Full Power | Ephesians 1:15-19 | March 3 | Derek Neider

Derek Neider [00:00:06] We're in Ephesians chapter one. All right. Today we're studying verses 15 to 19. But for the sake of context and the whole story, we're going to read all the way to verse 23. You ready? Okay. The Bible says for this reason. For this reason, because I've heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you. Remembering you in my prayers that. The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him having the eyes of your hearts enlightened. That you may know what is the hope to which he is called you. What are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints? And what is the immeasurable greatness of his toward us, who believe, according to the working of his great might, that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead, and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority, and power and dominion, and above every name that his name, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet, and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Father, today we ask for that. We ask that you would give to us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of you, that the eyes of our hearts would be opened, and God, that you would not only reveal to us the immensity of your power that you have made accessible and available, that it already is all ours.

Speaker [00:02:23] But God, I pray also that we would that we would possess it. God that we would use it. That our lives would not be weak. Meager. Christian lives, but that we would operate at full power. In Jesus name, Amen. You can have a seat today. Some of you, you know, who pay attention to the news. I'm sure you saw this week Elon Musk unveiled the new Tesla Roadster. And this is the problem with pictures like this. I'm I'm thinking, hey, this will be a great illustration for some of you. I just, like, caused you to covet, which is, you know, is that is the downside. So don't covet. Okay. But he revealed, you know, the Tesla Roadster and this was a thing that was astounding to me. Did you know that this car goes 0 to 60 and under one second I that's what I said. Right. Because if you've been in a fast car, you know, I mean 2.3, 2.5 like that is really really quick. Under one second is crazy. It's so fast that as he was describing his car, this new car, this Tesla Roadster, he said, is if you can even call it a car, right? Because it is exceeding there's so much power that it exceeds what is normally categorized as a car. Now, the truth is this the reality of most Tesla owners who own a Roadster, like most Christians, won't use all that power, right? I mean, many of them, they'll like the looks of the car, they'll cruise around town. But but probably most of them, like Christians, will not access all that power. You might be thinking, well, why would you say, like most Christians? Because Christians rarely take advantage or operate at the full power that God has provided.

Speaker [00:04:16] Christians rarely take advantage or operate at the full power that God has provided. You guys know that the gospel centered life. Do you know this? The gospel centered life is a powerful life. Did you know that the gospel centered life is a powerful life? You need to know the power that's been made available to you and to you. And not only do you need to know it, but you need to use it, right? Not only do you need to know it, you need to use it. How many of you guys know that this life, this spirit filled life, is a powerful life? How many of you know that? Raise your hand. Let's see. Come on, let's see. All right. Less than the first service. Okay. Maybe because you guys are savvy and, you know, I'm about to set you up for something. How many of you, on the other hand, know that it's a powerful life, but you don't really honestly, sincerely access all the power that God has provided. Raise your hand. All right, well, all right. So see the first service. They don't really tell the truth. The second service does tell the truth. I like that, like, hey, you guys made one less mess for me to have to clean up. And I appreciate that. And I think that I think that for the vast majority of us, I'm going to say things today that I wholeheartedly encourage you to. Amen. But I would say that, not only do I want you to amen these things, I want you to be in a place where you are going to personalize them, where you're going to say, not only pastor, do I believe these things are true, but I'm going to choose to live them out because this is what Paul does.

Speaker [00:05:50] This is so, you know, Ephesians is so amazing. Paul is giving us reason to praise, right? Check. We got reason to praise God, do we not? Paul has given us reason to praise. Reason to bless God because God has in Christ blessed us with all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. And so, you know, as I mentioned last week, it's kind of like the it's the climax of a fireworks service. All this stuff is going off in Paul's mind, right? All of these reasons to to praise God and to bless his name because of all that he has done. And now what Paul does is this Paul says, not only do we praise him people, not only do we praise him, but I'm going to pray for you that you understand what you're praising him for, that you understand what you're praising him for. Paul thinking something like this. We praise God for all that he's done, but now we need to pray as Christians that God would give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation and the knowledge of him, that we might know what it is that we are praising him for. So let me just remind you, it is so important for you and for me to know what we are singing and praising God for. Like, we just sang three songs with all of our hearts. And sometimes, you know, the truth is this. Like we're we're we're locked in, we're engaged is body, soul, spirit, hands raised songs being sung at the top of our lungs. And yet sometimes, you know, while we love the melodies and we love the people leading in the worship, and we love the musicianship and we're all caught up in it. Sometimes the truth is, while we're singing, we don't even necessarily know what it is that we're singing or praising God for.

Speaker [00:07:39] Like we haven't matched our praise with prayer. We haven't matched our praise with a desire to go deep into an understanding of what it is that we're praising God for. Because listen, when you match your praise with knowing what it is that you're praising for, that's when it becomes worship. That's when it becomes becomes worship. That's when it's like God. Not only do I recognize intellectually that these things are true, but I experience them personally. I've applied them to my life and God, you transformed me and changed me. And so from the fullness of that God, I'm giving you the praise that you deserve. Amen. Amen. Amen. There is power. There is power in praise and prayer. There is power in praise and prayer. Your praise and your worship of God should lead you to, should compel you to, should drive you into a deeper prayer life. That is a powerful one two combination. If, as a Christian, you've been kind of struggling and you've been feeling weak and maybe you've you've plateaued a little bit in your relationship with God, I want to encourage you spend some time in praise coupled with prayer, and watch God fill the wells of your heart. Now you might be thinking, today I want to pray. I want to pray, pastor. I want a deeper prayer life. I want to really engage, with God in prayer. Sometimes I just hit the limit and I don't know what to what to pray for. And in those times where you hit a limit, I want to encourage you to reference the prayers in the Bible and use them as a guide for your prayer time. I'm not saying that, you just pray what's written. I'm saying that you consider what's written as maybe like in this circumstance, Paul is praying for this church at Ephesus, and you use that as a guideline.

Speaker [00:09:33] So, for instance, Paul has talked to them about praising God because they're redeemed in Christ, because there's an inheritance. Not only have they inherited God, but God has inherited them. And then they've been sealed with the guarantee of the Holy Spirit. And so now Paul couples that with prayer. And what he says to them is this. I'm praying that there is a divine work of God in your life, so that you have revelation in understanding that you might be able to really deeply know the hope of his calling, the riches of the glorious inheritance that he has in the saints, and the immeasurable greatness immeasurable today. You're like, it's a hard word, pastor. Say it again. Immeasurable. The immeasurable greatness of his power that works effectively towards us who believe. Paul starts this beautiful prayer by saying in verse 16, you can get your eyes on it today. He says, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. And this is really prayer, number one, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him having the eyes of your hearts enlightened. So Paul's like, listen, I love you guys. I'm thankful for you. I've heard about your faith. There's a blossoming work of the spirit in the city of Ephesus. It's a powerful thing. And I just want to let you know I've been praying. I've been pleading with the father. I've been beseeching on your behalf that there would be an immense understanding of what he's done in your life with respect to hope and glory and power. But first and foremost, I'm asking you that God reveals this to you, that God reveals this to you.

Speaker [00:11:29] Like you guys understand today, the understanding of God, the understanding of God comes from God. The understanding of God comes from God. In other words, you can't understand anything about God unless God gives it to you by divine revelation. That that's what revelation is. This is what God does. He gives to you. This is the purpose of the Holy Spirit. He enlightens your eyes of understanding. He is the spirit of wisdom and revelation. It is God who shows you, hey, thank God that he is disclosing things about himself to us every single day. So for instance, when we open up the scriptures together and we're studying the Bible together and you know, there's a spiritual epiphany, the light goes on, you see something you've never seen before about God that has happened not because you're just so spiritually great. Not not because, like, there's this, you know, deep spark, a spiritual spark within you that separates you from everybody else. It's not because you're so biblically intellectual and you're you're understanding of the things of God because you're just so smart is great. And that's why you have come to all these conclusions about God. Sorry. Blessed are the poor in spirit. The Bible says, the Bible teaches us that our knowledge of God does not come from ourselves. Its origin is not ourselves. It is the love of God. It is his care for you. It's his concern for you. It's his desire for you to know him so that His Spirit causes the light to go on. So it is good. It's good. And listen, I'm trying to lead you right now to connect some dots. Every time there's a new thing that you discover about God in your life, every time that happens, you can say, father, thank you so much, God.

Speaker [00:13:24] Thank you so much. Thank you so much that you love me. Thank you so much that even though you know I can be so hard headed and hard hearted sometimes, I can be so radically distracted. Sometimes I can be so caught up and consumed with the things of this world. God, even though that's the case. Father, you love me so much. And this is eternal life that I might know you, the one true God, and your only son, whom you've sent. God, you love me so much. You have self disclosed. You've given me something about yourself leading me closer to you. That's what God does. Hey, by the way, if you have someone in your life that you are really desiring that they know more about God before you share, before you speak, before you live out that Christian witness, remember be praying for them. Be praying for them. Be praying that God the Father would give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation that the light might go on for them. I think Paul prays this. And by the way, when he says, eyes of your hearts be enlightened. I mean, that's a fascinating phrase in and of itself. I think what Paul is saying is that they would have spiritual understanding through divine revelation that hits them in the core of their being and leads to transformation and leads to transformation. Let me say that again when Paul prays that the spirit of wisdom and revelation would cause the eyes of their hearts to be enlightened, what he's saying is that they would have spiritual understanding through divine revelation that hits them in the core of their being and leads ultimately to life transformation, because that is the purpose of revelation. God gives revelation to you and to me, so that we might take action causes the light to go on.

Speaker [00:15:19] He causes the curtain to be pulled back. You see what you've never seen before. And because it's God doing that work in your life, it transforms you. It changes you. And I think Paul prayed this because Paul experienced it. I think Paul understood. Paul understood the necessity for divine revelation. You know, Paul was cruisin on the way to Damascus. Paul was a man who was blinded by his own pride. Paul thought he was doing God a favor by snuffing out Christianity, by taking men and women who were out of the way and and incarcerating them, putting them in prison and putting them before. The Sanhedrin is sometimes even putting them to death. And while he's cruising to Damascus in his own personal blindness, you know what happens. He's confronted by Jesus. There's divine revelation in the moment. And there's a light that shines not only from heaven, but there's a light that shines in in Saul's heart. And, you know, you know, what was going through his mind when the Lord said, Saul, Saul, Saul, Saul. Why are you persecuting me? It's hard for you to kick against the goats. And he says, Lord, you know he's thinking. You said, you don't say Jesus, don't say Jesus. Don't say Jesus, Lord, who art thou? King James Version, who art thou, Lord? I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, right? And then and then all of a sudden, man, that that hardness of heart is torn and that darkness is filled with light. And so Paul understands that really walking with God and understanding God takes divine revelation. He'll say it to the church at Corinth later, and you'll put it in these words, he says, but as it is written, what no, eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man.

Speaker [00:17:10] Imagine what God has prepared for those who love him. These things God has revealed to us through the spirit. For the spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For he for who? Who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person which is in him. Paul goes on to say, so also, no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And so, so Paul is Paul is saying, listen, first I want you to know I've been praying for you. I've been praying that the father reveals to you that that there is the spirit of wisdom and revelation that's resting upon your life, that the that the eyes of your hearts might be enlightened to understand. And then Paul goes on to say, these are the things that I've been praying for you. He says in verse 19, or let's start in verse 18, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he's called you. What are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints? And what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us, who believe according to the working of his great might? And so Paul says, hey, listen, number one, I want you to know, I want you to understand. I want the Spirit of God to reveal to you the hope of your calling this great redemption that you have in Christ. Number two, all of the riches that have been made available to you, the glorious inheritance that he has in the saints, that not only do you have God, but that God has you.

Speaker [00:18:55] And then he says, number three, that you would know, that you would know the immeasurable greatness of his power. Like this is where the Apostle Paul lands. Of course, redemption and glory are radically important. But Paul for some reason lands on this issue of power. And Paul says, I want you to know it. I want you to know the immeasurable greatness of his power. I want you to know it in a way where you're aware of it. I want you to know it in a way where you come to understand it. I want you to know it in a way where you live with a daily recognition of it. And I want you to know it in a way where you use it, where you use the power of God every single day in your life. As a Christian, everything you need for a fully empowered life has already been given to you. Right? And can we can we can we sit on that for a minute? You know, there are there are things sometimes where it's like, man, you just you just want to take it in. You want to consider it. You want to think it through. You want to let it percolate, as it were, into your heart. As a Christian, everything you need for a fully empowered life has already been given to you. It's already at your disposal. It's already been made available. Everything that you need to have an overwhelming, overwhelmingly flourishing life God has presented to you. And so listen, brothers and sisters, I want to encourage you. Stop living in weakness. Stop living in weakness. Stop living in spiritual poverty. Stop. Stop living your life in such a way where it's like, hey, you're just waiting for God to give you something so that you can be an overcomer because you just don't have what it takes in your life to overcome right now.

Speaker [00:20:44] You know that that's not true. He's provided everything for you. I want to encourage you today to stop living in the framework of I can't. Some of us are. That's the framework of our life. That's what we're stuck in. You know, that's the mire that our legs are locked in. This is the mantra. This is the narrative that we speak over our life on a daily basis. We're not living the life that's that's empowered fully by the Spirit of God. We're still stuck in. We're still stuck in the framework of I can't and we forget Philippians 4:13 that says, I can do all things through him who strengthens me. I can do all things. Like, you know, I just want to make it clear today, that that whole sentence is really important because this is not just an inspirational message. This is not a hey, you can do all things here. You can do all things. You got great willpower. If you could just assert yourself and assert your willpower. That's not the message today. The message today is in. Hey, there's power in habits. And so if you can just create some good, solid habits in your life, you're going to experience the real power that comes from consistent habit making. Now that's not the whole message. The whole message is this that that you don't have the power. But he does that. You can. Yeah. The whole, the whole message is you were once a slave to unrighteousness. You might have had a good habit created in your life for a week, or a month, or for six months or for a year. But you know, it fell apart because you did not have the strength to sustain it. He has the power not only to work in you both to willing to do for his good pleasure, but to sustain it through a whole lifetime.

Speaker [00:22:38] The word. The word for power here is endunamoo . Endunamoo. I want you to say Endunamoo today. And now I know what you're thinking. What you're thinking today is this. You're thinking six, eight, ten, 12, six, eight, ten, 12. Because. Because that little jingle got stuck in your head. I want to thank you, Desiree, for that. That was good. But. And now now you got Endunamoo Where we get dynamite, where we get dynamic from. It means to be strengthened. It means to be empowered. It means to be infused with the spirit and power of God. You know, I don't know why this picture crossed my mind when I was thinking of this, but. But I thought Captain America. I thought, and some of you, if you've seen the movie Captain America, raise your hand if you've seen the movie. Okay, so you know, a little tiny, skinny Steve Rogers who's like this, you know, 100 pounds, soaking wet little skinny guy that's trying to get into the army because he wants to participate in World War Two. But he's just so frail. He's he just can't do it is absolutely impossible. And so what happens is he becomes part of an experiment, and he's put in this big contraption, his little skinny body. The contraption is closed. There are needles that that go into his body and inject him with the fluid. And then there's light that's poured out. Right. And so he goes in all teeny skinny, scrawny Steve Rogers, and then the thing opens up and he comes out, Captain America, right? I mean, he's just all ripped and buff and strong and, like, completely changed. And this may be maybe the lamest illustration ever given on the face of the planet Earth about how how we are empowered.

Speaker [00:24:23] But the reality is this that that the Spirit of God has empowered you, Christian. The Spirit of God has empowered you like some of us are living to the old weakness that we had before we knew Christ, and we're not living to the new power that he has poured out in our life. It is an immeasurable power. This is what Paul says. Paul gives a picture of the power on purpose. He gives a picture of the power on purpose. He's like, listen, by the way, I don't know if this is my paraphrase. I don't know if you know this, but I'm praying that you would know the immeasurable greatness of his power. You know the power I'm talking about. I'm talking about the same power. Say same power today. I'm talking about the same power that raised him from the dead. I'm talking about the same power that caused him to ascend to the right hand of God, where he is seated today. I'm talking about the same power that has put him above and over principalities and powers and rulers and dominions and authorities. I'm talking about the same power that has given him a name that is above every name. I'm talking about the same power that has caused him to be the head over the church. You know what I'm talking about. And and if it's if it's connect the dots. If it's connect the dots. Paula thing I want you to connect the power that he's placed in you to the power. The same power that has caused all those things to come to pass in him. That same power works effectively in you. And so today, listen, what we need to do is we need to access we need to access that same power.

Speaker [00:26:00] We need to turn our I can't into in Christ I will we need to turn our I can't into in Christ. Will you? Some of you are like, you know, pastor, that would have read a lot better if you would have written it like turn your I can't into in Christ I can write more more. All right, all right, all right. Let me tell you why I didn't write it like that. Because sometimes, sometimes, you know, what happens is we live in that. The theory of I can we live in the theory of I can. It's like we acknowledge it, we affirm it, we a minute. We are theologically in alignment with it. We know it's possible. We know it's possible. Which is why I put I will because it takes the possible and makes it transformational. It takes the possible and makes it personal. It's saying, hey, not only do I believe that that power is available and I can access it, but I am going to I'm going to, you know, for the Christian, the truth is this when we say I can't, the reality is what what we're saying is I won't, I won't. And you know what? Talk honestly to yourself like that. Because sometimes it's like, God, I can't this and I can't that, and I can't this and I can't that. And God's like, no, it's not that you can't because everything has been provided for you to be able to. It's that you won't. You're choosing to live in the weakness. You're choosing to have a spiritual mindset of poverty. You know, you've created a framework that has become a prison for yourself. Well, I've provided everything necessary for you to live in strength. And I just want to say, especially for millennials, Gen Z, Alpha generation, the narrative of the culture is to foster you in your weakness.

Speaker [00:28:01] The narrative of the culture is to foster you in your weakness and foster you in your own self-absorption. And this is I'm not making a statement against you. I'm saying that this is the narrative of our culture. And if you're in Christ, your narrative isn't weakness anymore. Your narrative isn't self-absorption anymore. Your narrative isn't your own limitations anymore. And so let me just hit you up with a couple of things today. Number one, you have the power to walk in love. You have the power to walk in light, and you have the power to walk in wisdom. So let's just make this practical today. Do you have difficult people in your life right now that are hard to love? Anybody raise? Don't point. Don't point. Raise your hand if you got somebody, don't elbow at the same time. Kids with parents, wives with husbands. You guys know church with pastor. Like I get it for sure. Listen, sometimes what happens? Well, sometimes what happens is this. There are people. That come into our lives. Sometimes we open the door to people that we should never open the door to. Right? Right. And ways we get deep into relationships that that God's like, hey, I'm not the one doing that. I'm not the one doing that. And you have no business being this far down the road in a relationship that's so deep. That was never my goal for you in the first place. But the reality also is that God does place people in our life that are really challenging. And sometimes, you know, if you're anything like me, you can get to a place where it's like, God, really, like, really God, I can't take this anymore like you have. Are you seriously going to ask this much of me? You know, you have to trust me beyond my limitations.

Speaker [00:29:59] This person, this person is so over the top. How can you expect me? How is it possible for any human being? Right? And so sometimes what happens when we approach people like that? We allow ourselves to stew in bitterness and anger and frustration. We hold grudges, and we feel like we're justified in holding our grudges. All of that turns into gossip and negativity and unrestrained anger, because we're living in unempowered life. And the reality is, what we ought to be doing is we ought to be loving like Jesus loved. Right. Remember, with me, brothers and sisters, responding in the flesh isn't your only alternative. Amen. You're like the pastor. I want to give them a piece of your mind. I want to give you a piece of my mind. And you know, what they need is a piece of God's heart. That that's that's really what they need. I want to encourage you today. You have all the power to turn the I can't into. In Christ I will love. In Christ I will be merciful. In. In Christ I will be gracious. Some of you right now are like, that hurts, pastor. Well, that's what happens when part of our flesh dies, right? It hurts in Christ. I will love. In Christ. I will be merciful. In Christ I will be gracious. I will deal with truth, not with lies. I will love people God's way and not my way. So we have power to walk in love. We also have power over the flesh. We have power over the flesh. Do you today have a life besetting sin that's anchored itself in you to a point where you've become discouraged and despondent and hopeless and you're like, I can't help myself. Like I'm so down the road on this behavior I can't help myself.

Speaker [00:31:50] And, you know, sometimes the the tendency for us is to blame our genetic makeup. Sometimes we blame our. Our country of origin. Like, you know, it's like people say to me, Derek, you don't understand, man. I am Italian and Irish, like, all in one, all in one. Like, do you know how hard that is in the first place? And so now you know what? Like why I'm volatile now, you know, I fly off the handle. Now you know why I'm a person who just speaks my mind. And it's like. It's like, hey, well, listen, you you are from you have you have a new country of origin. You have a new country of origin. You're a citizen of heaven. Sometimes we get stuck in these cycles that are family cycles from generation to generation, where you think, well, this is just the way my family's always been. You know, my my family's always been, full of alcoholics or people who have addiction issues. And so this is just, you know, I guess the destiny for me. And I would say to you, the destiny for you is the power of God that breaks chains in your life, even chains that have been a part of your family for generation after generation. So take your. I can't turn to the power that's been made available to you and say, In Christ I will choose. In Christ I will choose by the power of the Spirit of God to walk in righteousness. In Christ. I will choose to make one right, empowered, God honoring, biblical decision, one at a time, one at a time. And as I take one step, then I'll take the next step. And after God is faithful in that step of obedience, I will take the step.

Speaker [00:33:33] After that, I want to remind you, Romans 8:37 says this no, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Right. So what does it mean to be more than a conqueror? Overcome to overcome. Why? Victory to have the victory. Why? To freedom. Why? What? Because. Sonia. Because. Because he's already got the victory. Look, how can you be more than a conqueror? Or you can be more than a conqueror because he conquered. Because he won the victory. Because it's not about you winning. The victory is about him handing the victory to you and you choosing to walk in it. Brothers and sisters, walk in a you have power in your mind. For for some of us, there are cycles of toxic thinking. The same narrative plays over and over and over again, and we think, man, I just can't stop thinking like that. I can't control the thoughts in my mind. I'm a slave to this type of thinking. But the truth is this that in Christ your mind will be renewed. You can have the mind of Christ. You can choose to meditate on those things that are good. The final thing today is there so you have the power to walk in love. You have power over the flesh in Christ. You have power in your mind to have the mind of Christ. And then finally, you have power over principalities. Now the truth is, as Christians, we are all under attack. We're all under attack on a daily basis. There are real demonic attacks that are relentless, that are either coming our way or that we're in the middle of right now. And some of us, what we've chosen to do is we've just chosen to lay down and take it.

Speaker [00:35:27] We've we've allowed ourselves to be the devil's punching bag. We've laid ourselves out like a speed bump, and we're just getting run over. Time and time again, for some of us, for some of us, we've thrown ourselves under the bus, and the bus has run over us and backed up over us and run over us again and backed up over us again. And you know what? We just learned to live in this. We've learned to live in a spirit of defeat. We've learned to live in the spirit of defeat and, you know, in your corner, because we're like thinking UFC here in your corner is the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit saying to you, get up off the mat, get up off the mat. Stop allowing yourself to live under the framework of this spirit of defeat. Stand strong in the power of his might. Stop giving the devil more power than he truly has. Some of us, we say with our lips, Jesus is more powerful than the devil, but we live with our lives. The alternative, our lives really express that the adversary has more important, has more power than our Savior. And so today, I want to encourage you to access the power that's been supplied to you, that you don't have to live your life in weakness. That you don't have to live your life as a victim. That you don't have to be laying down on the mat getting pummeled and run over by the devil because our Savior has ascended to the right hand of the father and he is above all principalities, powers, dominions, rulers, mighty and authorities. And because he has that, you need to choose to walk in it. So. So it sounds something like this.

Speaker [00:37:20] It sounds something like this. In Christ, I will stand strong in the power of his might and wage war against principalities and powers with the spiritual weapons of war that God has given to me. I will not be a victim or another one of Satan's statistics. I will not be a victim or another one. Now, now, listen, I'm going to have you. I'm going to have you say that last sentence out loud with me. Saying it out loud is good. Believing it and walking in it is a completely different thing. Okay. But I want you to read the last one. The last sentence with me. Ready? One. Two. Three. I will not be a victim or another one of Satan's statistics. We have as pastors in the last couple of months we have wrestled. We have wrestled with principalities and powers, we have wrestled spiritually and we have wrestled physically. We have seen people exercised of demons, and that has come through praying and seeking the face of God and enduring in prayer for hours, pleading the blood and power of Christ over people's lives to the point, relentless on that, to the point where Christ ultimately brings the victory. And I want to I want to encourage you. I want to remind you today that we don't battle against flesh and blood, but principalities and powers. And you know what that means? That means sometimes you've got to get on your face. Sometimes that means you've got to get on your knees. The truth is this our prayer list. This sometimes is the reason why we're getting run over time and time again by the devil. And we've just learned to live in this condition. And what we need to do is we need to get on our knees, and we need to earnestly agonize in prayer, pleading the power of the blood of Christ over our life, our loved ones, our city, our nation.

Speaker [00:39:12] Until we see the victory with our own eyes, until we see lives transformed and changed, until we see the power of Christ's redemption, rescuing and delivering those who are lost. Until we see spiritual strongholds and chains broken. We walk in that power. We walk in that endunamoo we walk in that strength. And I, we say to you today that all begins right now. It begins right now. It's not a matter of, hey, I'm going to walk out of church today and I learn something theologically new about God. And and I affirm it. And I really think, theoretically, that I can know it begins with a decision, a choice right here, right now, right here and right now. Chains can be broken right here and right now, prison doors can be opened, and people who are in bondage can be set free right here and right now. For those of us who are Christians who've lived barely tapping into the power of God, we can make a decision that will change our life forever. But ultimately, the choice is yours.