THE DEVIL GOES TO CHURCH
PRAYER AS SPIRITUAL WARFARELesson 3: Keeping Your Balance
Jesus taught his Apostles about spiritual warfare and they, in turn, have taught us how to fight. This lesson focuses especially on the Apostle Paul and his understanding of the conflict we are in.
In this lesson you will explore:
• Paul’s great teaching about the armor of God in Eph 6:10-18 and how it is set in the context of prayer.
• the importance of maintaining your balance during spiritual conflict.
• the importance of being aware of what’s going on around you in order to defend yourself from the devil’s schemes.
Reading:
• Ephesians 6:10-18
• The Devil Goes to Church – Chapter 1 pages 19 (Paul and the Battle) -23
• The Devil Goes to Church – Chapter 3 pages 37-38 (end your reading before the heading Put on the Armor)
Video 3: Keeping Your Balance
Discussion Questions:
1. What was your level of awareness of spiritual warfare before you began this course?
2. What would it look like to be out of balance in spiritual warfare?
3. Describe how Jesus kept His balance when being tempted by the devil. What can you learn from His example?
4. What steps can you take to increase your current awareness even more?
Watch Dave’s Summary Video (2-3 minutes)
Spending Time in Prayer
Our victory against the devil doesn’t depend so much upon what we do, but upon what Jesus has already done! Scripture has much to say about how to stay alert and well-balanced in our dealings with evil. In Matthew 4:1-11 Jesus resisted the devil using the Word of God. We can too. Let these passages of Scripture inform your prayer time:
Small Group suggestion – consider having different people read each scripture. Spend time praying together to defeat the schemes of the devil:
• James 4:7: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you!”
• 1 Corinthians 16:13: “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”
• Ephesians 6:13: “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”
• Romans 12:9: “Let love be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good.”
• 2 Corinthians 2:10-11: “But one whom you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ, so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.”
• Ephesians 4:27: “…and don’t give the devil an opportunity.”
• 1 Thessalonians 5:22: “Stay away from every kind of evil.”
Next Steps:
Consider Peter’s admonition in 1 Peter 5:8 – “Be careful—watch out for attacks from Satan, your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for some victim to tear apart.”
Walk through this week being aware of the reality of spiritual warfare and the existence of the devil. This doesn’t mean “seeing a demon behind every bush” or blaming every bad thing that happens on the devil. It does mean to simply be aware of his activity so that he doesn’t sneak up on you while you aren’t paying attention. See if this awareness doesn’t heighten your ability to win the battles you face by employing the Word of God and/or changing your behavior in some way.
Supplemental Material for Lesson 3:
• Be Aware of Satan’s Schemes: Download Tony Evans PDF
The article from the Tony Evans website https://tonyevans.org/be-aware-of-satans-schemes/
• Schemes of the Devil: If you want to go deeper, there is a very comprehensive study by Bruce Hurt at preceptaustin.org: https://www.preceptaustin.org/schemes-of-the-devil#related
Optional Consultation/Question-Answer Session
With every PrayerU course, there is an option to have a one-hour Zoom session with your instructor(s). This is your opportunity to engage your instructor(s) on a personal level with either a question-answer session, a deeper level conversation about the course content, or both.
There is an additional cost for the consultation session and scheduling is subject to availability.