DISCIPLESHIP CLASS: LEVEL 4 WEEK 1

Lesson 1: Prepare for Battle! [Matthew 4:1-11, Ephesians 6:10-15]

We have an _________
Right through Jesus' life Satan was out to destroy him. This started at Jesus' birth when King
Herod tried to kill him. It became intense in the wilderness as Satan tempted Jesus to turn away
from God's purpose (Matthew 4:1-9). It continued throughout Jesus' public ministry as Satan
opposed him through the religious leaders (John 8:44). Satan even used one of Jesus' most loyal
disciples to try to turn Him away from His path to the cross (Matthew 16:21-23). But the
greatest battle of all was in the Garden of Gethsemane where he faced the final bitter struggle
with the prince of darkness (Luke 22:40-44).
If Satan attacked Jesus, we can be sure he will come against Jesus' followers also. Satan is not
concerned about those already under his control. Nor is he very concerned about weak,
ineffective and self-controlled Christians for they are little threat to his kingdom. The ones he is
most concerned about are Spirit-filled disciples. He will try to spoil your life in any way he can
just like he tried to spoil the life of Jesus, your Master, before you
On the ________ side
The wonderful truth is this: "The one who is in you (Christ) is greater than the one who is in the
world (Satan)." (1 John 4:4). So don't be afraid of the enemy! Jesus has already won the victory
on the cross where he broke Satan's power (Colossians 2:14-15). He will not let Satan tempt you
above your strength (1 Corinthians 10:13). He has prayed that your faith may not fail (Luke
22:32, John 17:15). He has given you authority over all the powers of the enemy (Luke 10:19).
And he has given you complete armour to protect you (Ephesians 6:12-18). What more can He
do? You are on the winning side! So your part is to make sure you put on the armour he has
provided so you can stand strong and win every battle that may come your way.
Your _____________
What is this armour that God has provided for our protection? Paul uses the picture of a Roman
oldier dressed for battle. He tells us piece by piece what we must put on for our spiritual
protection. And the first piece of armour he starts with is the belt. He doesn't start with the
flashing sword, the large shield, or the helmet - he starts with what seems quite unimportant -
the belt! Why is this?
The soldier's belt was essential because it carried the sheath for the sword. It also had leather
strips to protect the lower body. And it helped hold the other pieces of armour securely in
place. To rush into battle without your belt on would leave you without a sword holder, with
loose armour, and without complete protection. So the first thing Paul says you need for
spiritual battle is 'the belt of truth'.
Put on the 'belt of truth'
Truth matters! Why? Because Satan works by speaking lies and distorting truth. He loves to
deceive and confuse. That's how he spoiled our first parents. And he will do everything in his
power to spoil you by keeping you from knowing the truth and living in the freedom of that
truth. He will put negative messages into your mind. He'll start attacking your thoughts because
he knows that most people don't examine their thoughts. So you must put on this mean? the of
truth'. What does

1. _____ the truth

I first need to know God's revealed truth, for Satan loves to work through ignorance, half-truths,
confusion, doubts and lies. Jesus came to reveal God's truth and dispel the darkness. He said, "I
am the way, the truth and the life.... (John 14:6). The foundation of all truth is God's Word the
Bible which centres on Jesus. So I need to start every day filling my mind with the Word of God.
I need to remind myself of what God says about who he is. I need to know what God says about
who I am, and be reminded that he loves me deeply and wants the best for me. I need to know
what God says about his plan - why I need Jesus as my Saviour and why I need to follow him as
Lord. When I am armed with God's truth, I am able to stand against the onslaught of fear,
doubt, insecurity, negativity, and lies that the enemy may bring against me.
2. _______ on to the truth
I need to know and hold on to God's truth strongly and not let it slip because I live in a world
that has turned against the truth of God and believed the devil's lies. The devil has turned
people away from worshipping God as Creator to worshipping created things instead. So I need
to hold on to the worship and love of God as my first and highest calling and not turn away to
serve the 'gods' that people around me are serving.
The devil also pulls people away from living by God's moral design for life, to living according to
whatever their sinful nature craves, So I must continue to hold on to God's moral standards and
live a godly life. This will keep me from being swept downwards by the current of society's
ungodly values. To let go of God's truth and ignore God's moral design leads to awful
consequences described by Paul in Romans 1:18-32 - a downward slippery slide leading further
and further away from God into brokenness, pain, and destruction.
To resist this downward pull, I need to know who I am in Christ, what I have in Christ, and how I
am to live as Christ's follower. We have to think God's truth and say it daily - because it is only
this truth that sets us free. And the only way to know God's truth is to read God's Word, study
it, memorize it, meditate on it, and apply it to our lives every day.
3. _______ in truth
To live in truth means to live with integrity. Integrity is living inwardly what you profess
outwardly. It means honesty in your inner life (Psalm 51:6). Are you true in your inner life to the
values and beliefs that you outwardly profess? Someone has said "Integrity is what you are in
the dark". It is what you are on your own when no-one is looking.
Integrity means staying true to what you know is right whether people are watching you or not.
You 'practice what you preach'. You are authentic, true, honest, transparent, and sincere. There
is no deceit, no double standard, no hypocrisy in your life. Are you living in integrity?
Integrity tests
As a disciple of Jesus you will face integrity tests of many kinds to test your character. Satan will
tempt you to think that little things about honesty and purity of life don't matter. But if you are
to be trusted with greater responsibilities, you must first be found faithful and trustworthy in
little things. Jesus said, "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much."
(Luke 16:10-12).
So put on the 'beit of truth. Truth and honesty before God and others is the start of your
defence against Satan. Is your 'belt of truth' securely in place? Are you wrapped around with
God's truth? The belt may not seem a very important part of your protection, but it is absolutely
essential before the rest of the armour can be put in place.

Lesson 2: Put on the Armour [Ephesians 6:10-18]

When you become a Christian, you enter into spiritual battle. Your old master Satan will try to
prevent you from following Christ. So you are not only called to be a disciple of Christ but
equipped to be a soldier. God has provided you with everything you need to make you safe
against the cunning schemes of the devil. He has provided you with six pieces of spiritual
armour to protect every part of your life from the enemy.
1. The _______ of truth
In our last study we looked at this first piece of armour. The first way you stand against the
enemy is to know God's revealed truth in the Bible, to hold on to this truth, and to live in truth
and integrity. Are you wrapped around with God's truth? The belt may not seem a very
important part of your protection, but it is absolutely essential before the rest of the armour
can be put in place.
2. The _________ of righteousness
The breastplate is the next piece of armour to put in place. It was a metal covering over the
chest and down to the thighs. This second piece of armour was mainly protection for a soldier's
heart. The 'heart' is often used to describe the source of our emotions, motivations and
feelings. To put on the breastplate of righteousness can mean we have the covering we need to
deal with all those negative feelings that can pull us down into depression and despair-those
feelings that can make us feel worthless, inadequate, confused, discouraged, afraid, worried,
depressed, and ready to give up. Have you ever felt like that?
Putting on the breastplate means recognising it is Christ's perfect life that protects you, not your
own (See Isaiah 61:10). So whenever Satan comes against you to accuse you of failure, or to
make you feel unworthy, inadequate, or unloved by God, you must remind yourself and Satan
that you do not stand on your own merits, but on Christ's. You are covered over with Christ's
righteousness. You are accepted and loved by God because you are 'in Christ' and belong to
Jesus (Ephesians 1:6). Are you living under the forgiveness and covering that Christ offers you?
Or are you striving to live by religious rules and regulations to win God's approval? Only Christ's
covering will protect your heart.
3. The ________ of the gospel of peace
Can you imagine a soldier in armour with no shoes on? A bare-footed soldier would slip and
slide on wet ground or tear his feet to pieces on rough stony ground. So Roman soldiers were
equipped with strong shoes to give them a firm footing. Sorne think the shoes mean an
eagerness and readiness to carry the good news about Jesus to others. This idea probably
comes from Romans 10:15. But while sharing our faith is important, what Paul probably means
here is simply this: "Make sure you know what you believe about the Gospel and stand firm on
that. Otherwise you will slip and slide and easily fall down when under attack."
There are essential truths of the gospel that you must be absolutely convinced about if you are
to stand firm and have confidence and peace when Satan attacks you. If you are not sure about
these foundation truths of Scripture, then you are on slippery ground and Satan will easily
overcome you with doubts and uncertainty. Are your shoes tied on firmly?
4. The _______ of faith
Satan will shoot his fiery arrows at you. These arrows are negative, oppressive, evil thoughts or
imaginations, or strong doubts that can come to your mind suddenly and without warning. They
are more than your natural thought processes. Christians who have experienced such attacks
have noticed that they often come with extra force at times of prayer or just before obeying
what God is calling them to do.

Use the shield of faith by actively refusing to believe or accept these dark discouraging thoughts
that are the opposite of God's purpose for you. Resist Satan by rejecting these thoughts and
actively speaking out aloud and renouncing them:
"I reject these impure and evil thoughts. I refuse to accept these doubts about my relationship
with Christ that have clouded my vision and oppressed me. I will not focus on this fear, this
sudden anxiety which grips my heart. I will not surrender to this discouragement that is
designed to turn me aside from doing God's will. Rather my trust is wholly in God. Therefore I
reject all these negative thoughts and feelings in Jesus' Name" Are you using the shield of faith
in this way?
5. The ________ of salvation
The helmet of salvation protects our mind from mental confusion and darkness, and helps us to
see and understand things correctly. It can mean having assurance of salvation in knowing what
God has done for you in the past, but it probably means complete assurance in what God is
doing now in our lives and in the world, and what He is going to do in the future (See Romans
8:22-25, 1 Thess 5:8).
When we look at the world around us and see violence, terrorism, injustice, and evil increasing,
and when we experience personal pain and struggles in our own lives, we can easily become
confused and disillusioned. "Where is God in all this? Why isn't God acting now? Why doesn't
He answer my prayers?" To keep us from despair and confusion, we need to recognise that God
is still in control. We need God's covering over our minds. He will fulfil His purpose for you, for
His church, and for the world. His Kingdom is advancing and will finally come in power and
glory. While the battles may still rage around you, you can be absolutely sure that God will have
His way in the end. God's complete salvation will finally come to pass. When you do not
understand what is happening in your life now and in the world around you, put on this helmet
that protects your mind and gives you hope.
6. The _________ of the Spirit
The sword is the last of the six pieces in the Christian's armour and is the only piece that can be
used as a weapon of attack. By knowing how to use the sword of the Spirit you can defend
yourself against Satan, but more than that you can overpower him and drive him back. Jesus
used the 'sword of the Spirit' in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). In the power of the Spirit,
Jesus resisted every one of the devil's challenges by quoting the exact words of Scripture.
You will never overcome Satan by your own reasoning or clever arguments. The only weapon
that can drive him back is using the Word of God (as Jesus did!). And you will only experience
victory when your life is filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit (as Jesus was!). Don't keep trying
to deal with spiritual attacks in a human way. You are not fighting against people who may come
against you but unseen spiritual forces. So speak out loud the Word of God to the unseen spirit-
world. This is what will put the enemy to flight and make you strong. Study and memorize God's
Word so you can use this powerful weapon to overcome the enemy.