Wrestling Against Powers and Principalities — Keith Malcomson

Ephesians 6 and the Church’s Spiritual Warfare

We're turning to Ephesians chapter six, to our second message on this series of spiritual warfare. I said, this is where we were going last Sunday morning, and we're going to go further next Sunday morning, but this is our second part.

And I want you to turn to Ephesians chapter six, reading from verse 10, very important messages here. We don't want to overemphasize the devil. That isn't our object. It is very rare. I have dealt with the devil and very rare.

I've said as much about him as I have in the past month, but I assure you, we need to understand what we're dealing with here. We are in a spiritual warfare, not natural, but spiritual. Reading from Ephesians chapter six and verse 10.

Ephesians chapter six and verse 10. My message this morning, wrestling against powers and principalities. Verse 10, finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might, put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness and high places.

Wherefore, or because of this, wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth and having on the breastplate of righteousness and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, above all taken the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked or the wicked one and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the sword, which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

And for me, that is the preacher that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds and therein that I may speak boldly as I ought to speak.

Let's pray together as we come to this message here this morning. Father, we come, Lord God, by your grace and your mercy through the precious name of Jesus Christ, being mindful of the power that is in Jesus' blood, being mindful that we are seated with Christ in heavenly places, that you've called us to walk out this Christian life in the earth in our own individual lives.

And here this morning, I pray that you'll show us that we are to stand and to stand steadfast and to be unmovable in this position in Christ on the written scriptures. Father, I pray that you'd open our minds and our hearts to see the reality of the spiritual warfare that is against the local church, that the powers of darkness are waged against it, but that you have placed us in the person of Christ, greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.

We overcome him by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. My God, thank you. There is a victory over the evil one, not by our power, but by the power of Jesus Christ. We give glory to him.

We give honor to him. And we pray for the opening of our eyes, Lord God, that we begin to see what this warfare is for the local church. In Jesus' mighty name, amen. Saints, I'm dealing here in this second message with wrestling against powers and principalities.

That statement, powers and principalities, takes in an awful lot of the working of the devil. And I want you to see in a very practical, real, and personal way, maybe in a way you haven't seen it before, that we as a local church are wrestling against powers and principalities.

This is my message from Ephesians 6. Again, it says in verse 12, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against, and notice there's four things here, principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Balancing the Church’s Understanding of Satan

One of the great problems in the church of our generation and every generation is either to overemphasize the place of Satan in this warfare or to underemphasize it. There has to be a balance. There is a danger that we see demons behind every tree.

Every situation, we blame the devil. I actually believe that the devil is the most misaccused person by the church in our generation. I believe Christians falsely accuse the devil for things that he isn't guilty of more than any other individual.

He's become the scapegoat. He has become the one that we blame for all sin, for why things happen. And yet very often that is not true. You know, the church of our generation, they blame everything from nicotine addiction to lying on a demon spirit.

And yet the Bible tells me all of these sins of the flesh, they are in the flesh. It's not the devil making me do it, but it is the flesh. It's not binding Satan that you need to do. You need to repent.

You need to go to the cross and to crucify the flesh. If you do that to the flesh, the devil has no room to move. I do believe there is a wrong overemphasis upon Satan and his wiles in the church of this generation.

But at the exact same time, I believe there is an overemphasis the other way, a denial of his working, an ignorance of his working, an absolute apathy towards how he operates. These two extremes are out of balance with the scripture since we need to be taught of the word of God.

We don't want to emphasize the devil, neither do we want to so ignore him that we become a victim of his wiles, of his strategies, and through ignorance that we come under him in any sort of way. It says in 2 Corinthians 2 -11, and this is the apostle Paul speaking, "'Less Satan should get an advantage of us.'".

In other words, Paul is saying there that you need to be very careful that Satan doesn't gain an advantage over you, that he doesn't stretch into areas of your life that he has got no business being in, that he doesn't overstep the mark in your life.

It says, "'For we are not ignorant of his devices.'". In other words, if you're ignorant of Satan's devices, he can gain advantage of you. And so we don't want you to be ignorant because when you are ignorant, in other words, when you don't think about it, when you don't understand, when you don't know the biblical teaching of Satan's devices against you and against the church, you can actually be so ignorant or lacking in understanding of the Bible that Satan gains advantage of you.

As soon as you know what the Bible says, you can draw a line. You can say this far, no further. I am gonna stand and fight in this hour. You know, it says there that lest he gains advantage over us through his devices.

Listen carefully, that word device means an intellectually purposed plan. In other words, when we deal with the devil, we are dealing with a remarkable intellect. It means the devil exercises his mind.

He is not ignorant. He is not without knowledge. He has a mind and intellect, and he uses that ancient mind of his to actually concoct plans and purposes against the local church and against Christians.

The Bible commands you and I, be not ignorant of Satan's devices. Do you know what he's talking about there? Unforgiveness in the church. When there's unforgiveness within believers, amongst believers, you know what it says?

Satan is using that to try and gain an advantage. I wanna assure you, when you realize that unforgiveness can be used by the devil, you suddenly begin to say, I don't want it in my heart. I don't wanna give any advantage to Satan.

I don't want it in the local church. I don't want any unforgiveness, any wrong attitudes in the heart, because as soon as it is, the enemy moves in to use that. We must recognize and identify the strategies, the plans of the devil.

And as soon as we recognize unforgiveness is a thing that can be used in the local church, we're gonna be on our guard. We're gonna be very careful. It isn't innocent. It's not just something you can have in your heart.

It is something the devil can move on. Saints, I want to understand the plans, the strategies, the devices of Satan, not by special revelation, not through a dream or a vision or a rhema word of knowledge.

I want to understand his devices from the written scriptures. And I believe in Ephesians 6, a remarkable revelation of how Satan comes against the local church is written there clearly for us, for our learning.

Do you know when this gets exposed this morning, we're gonna be on our guard. We're gonna say, I don't want that in the local church. I know how the devil operates. You see, we're commanded, we're told that we don't wrestle against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities.

There is a wrestling against demon powers. It says there in a period of two verses, six times that we are against these powers of darkness. Six times we are against them. If you don't know your enemy, how are you gonna be against it?

If you can't identify his devices, how do you stand against it? If his devices and plans are not exposed, if you don't understand this, how are you going to resist? How are you gonna say, no way? How are you gonna begin to fight and to wrestle?

You see, we're not told that wrestling is an option. It's not something you're commanded to do, but as a born again Christian and as a local church, we do wrestle. You may not have been aware of it, but you have been wrestling.

This church has been wrestling, not against flesh and blood, not against men, not against circumstance, but we have been wrestling against powers and principalities. And can I tell you, I am against them.

Six times the apostle writes what we are against. Can I ask you this morning, what are you against? What are you against? Do you know what you are against? Are you against unforgiveness? Or do you tolerate unforgiveness?

If you're not against it, I assure you, you're tolerating it. Paul lays out here in this wrestling against powers and principalities, we are set against in a certain direction. We are against certain things.

You've got to be against certain things or you're going to be overcome by powers and principalities. I am persuaded here that so much of the church does not know what it is against. It is against men, individuals, other people, family members, and they don't know how to fight.

But you've got to realize our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities. We've got to know their devices. We've got to know how the enemy operates. And then we set ourself against it.

This is something very definite, very clear, very obvious, and very precise. There's no shadow of darkness here. We've got to be against something. Do you realize what you're against reveals a lot about you?

If you tell me you're not against anything, that reveals an awful lot about you. You see, I am against some things. I am very against some things. I am against what the Bible is against. I am against what the enemy is trying to do.

I am against it. I am opposed to it. I resist it. I actually stand against it. And since there are some things that I hate, I want to tell you. Do you realize that unless you hate certain things, you don't know how to love?

If you were to tell me that you don't hate anything, I would have to question you biblically and spiritually. If you don't know how to hate certain things that go on in the church, you don't know how to love the church.

To the degree you hate, you do love, and you can never separate hatred from love. You see, I believe one of the greatest men who hated was the Lord Jesus Christ, but no man loved like the Lord Jesus Christ.

You want a scripture for it? I'll give you a scripture. Hebrews chapter one and verse nine. Listen carefully. And this is a prophecy from the Old Testament concerning the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Listen carefully. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Therefore God, even I God, has anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. This was the Lord Jesus Christ. Why did God anoint the Lord Jesus Christ?

Why did he baptize him in the Holy Ghost? Why did the power of the Holy Spirit come upon him when he stood in the Jordan? You know why? This was one who loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Do you know Christ hates certain things?

He hates iniquity. It's very clear what iniquity is. You've got to know what iniquity is, and then you've got to hate iniquity. If Christ hated iniquity, you've got to hate iniquity. If he loved righteousness, we have got to love righteousness.

If there's any confusion in these concepts, we have a problem. We have a serious problem. You know Christ was anointed with the oil of gladness. A man who hates iniquity will have great joy. A man who loves righteousness will have the joy of the Lord upon him.

I want to tell you, the most joy-filled Christians I've met in my entire life, they knew what to love, and they knew what to hate, and God anointed them with the oil of gladness. They weren't demure characters, but they knew what was dangerous in the body of Christ.

Listen again in Revelation chapter 209, and this is Christ speaking to the church there in that chapter. It says, but this thou hast. In other words, this is something good about the church. What church was this?

The church at Ephesus. The exact same church we're reading about in Ephesians chapter six that received that. Now listen to what he says. But this thou hast. In other words, this is something good I want to encourage you about, that thou hast hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

When Jesus spoke to the church at Ephesus in that written letter, when he spoke to them, he says, you know what? There's something good you're doing. You hate certain deeds, certain actions, certain doctrines, certain ways of functioning in the church.

There are the Nicolaitans have come into the church, and you know what they do? They like to exalt themselves in authority, to abuse the people of God, to subdue the people of God, and to bring them into bondage.

That is the Nicolaitan doctrines. You know what Jesus said? You hate that doctrine. You hate their deeds. And you know what? You are hating the same thing I hate. Isn't that amazing? That Christ is commending the church for hating certain things, for hating the deeds of certain people, the doctrines of certain men in the church.

He says, I commend you. You're hating what I hate. I hate their deeds, and you're hating their deeds. You see, a church is known by what it loves and by what it hates. If you don't hate anything, you're a bankrupt Christian.

If you don't know what you are against, then you don't know what this spiritual warfare is about. True spiritual warfare is to understand what you are set against in the church and outside of the church.

The Local Church’s Position in Christ

Hear my message this morning as I come to it, and I've got three points for you here in this message as we look at wrestling powers and principality. Point number one, the local church's position in Jesus Christ.

Look with me here in Ephesians 6 and 10. It says, finally, my brethren. This is the sixth chapter. For five previous chapters, Paul has been teaching them. He comes down to his finally, brethren, his very final point here, but he's already taught for five chapters.

What he is about to say now in this last chapter about spiritual warfare in this letter is only the conclusion of what he has already said in the five previous chapters. Do you know there's three great things that he marks out, in this letter to the Ephesians?

In Ephesians chapter one, all the way through to chapter three, he looks at sitting with Christ in heavenly places. That's what he says. He actually teaches on what it means to be seated in Christ at the right hand of the Father.

In other words, in a spiritual position. That is a finished position in the work of Christ. We are chosen in Christ. We are redeemed in Christ. We are blessed in Christ. That's what he deals with for three chapters in this letter.

In Jesus Christ, this is your position. Saints, you're saved this morning. You're born again. Your sins have been washed away. You're forgiven of all of your sins. You are a blessed man and woman. That's where he begins.

You're seated with Jesus Christ. All of these blessings in Christ belong unto you. That's where Paul starts. Then as he comes through to chapter four and chapter five, he talks about our walk, how to live out the Christian life.

He talks about walking worthy of this call. In other words, you can walk unworthily. He talks about your marriage. He talks about how you raise your children. He talks about how you function in the local church.

He says, don't lie to one another. Don't lie to one another. This is your walk. That's the second area. But when we come to Ephesians six, there is a third area, not just to be seated in Christ, not only to walk out the Christian life in a very practical way.

But when we come to Ephesians six, we see the word stand. Sitting, walking, standing. And this is my point here. As we begin to look at spiritual warfare and wrestling against powers and principalities, you are in no position to wrestle unless you are standing.

You've got to be sitting in Christ, blessed in Christ, hidden in Christ. You've got to be walking in Christ, walking in the light of his word, but also standing. What a marvelous word, standing. This is, and Paul uses it here.

As we look at spiritual warfare, before you ever think of wrestling with the devil, you've got to know that you're standing in Jesus Christ, standing upon the promises of God. Weren't we singing it before we came into this preaching here this morning?

Standing on the promises of God. What an amazing thing that that's where I'm standing. Are you standing on the promises today? I mean, do you know what stand means? You're not moving around. You're not trying to get in somewhere.

You're not just trying to fight your way in somewhere. No, Paul says, you're not trying to fight your way into a place of blessing, you're simply standing. The wrestling comes against you. Now look what he says here, be strong in the Lord.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. You're not asked to be strong in yourself. You're not asked to be strong in your own abilities or your own knowledge or your own spirituality.

No, saints, look to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a finally of outstanding. Be strong in the Lord. Another word, be empowered, be enabled, receive the strength of the Lord Jesus Christ inwardly in your spiritual life.

If you're gonna stand, be strong in the Lord. If you're gonna stand in this battle and play your part, be strong in the Lord. Notice it's in the Lord, not in you, not outside of him. You've got to see that your strength comes from the Lord.

You might tell me, I'm very weak. I don't feel I can do this. I don't believe I'm able to face this battle. Then I would say, be strong in the Lord. It's not your strength. It's not your power, but the power of his might.

It is his strength. It is his power. You've got to be strong within it. And so the apostle says, be strong in the Lord. Listen why, that ye may be able to stand. You know the difference between a Christian who stands and one who doesn't stand in this wrestling, in this warfare, is that one has found a strength in the Lord and so he can stand.

Those who do not stand have not found their strength in him. And yet they think it's because of them. I'm not strong enough. I'm not able enough. I'm not spiritual enough. It's got nothing to do with that.

Since the reason you stand in this warfare is because you find your strength is in the Lord, that he is your might, that he is your power, that he is your ability. That is why you stand. Show me a Christian who's standing.

I mean standing through everything. And I'll tell you, it's not by their might. It's not by their power, but it is by the power of the Lord. They've found that he is their strength. He is their might.

He is their power. They're hiding in him. That ye may be able to stand. Saints, stand. You're not fighting your way into the victory. You already have the victory. You already have the strength. You're not trying to win this fight.

You actually stand in a position of the finished work of the cross, of the precious blood of the lamb, of the written scriptures, of the full provision of the Lord Jesus Christ. Saints, stand in that.

You actually fight from a position of victory. You fight your way out of a position of blessing and of his full provision. And it says that you might be able, have the ability to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Now, let me point something out to you. This is my first point, the local church's position in Christ. Do you know Ephesians 6 isn't about the individual Christian? The armor isn't about the individual Christian.

The wrestling is not about the individual Christian. All of the things mentioned in this chapter are about the local church, the church at Ephesus. In other words, when they are seated, they're seated as a church.

When they walk, they walk as a church. When they stand and wrestle against powers and principalities, they're doing that as the church. Aren't you glad you're not alone in this battle? Saints, let us stand together.

You know, the old Roman armies, they stood shoulder to shoulder, side by side, all of their shields lifted, not just one man with a shield, but my shield beside your shield, my shield covering your head or covering your back.

You know, the Roman army, when they went into battle, some of them lifted their shields above, some of them had their shields in front, some of them had their shields to the left or to the right. The apostle Paul says spiritually about the armor of God, spiritually on the left and on the right.

What was he talking about? That we all join together, our shield of faith to stand together. Saints, we're in this together in the spiritual battle. You're not alone in this fight. You're not wrestling alone, but we as a local church, I wanna assure you that the local church has to find its position in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We as a church in Limerick, we are not fighting from a position of defeat. We're not trying to fight our way into the victory. We are standing at Calvary. It's because of the blood. I'm born again by the grace of God.

He showed me mercy and forgave all my sin. That's why I'm standing in the battle here this morning. And he actually says there that we might stand against the wiles of the devil. He's talking about the church to stand.

You know what stand means? I'm on a bit of ground and I'm not for moving. You're not gonna move me out of the way. You're not gonna push me back. You're not gonna cast me to the ground. My feet are on this position.

I'm not moving off this position. I'm standing on redemption ground. And you know what? You are able here this morning as a church, I wanna encourage you, you are able to stand against the wiles of the devil, to stand against it, to absolutely stand.

What are the wiles of the devil? What are these arrows that he fires? The Greek word here is methodea, where the Methodists got their name from, methodea. If you're standing in the finished work of the cross, you can stand against the wiles of the devil.

This word methodea means methods. It's where we get our word method from. It means strategies, secretive schemes, cleverly hatched plans or tricky strategies. It is a remarkable word. You see, the devil comes against the local church, the gathering of God's people, individually and cooperatively together.

The devil actually has methods. Listen, the word methods means cunningly hatched methods of guile or deception. It means well-thought-out, tailor-made plans. The devil doesn't just attack a church, he thinks about it.

Every attack against a local church is well thought out and planned specifically for that local church. The attacks of Satan come first from a plan. He thinks about it, he plans it, he decides it, then he attacks the local church.

And you know what? If we're standing strong in God, those wiles of Satan will have no effect. Methodea also means regularly well-used. In other words, there's nothing new in the devil's arsenal. Anything he throws at the church has been used for 6 ,000 years.

We have seen it in previous years. There's nothing new under the sun. They are regularly well-used, systematic ways. In other words, a pathway regularly used by the devil. The devil's plans and attacks are well thought out, chosen carefully.

Their use is carefully timed against the church. They are secretive and deceptive. That's what this word methodea means. It means that they come from a supernatural, ancient intelligence, and they come against the church.

Since we are not wrestling against flesh and blood in this local church, we never have been for seven years, and we won't be in the future. Every attack against this church, it is deceptive. It comes secretly.

There is a plan behind it. And you know what? If we are not ignorant of Satan's devices, if we simply shine the light upon it, it is exposed and loses its power. We are able to stand against these things.

We are able to gain the victory. We will overcome. The devil has his methods of coming against the church. But do you know what? We're commanded to stand. Verse 13, wherefore take on to you the whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand.

Next Sunday morning, I'm gonna deal with the armor of God. This is gonna be our message, but I want you to see the enemy. I want you to see the danger. I want you to see the methods of hell because you know what?

Next week, I'm gonna show you how to wear the armor, what it means to wear the armor, and how you overcome all the attacks of the devil. It says, take on to you the armor of God that you may be able to withstand.

Not only stand, that's one thing, but it says to withstand everything that comes against you. That means to oppose, to resist. You see, if the enemy comes against you, you better come against the enemy.

If the devil is bringing unforgiveness or something else into the church, you better be against that. I mean, if he comes against this church, we better rise up as one and say, we are against this thing.

That's the beauty of unity. That's the beauty of being led by the written scriptures of God. In verse 13 here, it says that you'll be able to withstand in the evil day. That means a hurtful day, a day of decay.

This is an actual title of a certain period of time. Every day, every year in church history is not an evil day. You see, this evil day is a period that is notorious. These are famous days of iniquity.

When sin abounds in the world, it is a notable day when the devil comes against the local church, when Satan is coming to fight. And there is a great wrestling between local churches and the power of darkness.

It is a very real thing, this spiritual warfare. It says in James 4 and 7, submit yourself there to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. What a promise. If I resist the devil, he will flee.

Powers and principalities will have to flee, but make sure you submit. If you're not submitted to God, to God's word, to God's commands, how will you resist? You see, as you submit to God, you are able to resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Or what about 1 Peter 5 and 9? Whom resists steadfast in the faith? How do you resist the devil? Is it by proclaiming something? It is by steadfastly resisting him on the basis of the faith. Whom resists steadfast in the faith?

Not with faith. It's not talking about your faith that you believe, but that faith is the body of doctrine. What the Bible says, when you resist the devil on the basis of the word of God, his power is broken and he's got to flee.

He cannot stand before you. Again, in verse 13, it says, having done all to stand. Again, it says here in these verses, stand, stand. And having done all in this warfare, just stand. Some churches think they're not doing much when they just stand.

But I want to tell you, it is a supernatural thing for a local church to stand on the word of God, to stand in the victory of Christ, to be unmoved by the wiles of hell. It is a miraculous thing. You know what to stand means?

I'm going to stay here and not for moving. I'm going to continue. I'm going to be established. I'm going to stand straight. We don't need churches that are falling on the floors in this hour. We need churches that are standing their ground unmovable.

So that's my first point this morning, is the local church's position in Jesus Christ. It is essential, and we're going to come back to this next week, our position in Jesus Christ to gain a victory. But I want to emphasize here this morning, and my second point, the local church's enemy in the fight.

The Church’s Enemy: Powers and Principalities

The local church's enemy in the fight. I don't want you just to think of spirits out there somewhere in the heavenlies. I want to bring this fight in very practically, that you begin to understand what it means about wrestling with powers and principalities, the local church's enemy in the fight.

I want to expose the enemy that comes against Limerick City Church. And we have four clear points here under this, the local church's enemy in the fight. And as I show you, you're going to suddenly see the strategies of Satan against the church and what we are wrestling against.

It is a hand-to-hand fight. For we, it says in verse 12, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but we do wrestle against powers and principalities. Our fight is not individuals in the church or outside the church or sinners in society.

Our fight is with spiritual powers of darkness. The word wrestle means a hand-to-hand combat. It's not a distant fight. It is face-to-face, hand-to-hand. Two sweaty wrestlers, that's the picture here.

Two men in a wrestling match in the city of Ephesus. When they wrestled, do you know how they wrestled? They wrestled to the point where one pushed the other opponent into the ground and he gouged out his eyes.

That was wrestling in the first century. That's how they wrestled. That man's going to lose his eyes. If he loses this wrestle match, he won't be able to see by the end of it. I'll take your eyes or you'll take the eyes of me.

It was a wrestling match that was very intensive and it was whoever could hold that other person down. Do you realize the fight against the local church is a wrestling match against spiritual powers of darkness?

We see this all through the Bible. In the Old Testament, we read of a lying spirit being sent into the mouth of 400 prophets. There were false prophets who prophesied good things. They spoke smooth words and it was all blessing, blessing, blessing.

Do you know what the source of that was? It was lying spirits, demonic powers that come in amongst those that claim the name of God, claim to be prophets of God, and yet an entire spiritual movement and an entire generation and an entire nation, it was a lying spirit.

And there was only one prophet stood against them who had the true word of God. Saints, I'm showing you about a very real warfare that goes on. Or what about King Saul, anointed of God, chosen by God in a position of authority.

And yet the spirit of God could lift off him and another evil spirit would come upon him that would torment his mind. You know, in his heart, he was angry. He was suspicious. There was murder and hatred in his heart.

That's what was in Saul's heart. No wonder the devil came in on that king. No wonder. The issues in his heart left him wide open. You had a man, a king on the throne, throwing a spear at young David. Do you know what was behind it?

The devil was behind it. Or what about Balaam the prophet? He gave lots of great prophecies to God's people, accurate prophecies, and yet we're told they used necromancy. Necromancy, sorcery. That's what he was involved in.

When we come over to the New Testament, we see that Satan puts betrayal in the heart of Judas. He's an apostle. He's walked with Christ. He's had his feet washed. He's seen the love of Christ. But do you know what?

As soon as he's seen, it wasn't gonna make him money. The devil put betrayal in the heart of Judas, right in the heart of that church. Betrayal in the heart, fired from Satan. Saints, this is a wrestling match.

You better know betrayal as a sin. If you don't know betrayal as a sin, you're gonna lie in your heart and it'll destroy you. Betrayal is unfaithfulness. What about the apostle Paul with his thorn in the flesh?

It was actually a messenger from Satan. Every time he went to every city, there was a demon spirit was there before him or there after him and stirred up trouble in the church opposition. Do you know where that opposition came from?

A messenger of Satan. Paul once writes, he said, I would have come on to you, but Satan hindered me. Satan hindered me. It is very real. You see, Paul even writes about the local church that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

In other words, he comes in the appearance of being an angel of God, of being a spiritual influence for good, and yet he comes to deceive. Do you remember when Jesus even had a rebuke, Peter? Said, get thee behind me, Peter.