Winning the war within means dying to our flesh daily—putting the flesh to death to discern the voice and leading of the Spirit—ushering in the shalom of God to and through us.
We may have been born again, but that doesn’t mean we’ve learned how to win the war within. We may have followed Jesus for years, but that doesn’t mean we’ve grasped the key to Christian maturity. We can be gifted, but that doesn’t mean we’re seasoned; active in ministry, but that doesn’t automatically mean mastery over self. The Holy Spirit doesn’t just want to use us—He wants to form us, until Christ’s life becomes the life that leads us. And this is how we finally win the war within—not by striving harder or serving more, but by surrendering deeper to the Spirit who transforms us from the inside out.
The flesh is not just our weakness—it’s our willfulness. When it rules, it reshapes our desires, fetters our freedom and wars against the Spirit’s work of ushering in peace. This battle isn’t fought out in the streets; the war is waged in the soul. The flesh deceives us, arguing that life works best when we sit on the throne. But every time the flesh rules, peace dies—first in our hearts, then in our relationships — with people, places and things. The only way we overcome is to live life surrendering to He who has overcome the world.
Every day the world is shaping us — with screens, schedules, slogans, and algorithms whispering, “Buy this, chase this, be this.” We think we’re free, but our loves are being trained; we think we are choosing, but our choices are being choreographed. Before we know it, we are more shaped by our feeds than our faith, more discipled by Netflix and podcasts than by Jesus. But there’s another way — the greater love of the Father. His love frees us from restlessness, reshapes our desires, and makes us whole. We are being shaped by love — the false loves of this world, or the Father’s love that makes us whole and free.
We live in a time when the battle is no longer hidden — anxiety, violence, division, and deception press on every side. From the classroom to the boardroom, from our homes to our headlines, blows are aimed at the very place we think, hope, and believe. This fight is not against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities that seek to steal peace, distort truth, and destroy identity. In this moment, we dare not step into the fray uncovered. We must reach for a salvation that shields our minds, a word that becomes our weapon, and prayer that breathes heaven’s strength into our earthly battles. This is not the work of one generation or one culture alone, but the call of the whole body of Christ, young and old, every tribe and tongue — to stand firm together covered from head to toe.
We’re living in a day when it feels like the very air is thick with — fear, division, and pressure coming at us from every direction. And the battle isn’t only out there; it rages inside us too, with voices of doubt, anger, and discouragement. Just like the Roman soldier couldn’t survive without his shield, none of us can face today unprotected. What scripture calls the shield of faith is God giving us covering, courage, and strength. And when we lift it together, faith doesn’t just guard our lives — it becomes a fortress darkness can’t conquer.
Every day, invisible powers are attempting to dress us — how we think, how we react, how we love, and what we fear. And often, without even noticing, we step into our day wearing their lies — clothed in worries, armored in self-protection and self-promotion. But there’s another way to dress. God offers His armor—not for conquering people, but for standing firm in a world of shifting truths and manufactured fads. Dressing for the invisible war isn’t just for protection; it’s the daily practice of becoming who we really are in Christ.
We go about our day — commuting, checking email, social media, debating over social issues — while an unseen enemy infiltrates our minds, shapes our desires, and rewires our beliefs. This isn’t loud, obvious war. This war is subtle. And before it takes our peace, our joy and our purpose, it takes our attention. We are living in the midst of a spiritual war — not against people, as much as it’s against powers. It’s a war of ideologies, affections, and allegiances — and if we don’t wake up to it, we’ll be destroyed by it.
We live in a fallen evil world. Because of sin, the natural drift of the current of this world is downward. If we’re honest, the darkness and evil isn’t just out there; we feel it in us from time to time too. The natural response is to resort to our own resources and efforts to make it — work harder, go to more therapy, be nicer, change schools or find new friends. All of these things may be appropriate, but without the wind of the Spirit it just leads to futility and exhaustion. We need to be filled with the Sprit. We need to be intoxicated Christians.
In Mark 4:35–41, the disciples were caught in a storm they couldn’t handle, but Jesus was in the boat with them. What overwhelmed them was silenced by the One who has power over the wind and waves. Jesus is more than able to speak peace into the storms of your life. No matter how fierce it gets, Jesus is about to calm every storm because He’s not sitting idly by—He’s in your boat.
God can do all things and works through us to fulfill His purposes. Too often, we hold back because we think we lack what’s needed. In Acts 3:1–8, Peter met a lame beggar and, in faith, trusted God to meet his need — and He did. Money can help, but it’s not always the answer. God asks us to be available, to trust Him, and to believe He has already given us enough to serve others
Every believer will endure fiery trials. It is not if, but when. The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego teaches us how to navigate the difficulties of life. That even with personal struggles, challenges, or even persecution God is always present with us. We must remain faithful and trust God above the circumstances, even when the pressure tries to seduce us into compromising and bowing to the fire. Our outcome will not only be deliverance but lessons in endurance through the fire. Our unwavering faith during adversity serves as our testimony to the power and presence of a God who never leaves His people.
When the incidents and accidents of life in this fallen world leave us bent over, today’s message reminds us there is always hope in Jesus. There is no earthly power or might more able than the strong hand and compassionate heart of Christ our King. Though time may have caused us to settle for a less than existence, this word reminds us that despite religion’s expectation, Jesus sees us, He frees us, and releases us to give Glory to His Name!
Crisis doesn’t catch God off guard. Even when famine gripped the whole world, God had already gone ahead to prepare a place of provision, protection, and purpose. Goshen was a space of divine difference, where God’s people were covered in crisis and multiplied in the margins. Goshen reminds us that we don’t need to be removed to be redeemed—because God is more than able, right where we are.
3 Questions to Receive all God has for you: God has so much for all of us, but are we in a position to receive it? The blessings of God are not incentive or carrot sticks but ways that he wants us to live day in and day out. These 3 questions will help you possess all he has for you.
Text: Matthew 5:13-20
1. Are you fully present?
2. Is your Light Shinning?
3. Is the Gospel working for you?
In different seasons of our lives, we face circumstances that test our faith in God and His ability to provide for us. The blessing comes in knowing that God has already prepared for our situation long before we entered into it. Therefore, we have a choice, to trust, believe and follow His plans or to complain, doubt and create our own. His plans are always better and more abundant than anything we can contrive by our own hands.
Some things in life aren’t just broken—they’re beyond repair. They’re finished. Ezekiel stood in a valley of dry, scattered bones, where death had settled in. But God didn’t bring him there to mourn—He brought him there to act and to speak. God doesn’t just raise dead things—He restores what others have given up on. God is not only willing—He is more than able to restore. He has a vision for our valleys.
As highlighted throughout this series, humanity’s fall corrupted God’s “Very Good” intention for Creation, undermining mankind’s mandate to dwell interdependently and justly with God and one another. As a consequence, self-preservation displaced community transformation as love, mercy, and justice were replaced by hate, prejudice, and politics. However, God’s plan for creation has not changed. This series finale details how the ministry of Jesus serves as the ultimate act of civil disobedience, disrupting the systems of this world and recommissioning us for the glory of God and the "Very Good" of creation.
Before God ever gave the world a prophet, a king, or a pastor—He gave the world a father. Before there were positions, platforms, or pulpits —there was a garden…and in that garden, God planted a man. Not as a ruler to dominate, but as a reflection of Himself— A cultivator, a protector, a name-giver…Fatherhood is sacred. Not just functional. Not just biological. Not optional. It’s part of the Very Good design of God.
In a year of being Rooted and Grounded, we’re recovering the foundational truths of our relationship with God, one another, and creation. In a time of shaking, we’re committing to become the people God envisioned—whole and holy, deeply established in His love.
