On Their Feet and Ready
The faithful must keep their focus on the victory of the Cross and recognize Jesus' strength, not their own, in order to overcome Satan's strategies and win spiritual battles.
David Wilkerson emphasizes the spiritual battle every believer faces, highlighting that Satan fears those who are steadfast in prayer and ready to fight in faith. He warns against the distractions and doubts that the enemy uses to weaken our resolve, urging us to focus on Jesus' strength rather than our own weaknesses. Wilkerson reminds us that we are equipped with powerful weapons like prayer, fasting, and faith to overcome the challenges we face. The call to action is clear: we must stand firm, resist the enemy, and keep our eyes on Christ, who provides the strength we need for victory.
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"Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him" (1Samuel 18:12).
Satan envies and fears most those who have been with God in prayer and are determined to stand up and fight in faith. Satan fears even a small army of those who are girded up in faith for a fight. He cowers before those who are up on their feet and ready to resist. And because he fears you, his design is to neutralize your fighting spirit.
The devil does this by trying to flood your mind with defeating, distracting, hellish thoughts that breed mistrust and questions about God's power. He'll scream into your mind and spirit, "It's no use fighting any more. You are too weak from your personal struggles. You're never going to be an overcomer. The powers of hell are just too big to overcome. So, you might as well relax. You don't need to be so intense about the battle anymore."
This is all a distraction! Satan's entire strategy is to get you to take your eyes off the victory of the Cross. He wants to turn your focus onto your weaknesses, your sins, your shortcomings--and that's why he turns up the heat of your present problems and sufferings. He wants to make you believe you aren't strong enough to go on. But your strength is not the point: Jesus' strength is!
The fact is, we're all going to be in a fight until we either die or Jesus comes back. We may be given seasons of calm, times of reprieve. But as long as we are on this earth, we are engaged in spiritual warfare. And there is simply no end to these battles. That's why Paul says Jesus has given us weapons that are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds. We have been equipped with weapons that Satan cannot withstand: prayer, fasting and faith.
The time has come for us to get our focus unstuck from our current afflictions. We must take our eyes off our trials and fix them on the Captain of this war. Jesus holds the key to all victory and he has promised us: "I have supplied you with every weapon needed for battle. And I am ready and willing to give you strength in times of weakness."
Sermon Outline
- I. Satan's Fear of the Faithful
- A. Those who have been with God in prayer and are determined to stand up and fight in faith
- B. Satan fears even a small army of those who are girded up in faith for a fight
- II. Satan's Strategy to Neutralize the Faithful
- A. Trying to flood the mind with defeating, distracting, hellish thoughts
- B. Making the faithful doubt God's power
- III. The Focus of the Faithful
- A. Keeping eyes on the victory of the Cross
- B. Recognizing Jesus' strength, not their own
- IV. The Reality of Spiritual Warfare
- A. Battles will continue until death or Jesus' return
- B. Jesus has given us weapons to overcome strongholds
Key Quotes
“Satan fears even a small army of those who are girded up in faith for a fight.” — David Wilkerson
“Jesus holds the key to all victory and he has promised us: 'I have supplied you with every weapon needed for battle.'” — David Wilkerson
“Jesus has given us prayer, fasting and faith as weapons that Satan cannot withstand.” — David Wilkerson
Application Points
- We must keep our eyes fixed on the victory of the Cross and not let Satan distract us with our current afflictions.
- Our strength is not the point; Jesus' strength is what will carry us through spiritual battles.
- We have been equipped with powerful weapons, including prayer, fasting, and faith, to overcome Satan's strongholds.