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There is freedom waiting for you on the other side of tough times. I’m praying that you begin to identify the blessings in your life and focus on them until you breakthrough into a new, anointed light. PLEASE do not hesitate to reach out to me if you need someone to walk through the process with you.

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Blessings and Honor,
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TRANSCRIPT – Growing Godly Character: The Key to Carrying Your Spiritual Armor

you know today I want to talk about

we’re going to continue in the book of

Ephesians and and we’re in four uh 25-32

and and today we’re going to talk about

growing character to carry your armor

and like everybody loves uh Ephesians 6.

they want to get to some battle we want

to get our Spiritual armor but you know

before you can carry that armor that you

have to go through the process of

growing your character and you know it

had me thinking about my days when I was

in Special Operations and and I was a

SWAT Commander for 16 years and a lot of

training a lot of training went into

that and and this week as I was thinking

about the process of moving towards

being able to grow your character to

carry the armor of God it’s like what

did it take to carry that armor and that

and those special weapons and tactics

and so like it really came down to the

basics like there’s basic SWAT training

and then there’s Advanced SWAT training

and and basic SWAT training is where

you’re shooting paper Target and and

there’s certain your shot placement is

about the size of a cantaloupe that’s

basic SWAT training and Advanced SWAT

training is you keep shooting the same

weapon the same distance the same Target

and you get it down about the size of a

ping pong ball that’s the difference

between basic and advanced and it’s the

same thing with the word of the lord

it’s the same thing with growing your

character it’s the same book it’s the

same word it’s the same God it’s the

same Holy Spirit but you got to keep

growing the process growing your

character to where maybe you’re

understanding and your ability to

operate in the Supernatural gifts of the

holy spirit instead of the this big your

shot grouping it comes down to this big

to where you know the word of the Lord

where you’re Renewing Your Mind you’re

transforming your mind and so it is it’s

the same weapon but what changes is the

operators the ones who fire the weapons

they just become experts at it it

becomes a part of who they are and so

when thinking about this word this week

and I’m doing it right now and so we

will watch the video before we edit it

and Leah’s like you gotta stop like

looks like you’re picking in your pocket

all the time and I look and I’m like you

know you’re right you know why I do that

because for almost 30 years where was my

weapon my secondary weapon it’s right

here so because that Weaponry was part

of who I am I can’t break that habit I

am always weapon retention and when I’m

not doing this I notice I stand like

this a lot you know why because for 20

years I’ve had a submachine gun strapped

around my neck and weapon retention like

that expert Marksmanship and tactics

it’s who I am and you can’t break that a

lot of times I’m looking at the the

message and I’m doing this and I’m doing

this because it’s called a shock plate a

trauma plate it’s a piece of Steel

that’s cut out that goes inside that

armor that you wear and it was a habit

for me just sense of security before

going into something hot I was just

tapped to make sure that it was there so

it’s become so ingrained in me that even

after being out of the out of that world

for almost 10 years I’m still this I’m

still this I’m still this that’s the way

that Warriors are made you can’t

separate the process from the product

and it’s the same thing with the word of

the Lord like your Spiritual armor

you’re only going to become as

proficient as Christ is reflected in you

and that’s why we’re walking through

this process to walk worthy as a warrior

in Christ requires for us to constantly

renew our mind renew our mind to be

transformed by the word of the Lord

and why is it important the one thing

that the Lord put on my heart this week

and we’re and we’re like oh let’s get

our Spiritual armor let’s go get some

demons let’s cast out this let’s live in

Victory but I want to tell you

the character to wage spiritual war is

not about pounding the devil

it’s about praising God

it’s about praising God that’s why we’re

walking through this book of Ephesians

we’re growing our character before we’re

issued our armor look that’s why David

didn’t wear King Saul’s armor it wasn’t

his armor it didn’t fit

for you for me we got to make sure that

our walk

it fits our worth and our worth comes

through the word of the Lord the

identity who Lord the Lord says we are

and it’s taking that identity and

becoming Who We Are

you can’t do battle without the

character to carry the armor of God so

if we stand together as the body

as the army of the Lord and let’s read

the word that’s developing our character

and as well gives us those weapons and

we’ll read together as the body and

let’s begin and do not bring sorrow to

God’s holy spirit by the way you live

remember he has identified you as his

own guaranteeing that you will be saved

on the day of redemption get rid of all

bitterness rage anger harsh words and

slander as well as all types of evil

Behavior instead be kind to each other

tenderhearted forgiving to one another

just as God through Christ has forgiven

you

thank you Lord thank you Jesus for that

good word thank you for that good word

so we’re continuing through the book of

Ephesians and we’re in chapter four and

you know it’s important to remember all

those like numbers and and breaks down

the scriptures like that was a publisher

in the 1500s that did this this is a

letter that Paul wrote to the church in

Ephesus Paul didn’t write it like four

colon one four colon one two so let’s go

back to chapter four what Paul’s talking

about when we talk about walking Warrior

Worthy what Paul says in Ephesians 4 1 I

therefore the prisoner of the Lord

beseech you to walk worthy of the

calling with which you were called

everything we’ve been talking about for

the last several weeks in chapter four

is about walking worthy of the calling

with which you were called

and it’s based on what

the word of the Lord

and how do we get to that point of

worthy to carry your Spiritual armor by

transforming your mind by what the word

of the Lord

by Renewing Your Mind by what the word

of the Lord

you know some of the things when I was

reading I started making some notes some

Revelation it says and how do we walk

worthy

well knowing God’s word transforms your

mind mature in your mind grows your

character growing your character carries

your armor wearing your armor wages your

Warfare

waging Warfare crushes your enemy

crushing your enemy strengthens your

faith strengthening your faith renews

your mind

it’s a process it’s a process of going

glory to glory process of sanctification

it’s just like when we all started

special ops training on that day and

then some people don’t even know how to

fire the weapon like what end of the

barrel do I look down

that’s cool we know where to start but

we know where we got to get you before

you can wage war before you can you can

operate and it’s the same thing in the

Kingdom you see but but coming into

spiritual maturity it’s not like in life

like chronological maturity like our 13

year old wants to drive but he’s not

mature at the point he will be but right

now he’s got to wait for Chronological

maturation it’s not the same way in the

Kingdom it’s not the same way it’s

effort in effort out

you put in the effort to study the word

of the Lord to know the word of the Lord

to live the word of the Lord you become

mature in the Kingdom you don’t have to

wait till you go get a Bible School

degree and and you’ve you know you’ve

been at a church for 10 years to

volunteer like your effort in is your

effort out

as ready as soon as you’re ready to get

into battle proclaim the victory

exercise your Authority

start putting the work in by reading the

word of the Lord you know Paul tells us

in First Corinthians 13.

when I was a child I spoke as a child I

understood as a child I thought as a

child but when I became a man I put away

those childish things you see we’ve said

it before adolescence it’s not biblical

the woke World took childhood and

extended it and called it adolescence

there’s no Adolescence in the Bible

Paul said when I was a child there’s a

time to be a child there’s a time to be

a new believer but you’ve got to put

that time away and you got to become a

man a mature Christian in the word

you know he talks about becoming a man

becoming mature and in Ephesians 4 1-16

some of the marks of maturity is unity

in the faith it’s understanding the word

of the Lord understanding Doctrine it’s

Ministry understanding that that God has

called us all to be ministers this is

why God’s put us under a five-fold

ministry under a five-fold church so we

have the leaders of those five folds to

train up those special positions those

special operators and then discernment

discernment is such a key part of

spiritual maturation so why so we’re not

tossed to and fro and believe this

Doctrine and that good idea

oh I saw it on Facebook I saw it on

Facebook

that’s not discernment that’s spending

too much time on Facebook you know when

Paul says in in there when First

Corinthians when Paul says to put away

and the Greek what it’s talking about

the definition is to render useless or

unproductive or unprofitable

like you cannot fight if you’re an

infant like babies are so cute like

babies are so cute but then babies can’t

do battle

they can’t an immature Christian can’t

go to war

against against an evil opponent

got to put those things away you’ve got

to put away those childish things

and a lot of the stuff we’ve got to put

away is allowing our emotions to drive

Our Lives

you’ve got to stick to the word of the

Lord like when you could get to the

point of saying I don’t care what the

world says I know what the word says

like you got two buckets one bucket is

the World Bucket the other bucket is the

word bucket the word of the Lord so you

got to look at the things in your life

and what bucket are you putting those

things in your life in because this

world bucket is a trash can

this is Victory and Glory

to mature yourself to go to battle this

world word bucket has got to be full of

you

this world bucket

It’s Just Junk get rid of the junk so

how was the first step to Growing our

character to carry your your armor well

let’s go to Ephesians we’re going to

walk Ephesians out Ephesians 4 25 says

therefore

putting away lying

Let each one of you speak truth to his

neighbor for we are members of one body

the first part put away lying

like we have said the words lie in rumor

and gossip probably a hundred times in

the last several weeks

not because we thought those were fun

words to say but this is what Paul’s

focusing on listen a good warrior has

got to control Communications

now in uh earlier this morning at nine

o’clock I said I remember in the old

days I was not there during World War

One in World War II but the big thing

was loose lips

sink ships they knew it then we need to

know it now a good warrior controls

their communication the Bible tells us

you got to tame your tongue

like the simplest act to go from last

week we talked about the old the old

nature take off the old nature put on

the new the simplest Act is to Simply

control your tongue

you control your tongue you you’ve won

most of the battle stop lying and lion

doesn’t just mean like like well that

wall is green no it’s not it is I’m

telling you you got to believe no no

like lying is exaggerating and omitting

facts and then and then adding other

things look I’ll tell you years years

ago years ago I was sitting with a

pastor of mine in south Louisiana and

he’s like you know Scott like you don’t

tell the truth

and like I was Furious I was so angry

because like my career was based on on

my word

your word was everything and he’s like

yeah I get it but in your personal life

you only tell just enough

to appear right

or to look good to other people

and I’m going to tell you what it was a

revelation that struck me I was mad but

then I got convicted

and then I changed and I realized God

can only use me to the point that I’m

willing to tell the truth

listen when When God says you can’t

Minister out of a dirty vessel that’s

the truth

you can’t spew curses and blessings out

of the same mouth

you know what it comes down to lies

there’s no like people it’s just a

little white lie well I just lie to her

because I didn’t want her I didn’t want

to tell her the truth about what she was

wearing I just said let me tell you when

you lie you know who you’re lying with

you lie with the father of those lies

and who’s the father of Lies

the devil John 8 tells us

and Jesus this is Jesus like this isn’t

just a good idea

Jesus told them if God were your father

you would love me because I have come to

you from God I am not here on my own but

he sent me

like why can’t you understand what I’m

saying

it’s because you can’t even hear me

for you are the children of your father

the devil and you love to do the evil

things he does he was a murderer from

the beginning he has always hated the

truth because there’s no truth in him

when he lies it is consistent with his

character for he is a liar and the

father of Lies so when Paul is telling

us stop lying

stop lying yeah but can I just stop

even a white lie put you in bed with the

father of Lies even a lie that you think

you’re offering to save somebody’s

feelings put you in the bed with the

father of Lies

speak truth speak truth in love but

speak truth truth brings Unity Ephesians

4 25 we walk that out for we are members

of one another

look

sometimes the body resists itself

sometimes it does

if somebody’s like Hey we’re going to go

out run five miles

I don’t think the body’s ever been like

let’s do it that’s a good idea

it’s like you sure

that’s why we got some snicker bars over

there we could hang out no there’s going

to be some resistance but this is where

truth comes in you get to choose truth

so often we feel we feel um

unempowered we feel like everybody else

makes decisions for us

but you get to choose God gives you the

authority to choose choose truth

don’t choose just enough to make you

look good don’t choose just enough to

make you sound right tell the whole

truth we said it last week the truth’s

like a lion you don’t have to defend it

just let it free it’ll defend itself

the second step to Growing your

character to carry your armor Ephesians

4 26 be angry and do not sin do not let

the sun go down on your wrath nor give

place to the devil

look a skilled Warrior you’ve got to

maintain control of your emotions

if you guys ever I’m not gonna one time

I asked y’all ever been in a street

fight and people raising their hands

Alia’s like don’t ask nobody that again

so I’m gonna say this y’all ever y’all

ever seen like fights on social media

and and somebody gets mad and they start

throwing those windmill punches like

their arms just going to start because

their emotions driving their reaction

and after about like six seconds they’re

like

well guess what the fight ain’t over

well the fight’s over for you because

you’re done

don’t let emotion Drive Warriors

Warriors they’ve got to maintain control

of your emotions let me tell you you

start getting into some situations where

you’re casting out demons and those

demons start naming your wife and naming

your kids and naming your husband and

naming your family and then you let your

emotions take over and you start getting

scared and you start getting mad

and you’re like oh that’s a personal

attack you’re right it’s a personal

attack they hate you

but you can’t let your emotions drive

your response look I Mentor a lot of

guys I’ve talked to thousands of guys

since God called me into Ministry for

men

a lot of the guys that I talk to

violence punching holes in the wall and

punching holes in the door and slamming

their car and throwing stuff through

windows and I’m like bro you got to

control yourself

oh I just can’t I can’t I get mad I rage

out I rage out Okay cool so you’re mad

and you’re raging out and then the phone

rings and it’s somebody you’ve been

waiting for how you answer the phone

hey what’s up

don’t tell me you can’t control your

emotions you choose not to control your

emotions you allow your emotions to

control you this is why Paul’s telling

us be angry don’t sin listen we all got

we all got emotions God created them God

was angry Jesus was angry

see anger is not a sin unless you sin in

your anger

that’s the difference Jesus experienced

righteous anger

you know in Mark 3 when he when he

healed the guy with the withered hand on

a Sabbath in a synagogue like Jesus

healed this brother

and then what did he say and then he

looked with anger upon the Pharisees who

departed plotting to kill him Jesus felt

anger but that’s righteous anger we

should be angry about Sin about

Injustice about harm done to the

innocent but you see if you let it

linger if you let it simmer if you let

it Fester

then that turns to sin

you see being spiritually mature

walking worthy with what you were called

it gives you discernment discernment

tells you what’s righteous anger versus

what is just sin like I’m just going to

be mad to be mad what you’re mad about

I’m mad about being mad

well that ain’t righteous that’s selfish

listen do not give away your Authority

and your anger

Ephesians 4 27 let’s walk that out do

not give an opportunity to the devil

you are the one that has to give the

opportunity to the devil

he can’t just come snatch it if you’ve

been if you’ve received Jesus as your

savior

and you have the Holy Spirit living

inside of you Jesus bought you with his

blood

the Holy Spirit indwells you Ephesians

tells us you were sealed by the Holy

Spirit you don’t leak your righteousness

doesn’t leak

so well then how do I get demonized well

there’s doors that you open

anger is one of those doors anger is one

of those doors that give give

opportunity to the devil

well I don’t want to give them

opportunity then close the doors

how do I close the doors you got to live

a holy righteous life you got to forgive

other people

you see I’ll tell you I’ll tell you and

I’m going to tell I’m going to tell on

Leo

we first got married we were blending

families I know we were blending

families and houses and careers and

States like it was crazy town and things

got things you know we’ve got heated on

occasion and look we’d argue before we

go to bed and I’d be like and like I

don’t like to argue I don’t like

conflict I’ll just be quiet which is not

always healthy but I would just be quiet

in my anger and I’d feel like cold toe

yeah

and I’d slide over and I’d feel that

mattress move and that cold toe and I’d

get further and after another cold toe I

would literally be laying like this on

the edge of the mattress like trying not

to fall off

and you know what

I started thinking Hmm

you know I shouldn’t have married that

old girl

I could probably go back to New Orleans

I bet I could get my job as a chief of

police

no there’s probably somebody else out

there that don’t have cold toes thank

you

and the longer I stood in the and

festered in my anger the deeper and

darker my thoughts got

that’s why Paul tells us don’t give an

opportunity to the devil that’s how you

give them opportunity you see some of

the ways that we open doors to the devil

is when we refuse to let go of Old

Wounds

you know what they did to hurt me you

know what they did I know

I know but you got to forgive them when

we refuse to acknowledge what we did

wrong when you lay it on the edge of

that mattress and you just bracing

yourself for that next cold toe

just admit you were wrong

when you refuse to forgive others for

what they did

unforgiveness is what keeps all most of

our doors open that allow for these

demonic attacks

and the other is refusing to lay our

rights down for others my goodness how

how righteous we can be why have a right

to do this I have a right to do that I

have a right to sit in that chair listen

if you’re a prisoner for Christ you got

no rights

you’ve got no rights you’ve got to

surrender your rights to your rights

in the final part of 27 says neither

give place to the devil give place to

the devil you have to give a demon

access into your life

your body has been bought by the blood

of Jesus Christ your your spirit is the

spirit of the holy spirit that indwells

inside of you you have to give that

demon legal Authority if we really

understood the the realm the spiritual

realm and that it all operates under

legal Authority

we would understand the true power that

we have through Jesus Christ

you have to give them a place

and you know where we give that it

starts is in our mind

this is why Romans 12 2 says do not be

conformed by the patterns of the world

but transform your mind by what the word

it’s the Battleground

you give permission or not it’s your

choice

you got power you got Choice and then he

goes on to the second do not give place

the word Greek the Greek word for place

is tapos and it means a region a

location a Zone it’s where the word

topographical comes from a topographical

map you see demons they’re so structured

and territorial that they they look for

specific zones they don’t just scatter

gun

they looking like

um

I see that old boy on the edge of his

mattress avoiding that cold toe their

marriage must be in trouble

he’s not gonna bother attacking our

finances because the marriages was

vulnerable

you see the demon they watching they

waiting

and if you open the door that’s why Paul

says do not give give place

to the devil

you give place or you don’t

but he’s going to look these are some of

the most common areas that he’s going to

Target your money

your health your marriage your

relationships your job your business or

your ministry

I’ll tell you the one thing that holds

that door open to the devil is

unforgiveness

it’s unforgiveness and look we talk

about it all the time forgiving someone

doesn’t say that they were right and

what they did to hurt you forgiveness is

the greatest gift you can give yourself

you cut yourself free

from the harm that somebody did to you

and then God says vengeance is mine and

he says if you don’t forgive others or

their sins I’m not going to forgive you

like we don’t want to be stuck in this

state of unforgiveness because we’ve

been too resistant and rebellious to

forgive other people my goodness

gracious if Jesus the Christ can hang on

a cross

can hang on the cross and ask his father

to forgive those folks for they know not

what they do

and we can’t do the same and we call

ourselves christ-like Christians

unforgiveness is what keeps us in

bondage

so I want to walk through the last of of

chapter four

and it starts at 28 and these are what

we call the the growing the character

these are your character Builders 28

says let him who stole still no longer

but rather let him labor working with

his hands what is good that he may have

something to give him who is in need let

me tell you want to talk about the

ultimate transformation you’re taking

the stealer who turns into The Giver

he don’t just say stop stealing stop

stealing work and give you talk about

the ultimate 180. you go from from The

Condemned to the co-heir you go from

from from the loss to the saved you go

from the stealer

to The Giver

you want to talk about character

building

that’s character building 29 says don’t

use foul or abusive language let

everything you say be good and helpful

so that your words will be an

encouragement to those who hear him look

strong people they don’t pull people

down they lift people up Proverbs

Proverbs 18 21 tells us that that the

power of death in life is in the tongue

now if you believe God and you believe

the word of God is true then you can’t

take the words that God say and just

dismiss them like a salad bar selection

so when God says your word your speech

your tongue literally has the power of

death and life

and we and we still choose to exercise

death you guys have seen the experiments

what they do with plants plants that

where they talk negative and curses

plant these are plants

plants that are that are spoken affirmed

that’s a plant imagine your kids imagine

your spouse imagine other people the

power that your words have

30 says do not bring sorrow to God’s

holy spirit by the way you live remember

he’s identified you as his own

guaranteeing that you will be saved on

the day of redemption like walk worthy

in your calling with which you were

called the holy spirit is a down payment

for the day of redemption

the Holy Spirit you can’t be like well

I’ma wait till I’m gonna wait till about

three or four in the morning to watch

some pornography or text that person

back the Holy Spirit don’t sleep the

Holy Spirit doesn’t sleep it Grieves

grieved he’s grieved by the sin he’s

grieved by Rebellion but God loves us

anyway

God loves us anyway walk worthy

to the walk with which you were called

Romans 12 1 tells us that we’re to be a

holy living sacrifice

to be set apart for the kingdom 31 tells

us get rid of all bitterness rage harsh

words and slander as well as all types

of evil behavior that was our anchor

scripture transform your mind to reflect

Christ like like who wants to carry this

stuff around

I guarantee you most of us before we

came to Christ lived in Rage lived in

Anger lived in bitterness lived to

slander other people were involved in

all kinds of evil Behavior

and that’s why they call it in darkness

living in darkness it’s a terrible

terrible way to be it’s a terrible way

to live but you know what you got an

option

so Paul says hey instead of that

instead be kind to each other

be tenderhearted forgiving one another

just as God through Christ has forgiven

you like when we talk about moms

like that’s what I think like how

beautiful like moms they’re kind to

their kids they’re tenderhearted they’re

forgiving

they reflect Jesus in the way that they

sacrally sacrificially love their kids

and you know what the truth is not

everybody’s mom fit that model

but God loved him anyway

but God loved him anyway

that’s the calling to grow your

character not all of us are always kind

or tenderhearted or forgiving

but that’s the goal that’s the process

that’s why Paul walks us through

chapters one through five before we get

to six

if we took our 13 year old and sent him

to the to the to the rigorous Special

Operations training of military or law

enforcement and our 13 year olds showed

up like I’m ready to go I’ve been

playing Call of Duty for the last 10

years I am ready to go I got that a b

button and that X but I’m ready to roll

and he steps up and you drop 70 to 100

some pounds of gear

what’s he gonna do

he’s gonna fall he’s going to crumble

underneath that you’ve got to grow the

character before you carry the armor of

God

so this is the one thing that the Lord

put on my heart

the one thing that I want you guys to

take away

is the character to wage spiritual

warfare is not about pounding the devil

it’s about praising God

it’s about praising God I love and Luke

when the apostles came back and they’re

like

even the demons are subjected to us in

your name like they were like

and what Jesus he goes I’m gonna

paraphrase and Jesus is like that’s cool

and all

but I saw him fall like lightning

like that dude ain’t nothing don’t get

too excited about this what you need to

be excited about is that your name is

written in the Lamb’s Book of Life

that’s the character of God