Key points
- 1
1We must perceive the enemy — our fight is not against people but against spiritual forces working beneath the surface to steal, kill, and destroy.
- 2
2The enemy uses people to hurt us, and when we get hurt by people we often grow bitter toward God — but God wants to step into our business precisely because the enemy is already there.
- 3
3We must plug into God's power — Christianity is not a call to try harder but to surrender to Jesus, who provides the strength we need through consistent connection with Him.
“God wants to get in your business because the enemy is already there”
“We are trying to live a life that looks like Jesus without the power of Jesus. We are trying to love like Jesus without the strength of Jesus. We are trying to fight the enemy without the power from God, and I'm telling you, it doesn't work”
A story from life
Pastor Hunter's account of directing the Rock Point Seminary and observing a student upset because her phone had not charged overnight
- 4
4We must put on the full armor of God, and because that armor has no back plate, we are meant to fight together — the enemy isolates, but believers are stronger in community.
- 5
5We must proceed from victory, not for it — Jesus declared 'It is finished,' meaning sin and Satan are already defeated, and believers fight from that secured victory.
“he can make sure you don't feel any of the love, any of the joy, any of the peace, any of the patience or goodness that comes from being connected and in a relationship with God”
“don't you dare quit. Don't you dare. Because God has a call on your life and the enemy is attacking you because he knows God has put victory in front of you if you stay obedient and stay committed to what God has called you to do”
“the enemy wants to steal your joy, kill your calling, and destroy your life. And he knows the best way to do that is to talk you out of doing exactly what God has called and asked you to do”
Illustration
Historical account of the Holocaust intensifying as Hitler realized he was losing on the Eastern and Western Fronts, used to illustrate how a defeated enemy attacks most fiercely when he knows the war is lost
A story from life
Pastor Hunter's personal season of burnout in ministry about one year prior, and how his wife, his life group, and a mentor's unexpected text helped him perceive and fight a spiritual battle
A story from life
Pastor Hunter's memory of learning to drive at 15 with his father in a white Honda Odyssey minivan in Missouri
Application
Pastor Hunter closes with a pointed challenge: stop treating Christianity as a comfortable addition to life and start taking the spiritual battle seriously. Practically, that means three things. First, get honest about where the enemy has already gained a foothold — in your relationships, your habits, your thought life — and name it for what it is. Second, stop running on empty; find a rhythm of daily Scripture and prayer that keeps you genuinely connected to God, your only power source. Third, stop fighting alone — get into a small group, find your people, and let them fight alongside you. And when the battle feels impossible, remember that Jesus has already declared 'It is finished.' You are not fighting for victory; you are fighting from it.
