Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your Lesson Din stand against the devil's schemes. Ephesians 6:10-11

Relevant Living Spiritual Warfare Lesson One Believers Boot Camp

Note: The next twelve lessons will be a variety of either short series or stand-alone lessons, entitled Believers Boot Camp. We will cover many aspects of the life of a believer training for spiritual battleliving less than a regal life due to the fact that in this world there are constantly battles to be fought and wars to be won. These first studies are spiritual growth lessons to better train us for our own individual skirmishes. We know that ultimately Christ (our leader) will be the victor. The first thing we need to learn isif we are going to live victoriously in this royal life, we must understand and use our weapons of warfare more efficiently. (Due to time constraints, we will be doing this first lesson together in class which will include Scripture passages to look up and read as well as a good deal of additional reading from the lesson.) WHAT IS SPIRITUAL WARFARE? Being a princess is wonderful, especially when your King and Father is God. But along with such privilege also come responsibilities and sometimes pain. You see, you are not only a princess, you are also a warrior! In the spiritual realm, not just the men are on the front lines, so are we women. We have battles to fight and win nearly every day of our lives, but we may not always be aware of them. These daily struggles may seem like just part of the trials of an ordinary life. As I am writing this, I just learned of a mother who is having a terrible struggle with her teenage daughter. It is dividing the whole family, including the marriage. It is chalked up to bad friends, poor decisions, the lack of discipline in the school, rebellion, etc. Until now the mother (a Christian) had not seen that she is in a battleand that the battle is not against her daughter; it is for her daughter and for her entire family. This same battle is being fought all over our nationand few see it as spiritualone that is fought in the spiritual realm, not flesh against flesh. In order to be overcomers and win these battles, we need better understanding of just who our enemy is, how he attacks, and how we can and will win. Many of you who will be doing these next few lessons may be a bit skeptical about spiritual warfare or this invisible world that we will be studying. However, as we read the Bible we quickly see that it is a very real realm and we are told how to deal with it. This subject is often an unsettling concept for many of us to come to grips with. We came to Jesus as lost sheep and now we are supposed to become warriors? You will be comforted to know that most

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of our warfare is done right on our knees in prayer. It is also comforting to know that we have the mighty army of God (the angelic host of heaven) beside us throughout the heat of the battles. When you are dealing with something in your life that is overwhelming to you, difficult to understand, out of your control, and relentlessly hammering you, it is always wise to take these things to the Lord in prayer. He knows exactly where they are coming from and how to help you. He will also give you some tools to help you contend. We will be studying some of these tools in these next few lessons. We must believe that there is a devil and he and his minions (followers) live in an invisible realm. When we come to that understanding, we must never forget that the host of heaven and all of Gods angels are also living in that realm. We already know which army is stronger, and that our side wins in the end. I have heard (and read) some of the weirdest material you can imagine on the subject of spiritual warfare. Lets see what God has to say about it from his Word. If anything in these lessons seems questionable to you, or hard to grasp or understand, please do not hesitate to contact me, your leader, or your coach. WHAT ARE WEAPONS OF WARFARE? From Ephesians 4:17 through the end of the epistle, Paul encourages and teaches his readers to stand firm against the lifestyle of the world. They were urged to be light in darkness, and to be separate from their former pagan practices. He shows them how this is lived out in their homes as well as in the world. All of this required a persistent and determined effort on the part of every Christian because the pagan habits were strong and the darkness all around them was very compelling. This last section of the epistle shows us how to live in this world victoriously! Pauls early readers needed to be prepared for spiritual battleand so do we! The call to live holy lives is not easy! There is spiritual resistance against every one us, and all too often the believer is not only unprepared for it, but oblivious to it as well. Everything Paul has taught up to this point will be merely didactic unless we understand that to live the life the Father calls us to will involve conscious spiritual warfare. In order to do this warfare against the powers of darkness, we will have to understand the weapons of warfare and what it means to wear the full armor of God. 1. Read Ephesians 6:10-18. Lets list the key words in the chart below. Simply fill in the information as your group members call out the answers. Key words are simply words that are important to the text and usually repeated. Key Words Stand firm

Armor pieces are key words

Belt of truth;

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Our strength comes from the Lord and his mighty power. The armor is Gods blessing to you so you can withstand any attack from the enemy. The actual battle is the Lords as we call on himmuch more in later lessons. 2. Read 1 Peter 5:8 and note what you learn about the devil. a. Have you ever thought about the devil as a roaring lion? When you think of a lion prowling about looking for someonewhat does that make you want to do personally?

b. What does Peter say to his readers in order to be prepared for this roaring lion and why is this important?

c. As you read through the armor in Ephesians 6:10-18, what does Paul say to you that is very similar to what Peter said?

HOW CAN I APPLY THIS TO MY LIFE? 1. Can you share a time when you had a serious conflict with a person and did not respond well because you did not understand that it was a spiritual battle? (If you share something, give it thought and be careful not to mention names that would cause hurt.) How did you react and what would you do differently today?

2. Can you share a time when you did understand the battle was in the spirit and what happened in this situation?

WHERE DOES THE BATTLE BEGIN? 1. Read 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 and as you read, look again for key words that are applicable to our series topic. This is a very good passage to memorize.

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Key Words

2.

What would you say are some of the powerful concepts Paul is speaking of in this passage?

3.

Please share a time when you had to overcome the battle taking place in your mind, such as a struggle with pride, unbelief, evil thoughts, vengeance, temptation, etc.

4.

Do you have a story you wouldnt mind sharing about a time when you did battle as the world doesliterally against flesh and blood? Sometimes these stories can be humorous and may even cause the saints in heaven to smile and shake their heads. I sure have enough stories of my own. Give it a try.

CONCLUSION & CHALLENGE: This lesson is intended to be an introduction to the subject of spiritual warfare and how we can use our armor in such a way as to walk in victory in our marriages, families, jobs, neighborhoods, and daily living. Please consider inviting a friend to come with you to your group. There are too many people we know who are living defeated lives. Lets reach out to them! Assignment: List at least two friends or neighbors that you would like to invite to Bible Study this year. Then ask the Lord to give you the courage to do so. Share your names with the rest of your group just to seal your commitment and make you more accountable. I am going to invite: 1. ____________________________________________________ 2. ____________________________________________________

Keep praying over these names and share with your group members when you have invited themso you can rejoice together when they all come! Remember: Someones eternity may be at stake! Leaders, please remember to keep this before your group and ask them if they have invited their women. If they received a no thanks encourage them to continue to pray for them. God is at work!