Breath of Life Ministries Presents 00:00:02.36\00:00:05.87 Sermon B581 - It's Time to Fight " 00:00:05.90\00:00:12.64 [Breath of Life Theme Music] 00:00:12.67\00:00:20.45 PB: Ephesians 6:10, the Word says "Finally, my brethren, 00:00:20.48\00:00:24.45 be strong." Be what, everybody? Aud.: Be strong. 00:00:24.49\00:00:28.16 PB: "Strong in the Lord, and in the power of his"- 00:00:28.19\00:00:30.53 -what? Aud.: Might. PB: "Put on the whole armour of God, 00:00:30.56\00:00:33.16 that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the"- 00:00:33.19\00:00:35.43 - what, everybody? Aud.: Devil. 00:00:35.46\00:00:37.10 PB: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, 00:00:37.13\00:00:38.47 but against principalities, against powers, against the 00:00:38.50\00:00:40.07 rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual 00:00:40.10\00:00:42.70 wickedness in high"-- what, everybody? Aud.: Places. 00:00:42.74\00:00:45.21 PB: "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, 00:00:45.24\00:00:48.81 that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, 00:00:48.84\00:00:51.71 and having done all, to"--do what, everybody? Aud.: Stand. 00:00:51.75\00:00:54.42 PB: It's time to fight. [Aud. reaction] 00:00:54.45\00:00:57.32 PB: Father, bless us now as we go into Your Word. 00:00:57.35\00:00:59.25 Hide us behind Your cross. Speak for Your servants here. 00:00:59.29\00:01:02.22 We'll be careful to give You the praise, the honor and 00:01:02.26\00:01:04.66 the glory. Move at the appeal time, we pray, oh God. 00:01:04.69\00:01:06.39 In Jesus' name. Amen. Aud.: Amen. 00:01:06.43\00:01:09.76 PB: Let me begin this way quickly. Anytime God 00:01:09.80\00:01:14.17 is trying to take you to another level in Him, 00:01:14.20\00:01:17.64 the devil goes crazy. [Aud. reaction] 00:01:17.67\00:01:20.48 PB: You hear me say it all the time. The higher the level, 00:01:20.51\00:01:24.11 the higher the what? Devil. Now, some people will complain, 00:01:24.15\00:01:28.38 "The devil's bothering me. The devil keeps messing with me." 00:01:28.42\00:01:30.72 But you ought to count it all joy, because if the devil 00:01:30.75\00:01:32.99 were not messing with you, I dare that the devil and you- 00:01:33.02\00:01:35.09 -you and the devil--are running in the same direction. 00:01:35.12\00:01:40.90 [Aud. reaction] Now, we're living in a day and age, 00:01:40.93\00:01:44.03 in a time, that is distinctively different than our past. 00:01:44.07\00:01:48.44 It is distinctively different than what we've ever seen 00:01:48.47\00:01:51.07 before, and the devil is not playing with us. Times are 00:01:51.11\00:01:55.34 getting rough. Times are getting what, everybody? 00:01:55.38\00:01:57.21 Aud.: Rough. PB: Times are not only getting rough, 00:01:57.25\00:01:58.98 times are getting tough. Times are getting what, everybody? 00:01:59.01\00:02:01.15 Aud.: Tough. PB: Wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes 00:02:01.18\00:02:05.19 in diverse places, hurricane Harvey is destroying as we 00:02:05.22\00:02:10.96 speak. Tornadoes are in the same vicinity. Terrorist attacks are 00:02:10.99\00:02:15.86 now the norm. Death, disease and destruction are rampant. 00:02:15.90\00:02:20.27 We are not burying people at 90 years old anymore. 00:02:20.30\00:02:24.34 We gotta bury somebody at 16 years old. Gunfire is 00:02:24.37\00:02:30.15 commonplace. Racial disharmony is like never before. We're in 00:02:30.18\00:02:38.65 2017, not the 1960s, but it's worse now than it was then. 00:02:38.69\00:02:46.59 Are you hearing what I'm saying? Because today unlike the '60s, 00:02:46.63\00:02:50.83 people are today being given the freedom to hate, the right to 00:02:50.87\00:02:58.41 fight, pardon to persecute, and license to kill. Y'all don't 00:02:58.44\00:03:04.21 hear what I'm saying today. [Aud. reaction] 00:03:04.25\00:03:06.31 PB: Our world is on the verge of a nuclear war. 00:03:06.35\00:03:10.09 I was talking to one of our members today, this week. 00:03:10.12\00:03:12.59 And though we hear a lot about nuclear war and atomic bombs 00:03:12.62\00:03:17.23 and whatnot, I'm encouraged because Revelation chapter 7 00:03:17.26\00:03:20.80 is very clear that God is holding back the winds of strife 00:03:20.83\00:03:25.60 till His servants have been sealed. So that means, North 00:03:25.63\00:03:31.74 Korea, the United States, China and Russia and everybody else 00:03:31.77\00:03:37.78 can talk all they want, but they can't do a thing that my God 00:03:37.81\00:03:43.99 won't permit. [Aud. reaction] PB: And while it might seem 00:03:44.02\00:03:47.46 that an atomic bomb or a nuclear bomb has the power to take an 00:03:47.49\00:03:51.89 entire people out, I just believe God's not going to let 00:03:51.93\00:03:55.73 that happen. [Aud. reaction] PB: Because God's Word is true 00:03:55.76\00:03:59.33 that when Jesus comes back, He's coming back for people; that the 00:03:59.37\00:04:03.64 dead in Christ are gonna rise, and then we which are alive 00:04:03.67\00:04:06.88 and remain are gonna be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. 00:04:06.91\00:04:09.24 Which means, if we were all dead from a nuclear attack, 00:04:09.28\00:04:12.75 who would rise and who would Jesus be caught up in the air 00:04:12.78\00:04:16.65 to meet the Lord. Are you hearing what I'm saying? 00:04:16.69\00:04:18.65 So we won't all be taken out, because if we were all taken 00:04:18.69\00:04:22.86 out, who would be among the righteous living when Jesus came 00:04:22.89\00:04:25.89 back? But in the name of Jesus, we gotta fight. 00:04:25.93\00:04:28.43 We gotta do what, everybody? Aud.: Fight. 00:04:28.46\00:04:30.03 PB: Now, I'm not talking about tanks, bombs, guns or fists, 00:04:30.07\00:04:34.34 but I'm talking about fighting in the warfare of God. 00:04:34.37\00:04:38.11 Because what is taking place in the earthly realm is a 00:04:38.14\00:04:41.98 microcosm of what is taking place in the spiritual realm. 00:04:42.01\00:04:45.51 Most Christians have forgotten that the spiritual life 00:04:45.55\00:04:49.45 is not a playground. It's a battlefield. It's a what, 00:04:49.48\00:04:53.76 everybody? Aud.: Battlefield. PB: And unfortunately, too few 00:04:53.79\00:04:57.76 of God's people are armed, equipped and dangerous. [Aud. 00:04:57.79\00:05:02.50 reaction] PB: Now, whether we like it or not, we're engaged in 00:05:02.53\00:05:05.83 spiritual warfare. We're fighting Satan. We're fighting 00:05:05.87\00:05:09.10 the devil, and if we're gonna be successful in this fight--hear, 00:05:09.14\00:05:12.11 hear me well--we'd better recognize that we cannot 00:05:12.14\00:05:16.34 approach today's battles with yesterday's methodologies. 00:05:16.38\00:05:20.55 [Aud. reaction] PB: You can't do 8-track ministry in 00:05:20.58\00:05:24.45 a DVD or digital society. Yes, the devil is the same 00:05:24.49\00:05:31.26 devil that messed with our mamas, daddies, grandmamas 00:05:31.29\00:05:35.16 and granddaddies, but the way the devil is fighting today 00:05:35.20\00:05:39.37 is more violent and vicious than how he fought yesterday. 00:05:39.40\00:05:43.97 Do you believe that everybody? [Aud. reaction] 00:05:44.01\00:05:45.94 PB: Let me tell you something. As I get older, 00:05:45.97\00:05:48.11 I realize that experience is important. Experience will 00:05:48.14\00:05:53.35 trump energy anytime. Let me say that one more time. 00:05:53.38\00:05:57.52 Experience will trump energy anytime. When you have 00:05:57.55\00:06:03.63 experience on a job application you're applying for, 00:06:03.66\00:06:07.46 you can get the employment opportunity based on your 00:06:07.50\00:06:10.87 experience. That's why they want a resume. Everybody say 00:06:10.90\00:06:15.07 "resume." Aud.: Resume. PB: They want to look at your 00:06:15.10\00:06:17.47 background, because experience can tell the interviewer some 00:06:17.51\00:06:21.18 aspect of what they get when they get you. Young people, 00:06:21.21\00:06:25.08 that's why you gotta work. [Aud. reaction] 00:06:25.11\00:06:27.22 PB: You have to work. You do understand that before God, 00:06:27.25\00:06:34.56 brethren, gave Adam Eve, God gave Adam a job. 00:06:34.59\00:06:40.26 [Aud. reaction] PB: If you want to be with me, 00:06:40.30\00:06:44.77 ladies--that's what I'm teaching my daughters. 00:06:44.80\00:06:46.80 I say, repeat after me--if you wanna be with me, 00:06:46.84\00:06:50.64 you gotta have a j-o-b. Are you hearing what I'm saying? 00:06:50.67\00:06:53.31 [Aud. reaction] PB: Are you hearing what I'm saying? 00:06:53.34\00:06:55.41 [Aud. reaction] PB: You gotta work, because you gotta 00:06:55.44\00:06:57.15 get some experience on your resume, so you can get a job. 00:06:57.18\00:07:00.52 But not only that, any psychologist will tell you that 00:07:00.55\00:07:04.22 the best way to determine someone's future behavior is 00:07:04.25\00:07:06.55 to look at their past behavior. So ladies, if he's killed 00:07:06.59\00:07:11.19 the last three women he's dated-- [laughter] 00:07:11.23\00:07:14.83 PB: --it's very likely--Are you hearing what I'm saying?- 00:07:14.86\00:07:22.14 -that if you're woman number 4, the odds are stacked against 00:07:22.17\00:07:28.51 you. Are you hearing what I'm saying? It's lunacy to think 00:07:28.54\00:07:31.55 that you can continue to do the same things and get different 00:07:31.58\00:07:34.92 results. Experience--what did I say, everybody? Aud.: 00:07:34.95\00:07:39.25 Experience. PB: Is a good barometer of what to expect in 00:07:39.29\00:07:43.02 the future. Experience can help you get a job. Experience can 00:07:43.06\00:07:45.79 help you in a tight spot. Experience can help you stop making crazy decisions. 00:07:45.83\00:07:49.43 There are assets to experience. But the flipside of that is 00:07:49.46\00:07:54.70 there are also liabilities to experience, because if you're 00:07:54.74\00:07:58.77 not careful, experiences can put you in a box where you will 00:07:58.81\00:08:02.71 assume that you can win the fight before you the same way 00:08:02.74\00:08:05.51 you won the fight behind you. When experience becomes 00:08:05.55\00:08:12.22 tradition, it becomes dangerous. When you lock God up in a box 00:08:12.25\00:08:20.03 and you say, God, You must always do it this way, you lose 00:08:20.06\00:08:25.90 the creativity of thought and action to be able to progress 00:08:25.93\00:08:30.04 into new methods of rescue that God would have for you, if you 00:08:30.07\00:08:33.81 could just stop worshiping how He did it, and start recognizing 00:08:33.84\00:08:38.65 He's the God that did it! [Aud. reaction] 00:08:38.68\00:08:41.65 PB: You'd be surprised at how some people, 00:08:41.68\00:08:44.49 and how God will give you a new situation, 00:08:44.52\00:08:47.16 but you will ruin it with an old method. 00:08:47.19\00:08:49.39 [Aud. reaction] PB: You'd be surprised. As pastors, 00:08:49.42\00:08:53.33 we talk to families, and you'd be surprised at the 00:08:53.36\00:08:55.60 people who may have resented the way their parents 00:08:55.63\00:08:57.37 raised them, but when the heat is on they act just 00:08:57.40\00:08:59.47 like their parents. You'd be surprised at the boys 00:08:59.50\00:09:03.30 who hated their fathers for beating their mamas, 00:09:03.34\00:09:05.54 and now they're dating or they're married to a lady, 00:09:05.57\00:09:07.98 and the moment things don't go right, they start acting 00:09:08.01\00:09:10.18 like the very thing they hated, because it's difficult 00:09:10.21\00:09:13.01 to break free from where you came from. You'd be surprised 00:09:13.05\00:09:18.32 at church folk who say when they get on the church board, 00:09:18.35\00:09:23.43 when they get on the nominating committee, when they get 00:09:23.46\00:09:27.00 in charge, they're gonna do new things. We have to have 00:09:27.03\00:09:32.50 new ideas, new strategies. But when the mantle of leadership 00:09:32.53\00:09:35.34 is passed on to them, they do the very same things that were 00:09:35.37\00:09:38.57 done before them. Why? You can be in a new place and still 00:09:38.61\00:09:42.51 have an old attitude. And if you don't change your old attitude, 00:09:42.54\00:09:47.78 you will fight in your old methodology. We're in a fight, 00:09:47.82\00:09:51.65 and yes, we have to fight. We're fighting the devil, 00:09:51.69\00:09:56.26 but we have to know that Satan has intensified his efforts. 00:09:56.29\00:10:00.86 So then, the people of God, we also must intensify our efforts. 00:10:00.90\00:10:07.80 We can't fight the same way we used to fight. We have to 00:10:07.84\00:10:12.64 fight harder. We have to fight stronger. We have to fight 00:10:12.67\00:10:17.21 smarter. In this text, Paul gives us insight to the battle 00:10:17.25\00:10:23.85 we're engaged in and the weapons we have to use in the battle. 00:10:23.89\00:10:25.99 Now, I'm not gonna talk so much about the weapons, 00:10:26.02\00:10:27.39 'cause we've preached that before. But when I read this 00:10:27.42\00:10:30.26 text, the first word that seems to leap off the text of the Word 00:10:30.29\00:10:34.63 for me is "stand." Everybody say "stand." Aud.: Stand. 00:10:34.66\00:10:36.67 PB: Put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able 00:10:36.70\00:10:40.90 to withstand--to stand--against the wiles of the devil. 00:10:40.94\00:10:43.14 Notice the text doesn't say retreat. But also notice, 00:10:43.17\00:10:50.15 the text doesn't say advance. The text just says stand, 00:10:50.18\00:10:56.92 which means you don't have to go looking for the devil. 00:10:56.95\00:10:59.65 You don't have to go searching for the devil. You, 00:10:59.69\00:11:03.26 if you're determined to do God's will, if you're determined 00:11:03.29\00:11:05.73 to do God's work, if you're determined to be a worshipper 00:11:05.76\00:11:08.03 and witness for God, you don't have to go looking for the 00:11:08.06\00:11:10.90 devil. The devil will come looking for you. Are you hearing 00:11:10.93\00:11:13.74 what I'm saying? [Aud. reaction] PB: But guess what. When he 00:11:13.77\00:11:15.67 finds you, as Dmitry said, he ought to find a Bible-believing, 00:11:15.70\00:11:19.47 Jesus-loving, Holy Ghost-intoxicated, no scared 00:11:19.51\00:11:26.41 standing child of God. So the Bible tells us to stand. 00:11:26.45\00:11:32.82 Hurricanes are coming, but stand. Tornadoes are coming, but 00:11:32.85\00:11:38.49 stand. Earthquakes are coming, but stand. War is coming, but 00:11:38.53\00:11:45.63 stand. Racism has come, is coming, will continue to come, 00:11:45.67\00:11:49.44 but we gotta stand. [Aud. reaction] 00:11:49.47\00:11:51.94 PB: Let me tell you something. God's Spirit is being 00:11:51.97\00:11:54.98 withdrawn from this earth. [Aud. reaction] 00:11:55.01\00:11:57.28 PB: The Bible says God's Spirit will not always strive 00:11:57.31\00:12:00.15 with man. This is not a time to lay down your religion. 00:12:00.18\00:12:04.42 This is the time to stand and put on the whole armor of God. 00:12:04.45\00:12:08.66 [Aud. reaction] PB: So, older folk, we gotta stand. 00:12:08.69\00:12:11.26 Young folk, you've got to stand. It's the time to stand. 00:12:11.29\00:12:15.03 But then the second word that jumps out at me, two words 00:12:15.06\00:12:17.53 actually, that jump out at me in the text are "put on." 00:12:17.57\00:12:20.70 Everybody say "put on." Aud.: Put on. 00:12:20.74\00:12:22.70 PB: Now, the Greek word and the Greek context for "put on" 00:12:22.74\00:12:25.84 here is panoply, which means, put on and keep on. 00:12:25.87\00:12:32.31 Put on and keep on the armor of God. In other words, 00:12:32.35\00:12:40.22 don't take it off. Keep it on. If we're gonna fight the devil, 00:12:40.26\00:12:45.66 we can't take God's armor off. God has given us everything 00:12:45.69\00:12:47.66 we need to fight, we just gotta keep it on. Because He's 00:12:47.66\00:12:50.00 given us everything we need, we don't fight for victory, 00:12:50.03\00:12:53.74 we fight from victory. [Aud. reaction] 00:12:53.77\00:12:57.71 PB: In the text, Paul also, after he tells us to stand 00:12:57.74\00:13:02.38 and put on keep on, Paul tells us in the text and lets 00:13:02.41\00:13:05.88 us know who we're fighting. We're not fighting each other. 00:13:05.91\00:13:11.65 The person seated next to you is not your enemy. 00:13:11.69\00:13:17.09 We're fighting the devil. Put on the whole armor of God 00:13:17.13\00:13:22.23 that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 00:13:22.26\00:13:25.70 The enemy, friends, is the devil. Now, the "devil" means 00:13:25.73\00:13:30.64 slanderer and accuser, and anytime you get involved in 00:13:30.67\00:13:35.41 and slander, or you're falsely accusing folk, you're acting 00:13:35.44\00:13:39.51 like the devil. [Aud. reaction] 00:13:39.55\00:13:42.35 PB: All right, you don't like that. That's all right. 00:13:42.38\00:13:44.35 Anytime you get involved in slander or you false accuse 00:13:44.39\00:13:51.89 folk, you're acting like the devil. See, all of you don't 00:13:51.93\00:13:57.70 like that. Let me say it again a different way. Some of us, our 00:13:57.73\00:14:02.10 biggest problem is not drinking; it's not drugs. We talk about 00:14:02.14\00:14:07.91 that in church, but that's not our biggest problem. Some of us, 00:14:07.94\00:14:10.25 our biggest problem is not clubbing, not fornication. 00:14:10.28\00:14:13.68 But our biggest problem is our mouth. [Aud. reaction] 00:14:13.72\00:14:19.22 PB: We love to talk about drug abuse. We love to talk about 00:14:19.25\00:14:26.36 substance abuse. We love to talk about fornication. Look at her; 00:14:26.39\00:14:32.10 look at him. But what about slander? What about accusations? 00:14:32.13\00:14:39.97 What about goss--I know I'm preaching, 'cause when you get 00:14:40.01\00:14:43.08 quiet, I know I'm preaching. Preach, Pastor Byrd. [Aud. 00:14:43.11\00:14:44.95 reaction] PB: It's the little, subtle ways we engage in gossip, 00:14:44.98\00:14:51.32 and nobody is spiritual enough to say hold up. Let's pray for 00:14:51.35\00:14:57.19 the person. Because if you do that, that will kill the whole 00:14:57.23\00:15:00.23 conversation. Are you hearing what I'm saying? But too many 00:15:00.26\00:15:03.47 of us are acting like the devil. We spend too much time 00:15:03.50\00:15:08.54 slandering each other, and your neighbor is not the enemy. Paul 00:15:08.57\00:15:12.07 says the devil is the enemy. He's a liar, he's a slanderer, 00:15:12.11\00:15:16.34 he's the accuser of the brethren. I'm not your enemy. You're not my enemy. 00:15:16.38\00:15:20.75 We're not enemies, but you have to understand, the devil 00:15:20.78\00:15:24.09 will use people. [Aud. reaction] 00:15:24.12\00:15:26.89 PB: And if we're not spiritually mature enough, we'll 00:15:26.92\00:15:28.86 get in an argument with somebody and really, we're in a fight 00:15:28.89\00:15:31.53 with the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, 00:15:31.56\00:15:34.73 but against principalities and powers, rulers of the darkness 00:15:34.76\00:15:37.70 of the world, spiritual wickedness in high places. Let 00:15:37.73\00:15:39.97 me throw this in quickly. That's why we need spiritual 00:15:40.00\00:15:43.44 discernment. [Aud. reaction] PB: Listen to me good. We need spiritual discernment. 00:15:43.47\00:15:46.21 Young people, you need spiritual discernment. Old people, 00:15:46.24\00:15:47.81 we need spiritual discernment. Because everything that happens 00:15:47.84\00:15:50.41 in your life is not the devil. [Aud. reaction] 00:15:50.45\00:15:54.75 PB: My tire is flat this morning. Satan flattened my 00:15:54.78\00:16:01.22 tire. [Aud. reaction] PB: No, he didn't. You rolled over a 00:16:01.26\00:16:07.20 nail, that's the devil--that's not the devil, that's a nail. 00:16:07.23\00:16:10.67 Are you hearing what I'm saying? Because when you get 00:16:10.70\00:16:13.10 to the point, the devil did this, the devil did that, 00:16:13.13\00:16:15.10 did that, you start getting spiritually paranoid. 00:16:15.14\00:16:19.71 The devil's on the phone--no he's not, that's your cousin. 00:16:19.74\00:16:22.61 [laughter] PB: That's not the devil. Don't become paranoid. 00:16:22.64\00:16:29.48 Balance religion with reason. Just because God protects me 00:16:29.52\00:16:35.22 doesn't mean I don't lock my house when I leave it. 00:16:35.26\00:16:37.56 I know some people have gone crazy because they were 00:16:37.59\00:16:40.03 so spiritually paranoid. Jesus didn't see a devil under 00:16:40.06\00:16:44.00 every branch, under every tree, in every book or in 00:16:44.03\00:16:47.24 every person. There are some folk who are just mean. 00:16:47.27\00:16:50.97 [Aud. reaction] PB: We're not talking satanic stuff. 00:16:51.01\00:16:56.98 We're talking mean. Saved and mean. [Aud. reaction] 00:16:57.01\00:17:02.02 PB: Sanctified and mean. [Aud. reaction] 00:17:02.05\00:17:07.02 PB: I'm doing the best I can, Sister. Amen. 00:17:07.06\00:17:10.79 [Aud. reaction] PB: That's why we need spiritual discernment, 00:17:10.83\00:17:14.83 because you can't keep crying wolf and blaming the 00:17:14.86\00:17:18.30 devil for everything. Sometime something happens to you, 00:17:18.33\00:17:21.80 when the devil then really does come, nobody's gonna 00:17:21.84\00:17:25.11 come to your rescue. [Aud. reaction] 00:17:25.14\00:17:28.11 PB: Satan is the enemy in the fight, not the person 00:17:28.14\00:17:29.81 seated next to you. Satan is the enemy. 00:17:29.84\00:17:31.45 But my last point is this--I told you I wasn't gonna be long. 00:17:31.48\00:17:33.62 We need energy for this fight against the devil. 00:17:33.65\00:17:41.49 We need some spiritual Gatorade for this fight 00:17:41.52\00:17:46.29 against the devil. Go back to verse number 10, 00:17:46.33\00:17:49.06 then I'm gonna sit down. I'm almost done. 00:17:49.10\00:17:51.43 It gives us some insight about spiritual energy. 00:17:51.47\00:17:54.34 We gotta know how to stand, we gotta know how to 00:17:54.37\00:17:56.20 put on our armor and keep on God's armor, 00:17:56.24\00:17:57.51 but we gotta know Satan is the enemy in the fight. 00:17:57.54\00:17:59.21 But let me tell you about the source of our energy 00:17:59.24\00:18:01.94 for this fight. Where do we get our energy to fight? 00:18:01.98\00:18:05.55 Where do we get our energy to fight off Satan? 00:18:05.58\00:18:09.12 Where do we get our energy to fight off depression? 00:18:09.15\00:18:12.29 Let me tell the young people that are hearing me in this, 00:18:12.32\00:18:14.12 in this place today. If you're ever depressed, 00:18:14.16\00:18:16.16 if you're ever down, before you do anything drastic, 00:18:16.19\00:18:20.06 I want you to come to that office. I don't care how 00:18:20.10\00:18:22.73 many people are lined up to see me, you come to that 00:18:22.76\00:18:25.70 office so I can tell you where you can get some 00:18:25.73\00:18:28.67 spiritual energy to fight off what the devil is trying 00:18:28.70\00:18:32.71 to put on you. Paul says, finally, brethren, 00:18:32.74\00:18:35.64 be strong in the Lord, in the power of His might. 00:18:35.68\00:18:40.48 The source of our energy is not within our selves. 00:18:40.52\00:18:45.22 That's good to know, but there are times because my 00:18:45.25\00:18:47.52 energy level runs low. But the Bible says, be strong 00:18:47.56\00:18:51.13 in the Lord, in the power of His might. That means, 00:18:51.16\00:18:56.00 we draw strength from the power of God's might. 00:18:56.03\00:18:59.93 Not our might, but His might. Not my will, 00:19:00.04\00:19:03.84 by Thy will be done. The word "might" means force, 00:19:03.87\00:19:07.68 it means strength, and the word "power" refers to God's 00:19:07.71\00:19:09.78 dominion and sovereign ability to exercise His power. 00:19:09.81\00:19:14.45 My power, your power, our power to fight the devil comes 00:19:14.48\00:19:18.62 from the Lord. We don't fight the devil in our own strength. 00:19:18.65\00:19:23.69 That's why so many people drop out and fall prey to the devil, 00:19:23.73\00:19:26.43 because you've been fighting the devil in your own strength. 00:19:26.46\00:19:28.93 But you will never defeat the devil by yourself. Paul says, 00:19:28.96\00:19:33.03 be strong in the Lord, in the power of His might. 00:19:33.07\00:19:37.57 But not only--and this is my last part--not only the 00:19:37.61\00:19:39.97 source of our energy, but also the scope of our energy. 00:19:40.01\00:19:44.71 Because when a believer's faith is in God, then God's 00:19:44.75\00:19:49.55 power becomes the power of that believer. [Aud. reaction] 00:19:49.58\00:19:54.89 PB: If we ever grasp that concept as a church, 00:19:54.92\00:19:59.79 that we are as strong in Whom we trust, we will revolutionize 00:19:59.83\00:20:06.33 this world. [Aud. reaction] PB: Let me try it this way. If you 00:20:06.37\00:20:12.84 trust in yourself, then you are as strong as you are. But when 00:20:12.87\00:20:20.62 you trust in God, you are as strong as He is. Somebody's still not getting it. 00:20:20.65\00:20:25.85 Let me try it this way. I can't fly. I know my last name is 00:20:25.89\00:20:32.66 Byrd-- [laughter] PB: --but I can't fly. I tried it as a 00:20:32.69\00:20:38.20 child. My brother and I had bunkbeds. I was on the top bed, 00:20:38.23\00:20:40.64 he was on the bottom bed. I jumped off the bed telling him, 00:20:40.67\00:20:42.60 I can fly. I had the song written before R. Kelly, 00:20:42.64\00:20:45.61 "I Believe I Can Fly." Come on, say amen. 00:20:45.64\00:20:48.64 [Aud. reaction] PB: And I believed I could fly, 00:20:48.68\00:20:50.95 but I jumped and busted my head on the way down, 00:20:50.98\00:20:52.91 had four stitches on the side of my head. 00:20:52.95\00:20:54.95 I learned, you cannot fly. The law of gravity is real. 00:20:54.98\00:21:01.46 I can't fly! But when I put myself in an airplane and 00:21:01.49\00:21:07.73 I yield to the airplane's power, suddenly I have the 00:21:07.76\00:21:11.77 ability to soar 36,000 feet in the air. 00:21:11.80\00:21:15.07 I can't run 70 miles per hour, but when I get in my car 00:21:15.10\00:21:20.58 and yield to my car's power, I suddenly have the ability 00:21:20.61\00:21:24.25 to achieve speeds I could never achieve alone. 00:21:24.28\00:21:27.22 And when my faith is in God, when my faith is in His power, 00:21:27.25\00:21:33.56 then His strength becomes my strength. His power becomes my 00:21:33.59\00:21:39.56 power. That's why the Bible says in Ephesians chapter 3, 00:21:39.59\00:21:43.26 "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding, abundantly, 00:21:43.30\00:21:47.67 above all we could ever ask or think, according to the 00:21:47.70\00:21:51.04 power that works in us." "Greater is he that is in me 00:21:51.07\00:21:58.91 than he that is in the world." Any math teach at Oakwood, 00:21:58.95\00:22:01.12 the college or the academy, will tell you, if you have 00:22:01.15\00:22:03.62 a greater than, then you must have a less than. 00:22:03.65\00:22:05.99 [Aud. reaction] PB: So, whoever the greater is inside of you, 00:22:06.02\00:22:12.26 then he that is in the world is less than Who is inside you. 00:22:12.29\00:22:17.33 And the "greater than" is the Holy Ghost. Now, in the Bible- 00:22:17.37\00:22:22.60 -I'm about to take my seat--there are two types of 00:22:22.64\00:22:26.68 power. Everybody say "dunamis." Aud.: Dunamis. 00:22:26.71\00:22:29.48 PB: Come on, say "dunamis." Aud.: Dunamis. 00:22:29.51\00:22:30.61 PB: That's the miracle-working power. 00:22:30.65\00:22:32.35 Then there's exousia, which is authoritative power. 00:22:32.38\00:22:35.75 Now, exousia gives you the authority to use the dunamis. 00:22:35.78\00:22:40.09 [Aud. reaction] PB: You don't know what you have in you. 00:22:40.12\00:22:44.39 You don't know the strength you have in you. 00:22:44.43\00:22:47.50 You don't know the power that's inside of you. 00:22:47.50\00:22:50.97 The devil is not afraid of you. The devil is afraid 00:22:51.00\00:22:55.64 of Who's inside you. [Aud. reaction] 00:22:55.67\00:22:58.81 PB: You're sitting on a ton of dynamite. 00:22:58.84\00:23:02.58 If you would just realize what you have. 00:23:02.61\00:23:05.15 Let me tell you something. No Christian- 00:23:05.18\00:23:07.38 -I say it all the time--no Christian has ever 00:23:07.42\00:23:10.02 been demon possessed. Check your Bible on that. 00:23:10.05\00:23:14.12 No Christian has ever been demon possessed. 00:23:14.16\00:23:17.23 They may have been influenced, but not possessed. 00:23:17.26\00:23:19.93 Why? Because I'm already possessed by the Holy Ghost. 00:23:19.96\00:23:23.03 [Aud. reaction] PB: And the Holy Ghost and a demon 00:23:23.06\00:23:24.97 can't live inside of me at the same time! [Aud. reaction] 00:23:25.00\00:23:28.77 PB: So you're already possessed by the Holy Ghost. 00:23:28.80\00:23:32.64 What you're dealing with is demonic influence. 00:23:32.67\00:23:36.48 Don't you let anybody tell you you're demon possessed. 00:23:36.51\00:23:39.41 You're not. You're a child of God. Born of His Spirit, 00:23:39.45\00:23:44.79 washed in His blood. You're possessed by the Holy Ghost. 00:23:44.82\00:23:49.16 The devil may try to influence you. All you've got to 00:23:49.19\00:23:51.79 do is yield to the power of God. And so Jesus told His apostles, 00:23:51.83\00:23:56.50 disciples, in Mark 11, Jesus said, "Apostles, have faith in 00:23:56.53\00:24:01.40 God." And when I have faith in God, His power becomes my power. 00:24:01.44\00:24:05.31 His strength becomes my strength, which means I can 00:24:05.34\00:24:08.68 fight the devil, but I don't have to fight the devil 00:24:08.71\00:24:12.05 in my power. Because I'm operating not in my power, 00:24:12.08\00:24:15.78 but I'm operating in the power of God. I'm operating 00:24:15.82\00:24:19.29 in dunamis. I'm operating in exousia. I'm operating- 00:24:19.32\00:24:23.66 -which means I don't even have to wrestle with the devil. 00:24:23.69\00:24:26.56 All I gotta do is let the Lord fight my battles. 00:24:26.59\00:24:30.57 The reason we wrestle with these demons and these people 00:24:30.60\00:24:33.97 in the flesh is because the devil is trying to draw 00:24:34.00\00:24:36.14 some of us into a flesh fight. But in the name of Jesus, 00:24:36.17\00:24:40.91 under the power of the Holy Ghost, you'd better tell 00:24:40.94\00:24:44.88 those demons, look, you've got to go! I'm not fighting 00:24:44.91\00:24:48.75 with you anymore. I'm not wrestling with you anymore. 00:24:48.78\00:24:52.59 Just get out, you've got to go! I speak under the 00:24:52.62\00:24:57.69 authority of exousia power today; authoritative power. 00:24:57.73\00:25:02.43 You've got to go! Have faith in God, because unto 00:25:02.46\00:25:08.47 this mountain you can say, be thou removed. 00:25:08.50\00:25:13.11 It didn't say in the text anything about wrestling. 00:25:13.14\00:25:15.94 It didn't say anything about boxing. Jesus said to 00:25:15.98\00:25:20.15 the demons in the man in Mark chapter 5, "Come out!" 00:25:20.18\00:25:23.55 Jesus didn't wrestle with the man. Jesus didn't 00:25:23.59\00:25:27.66 box the man. Jesus said, come out of the man! 00:25:27.69\00:25:31.83 And if you have faith in God--I'm a witness to this 00:25:31.86\00:25:35.06 today- -when you speak to your mountain, when you tell your 00:25:35.10\00:25:39.83 mountain to be removed--and I've had some mountains 00:25:39.87\00:25:42.87 in my 23 years of pastoring--but when you look those 00:25:42.90\00:25:45.64 demons in the face and you tell those mountains to 00:25:45.67\00:25:48.98 be thou removed, Satan has to go. You tell the devil, 00:25:49.01\00:25:54.32 you and your satanic ways have to go. You can't call 00:25:54.35\00:25:57.52 me anymore, you gotta go. You can't email me anymore, 00:25:57.55\00:26:02.22 you gotta go. You can't snap-chat me anymore, 00:26:02.26\00:26:05.89 you've got to go! You can't Facebook or tweet 00:26:05.93\00:26:09.66 me anymore, you've got to go! Jesus did not 00:26:09.70\00:26:13.07 say climb the mountain. Jesus didn't say like the sun, 00:26:13.10\00:26:16.47 "I'm coming up the rough side of the mountain," 00:26:16.50\00:26:18.77 Jesus never said that. That's not biblical. 00:26:18.81\00:26:20.81 Nowhere in the Bible does Jesus say climb the mountain. 00:26:20.84\00:26:24.81 Jesus said, speak to the mountain. Stop climbing the 00:26:24.85\00:26:31.32 mountain. Stop boxing the mountain. Stop wrestling the 00:26:31.35\00:26:35.29 mountain. Speak to the mountain. That's how you fight the 00:26:35.32\00:26:38.49 mountain, speak to the mountain. Use the authority you have. 00:26:38.53\00:26:43.70 Speak to the mountain! Use the power you've got. 00:26:43.73\00:26:47.10 Speak to the mountain! Be thou removed, 00:26:47.14\00:26:50.61 and cast it in the depths of the sea, for you 00:26:50.64\00:26:53.17 shall have whatever you ask and saith. If you 00:26:53.21\00:26:56.58 want healing, say it. If you want deliverance, 00:26:56.61\00:27:00.52 say it. If you want love, say it. If you want 00:27:00.55\00:27:04.29 financial breakthrough, say it. If you want financial 00:27:04.32\00:27:08.19 clearance, say it. If you want graduation, say it. 00:27:08.22\00:27:11.83 If you want a job, say it. If you want a sound mind, 00:27:11.86\00:27:16.00 say it. If you want salvation, say it. If you want Jesus, say 00:27:16.03\00:27:22.70 it! [Aud. reaction] PB: You don't know what you have, 00:27:22.74\00:27:27.18 you don't know who you are in God. If we would just 00:27:27.21\00:27:31.95 learn how to walk up to our situations and start talking. 00:27:31.98\00:27:34.92 [Aud. reaction] PB: If you just believe, all these 00:27:34.95\00:27:40.79 things are possible to those who believe. 00:27:40.82\00:27:47.96 So my question to you is this. I'm about to end. 00:27:47.96\00:27:50.33 As we engage in spiritual warfare, as it gets 00:27:50.37\00:27:53.13 more tough, more rough, children dying, racism at 00:27:53.17\00:28:02.44 an all-time high, can you believe. Now, everybody 00:28:02.48\00:28:11.62 in this church, everybody watching on the television 00:28:11.65\00:28:14.36 can believe. If Jesus had said, If thou can sing, 00:28:14.39\00:28:19.46 that would have eliminated some of us. If Jesus had said, 00:28:19.49\00:28:28.00 If thou can preach, that would have eliminated some of us. 00:28:28.04\00:28:35.28 But everybody in here can believe. [Aud. reaction] 00:28:35.31\00:28:40.72 PB: So today, if you're sick in your body, 00:28:40.75\00:28:45.49 you can believe that He can heal. [Aud. reaction] 00:28:45.52\00:28:50.99 PB: If you just believe, all things are possible. 00:28:51.03\00:28:59.83 Think about it y'all. I'm about to close, 00:28:59.87\00:29:01.47 but think about it. The first thing that the devil 00:29:01.50\00:29:04.57 did to Eve was to get her to doubt God's word. 00:29:04.61\00:29:09.38 But if you just believe this Word, things will 00:29:09.41\00:29:16.35 start happening. It's time to fight. Don't be scared, 00:29:16.38\00:29:23.19 it's time to fight. [Aud. reaction] 00:29:23.22\00:29:27.23 PB: It's time to fight the devil. It's time to fight. 00:29:27.23\00:29:32.13 Y'all know the story about me in Atlanta. I'm in Atlanta- 00:29:32.17\00:29:37.37 -talking about it's time to fight, y'all know this story- 00:29:37.41\00:29:40.24 -I'm in a rough part of the ATL. [Aud. reaction] 00:29:40.28\00:29:45.51 PB: Y'all think Pastor Byrd's totally white collar. 00:29:45.55\00:29:51.32 I was in a rough--let me, let me test the Atlantans. 00:29:51.35\00:29:54.49 I was, that's where I was, I was driving on Bankhead-- 00:29:54.52\00:29:58.03 [Aud. reaction] PB: --There's a difference between Bankhead 00:29:58.06\00:30:02.60 and Buckhead. Andrew, you know that--there's a difference. 00:30:02.63\00:30:06.57 Down the street from where I used to pastor in Atlanta, 00:30:06.60\00:30:12.44 Berean, there was a street called Bankhead Highway. 00:30:12.47\00:30:14.71 That's why I have to watch Don and praise, 00:30:14.74\00:30:16.34 y'all made me a little nervous, I thought you 00:30:16.38\00:30:18.38 >: Thank you for joining us for another exciting 00:30:18.41\00:30:19.98 Breath of Life television broadcast. 00:30:20.02\00:30:21.62 Tune in next week at the same time, as 00:30:21.65\00:30:24.05 Dr. Byrd will deliver another dynamic message 00:30:24.09\00:30:26.45 from the Lord, just for you. 00:30:26.49\00:30:28.36 Until next time, may God bless you. 00:30:28.39\00:30:30.56 [END] 00:30:30.59\00:30:45.57