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Welcome. Please come and study Gods Word. Im Carol Brooke and I invite you to join us
for a time of study in Gods Word. We appreciate the ladies participating in our filming. We
are grateful to use the beautiful Walker home to film our program. We continue on near the
conclusion of this 28 part series called Times and Seasons from Ecclesiastes 3:1 on down.
The conclusion of the scripturre says and He hath made everything beautiful in His time.
God can turn all your seasons into something beautiful like threads of a tapestry. May
these seasons in your life He walks you through become colored thread that will portray a
beautiful thing when your story is told. Ecclesiastes 3:1,8 says, TO EVERYTHING there is a season,
and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven: A time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace. This is lesson 27 on a time within a season that
has a purpose – there is A Time For War. You say, I thought God was a God of only peace. I cant believe
that God would have anything to do with war. Were going to speak of spiritual warfare because,
that is a reality. Once you come into the things of the Lord, you soon find out that
youre in the kingdom of light and it is in opposition to the kingdom of darkness that
is controlled and operated by Satan. Theres a battle that goes on over the issue of souls
lost for eternity. Satan wants to claim all that he can. They say misery likes company.
Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels, not man. But that misery would like company.
We want to be sure that we dont help make him company. Accept the way of salvation that
delivers us from the judgments of the Lord. We can have that simply by receiving the Lord
as our sacrifice, that the penalty of our sin is satisfied because of His holiness.
And we escape the judgment and wrath of God because Jesus became our substitute. There
is warfare but someday the battle will be over. Thank God. And we will see the victor
is the Lord Himself ruling and reigning with His own. Satan will be put beneath His feet,
for the Lord is the conqueror. Arent you glad for the promise of God, ladies, where it says
We are more than conquerors through Christ who has loved us. Im glad He loved me enough
to fight battles and He has promised to make me a conqueror through His strength. Hang
on to Ecclesiastes 3 - and read about warfare, because there is a time for war. We are considering
the spiritual warfare we are brought into. What do we do about the war, the fight? Some
of the things we touch on today in the scriptures – these will aid you in the battle over
your well-being, over your success in fulfilling your destiny and the call of God in your life,
to be brought into the time when we rule and reign with Christ. The Lord will show Himself
strong and in charge. The powers of darkness will be brought low. I Timothy 6:12 says,
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called,
and has professed a good profession before many witnesses. That word is good for today.
We need to put up a fight. Youve heard the expression: put up a fight! We cant lie down
and let the enemys powers run over us like a bulldozer. If you are passive or intimidated
by the enemy – you will be run over. We are to put up a fight in the Lords name and
know we have a defense system provided through Jesus Christ. Paul is anointed to write, to
fight this good fight. What is a good fight? Its not a good fight unless I win. If I was
to lose, that wouldnt be a good fight. But scripture says fight the good fight of faith.
And much of your fighting and ability to win is a battle of faith. Believe God is in you,
with you, will work through you and is going to set ambushes against the enemy. The enemy
tries to advance, God sets up ambushes – God set up ambushes and the enemy is defeated.
The Word exhorts us to be the opposite of intimidated and fight this good fight of faith.
Many times the enemy comes against your mind, your spirit, wants to get you depressed – he
tells you lies and suggestions that make you doubt and fear and trys to intimidate you.
Its a matter of believing what thus saith the Lord, the promises of God that are yea
(which means yes) and amen, endorsing it. Its like saying yes, yes, the promises of
God are true. But we warfare by the promises of God. Thats what we cleave to; that is a
good part of your armor that protects you. Put your faith in what God says and see youself
come out of this battle you are in, a victor. We are more than conquerors through Christ
who loves us. The scriptures says, What can separate us from the love of God? Can this,
or that? It names a variety of things that come against us and says nothing can separate
us from the love of God. It shows how God is there to back us up all the way because
of He loves us. Psalms 144:1 says, Blessed be the Lord my strength which teacheth my
hands to war, and my fingers to fight. God can teach our hands to war. And the scripture
says lift up holy hands. He talks about us lifting holy hands. Many times we fight in
intercessory prayer. Instead of running out the door and screaming like Im helpless, I
find that if I turn to the Lord, lift my hands in prayer as the scripture says. Not that
you have to, but the scripture exhorts us to. The Lord its like a precious sacrifice
of incense. And as we we call on His name, we intercede – we find that the battle is
won right there on the prayer battlefield. There are things the Lord will suggest you
need to do or something you need to be sure you dont engage in. But the Lord teaches you
warfare. The psalmist said the Lord was his strength and he knew a lot about warfare and
how to fight with his hands and his fingers. Your fingers are what you take hold with and
grasp things. In the Spirit, the Lord teaches our hands; our fingers in the Spirit how to
fight, to win, especially to lay hold of the promises of God. I Peter 5:8-9 says, Be well
balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy
of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone
to seize upon and devour. Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset – rooted,
established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings
are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.
Were not fighting this battle by ourselves. Were not poor little me, Im having a battle.
I feel sorry for myself. Thats not the posture we take. We are to withstand the devil and
be firm in our faith. Its toe to toe. We dont back up, run away, sit down on the side and
have a pity-party. We move forward in faith. God is with us, and If God be for us – who
can be against us? In the old prophets writings it says, No weapon that is formed against
us shall prosper. But the scripture says, under the anointing of the Holy Spirit – the
anointing was there to write these words as believers that we needed to be well balanced,
to be temperate, sober of mind, vigilant and cautious at all times. Sometimes, we get out
of balance. We make things that should be minor in our life – majors. You can turn it the other way around. You
can make your majors the minors. But God helps us know our priorities so we can be well balanced.
Its wonderful, wholesome and refreshing to converse with a believer who is well balanced.
When your life is well balanced, the enemy doesnt have easy access. There arent back
doors open to sneak through. In trying to be spiritual, and do spiritual things, you
can neglect things at home. The enemy begins to build an inroad with your family, your
marriage, your children because you neglect that and say, If I do Gods work, God will
take care of my work. No, it doesnt work that way. Ive seen people prove that is not true,
they majored in an area and werent well balanced. Weve got to look at our natural lives as well
as our spiritual life and bring that in to balance. When were well balanced the enemy
does not find easy access. It seems to be harder for us women to balance our natural
world with the spiritual. We can get off kilter. We need to let the spiritual invade the natural,
the practical, so its the supernatural in everyday shoes. Im not talking about being
super-spiritual. Im talking about walking in practical everyday shoes so that you let
the Lord participate. One thing the Holy Spirit cries out for in the Spirit realm is: I want
to participate! Yes, I know youre doing this and that and its practical, everyday things.
But the Spirit wants to participate. Practice the presence of God in all that we do. When
youre cooking, can you practice the presence of God there? Yes. When youre doing the laundry
can you practice the presence of God there? Yes. That doesnt mean you are a spiritual
fanatic. This goes on in your heart, between you and the Lord. The supernatural comes down
and dwells in the natural and that is a marvelous experience. It is a beautiful testimony and
the enemy finds every door is shut in his face. He cant find an entrance because you
are covered because your life is well balanced. I find every day is a challenge. I cannot
presume that God would balance my life and that was it when I prayed once. Every day
is a challenge. Will I let my life be well balanced – so the enemy does not get an
inroad - there is a battle going on, and often it begins here at the door of your thoughts.
The scripture makes it clear we are to resist him, to withstand him. Were not to cower when
the enemy comes against us for what were doing in the name of the Lord. Stand up and fight
the good fight of faith. Our faith is in the promises of God and He backs up His Word.
James commands what were to do about warfare. Thats what our subject is – a time of war.
Ive had many seasons of pure old war, especially against trying to be obedient to the call
of God in my life. James 4:7 says, Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil,
and he will flee from you. There are various levels of submission you need to practice.
If youre married, the scripture says – you submit to your husband. In another realm,
also, we submit to those that are spiritual leaders because they watch out for our soul
and give account to God. Were to submit to God but we begin at the natural. If you practice
it in the natural, you also have to do what it says in Ephesians about submitting yourself
one to another. Submission is not a word to beat you down but is a key. The Lord made
me know as a younger woman – that to submit is a marvelous key God gave us that unlocks
doors and brings victory. It also shuts doors to the enemy. As we practice submission one
to another: if youre married, to each other - in church leadership, submission - to God,
then we have truly performed submission. You cant leap to the top rung and say: I only
submit to God! I dont submit to anybody else! Youve not really submitted because God commanded
we submit in these relationships. If you do the ones beneath and then submitted to God.
And what happens? The guarantee is the devil will flee. He has to if your life is in submission.
But if youre don’t practice submission the devil will laugh – because he knows if you
dont practice submission youre not going to win. He doesnt have to run if youre not practicing
submission. Sometimes I practice submission so I have that power against him, in the Lord,
because Ive practiced submission. I dont say that to boast, I say that to encourage you
– this is a strategy of victory in the things of God. If you know youve been submissive,
then you can stand and say Devil, go in the name of Jesus! I have submitted to God, you
have to flee! I can get preachy on that one because Ive had to practice it. Its not easy.
But its a marvelous key of victory. When you submit and practice these, the Lord gave me
this cue. To submit is to fit. God will fit you in, in amazing ways. It makes it possible
to fit. People that never fit in – its usually because they dont submit. That isnt my main
message but it is a powerful key to doing warfare. The scripture says to resist the
devil. Dont be intimidated. II Corinthians 7: 5 says For when we were come into Macedonia,
our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within
were fears. Paul
was weary because there were battles. He was troubled on every side. He said this warfare
was spiritual. But he had fears he had to bring to God. Im bringing you to some of Pauls
experiences and hes a great champion of faith. II Timothy 4:7 says, I have fought a good
fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. I want to say I fought a good fight.
To me, a good fight is a fight won, not to my glory or credit, but put on the armor of
God as were commanded to do in the name of the Lord and by faith take our stand, as he
commanded and not be intimidated – thats a good fight. But fight and finish your course. The Word we read in Peter – it speaks
of the devil – as a roaring lion, looking to devour. Thats why we withstand him. I Corinthians
9:26-27 says, I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I
have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. Paul would not fight, not knowing
who he was fighting. He wanted to be led and able to distinguish the enemy. He said he
wasnt going to beat the air, never hit the enemy. We must learn strategies and continue
to learn as you grow. Study the tactics of the enemy – how he repeats himself like
a hamster going round and round and pulling the same tricks. Spiritual warfare is real.
Ephesians 6:11-12 says, 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 in high places. Put on the armor of God. Study the rest of that passage and
see what the armor is. Dont get entangled if were going to fight. II Timothy 2:4 says
No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please
him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. Dont let this life get you so bogged down, so tied
up that you cant fight, because youre entangled. We will have battles not only with Satan but
with the flesh. There was Jacob and Esau in their mothers womb. They were twins and fought
with each other. They wrestled and she couldnt figure out what was going on inside of her.
It was like a warfare. Spiritually, a warfare is inside us and its the flesh against the
spirit, of Christ. They wrestle one against the other. Who will win? What you feed the
most, thats going to win. So feed the spiritual, hell be stronger and win over the flesh. Romans
7:23 says, I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing
me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. The flesh is weak but the
spirit is willing and weve got to nurture the spiritual man so we can win over the flesh.
Bring your body into subjection and obedience to the will of God. Dont give your flesh the
right of way. Give the Spirit the right of way. I encourage you, the Lord has ordained
you to victory because Hell have overcomers He seats around about His throne. We overcome
the enemy of our soul by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony which is
the Word of God. Next time we talk about
A Time
For Peace. Amen.