Fight the Good Fight of Faith, English Edition

Lesson : The Enemy We Fight • 

a. How can you test the spirits, i.e. how can you recognize the Spirit of God (v. 1-3)?

b. The Holy Spirit (the One who is in you) is greater than the one who is in the _____________________________________________ (v. 4).

8. We must not be surprised or overwhelmed when we are misunderstood, rejected, or even hated by others because of our faith. We follow in the footsteps of Jesus, who experienced the same things. Read the following Scriptures and answer the questions. a. Read John 15.18-21. Why does the world hate us? b. Read 1 John 3.11-15. Why should we not be surprised if the world hates us? c. Read James 4.1-7. What must we do to ensure that the devil (the one who controls the world) will flee from us? According to Scripture, the devil and the first human pair rebelled against the rule and government of God, and their rebellion thrust the universe into war. Since the fall of humankind in the Garden of Eden, God has determined to defeat the devil and all rebellion in his creation by sending his Son into that very same creation. Jesus entered our world – to put down the devil, pay the debt for our sin, and restore the fulness of the Kingdom of God. Thanks be to God, because of the work of Jesus of Nazareth, in this world, the devil has been defeated, and the Kingdom of God has come, and is being offered to all who believe! Now that we have believed in Christ, we have been delivered from the kingdom of darkness and translated into the Kingdom of his dear Son (Col. 1.13). We have now joined the fight; we are combatants in this war. We are called to represent our Lord, the Victor over the powers of evil that have harmed God’s creation. In this war, no one can remain neutral. Our adversary, the devil leads and directs spiritual beings who seek to destroy peoples’ lives with cleverness and deception. This fallen world system works together with our own internal desires to undermine God’s will in our lives. We are called to be sober-minded and watchful, aware of the devil’s efforts to oppose us and harm us. We can resist him through the power of the Spirit, as we cling to the truth of God’s word, rejecting his lies as they come to us. God will strengthen us as we fight the good fight of faith!

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