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Published: Aug. 25, 2015, 2:18 p.m.

\u201cForget the former things; do not dwell on the past.\xa0 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)

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Message Title:\xa0 A Good Defense

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Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels.\xa0 And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven.\xa0 This great dragon\u2014the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world\u2014was thrown down to the earth with all his angels. Revelation 12:7-9 (NLT)

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Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, \u201cIt has come at last; salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. Revelation 12:10 (NLT)

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For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth; the one who accuses them\xa0before our God day and night. Revelation 12:10 (NLT)

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And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. Revelation 12:11 (NLT)

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When the dragon realized that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child\u2026\xa0 And the dragon was angry at the woman and declared war against the rest of her children\u2014all who keep God\u2019s commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus. Revelation 12:13,17 (NLT)

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The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy\u2026 John 10:10 (NIV)

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I have come that they may have life,\xa0and have it to the full. John 10:10 (NIV)

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You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.\xa0Colossians 2:13 (NLT)

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He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:14 (NLT)

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In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. Colossians 2:15 (NLT)

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While the people of Israel were still at Rephidim, the warriors of Amalek attacked them.\xa0 Moses commanded Joshua, \u201cChoose some men to go out and fight the army of Amalek for us. Exodus 17:8-9 (NLT)

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\u201cTomorrow, I will stand at the top of the hill, holding the staff of God in my hand.\u201d Exodus 17:9 (NLT)

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So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of Amalek. Exodus 17:10 (NLT)

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Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of a nearby hill.\xa011\xa0As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage.\xa0Exodus 17:10-11 (NLT)

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Moses\u2019 arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset.\xa0Exodus 17:12 (NLT)

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As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle. Exodus 17:13 (NLT)

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People who can see when the enemy is gaining ground.

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Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around\xa0like a roaring lion\xa0looking for someone to devour.\xa01 Peter 5:8 (NIV)

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Humble yourselves, therefore, under God\u2019s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.\xa0 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7(NIV)

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Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around\xa0like a roaring lion\xa0looking for someone to devour.\xa01 Peter 5:8 (NIV)

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Resist him, standing firm in the faith,\xa0because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 1 Peter 5:9 (NIV)

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People who will push you when we want to give up.

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Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.\xa0 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.\xa0Hebrews 10:23-24 (NLT)

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And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Hebrews 10:25 (NLT)

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People who will help you hold on to what God has redeemed in you.

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\u2026I am the\xa0Lord. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment.\xa0Exodus 6:6 (NLT)

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I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the\xa0Lord\xa0your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt.\xa0 I will bring you into the land I swore to give\u2026 Exodus 6:7-8 (NLT)\xa0

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Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God\u2019s Spirit is right alongside helping us along... He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That\u2019s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. Romans 8:26-28 (MSG)

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God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. Romans 8:29-30 (MSG)

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Sometimes the thing God has redeemed in you can become the very thing you want to let go of.

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As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. Proverbs 27:17 (NLT)\xa0