Our world
- The devil is the author of confusion – 1 Corinthians 14:33 – For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
- The devil knows he has but a short time – Revelation 12:12
- The enemy is causing chaos all around us – 2 Thessalonians 2:2-3– Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us.3 Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction.
- Wars and rumors of wars, pestilence, man-made disasters, natural disasters (Matthew 24) – all meant to shake us, make us anxious.
- We must keep our eye on the prize during. Acts 2:42-47 – reveals how the early Church did it.
- Keeping our eye on things above – Colossians 3:2 – Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
- How? By getting back to the basics – Acts 2:42-47
Worship and prayer are essential.
- Acts 4:24a, 31a – When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: … 31 After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.
- Prayer is essential, both the prayer closet and corporate prayer as above – Matthew 6:6
Teaching and doctrine are critical.
- The enemy will cause many to believe a lie – 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 – This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles.10 He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. 11 So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. 12 Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.
Discipleship through fellowship
- The scripture tells us to fellowship as the day of the Lord draws near – Hebrews 10:25
- There is a direct correlation between this scripture and the times of today
- Covenant relationships – Acts 4:32 – All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had.
Lifestyle outreach
- Acts 4:29-30, 31b– “… And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. 30 Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 … Then they preached the word of God with boldness.
- A lifestyle of service – Acts 6:2. – Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.
- A lifestyle of being a witness: We are all called to do the work of an evangelist, the ministry of reconciliation – 2 Corinthians 5:18
- Acts 2 records how their numbers increased daily.
How we abide by these basic principles, will determine how successfully we navigate the hard times.
It really is a trust issue in God, are you going to trust Him? If so, u will need these things.
This is how this epic battle is ultimately won:
- The fire of God came out of his mouth – Psalms 18:8
- Revelation 19:5
- The sword of the Spirit out of his mouth. What does fire do?
- 1 Corinthians 3:5
- Ephesians 6:17 – the word is Rhema