Once again, this week's "Move-Me Monday" is about the sermon I heard yesterday. It was too good not to share!
Like I said last week, my church is doing a series right now called "At the Movies".
Pastor Chris takes movies with redemptive qualities and preaches a sermon around the movie clips. He calls them "modern day parables". It is so, so, so awesome! If you live anywhere near a Church of the Highlands campus you really should try and go. There are two more weeks in the series =)
Yesterday's sermon was based around the movie, "Captain Phillips". I had never seen the movie but I definitely want to watch the whole thing now! Here is the trailer:
"Captain Phillips" is based on a true story about a man named Richard Phillips. It takes place in April of 2009 and begins with him about to embark on a trip that was just business, as usual. What he thought was just another normal day and another normal trip ended up being a fight for his life. Shortly after he set sail on the Maersk Alabama and was in route from Oman to Kenya the ship was hijacked by Somali pirates. The movie shows him standing up to the enemy and fighting for his life using a variety of tactics that eventually led to his rescue by a team of Navy SEALS.
The underlying theme of the message was fighting the enemy. As a believer, it is made clear to me in Ephesians 6:12 that the main struggles that I will experience in this life will not be against things of this earth but against the rulers and the powers of the dark world- basically, we are going to fight a spiritual battle against the devil. His number one goal is to steal, kill, and destroy as it says in John 10:10. That is a sobering thought. There is someone out there whose MAIN goal is to destroy my life?! 1 Peter 5:8 calls him a roaring lion, walking about, seeking who he may devour. Yikes. So even when we think things are "business, as usual", we still have an enemy plotting our attack. According to Pastor Chris, Satan's gameplan is simple and the same as it was since the Garden of Eden.
1. He lies to us. John 8:44 calls him the "father of lies". Those thoughts in your head telling you that you aren't good enough? That's him. The ones telling you that there is no way that with the past you have you are worthy of ever being loved? That's him. Be aware that these are LIES!
2. He tempts us. He knows and will exploit your weaknesses. Do you have a hard time resisting lust or sexual temptation? You better believe that Satan is going to throw them in your face constantly then! Whatever your weakness is, you can surely bet that those are the ways Satan is going to try and tempt you. Be prepared to resist!
3. He blinds the minds of unbelievers. Satan tries to do whatever he can so that unbelievers will not see "the light of the gospel, or the glory of Christ.." He promotes false philosophies and religions. Be aware of this!
4. He steals. He wants to steal your healing. He wants to steal your joy. He wants to steal your deliverance, your provision, your prosperity. He wouldn't be trying to steal from you if there was nothing to steal! That means we already have what he is coming for! Right?! Guard it!
We must put on the full armor of Christ and STAND FIRM!!! The spiritual battle we are fighting is intense! Pastor Chris said, "Christianity is not a playground, it is a BATTLEGROUND!" Here are the 3 things Peter tells us to do to fight off the enemy- because it says in James 4:7 that if we resist him, HE WILL FLEE.
1. Stay alert. It is so easy to become comfortable and complacent. Captain Phillips stayed alert and prepared because he knew that piracy was always a potential situation in the area through which he would be traveling. We have to be prepared for the devil's schemes since we know he is always trying to destroy us. He doesn't want us in a relationship with Christ and will do whatever he can to stop it! We must stay alert to this fact!
2. Stand firm. Keep resisting and fighting the enemy! Captain Phillips tried various tactics to fight the pirates- he negotiated, he played mind games, he fought them off physically, he jumped off the boat, etc. etc. We have to keep fighting even if our first try doesn't work. Find another way to fight! One of my favorite things that Pastor Chris said was this, "We aren't fighting FOR victory, we are fighting FROM victory." OUR GOD HAS ALREADY WON THE BATTLE!
3. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. The Bible tells us many times not to be afraid because God is with us. The hardest part is actually applying this in a scary situation. In my life, when I have been in scary situations I have had to just say prayers for peace and courage and strength over and over. I have had to remind myself that God is with me and I have no reason to be scared. Often an overwhelming sense of peace takes over when that realization is made. Captain Phillips was courageous in his attempts to fight off the pirates. He did not back down to them or let them know that he was afraid of them.
To wrap things up- we are in a battle, guys. Whether you are in an earthly storm like the ones we talked about last week (financial, health related, loss of a loved one, divorce, etc.) or not, we should always be prepared for a spiritual battle against the devil. If we take note of the ways that he tries to destroy us and then apply the action steps given to us by Peter we can make him flee! The main thing we have to remember is that even when we feel like their is no escape from the battle we are fighting- Jesus has already won! We are fighting from a place of victory! And that is SO comforting.
What can you do now if you know you are fighting a spiritual battle? Pastor Chris suggests getting a team together to help you. Come up with your plan on how you can stay alert, stand firm, and be strong. Keep in constant contact with the group and talk about progress or how to tweak your plan. Pray for everyone in your group to FILL their minds with the Word, pray without ceasing, and keep fighting. DO NOT give up!
Like I said last week, my church is doing a series right now called "At the Movies".
Pastor Chris takes movies with redemptive qualities and preaches a sermon around the movie clips. He calls them "modern day parables". It is so, so, so awesome! If you live anywhere near a Church of the Highlands campus you really should try and go. There are two more weeks in the series =)
Yesterday's sermon was based around the movie, "Captain Phillips". I had never seen the movie but I definitely want to watch the whole thing now! Here is the trailer:
"Captain Phillips" is based on a true story about a man named Richard Phillips. It takes place in April of 2009 and begins with him about to embark on a trip that was just business, as usual. What he thought was just another normal day and another normal trip ended up being a fight for his life. Shortly after he set sail on the Maersk Alabama and was in route from Oman to Kenya the ship was hijacked by Somali pirates. The movie shows him standing up to the enemy and fighting for his life using a variety of tactics that eventually led to his rescue by a team of Navy SEALS.
The underlying theme of the message was fighting the enemy. As a believer, it is made clear to me in Ephesians 6:12 that the main struggles that I will experience in this life will not be against things of this earth but against the rulers and the powers of the dark world- basically, we are going to fight a spiritual battle against the devil. His number one goal is to steal, kill, and destroy as it says in John 10:10. That is a sobering thought. There is someone out there whose MAIN goal is to destroy my life?! 1 Peter 5:8 calls him a roaring lion, walking about, seeking who he may devour. Yikes. So even when we think things are "business, as usual", we still have an enemy plotting our attack. According to Pastor Chris, Satan's gameplan is simple and the same as it was since the Garden of Eden.
1. He lies to us. John 8:44 calls him the "father of lies". Those thoughts in your head telling you that you aren't good enough? That's him. The ones telling you that there is no way that with the past you have you are worthy of ever being loved? That's him. Be aware that these are LIES!
2. He tempts us. He knows and will exploit your weaknesses. Do you have a hard time resisting lust or sexual temptation? You better believe that Satan is going to throw them in your face constantly then! Whatever your weakness is, you can surely bet that those are the ways Satan is going to try and tempt you. Be prepared to resist!
3. He blinds the minds of unbelievers. Satan tries to do whatever he can so that unbelievers will not see "the light of the gospel, or the glory of Christ.." He promotes false philosophies and religions. Be aware of this!
4. He steals. He wants to steal your healing. He wants to steal your joy. He wants to steal your deliverance, your provision, your prosperity. He wouldn't be trying to steal from you if there was nothing to steal! That means we already have what he is coming for! Right?! Guard it!
We must put on the full armor of Christ and STAND FIRM!!! The spiritual battle we are fighting is intense! Pastor Chris said, "Christianity is not a playground, it is a BATTLEGROUND!" Here are the 3 things Peter tells us to do to fight off the enemy- because it says in James 4:7 that if we resist him, HE WILL FLEE.
1. Stay alert. It is so easy to become comfortable and complacent. Captain Phillips stayed alert and prepared because he knew that piracy was always a potential situation in the area through which he would be traveling. We have to be prepared for the devil's schemes since we know he is always trying to destroy us. He doesn't want us in a relationship with Christ and will do whatever he can to stop it! We must stay alert to this fact!
2. Stand firm. Keep resisting and fighting the enemy! Captain Phillips tried various tactics to fight the pirates- he negotiated, he played mind games, he fought them off physically, he jumped off the boat, etc. etc. We have to keep fighting even if our first try doesn't work. Find another way to fight! One of my favorite things that Pastor Chris said was this, "We aren't fighting FOR victory, we are fighting FROM victory." OUR GOD HAS ALREADY WON THE BATTLE!
3. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. The Bible tells us many times not to be afraid because God is with us. The hardest part is actually applying this in a scary situation. In my life, when I have been in scary situations I have had to just say prayers for peace and courage and strength over and over. I have had to remind myself that God is with me and I have no reason to be scared. Often an overwhelming sense of peace takes over when that realization is made. Captain Phillips was courageous in his attempts to fight off the pirates. He did not back down to them or let them know that he was afraid of them.
To wrap things up- we are in a battle, guys. Whether you are in an earthly storm like the ones we talked about last week (financial, health related, loss of a loved one, divorce, etc.) or not, we should always be prepared for a spiritual battle against the devil. If we take note of the ways that he tries to destroy us and then apply the action steps given to us by Peter we can make him flee! The main thing we have to remember is that even when we feel like their is no escape from the battle we are fighting- Jesus has already won! We are fighting from a place of victory! And that is SO comforting.
What can you do now if you know you are fighting a spiritual battle? Pastor Chris suggests getting a team together to help you. Come up with your plan on how you can stay alert, stand firm, and be strong. Keep in constant contact with the group and talk about progress or how to tweak your plan. Pray for everyone in your group to FILL their minds with the Word, pray without ceasing, and keep fighting. DO NOT give up!
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