TLP 369: The Spiritual War in Your Home, Part 15 | the victorious family and the Conquering King

Your family can have guaranteed victory in your spiritual warfare, but you will only attain it one way. Join AMBrewster has he unpacks vital Truth for Christian parents as they guide their families into spiritual victory.

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“What Is Successful Parenting?” (episode 87)
“Peaceful Parenting” series (starts in episode 69)

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Transcript

Introduction

We know the world is in turmoil right now. Jobs have been lost, sickness seems to be lurking around every corner, families are still trying to figure out their new normal, and we seem to be more aware of the fact that — every day — people are dying from one thing or another.

Lord willing, churches will be up and running the way they used to be but — hopefully — this time there will be more personal involvement and investment. 

But so much of that still seems to exist in an unknown future.

Let’s be really honest, the idea of attending a family camp or parenting workshop or marriage seminar isn’t even in our minds.

Well, I hope you’ll reconsider that possibility. TLP is equipped and ready to conduct anything from informal virtual TLP Meetups to all-out parenting conferences.

Whether it’s for your personal Parenting Community or church, TeamTLP and I don’t want to stop equipping parents just because life is uncertain. 

Virtual teaching is significantly less expensive than live conferences (from a monetary and time perspective), and we think you’ll be surprised how easy it is to set up.

Just go to TruthLoveParent.com and click not the conferences tab to learn more.

And while you’re there, you can download our free episode notes and read today’s transcript

And if you’re new to the show, we welcome you. This is the last installment of a 15-part series called “The Spiritual War in Your Home.”

We’ve been studying the Bible to discover who our spiritual enemies really are and who they’re really not. We’ve talked about the nature of spiritual warfare from the battlefields to the weapons, and we’ve combed through relevant and practical material for you and your family so that you can have better chances of winning the spiritual war raging in your home this very minute.

And today we end on a climactic note as we discuss the victorious family and the Conquering King.

Topic

Months ago as I started researching this topic, I collected various passages from all over the New Testament that I wanted to use during the series.

What’s interesting is that most of the verses I discovered early on are the ones I haven’t mentioned yet. But I am so excited to share them with you today because they perfectly describe the victory we all want for our families.

I know our “Statistics” conversation may have been a bit discouraging, but I believe that today’s content will be infinitely more encouraging!

So, let’s get going.

The spirit realm is just as real as the physical realm, but it’s eternally more dangerous. Yet because it exists outside of our physical senses, it’s easy to ignore, neglect, and forget.

For these reasons we get too tied up fighting physical battles against physical foes with physical weapons all to the detriment of the Spiritual War in which God repeatedly calls us to engage.

Instead of fighting our families, God wants us standing against Satan, the World, and the Flesh. Satan is powerful and can be scary as we consider demonic possession, but even though he may be the temporary king of this world, and even though he masterminds the World System to overwhelm our families with lies, our sinful Flesh is the enemy that will ultimately plunge a knife into our backs if we let it.

Through all of this, the Spiritual War is a battle of the mind. Will we believe the lies of Satan or will we rest safely in the Truth of God?

Multiple times a day — every day — every member of our families faces this decision. This is why heading off our own Flesh and helping our family members do the same is the grand and glorious calling to which God has planned each parent to pursue.

In a broader sense it’s called discipleship.

Through salvation, prayer, the Scriptures, Truth, righteousness, the Gospel, and faith we destroy fortresses and slay enemies, we equip our fellow soldiers and call others to join us.

But what does spiritual victory really look like? Is it even attainable?

In episode 87 we asked “What Is Successful Parenting?” The perfect followup question then is “What is a Successful Family?” And wouldn’t the answer to that describe how we can be successful in our spiritual warfare?

That is the focus for today’s discussion. 

Now, many of you either know where this conversation is headed or you’re going to figure it out pretty quickly. So allow me to caution you.

If any of the information we discuss today seems “nice” or “cliche” or it doesn’t fill you with deep sense of joy, gratitude, and hope . . . I want to lovingly challenge you to reevaluate your relationship with Christ. 

This is not some pie-in-the-sky-in-the-great-by-and-by-when-we-all-finally-die type of highfalutin doctrine designed to be appreciated by monks and rabbis but have no practical application to our daily now-and-now.

The content of today’s episode is the very stuff of every day life. This should be the very center of how we think concerning our parenting and marriages and work and friendships and entertainment and eating. 

Today’s topic is it.

It’s our hope, our goal, our purpose, our strength, our reason for continuing on.

So, be challenged by this, not disappointed. Be revived by this, not discouraged.

Now, some of you are wondering what I may say in a discussion of spiritual victory that would tempt a parent to be discouraged.

In my counseling I regularly interact with people who don’t practically believe the Bible has any real relevance. They don’t spend much (if any) time in it. And when they do, it’s more of a religious experience designed to make them feel good, but they don’t believe it has any practical, life-changing value.

There’s not much I can do for those people. All of my counseling is rooted deep in God’s Word. If they don’t want that or do’t believe it can help, all I can do for them is try to prove them wrong. 

So, let me say from the outset that those of you who cherish God’s Word and understand Its power and authority and relevance will be overjoyed by this final episode. And those of you who don’t, I confront you as a child of God . . . there is nothing more important to your life and parenting than God and the Truth He communicates in the Bible. 

So, with that, let’s set a framework for our discussion.

If we’re talking about victory in spiritual warfare then we have to assume that the the spiritual weapon will be used the right way, the battleground successfully won, and the enemies defeated.

1. Our spiritual weapon works for only one reason . . . 

The Spiritual Weapon exists to help us win against temptation. The only way we could ever overpower temptation from Satan, the World, and the Flesh is God.

I Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” 

Ephesians 6:10-20 was the passage where God outlined the various pieces of the Spiritual Weapon. And what was their genesis and power? “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” “Put on the whole armor of God.” “Take up the armor of God.” “Take up the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.” “Pray at all times in the Spirit.”

And II Corinthians 10:3-5 makes it clear that, "Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” Did you catch the tense of those verbs.

Paul said, “We are destroying and we are taking,” not we might or we can. We are.

The Spiritual Weapon works evey single time because it flows from God and embodies all that He is.

Let’s pick apart every piece of the weapon.

A. Salvation comes from God.

Titus 2:11-14 teaches, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

We saw the exact same thing in our discussion of Ephesians 2:1-10, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins . . . But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus . . . . 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

The ability to leave the satanic army and enter the conquering regimen of Christ is solely an act of merciful love from God. And it’s a guarantee to anyone and everyone who accepts God’s call.

B. Prayer is powerful because of God.

I love the wording of I John 5:14-15, “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.”

In addition to that Romans 8:26-27 reveals that “The Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

And then add to that the fact that Jesus taught us to pray and prays for His people. He did it in John 17, in Luke 22 we hear Jesus say to Peter, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; 32 but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

And I John 2:1-2 reveals that “If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”

The ability to request the spiritual weapons we need is only possible because God is Who He is.

C. The Bible has value because it was inspired by God.

As we saw earlier, Ephesians 6:17 refers to the Sword of the Spirit as, “the word of God.”

We also talked about how Jesus Himself quoted the Old Testament to Satan for 40 days. And Matthew 4:11 says “Then the devil *left Him.”

The Great Liar can’t stand against the Bible because It’s everything he’s not. It’s Truth.

We have access to ultimate Truth because God gave it to us in the Scriptures.

D. Truth exists and never changes because it's rooted in the character of God.

Psalm 119:160, “The sum of Your word is truth.”

In John 8:31 and 32 Jesus says, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

The Truth fired by our Spiritual Weapon is the only thing that can undo the lies and change minds. Hebrews 4:11 promises, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

We have access to this soul-reviving power because of God.

E. The Gospel has no meaning outside of God.

We discussed this when we talked about Salvation, but there is no new birth, no good news for salvation from sin, no promise of eternal life outside of the promises made by God.

F. Faith in Truth can only come from God.

Ephesians 2:8 and 9 says “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” 

Grammatically speaking, faith is the gift God gives us that doesn’t come by works.

Romans 10:16-17 tells us, “They did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our report?”’17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

The ability to actually use the Spiritual Weapon in your homes and on yourself and with your family comes only from God.

And what’s the method and result of using the Spiritual Weapon? Righteousness. Well, guess what.

G. Righteousness is only possible through God.

I Timothy 6:11-16, “11 But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.”

According to Galatians 5, righteous living is only possible through the working of the Holy Spirit. 

In regard to the Holy Spirit, in John 14:25-31 Jesus says, “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. 28 You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe. 30 I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me; 31 but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me.”

The Holy Spirit has come to help us better understand the Word of God as well as help us actually live it out in our lives.

So, because Our spiritual weapon only works because God is Who He is.

2. Therefore the ability to defeat the attacks we experience on the Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the Eyes, and the Pride of life are only possible for one reason . . .

In I John 2:16 we learned about the three battlefields and how they’re passing away, and then verse 17 tells us that those who do the will of God live forever.

And II Peter 5:8-11 commands us to, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. 10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. 11 To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

When we use the Spiritual Weapon as God commands, He not only empowers us to use it, He also is the driving force that makes it so potent against the enemy.

So because Our spiritual weapon only works because God is Who He is, and because the ability to defeat the spiritual attacks comes from the Lord.

3. Therefore, Satan, the World, and the Flesh are defeated for only one reason . . .

A. The Flesh is defeated because of God.

Galatians 5:24 promises that, “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

And Galatians 5:16 reads, “walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”

Romans 8:13 tells us, “if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

Lastly, and there are so many more passages we could reference, in Romans 13:14 we’re commanded, “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”

We can only defeat the Flesh through God, and the same is true about the World System.

B. The World is defeated because of God.

John 12:31-32, “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”

John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

I John 5:1-5, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
5 Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?.”

C. Satan is defeated because of God.

II Thessalonians 3:3, “But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” 

James 4:7, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

Matthew 6:18, “Upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”

Ephesians 1:18-23, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

Revelation 20:10, “And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

Romans 8:37-39, “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

And we could go on and on.

Are you not encouraged? Are you not overjoyed?

Your family will only ever be victorious through the character and love and power and guaranteed victory of the Conquering King of the Universe. 

Now, this Truth is a two-edged sword.

On one side we have the confidence that when we use the Spiritual Weapon in our lives and our individual family members submit to it and use it in their lives we will all experience spiritual victory.

But on the other side, if you’re not going to use the Spiritual Weapon the right way, if you’re going to cherry-pick God’s law, if you’re not going to believe His promises, if you’re not going to obey His commands . . . there will be no spiritual victory for you or anyone who follows in your footsteps.

We have been warned.

We have been promised.

May we trust and obey and teach our children to do the same.

Now, thank you for your attention today, I want to wrap this whole series up with one amazing passage that beautifully describes the joy of spiritual victory through the Conquering King.

It’s a passage we took 8 episodes to unpack back in our “Peaceful Parenting” series.

Philippians 4:4-14 has always been one of my favorite passages of Scripture. If you’re not already familiar with it, hopefully you’ll understand a little of why I love it so much when we’re done in a couple minutes.

I do want to encourage you to listen to the “Peaceful Parenting” series because it really digs into the passage far more than we can right now.

Let’s start in verse 4 recognizing that everything to follow is a direct command with the assumption that we can obey it and will obey it: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

And then verse 7 communicates the expected spiritual victory we will experience because of our obedience: “7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

And then comes another command. I love this one. This command is so pregnant with meaning because it addresses the very core of our spiritual conflicts. 

Spiritual Warfare is a battle of the mind. We win the war when we reject lies and embrace Truth. We win the war when we think God’s thoughts after Him. We win the war when we choose to believe Him.

“8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell [think, reckon, consider, ponder] on these things.”

That verse right there is not merely a promise that we will be victorious in our spiritual warfare, it’s actually a command to be victorious. If we’re thinking on those things, we are winning the war, and God is commanding us here to win the war.

And then God adds another direct command to win. He says through the hand of Paul: “9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things.”

To win the Spiritual War is to reject temptation and live righteously. God’s not merely promising us it can be done if we do a bunch of other things, He’s flat out telling us simply to do it.

And then He ends with another promise of Spiritual Victory, “and the God of peace will be with you.”

Now, most people are familiar with those verses, and they’re familiar with at least one verse from the following passage, but I think too often we don’t appreciate the connection between the two.

Paul then transitions into a discussion of God’s provision. Paul says, “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.”

It does’t matter what physical experiences Paul had, he just outlined how to have victory in every spiritual situation. One of the blessings of spiritual victory is peace — soul rest from God. But another of the blessings is contentment. Biblical contentment is another indicator that we’re experiencing spiritual victory.

And it’s in this context that Paul says in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

I know people quote this passage in various ridiculous contexts. The confident ones quote it before competing in sports. The less confident quote it only after they won. 

And though — yes — God is the one who brings all success into our lives through His grace — this passage is not a promise that I can make a million dollars through Christ. It’s a promise that we can do everything He expects from us. And — more specifically — it’s a promise that we can obey the command to rejoice in the Lord, not be anxious, pray to God about everything, think biblically, obey God’s law, be at peace, and be content.

Those are the things we can do through Him who strengthens us. 

And — when you think about it — that’s all we have to do. 

God is promising to strengthen us to obey as He commands us to overcome in our spiritual war.

The Conquering King, the Great God and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the only way we can have victory in this spiritual war. And it’s not merely a promise. We’re commanded to be victorious through Him.

How awesome is that!

Conclusion

My friends, it’s been a joy to walk through this study with you. 

But though this particular series has come to and end, please know that TeamTLP and I are dedicated to the promise that every resource we produce and share is designed to help you and your family be successful in the spiritual war you’re fighting every single moment of every single day.

We want to walk alongside you, lift your arms, strengthen your faith, help you up when you fall, teach you, reprove you, counsel you, and train you. We long to equip you to be masters of the Spiritual Weapon. We desire nothing more than to prepare you to see this life the way God does and think His thoughts after Him.

Please subscribe to this ministry. Please tell us how we can serve you better. Please email us at  [email protected] or call us at (828) 423-0894 if you need specialized help for your family.

We want your children to grow up into Christ. We want you to parent in truth and love.

To that end, join us next time as we meet a new author and his new book. We’ll be talking with Aaron and Elaina Sharp about Aaron’s book, “You Got This, Dad!” And we'll be having another giveaway!