Priscilla Shirer teaches at the 2018 Passion Conference for TBN’s Praise. Listen in as Priscilla Shirer outlines what the full armor of God is and how to use it in order to protect yourself from the enemy’s attacks in your daily life.
and if you spend all of your time your
energy your effort trying to hit at what
you see popping up in your life you’re
gonna be so frustrated and by the way
exhausted because as soon as you take
care of one thing another one is coming
back unless you do what the Apostle Paul
says pull back the curtain and let the
enemy know we got our eyes on you
[Music]
so there’s a little church around the
corner from my house in Dallas I’ve been
taking my kids there since they were
little uh to Harvest Festival that’s
basically this Church’s answer to
Halloween
so we will go there for Harvest Festival
and this church has a good old-fashioned
Trunk or Treat does anybody know what I
mean when I say Trunk or Treat
okay
all right so Trunk or Treat for those of
you who are not clear on what that is
that’s when members of the congregation
volunteer they volunteer to bring their
cars into the parking lot on Harvest
Festival night so that they can open up
the trunk of their cars so you go into
the parking lot all the trunks are open
and each person has basically crafted a
carnival game or some sort of fair game
out of the trunk of the car so kids line
up one trunk after the other they play
whatever the game is and then most of
the time whether they win or lose the
person that owns that car gives them a
whole bunch of candy and sends them home
we’re always so grateful
so we stand in line
one car after the other waiting on bags
of candy and we play one game after the
other a few years ago
the biggest line the longest line at the
carnival wasn’t behind the a car it was
behind the bed of a truck it was really
clever
a huge truck had been parked in the
parking lot
and they’d put a stepladder right at the
bed of the truck so that a kid could
walk into the bed of the truck they had
attached a table top which was about the
same size as the bed of the truck they
had attached it to the side of the truck
cut six holes into it put some fabric
some drapery over it and out from those
holes every few seconds a puppet would
pop through they gave the kid a huge
plastic Mallet and the job of the kid
was to run up and down the inside of the
bed of the truck as he tried to hit the
puppets on top of the head it was a
homemade whack-a-mole game is what it
was and it was the longest line me and
Jude at the time he was like four Jude
is my youngest me and Jude are standing
in line we’re waiting on our turn behind
us there’s another kid he’s with his his
mom he’s probably four or five as well
and y’all he was hysterical
because he was annoyed at this whole
situation and he was making sure she
knew it
he was first of all annoyed because Mom
I don’t understand why I got to stand in
this long line didn’t we come to the
carnival to have fun this ain’t fun
standing in line ain’t fun I have an
idea mom how about this how about I go
play all these other games while you
stand in line and hold our place and
then when it’s our turn I’ll come back
and join you in line
but he was not only annoyed about the
line the four-year-old was also annoyed
because Mom I don’t even understand this
game why in the world would I waste all
my energy running up and down the inside
of that truck to hit the puppets on the
top of the head if when I hit them on
the head they’re gonna disappear but
then they’re just gonna come back as
soon as I hit them on the head what’s
the point of this game
so everybody in the line is laughing
hysterically because this four-year-old
this five-year-old is talking so much
about all of his frustrations
finally he gets so frustrated
that he works himself into a frenzy to
where all I saw out of my peripheral
vision was a four-year-old flash running
past me as he ran forward and he grabbed
the drapery off of the table top and
pulled it clean off
underneath there were three adults with
puppets on each hand
that day we all got a good laugh but we
also got a good lesson
there is always something you can’t see
influencing what you can
and if you spend all of your time your
energy your effort trying to hit at what
you see popping up in your life you’re
going to be so frustrated and by the way
exhausted because as soon as you take
care of one thing another one is coming
back unless you do what the Apostle Paul
says pull back the curtain and let the
enemy know we got our eyes on you
and we’re gonna use some weapons that
actually work back there behind the
curtain y’all I wish I had learned this
when I was 18 19 20 21 years old that
that person that physical problem isn’t
really where you need to invest your
energy pull back the curtain use the
weapons that actually have power
the Apostle Paul wants you to know that
the tactics of the enemy are serious
business and so he uses a specific word
to describe them
he says
schemes
listen to me he knows your weaknesses he
knows how to dangle what carrot at the
right time in the right way to make sure
you are snagged in particular
have you ever wondered or found curious
that particular carrot is always dangled
in front of you when you are most tired
when you are most vulnerable when you
happen to be most hungry
most alone most weak that particular
carrot the one that wouldn’t mess with
your friend because it’s not her deal
it’s not his deal he’s not enticed by
that but the one that entices you always
shows up at the right time y’all that’s
not coincidence that’s a scheme
the enemy is trying to derail you he’s
trying to make sure that you don’t walk
in a manner worthy pleasing of the Lord
that you come in here but that you don’t
go out of here the purpose to live for
the glory of God he’s trying to trip you
up
not only for his own benefit but because
he does not want you having access to
everything that you are privy to as a
rightful heir to the King of Kings and
the Lord of lords
it’s a scheme
so if he’s got tactics
we need tactics
the Apostle Paul outlines them for us
I’m just going to read them to you
because he says in verse 13 you need the
full armor and here’s what they are
verse 14 he says make sure that your
loins are girded with truth then he says
you need a breastplate and the
breastplate is called righteousness and
then he says in verse 15 you got to have
something for your feet if you want any
hope of being able to move forward
successfully so your feet need to be
shot with the preparation of the gospel
of peace and then not only that but he
says there are some flaming missiles of
the evil one that he fully intends to
send sailing into your path you’re gonna
need a shield and The Shield is your
faith and then you know there are lies
there are strongholds that he’s going to
try to erect in your mind you’re going
to need something to protect your mind
he says you need a helmet and the helmet
is your salvation but not only that he
says that you are going to need a sword
really a dagger of the spirit it was
about 18 inches long or so the one the
Apostle Paul all is referring to you
need a dagger so that when the enemy is
all up in your space you’ve got
something close at hand to make sure
that he stays at Bay you need a dagger
of the spirit and the dagger is called
the what
the word of God
but y’all he doesn’t stop at those six
can I just say that there is one more in
18 verse 18 traditionally it’s taught as
six I really believe there are seven
pieces of armor because in verse 18 He
says pray
he says pray
not like you know a prayer a day to keep
the devil away
not like a prayer over your meal
just because that’s what your mama did
and your Grandmama did and that’s what
you’re supposed to do
not something quick and casual
fervent
prioritized prayer
y’all you can’t have Victory if you
don’t pray
do you hear what I’m saying to you
prayer is the key that unlocks the
resources of heaven so that they can be
Unleashed on planet Earth
prayer is the key he’s actually given
you to get all the good stuff down here
because I don’t know about you but I
don’t want to wait to get to heaven to
experience all that God has for me any
Bits of Heaven he plans to give me on
Earth I want it right now prayer
accesses the Bits of Heaven he intends
to give you now
and prayer listen prayer is what pushes
the kingdom of darkness back
it’s what pushes it back that’s why
Jesus said my house shall be called not
a house of good preaching
not a house of good singing not a house
of great spotlights and production not a
house of great cafes I hope you have all
of that enjoy it but Jesus said at the
end of the day my house better be called
the house of prayer because spotlights
and fog machines and great singing and
great preaching that won’t necessarily
push the kingdom of darkness back but
when my people who are called by my name
when they will humble themselves and
when they’ll pray he says that I’m gonna
hear from heaven I’m gonna heal the land
the enemy will have to bend the knee at
the name of Jesus in prayer
[Applause]
I enjoy ALL your studies, they’re VERY helpful in my walk with God. I’m studying Gideon in my Womens Bible Study and learning alot especially mundane things in my life I need to thank God for answering and He is with me.