Presented by: Bill Perkins

1. Presented by: Bill Perkins

3. “Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.“ Genesis 1:28

4. 10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Ephesians6:12

5. 7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 1 Peter 5:8

6. 10As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine. 11Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! 12And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. 13For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve. 2 Corinthians 11:14

7. Jesus openly confronted Satan and his army of demons

8. Today the battle is spiritual and the war is for your heart—the core of your being that serves as the center of your intellect, emotion, and will.

9. 20 My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. 21 Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; 22 for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body. 23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. 24 Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Proverbs 4:23

10. While part of us craves combat and victory, we’ve believed the culture’s lie that says we’re spectators, not warriors. We’ve been beaten down. The disappointments of life have stripped away our manhood.

11. During a time of deep despair in my life I read the story of David’s Mighty Men in 2 Samuel 23.

12. Who were these men?

13. 1 David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father's household heard about it, they went down to him there. 2 All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him. 3 From there David went to Mizpah in Moab and said to the king of Moab, "Would you let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God will do for me?" 2 Samuel 22:2

14. Two cultural bullies dominate men like the Big Bad Wolf

15. Cultural Bullies • You are what you own • Medicate your pain with sex

16. How do we stand up to these bullies?

17. We follow the example of David’s Mighty Men

18. 11   Now after him was Shammah the son of Agee a Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered into a troop where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines. 12   But he took his stand in the midst of the plot, defended it and struck the Philistines; and the LORD brought about a great victory.. 1 Samuel 23:11-12

19. Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty men, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim for battle. Then the men of Israel retreated, 10 but he stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead. 11 Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel's troops fled from them. 12 But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the LORD brought about a great victory. 2 Samuel 23:10

20. How could he do that?

21. 7 You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. 8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you. 9 " 'I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. 10 You will still be eating last year's harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new. 11 I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. 13 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high. Leviticus 26:7-8

22. We must stand our ground and fight in the power of God.

23. 7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 1 Peter 5:9

24. 10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Ephesians6:13

25. Shammah stood his ground and fought for a field of beans. What must we fight for in the battle for our heart?

26. There are six battles we must fight and win . . . The first is for our identity..

27. I. Win the fight for your identity A. See yourself as a mighty man of God

28. 8 These are the names of David's mighty men: Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was chief of the Three . . . 11 Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. 2 Samuel 23:8,11

29. We’ve all been wounded.

30. The Bible is filled with men who suffered before God used them. • Joseph • Moses • Peter

31. What’s in a name?

32. Regardless of your name. . . You’re a mighty man of faith. That’s your true identity Given to you by the God who Created you and lives within you.

33. Living like a warrior demands you embrace the inevitability of hardship rather than fleeing from it.

34. Hardship tempts you to: See yourself as less than a mighty man Or, try to avoid hardship altogether.

35. I. Win the fight for your identity A. See yourself as a mighty man of God B. Know hardship will strengthen you

36. All of David’s Mighty Men were veterans in the war with hardship.

37. 1 David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father's household heard about it, they went down to him there. 2 All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him. 3 From there David went to Mizpah in Moab and said to the king of Moab, "Would you let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God will do for me?" 1 Samuel 22:2

38. A warrior isn’t weakened by hardship he’s strengthened.

39. 7To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

40. Drawing on God’s strength when you’re weak puts you shoulder to shoulder with other great warriors • Elijah • Daniel • Paul

41. Suffering and disappointment are God’s way of exposing your weakness so you can find your identity in his strength.

42. God wired you to be a warrior and offers you his unlimited strength to assure your victory.

43. 6So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8

44. Beaten men are transformed into warriors when they understand who they are and fight for their identity.

45. In the battle for your heart you must fight for your identity. As you do that, you’ll be ready to draw near to God and fight the second battle.

46. Battle Two: “Fight For Holiness”

47. Devil’s Tower National Monument Devil’s Tower Wyoming

48. The word “Holy” • Is not synonymous with “pure” • It describes the essence of all of God’s attributes. • “Separate,” not in the sense of “apart from,” but possessing a superior excellence • “Transcendent” as something that goes beyond ordinary limits, surpassing, or exceeding. God is above his creation.

49. How does the holiness of God relate to evil? Remember, we’re engaged in a war between good and evil, a holy God and an unholy army of demons servants of God and enemies of God

50. Because God is intrinsically holy Evil can no more invade his being than darkness can infiltrate light.