Wild At Heart Chapter 9

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Wild At Heart Chapter 9

• A Battle to Fight The Strategy
• If you do not face up to the enemy in all his
  dark power, then the enemy will come up from
  behind some dark day and destroy you why you are
  facing the other way Frederick Buechner
• William Gurnall Quote 157

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• The invasion of France and the end of WWII
  actually began the night before. Paratroopers
• Alone or in small groups, they moved through the
  dead of night across a country they have never
  been in order to fight and enemy they could not
  see or predict.
• D-day story 158
• This is a perfect picture of many churches today
  when it comes to the topic of spiritual warfare
• We usually believe it happens to others more
  dangerous than us, if at all.

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Stage One Im not here

• This is the Enemys first line of attack
• Im not here-this is all just you
• You cant fight a battle you dont think exists
• Screwtape letters 159
• Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the
  devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking
  for someone to devour. resist him, standing firm
  in the faith, because you know that your brothers
  throughout the world are undergoing the same kind
  of sufferings 1st Peter 58

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• What is Peter assuming about your life in this
  passage?
• You are under spiritual attack
• Hw is talking to Christians
• What does he warn you to do?
• Resist the devil
• Fight back
• Take a stand
• Armor of God

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• The enemy counts on our not giving him credit, he
  feeds off of misunderstanding an injured pride.
• Johns fellow ministry story page 160
• When you ignore the enemy he wins
• He simply loves to blame everything on us , get
  us feeling hurt, misunderstood, suspicious, and
  resentful of one another.
• In military strategy one of the first things you
  must do is take out the opposing armys line of
  communication.

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• The Evil One does this all the time in
  ministries, relationships, and especially in
  marriages between couples.
• Why does He attack marriages so hard?
• Because marriage is a stunning picture of what
  God offers His people.
• When man and woman come together as one they
  complete both images of God.
• The enemy knows this and he hates it with every
  ounce of his malicious heart.
• So just like in the garden Satan comes into try
  to divide and conquer.

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• John and Stasis feelings of blowing it.
• If neither one of them was sending the message
  than who was?
• Most of all the Enemy tries to break
  communication with headquarters (God)
• What happens when you commit yourself to prayer
  every morning for two weeks? 161
• Sometimes there is nothing to obey, the only
  thing to do is to maintain a vital connection
  with Jesus Christ, to see that nothing interferes
  with that Oswald Chambers

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• Next the enemy uses propaganda
• Tokyo Rose
• He is constantly putting his spin on things
• accuser of our brethren Revelations 1210
• Think of what you hear when you feel you really
  blew it is it youre such an idiot Youre a
  dumb---
• What do you hear?
• What do you notice
• Youre
• If it it wasnt accusation you would hear I
• Johns Wild at Heart speaking story

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• Christ was hit by the same accusations three
  times by the enemy If Luke 41-13
• Brad, Craig and Johns accusations 162
• So long as a man remains no real threat to the
  enemy, Stans line to him is you are fine, but
  after you take sides, his message becomes your
  heart is bad and you know it
• The enemys other ploy in this strategy is to
  probe the perimeter looking for weakness. Looking
  on how he can take you out.

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• Satan will throw a thought or a temptation at us
  in hopes that we we will swallow it. He knows
  your story, knows what works with you and so the
  line is tailor made to your situation.
• Johns prayer time 163
• When Satan probes make no agreements, if we make
  an agreement, if something in your heart says
  yeah you are right, he will then pour it on.
• Beautiful woman story 163
• The enemy does not start every fire but is
  waiting with the gas can.
• Simple issues escalate to unbelievable places

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• All the time we continue to believe we are
  blowing it, were to blame and the Enemy lughs at
  us because we have swallowed the lie Im not
  here, it just you
• How can we fight him on this?

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Hanging on tho the Truth 163

• When we are under attack we need to hang on to
  the truth. Dodge the blow , block it with stuborn
  refusal, slash back with what is true.
• Hos did Christ answer Satan?
• He did not argue wit him
• He did not reason with him
• He simply stood on the truth, He answered with
  scripture, and we have to do the same.
• But the enemy is ruthless he not only throws
  thoughts but feelings, dark house, check out line

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• When these occur it is when your strength is
  revealed and even increased through excersise.
• Stand on what is true and do not give in, even
  when the traitor inside wants to.
• Proverbs 423
• This does not mean lock up your heart because
  you can not trust it
• It means to defend it like a castle, the seat of
  your strength, you do not want to give away
• Yet we must be watchful at the beginning of the
  temptation, for this is when the enemy is more
  easily overcome Kempis
• Beat him back at the gate not at the door to our
  hearts- Brave heart clip

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Stage Two Intimidation 165

• Stasis depression
• The Enemy, once discovered, usually doesnt just
  roll over and go away without a fight.
• Even Jesus sometimes had to use a stern voice or
  had to get more information to take them on.
• Luke 826-33
• If Jesus had to get tough dont you think we will
  have to as well
• Firm in the faith
• Stasis story revisited

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• When we begin to question the enemy, to resist
  his lies, to see his hand in the ordinary
  trials of our lives, then he steps up the
  attack, he turns to intimidation and fear
• Does this feel creepy to you?
• Why does Satan go to this extent?
• Because he fears you
• Yes you
• You are a huge threat to him, he does not want
  you to wake up and fight back, because when you
  do he loses.
• He tries to keep you from taking a stand.

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• The thoughts come crashing in, all stuff begins
  to fall apart, your life, your faith seems paper
  thin.
• Why do so many pastors kids fall off the deep
  end?
• Churches split or die out?
• Why do things get so hard?
• Why does everything at work seem to fall apart
  when you are making some advances at home or vise
  versa?
• Because the Evil One is striking first hoping you
  will turn tail and run.
• He cant win
• We have nothing to fear, but fear itself FDR

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God is with us 167

• Josh16-7,9
• Joshuas story- God was with him 167
• Jerimiah had God with him
• Jesus had God with Him 168
• I am always with you, even to the end of the
  age Matthew 2820
• I will not leave or forsake you Hebrews 135
• This does not mean He is simply beside us, it
  means He will fight for us, with us, just as He
  has fought for His people before us.

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• As long as we walk with Christ, staying in Him,
  we have nothing to fear.
• Satan tries to appeal to the traitors commitment
  to self preservation when he uses fear and
  intimidation. As long as we continue to look out
  for number one and try to save our own skin, his
  tactics will work.
• The opposite is also true
• When a man resolves to become a warrior, when his
  life is given over to a transscendent cause, then
  he cant be cowed by the big bad wolf trying to
  blow his house down.
• How did the saints overcame the enemy?
• Revelations 1211

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• All men die, few men ever really live William
  Wallace
• G. K Chesterton quote on courage 168

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Stage Three Cutting a Deal 169

• After we have resisted deception and
  intimidation, the enemy will try to get us to cut
  a deal.
• End of Days clip
• So many men have been bought off in one way or
  another
• Christian leaders sex scandal/boredom stories 170
• When did King David fall? 170
• William Gurnall quote 170-171

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The Weapons of War 171

• Time with God. Not just discipline or routine,
  but connecting with God
• You can do this many ways
• Prayer
• Study
• Listen to Music
• Time in nature
• Exercise
• Silence and solitude
• The point is to do whatever brings your heart
  back to the heart of God.

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• This is vital
• We are history if we dont
• What do you do to connect to God?
• Johns story about time with God 171
• If we do not have God and have Him deeply we will
  turn to other lovers.
• Maurice Roberts quote 172
• The ability to discipline ourselves is there,
  even thought it may be dormant.
• Robert Bly quote 172

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• Against the Evil one we need to wear the Armor of
  God
• How many Christians really know what to do with
  this passage?
• It literally means God has armor for you to wear
  against this unseen enemy.
• How can we claim the armor? 173-174
• Daily Prayer
• When we walk in the authority of Christ, do not
  attack in anger, do not swagger forth in pride.
  You will get nailed.
• We have been given and need Gods authority
  against the enemy. Matthew 2818, Col. 210

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• Rebuke the enemy in your name and he laughs,
  rebuke him in the name of Christ and he flees!!!
• Do not go into this battle alone, take at least
  one man with you.
• Men find it hard to accept that they need the
  fellowship of other men David Smith
• Not accountability groups but fellow warriors to
  fight alongside and watch our back.
• The whole crisis in masculinity today has come
  because we no longer have a warrior culture, a
  place for men to learn to fight like men.
• We dont need a meeting of really nice guys, but
  a gathering of really dangerous men.

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• We need men to whom we can bear our souls, but it
  cant happen with men you do not trust, who
  really are not willing to go to battle with you.
• Look at the devotion of men who have gone to
  battle together.
• It will never be a large group, but rather a
  Band of Brothers willing to shed their blood
  with us.

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Honor Wounds 176

• You will be wounded, and the wounds a man can
  take in this battle are more ugly than ones in a
  firefight.
• It is bad to loose your leg, but nothing compared
  to loosing heart
• A piece of shrapnel may not ruin your sould but
  guilt and shame can.
• You will be wounded by the Enemy. He knows the
  wounds of your past, and he will try to wound you
  again in the same place.
• These wounds are different, they are honor wounds.

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• It is an honor to be wounded in the service of
  the Lord Rick Joyner
• Blaines scars 176
• We have no equivalent now for a Purple Heart of
  spiritual warfare, but we will.
• The kingdom of Heaven suffers violence said
  Jesus, and violent men take it by force Matthew
  1112
• Contrast this with the kingdom of Heaven is open
  to passive, wimpy men who enter it by lying on
  the couch and watching TV
• Masculine aggression for God is a good thing
• Things will get fierce, that is why we have a
  fierce heart. We will need every once of
  forcefulness and passion we have got.

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• Next time Chapter 10 A beauty to rescue.