and you know it, or you just shared some scripture with a friend and there's immediate resistance? It's because it divides and it's called to divide because it brings exposure. It brings exposure to the works of the enemy. And it's one of those weapons. It's the weapon that Jesus used. When he was in the desert, what did he use? When he was being tempted by the devil, what did he use? He said, It is written. He said, It is written this that man should not live by bread alone. It is written that. So on and so forth. Wouldn't it be a good idea that we use the same weapons that Jesus himself used? Seriously, though. I'm like, I know for myself, sometimes I miss that. Sometimes I forget that. But Jesus himself had to use the word of God as a weapon against the enemy. So I think it's pretty acceptable for us to be able to do that. And it says to that end, keep alert with all perseverance, make supplication for all the saints. This is kind of a little side note because it's not even part of the the armor, the official armor, but another weapon of your warfare is prayer and supplication. That is something that we need to bring the word of God to in our prayers and supplications. Sometimes our prayers are kind of like they're defensive in the sense of God, please help me. Please, like there's a like uh like verses defensive and offensive. Lord, it's almost like a begging space. We're like, Lord, please protect me. Please protect this thing. Instead of God being like on the offensive, the head and not the tail, being like, Lord, I believe that you said that you are gonna go before me and not behind me. So God, I declare that. Faith-filled prayers are not defensive, they are offensive. And that is also another weapon of your warfare to keep alert with all perseverance, make a supplication for all the saints. And one of the things that I want to be able to speak to in that is that you can do this. God has empowered you to be the head and not the tail. And I just want to give some room for those. There's a lot of people in this room. I just want to speak to two different types of people. So I know there's folks who are brand new walking into a church, they've never been in this environment. This might be the first time you've ever heard this message. And I honor you guys. I'm so glad you're here. God is doing some amazing stuff. I'm so excited. This baptism tank is a weapon of warfare. It's a warfare, it's an expression of warfare for all of this region, to be honest. It means that God is winning the victory. But I want to speak to a few people here who have been in this journey for a while. And if you guys have been in the journey of with Jesus, you might be a little battle-weary. And I felt um in my spirit, I felt like the Lord wanted to speak to you today about who you are. Where you guys have been in the battle. You guys have fought and won battles. You have had different moments where it was really tough at different times. There might be disappointments that have come your way. There might be discouraging pieces. You may feel like you have lost the battle at different points. But I feel like the Lord wants to remind you of who you are again, to take up your sword again. To remember that He has won the battle despite other things that we may not have answers to. But God, He has called you to a battle. He has called you to a fight. He's called you to be a justice bringer. And I don't know about you, but when something's been lost or stolen in my life, and I recognize that I can step into and bring justice to that, I'm gonna step into that fight. I'm gonna grab my sword and I'm gonna go into that. How about you? To be able to reclaim everything that was lost and stolen in your lives. So that includes your kids that are wayward. That includes that includes your jobs that maybe have been lost. There might be different things that have come against you, and the Lord has equipped you to be able to stand. He's equipped you to stand and fight. And there's a generation that is desperate for those who would stand in their full identity right now. Now more than ever, do we need the body of Christ operating her fullness? We need her to be in her fullness of identity, her fullness of giftings, the fullness of the knowledge of Christ, the fullness of knowing when to step into the battle. We were made for this moment. You are not here by chance, you are not here by a happenstance, you are not here because it just worked out that way. You're not here because circumstances happen to lend itself. You were born for such a time as this. You were born to be a voice, every single generation in this room. You were born to be a voice to the next generation and the generation to follow, the ones around you. You're you're called to be a voice to this region. You're called to be a voice into your workplace. And the enemy wants to just knock out your feet from under you, but you are called to be a warrior and you are called to win. You're called to win. And I just want to intro like I've got a clip that I'd like to show. This is a clip that I believe is for the battle weary. I believe that this is a call from the god from God to you to speak back into your identity again, to get back into the fight. So we're gonna just roll that for a minute.

SPEAKER_09 39:55

Creepy little monkey.

SPEAKER_07 39:57

You stop following me? Who are you? The question is, who are you?

SPEAKER_09 40:05

I thought I knew. Now I'm not so sure.

SPEAKER_07 40:08

Well, I know who you are.

unknown 40:10

Shh.

SPEAKER_07 40:11

Yeah, it's a secret. What is that supposed to mean anyway? It means you're a baboon. And I'm not.

SPEAKER_09 40:24

I think you're a little confused.

SPEAKER_07 40:27

I'm not the one who's confused. You don't even know who you are. Oh, and I suppose you know. Sure do. You move faster's boy. Hi. Hey, wait! You know my father? Correction. I know your father.

SPEAKER_09 40:55

I hate to tell you this, but he died a long time ago.

SPEAKER_07 41:00

Nope! Wrong again! He's alive!

SPEAKER_06 41:05

And I shot him to follow Rafiki, he knows the way. Come on!

SPEAKER_08 42:16

That's just my reflection.

SPEAKER_04 42:29

You see, he lives in you.

SPEAKER_09 42:54

No.

SPEAKER_05 42:55

How could I? You have forgotten who you are, and so forgotten me. You can tell yourself you are then what you have become. You must take your place in the circle.

SPEAKER_09 43:11

How can I go back? Not where I used to be.

unknown 43:34

Don't leave me.

SPEAKER_06 43:46

What was that? The weather very peculiar. Don't you think?

SPEAKER_09 43:53

Yeah. Looks like the winds are changing.

SPEAKER_07 43:57

Ah, change is good.

SPEAKER_09 44:00

But it's not easy. I know what I have to do, but going back means I'll have to face my past. I've been running from it for so long.

SPEAKER_06 44:10

Ow! Jeez, what was that for? It doesn't matter! You can deposit! Yeah, but it still hurts. Oh yes, deposit com hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it. Oh learn from it. So what are you going to do? First, you're gonna take your stick.

SPEAKER_00 44:52

Isn't that awesome? I want to invite the worship team to come on up. I want to be your crazy baboon friend that says, Hey, it's time to remember who you are. Hey, as the prophetic voice, like in that in that scene, I've always seen Rafiki as like the crazy prophet. Because he's the prophetic voice that sees beyond what is the current and leads to revelation. So I want to be your crazy Rafiki today and say God has called you to something more. And I just want to give you grace for the seasons and the empathy for the seasons that you have walked through that have been tough. It's a real thing. And the story is not over. Your story isn't over if it's look like death and defeat. Your story is not over because it feels like disappointment or failure. God is still writing your story if you're still breathing in this room. God is still writing your story, and he has called you for more. And in that clip, Simba goes back to go and defeat Scar. He goes back into the fight. And it's not a rah-rah type of call that I want to invite us into. I want us to have a call or this moment and a call to action of just making a decision to choose to remember. And if you don't know who that person is anymore, that's okay. God is really good at reminding us. That's why the Holy Spirit is living and active inside of you. So, Father, I ask right now that you would call to remembrance every piece of identity that has been lost, stolen, or forgotten. God, I ask that you would cause for faith to arise in this room. Faith to arise. That you are called to a battlefield that only you can fight, but you were called to that battlefield not just to fight it, but to win it. And that Jesus has already won the great fight, and so you just get to be able to rest in his victory. And Lord, I just ask right now that you would cause for identity to stir up in the spirits of everyone in this room, including me, God. You would cause us to remember who you are. That you are healer, that you defeated the death and grave, that you are the one who is victorious, you are the matchless king, you are not intimidated by anything that is happening on this earth. You are not intimidated by the works of the enemy. He's not even your opponent. Do we all of us know that actually the real opponent for Satan is not God? In Revelation, it talks about that Michael fights him at the end of the age. Michael. So sometimes we give the enemy so much power and authority and all this stuff that thinking that he is as big as God is, and God has never had an opponent that is his size. Satan is a created being. God is bigger. Lord, I ask right now that you would cause for faith to arise in this room. Faith to arise in this room. Faith to arise in this room. Lord, I thank you for new assignments to be released. Lord, I thank you for new assignments to be released in victory and in courage and in boldness. And Lord, I ask that you would take off for those who are battle weary. Take off the clothing of heaviness. That you would exchange heaviness for joy. That you would exchange the heaviness for dancing, that that morning for dancing. Lord, I just thank you that you are so much bigger. And you have called us to be partners in your spirit. Partners in the fight. Justice bringers. I just want to invite you. If you are battle weary, if it's been a while, if it's been tough, I just want to pray for you. So I want to invite you to just go ahead and stand. Because God wants to give you your sword back. He wants to give you your sword back. And if you're on the ministry team, I just want you to go around and we're going to just pray for folks. I'm going to lay hands on them. We're going to just spend a few minutes to just pray for the battle weary. And for the battle weary, all I want you to do is just to receive. You don't have to pray. I just want you to rest in the love of God because He's the one that is the lifter of our heads. He is the lifter of our heads. Lord, I thank you that you are gentle and you are kind. You are gentle and kind, God. Lord, I just declare right now in Jesus' name, we break the power of heaviness in Jesus' name. The heavy burdens. Whether it's been agreed upon or unagreed upon, Lord, whether it's been a scheme of the enemy or attack, Lord, we declare right now, heaviness go! Lift off. We declare for things to shift right now in Jesus' name. We declare for identity to rise up in the spirit, that you are a man and woman of God. We call for every spirit woman to stand. We call for every spirit man to stand. We call for everything that the enemy has tried to use against them that you will turn it to good. God, we thank you that you are not done writing the story. God, that you are you are writing a story of victory for each person in this room. And Father, we declare for every circumstance, every circumstance that has the enemy's hands in it, we declare for those schemes to be shut down right now in Jesus' name. For every hindrance of the move and love of God to be removed right now. Every hindrance be removed. And Father, I just thank you that you want to speak. So Lord, we just invite your spirit to speak. And all I want you guys to do is just close your eyes and listen. Just listen to what the Lord wants to say to you. He wants to remind you. He wants to remind you of who you are. We thank you, Lord. And if you still haven't gotten prayer yet, if I just want you to go ahead and raise your hand and we'll have some of the ministry team to come pray for you still. And this is a time, don't be shy, be bold. If you still need prayer, raise your hand. Because we want to make sure that the Lord touches you.

SPEAKER_02 52:03

It's a good day. It's a good day in the house of the Lord. Amen. Let's stand together, guys. And listen, as we end the service, go find these guys. Welcome them in. Give them a big old hug. You're gonna get wet, but it's gonna be worth it, alright? They're part of the family. And listen, if you're here today and if you have not been baptized, or you haven't met Jesus or given him your life, or you want to know what it means to walk with Jesus, come talk to any of us, any of us in leadership, anybody on the ministry team, we'd love to tell you about that because it's for you too. It's for all who call on his name, alright? So as we leave here, we're going with celebration. We're going in the power of God, fully equipped with the armor of God to stand in the name and the glory of God. Amen. So may the Lord bless you and keep you. May He make His face to shine upon you, may He be gracious to you and give you rest. Go in the strength of God. Love you guys. Come on.