Dr. Tony Evans shares the keys to Igniting Kingdom Prayer in our lives. Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative, chaplain of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, and author of over 100 books, booklets & Bible studies. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on more than 1,300 US outlets daily and in more than 130 countries.
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you see many of us the problem of us
getting along with other people is our
inability to get along with ourselves
everything visible and physical is
preceded by something invisible and
spirit the consequences we are dealing
with in our lives in our homes in our
culture we are dealing with them because
there is a gap between where God is and
where we are he wants to know that you
want him and not just wanted stuff see a
lot of folk go to church to get God
stuff but who don’t want the God who
gives it so if you’re in distress
don’t let that drive you away draw you
near when you get close and want to live
for him want to please him want to honor
him want to exalt him want to draw near
to him then heaven opens up and he lets
you find
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when you’ve lived long enough it becomes
pretty clear that life is not a
playground but a battleground when
you’ve lived long enough you’ve come to
realize that life is not always easy and
while we cherish those times of fun and
frivolity and play and excitement we
dread those times of pain and anguish
and struggle someone has said that life
can be described as being bittersweet it
has those sweet moments that we cherish
and embrace and those bitter moments
that bring us to tears hurt and pain
Paul is writing and he concludes his
treatise to the church at Ephesus to
talk to them about the battleground of
life we call it spiritual warfare but
he’s not just talking about any kind of
battle he describes this one
specifically by calling it the evil day
the evil day the evil day is when all
hell breaks loose on you the evil day is
when you are overwhelmed yes life has
its normal ups and downs but that’s not
what he’s talking about here he’s
talking about when you are under major
attack when your world is being
shattered your dreams are being
destroyed your hopes are being dimmed
and where you look out and all you see
is the light of an oncoming train
because that the evil day the day when
hell is after you and your name has come
up
he says when that day comes when that
period of time when you’re under major
assault comes he says I want you to
understand how to how to approach this
because he says on that day you’re going
to need the strength of the Lord verse
10 normal stuff is not going to work and
play in church sho’nuff won’t work he
says on that day you’re going to need
the supernatural and so he goes into
these verses leading up to the subject
of prayer to tell us how to approach
this time in your life in my life now I
want to make sure that I’m not wasting
my time or this sermon so has anybody
here know what I’m talking about when I
talk about an evil day an evil day when
you’re under massive spiritual assault
well let me remind you that everything
visible and physical is preceded by that
which is invisible and spiritual
everything visible and physical is
preceded by that which is invisible and
spiritual so Paul wants you to know if
you want to address in the time of your
attack the visible and physical you need
to do it from the perspective of the
invisible and spiritual he gives you the
term that he uses throughout the book of
Ephesians of heavenly places heavenly
places means the spiritual realm and
what he’s saying is that when you are
under assault when your life is being
shattered you’re trying to be in the
will of God you’re trying to walk with
God but you’re being attacked your well
being is being attacked your dreams are
being attacked your health is being
attacked your stability is being
attacked your resources are being
attacked your future is being attacked
you are just under assault he says do
during those times you have to view
things from the location of heavenly
places or the spiritual realm if you’re
going to be strong to walk through work
through the times of those attacks and
he wants to set the plan in place for
how you gonna make it through the evil
day for those who raise your hand
because you’ve been in or are in the
evil day this will matter to you for
those of you who’ve not yet been to the
evil day keep living it’s coming when
you’re under assault and your stability
your world is being shaken he says
during those times three times he says I
want you to stand firm stand firm stand
firm don’t quit don’t quit don’t quit
because the temptation is easily to
throw in the towel when your world is
collapsing right in front of your eyes
he says the first thing I want you to
understand is that you wrestle not
against flesh and blood in other words
people aren’t the source of your problem
they need they may be the conduit for
your problem but they’re not the source
of your problem for we Christians
wrestle not against flesh and blood but
principalities and powers and world
Force’s that are located in heavenly
places or the spiritual realm when you
are under the fire of oppression when
you’re under the fire of the evil one
when you’re under fire of demonic attack
when you’re under the fire of suffering
he says you take your stand on the
ground where Jesus Christ has already
been burned for you where Jesus Christ
has already suffered for you you grab a
hold of the strength that the Lord has
to
often you do not run away from God when
you are in the evil day you have to run
to God when you’re in the midst of the
evil day because you’re now engaged in
spiritual warfare and your world is
being attacked in whatever way it’s
being attacked that’s not the time to
run from him it’s the time to run to him
it’s not the time to invade him it’s the
time to embrace him he says sand firm
hold on to your faith in the strength of
our Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of
the suffering the pain and in the midst
of the struggle he then tells you how to
dress for spiritual success he gives you
the armor of God he tells you I want you
to get dressed for the battle now when
you’re in a war and when you’re in a
parade a military parade they show the
weapons when you in a war you use the
weapons because in the evil day this is
not Showtime at the Apollo this is time
when you’ve got to get dressed he says
you got to put on truth put on
righteousness put on peace he goes on he
says you got to put on faith he says you
got to put on the helmet of salvation
then he says you got to use the sword of
the Spirit which is the word of God he
gives these six pieces of spiritual
Arsenal or spiritual armor that the
believer is to utilize when it comes to
taking a stand in the evil day or when
you’re under spiritual attack and
spiritual oppression that’s affecting
your physical financial circumstantial
emotional family well-being take your
stand harder than you’ve ever taken it
before but put on this armor but now you
may not remember all the pieces of the
armor so let’s make it easy because
Romans chapter 13 verse 14 says put on
Christ
if you can’t remember all the pieces
remember this one put on Christ why
because he says I want you to be put on
truth Jesus says I am the way the truth
and the life
he says I want you to put on
righteousness scripture says Christ is
our righteousness he says put on peace
jesus said in this world you will have
tribulation but I give you my peace he
says put on the helmet of salvation
scripture is clear Jesus is the author
and finisher of our salvation and then
he says put on the Word of God use the
sword of the Spirit John 1:1 says in the
beginning was the word the Word was with
God the Word was God verse 14 and the
word became flesh and dwelt among us
Jesus says he is the word so if you
don’t remember truth remember Jesus if
you don’t remember righteousness
remember Jesus if you don’t remember
peace remember Jesus if you don’t
remember faith remember Jesus if you
don’t remember the helmet of salvation
remember Jesus if you don’t remember the
Bible remember Jesus because Jesus is
the full armor of
I studied the Bible in college for four
years and studied the Bible before you
as living as master’s degree another
four years we’re getting a doctoral
degree then I’ve been preaching all of
these years and I’m still learning new
things from this awesome
inexhaustibility a little game that’s
why I’m so excited about the 20 Evans
Study Bible and its accompanying works
the Tony Evans Bible commentary it will
take all of this training and this
teaching and make it available to you to
understand utilize and apply God’s most
powerful
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you put on Christ you become centered in
him this is not belief in God
this is centered in God’s Son who is the
revelation of God the manifestation of
God who is the power of God to manifest
himself particularly in the evil days
now you want to do it all the time but
you better do it in the evil day when
the doctors don’t have answers when the
bankers don’t have answers when your
friends don’t have answers and sho’nuff
when you don’t have answers you need to
be centered on the person of Jesus
Christ and all the tools that he offered
you but he says you got to put him on
the question is how do you put him on
that’s where verse eighteen comes in let
me read it again he says in verse
eighteen with all prayer and petition
pray at all times in the spirit and with
this view be on the alert with all
perseverance and petition for all the
sings the way you put on Christ that is
practically utilize him to equip you to
move through the battle you face is with
prayer
now prayer is relational communication
with God a lot of people want to pray
with the in spiritual warfare who have
not prayed till they got the spiritual
warfare in other words they don’t know
how to stand strong in the Lord because
they haven’t been standing with the Lord
but now that they’re in an emergency
they need the Lord he’s talking about
staying in touch with him all day
that’s why 1st Thessalonians 5:17 says
pray without ceasing in other words stay
in touch with me
now let me explain why this is so
important the evil day is principalities
powers and world forces this means you
are under attack this means that this
attack is coming from the devil and
demons it is unfortunate that far too
many Christians have lost sight of
demons demons are angels that went rogue
demons are the spiritual mafia that
attacks us in the spiritual that brings
about our pain in the physical and the
Bible has an answer to demons the answer
to demons are angels so here’s how this
works
the Bible declares every Christian has
been assigned and Angel and the job of
the angel is to look after the
well-being of the believer so every
Christian has an angel that is assigned
to you by God one of the jobs of your
angel is to throw warts the demonic
attack that is coming against you
because angels know how to fight angels
and so when the demonic angel comes to
bring pain and anguish and defeat in
your world and in your life you have an
angel the Bible says when we pray we
engage God the Holy Spirit and I’ll talk
about him in a moment who is who
activates the angel assigned to you to
deal with the demonic oppression that is
coming against you so he says with all
perseverance but he tells you something
else and it’s the key he says pray in
the spirit
verse 18 don’t just pray meaning don’t
just have conversation but he says I
want you to pray in the spirit of
questions what does that mean the Bible
talks about the role of the Spirit is to
deliver the mind of God 1st Corinthians
chapter 2 verse 9 and 10 but just as it
is written things which I have not seen
and ear has not heard and which has not
been entered into the heart of man all
that God has prepared for those who love
him for to us God revealed them these
are my heavenly summer earth to us God
revealed them through the spirit for the
spirit searches all things even the
depths of God see when you are in the
evil days that means folk can help you
when you’re in the evil day they have
limitations that they can do for you and
you need something that I have not seen
here if not heard and the imagination is
not conceived of you need the
supernatural to enter into the natural
now being in the spirit is opposed in
Scripture to being in the flesh to be in
the spirit let me start with the
participle in he wants you to be in the
spirit
so he does not want you visiting and
exiting he wants you operating in the
realm of the spirit
what is the realm of the spirit the
realm of the Spirit is a spiritual
mindset in Romans chapter 8 verses 1 to
13 he gives this extended discussion
about the spirit and he says when you
have the spirit you have the mind of the
spirit so this has to do with how you’re
thinking the mind is your thought he
wants you to think spiritually not
circularly he wants you to think
biblically not worldly he wants you to
think the mind of Christ not the mind of
man so I want to show you again
Galatians 5 Galatians 5 says this about
the spirit verse 16 but I say walk by
the spirit and you will not carry out
the desire of the flesh for the flesh
sets its desire against the spirit and
the spirit against the flesh for these
are in opposition to one another so that
you may not do the things that you
please he says there is a battle and
it’s a battle between the spirit and the
flesh let me define the flesh the flesh
is the desire to please self
independently of God the flesh is the
desire to please yourself as opposed to
pleasing God we all battle with the
flesh walk in the spirit and you will
not fulfill the desire please don’t miss
read that he didn’t say you won’t have
the desire because the flesh wants what
it wants so you won’t have the desire
but the spirit will override it don’t
read the verse in Reverse don’t read to
get rid of the desire of the flesh walk
in the spirit that’s backwards walk in
the spirit and it will overrule that is
the flesh it will overrule it the
capacity to do what you need to do or
what God wants done will be activated in
your experience as you walk in the
spirit now many times people say I’m
praying but nothing is happening what
let me explain but if we as humans went
into the water and tried to breathe and
start the in here inhale and exhale
you’re doing the right thing but you’re
doing it in the wrong environment
many Christians pray they doing the
right thing but they’re doing it in the
flesh they’re doing it in the wrong
environment and if you’re doing the
right thing in the wrong environment the
right thing won’t work so just because
you say your prayers in the morning say
grace at dinner and say your bedtime
prayer that’s the right thing but the
question is have you been walking in the
right environment because if you’re not
walking in the right environment doing
the right thing won’t work and in fact
it can help kill you quicker so he says
all oh oh oh I want you to be consumed
with being in my presence walking in the
flesh he says we’ll put you in a
spiritual graveyard but walking by the
spirit will put you and here’s how you
know because you’re no longer having to
force things when you’re in the spirit
but the Bible calls the spirit a wind a
wind it blows the Bible says the Holy
Spirit
guides us he pulls us then you can walk
you should walk but you’re walking on
some power you’re walking on some
undergirding you’re walking on some
strength because you’re walking with the
mind of the Spirit consistent with the
revelation and Word of God so that he
can override and so you begin to flow in
it even though you still have to walk
and even though you may have a ways to
go he says pray always in the spirit
spirits will lead
and so he’s my only out and so we cry
out to God and trust God but you have
your evil day well you will and if we
make prayer a lifestyle walking in the
spirit a lifestyle and not a visit don’t
treat the spirit like a treat Church
don’t just come for a visit
no he says you roll with me and you stay
in contact with me all day every day
short long fast slow when we contact God
if the timing is wrong he’ll say slow if
the request is wrong you’ll say no if we
are wrong he’ll say grow but if the
request is right the time is right and
we are right sooner or later it’ll say
go so I want this to be known as a house
of prayer praise God for great music
praise God for preaching all of that’s
critical to worship but if we don’t make
contact with heaven all we did was come
to an events or religious events but if
we as a church will cry out to God and
when God meets you in your evil day
however that happens sometimes he takes
you through it sometimes he delivers you
out of it and sometimes he just gives
you the strength to deal with it he does
it in all kind of ways but but however
he decides to do it you’ll know he’s
right there in the midst he changes your
perspective in the midst of your evil
day
and you know you can go a long way with
a change of perspective it reminds me of
the story of the two hunters and they
found out in Alaska they were paying
$5,000 for every wolf that was killed
because it had overgrown with wolves and
they were creating an imbalance in
nature so they had to get rid of some of
the wolves so these two buddies decided
we’re gonna go to Alaska we’re hunters
let’s kill with $5,000 a wolf so they
got their gear they puts their tent cuz
tomorrow morning we gone out and kills
the wolves $5,000 a wolf so they went to
sleep to get ready for tomorrow in the
middle of the night one of the men heard
a noise he turned on his light and he
could see through the canvas he was
surrounded by wolves he went to one hunt
wolves and now the wolves are not in him
they’re 25 wolves surrounding his death
they’re growling as he put it up closer
he could see the teeth of the wolf so
they were ready to attack
he woke his friend up Bob get up get up
get up look Bob said what is it look
we’re rich
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perspective can change everything
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life wouldn’t be life without a crisis
would it even one just came out of one
or sooner or later you’ll run into one
things that overwhelm you well I want
you to join me in praying through the
crisis the thing where you are desperate
for God and make sure you connect your
prayer with obedience when prayer
becomes connected with doing what God
told you to do then not only do you get
to pray you get to see Jesus pray on
your behalf or as the scripture says to
make intercession for us when you’re in
a crisis you need an intercede with
somebody to help you out Jesus Christ is
so situated to be that supernatural help
so in your crisis get a partner in
prayer through your prayer and your
obedience and let’s see what miracle
awaits you
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you
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you