On Sunday, November 8, 2026, Pastor Ricky Sinclair continued our series Party in the House at Miracle Place Church in Baker, Louisiana, with a message about our real enemy and how to stand against him.
You can’t wage a war unless you know who you’re fighting.
Where the fall began
We all know the story of Adam and Eve, but Pastor Ricky pointed out that the fall started before them, with Lucifer. His name means “bearer of light.” He was created as an anointed cherub (Ezekiel 28:14) with an assignment: to carry the knowledge of God and help people understand who God is and His plan for their lives.
But pride rose up in him because of his beauty and position, and he wanted to be like God (Isaiah 14:12–15; Ezekiel 28:12–17). He went past what God created him to be, and he fell. He still has his gifts, but now he uses them against us through “the power of suggestion.”
You have authority
Studying the enemy doesn’t mean we’re powerless. “I’m saying you’re powerful. God is still large and in charge.” Ephesians 1:17–21 prays that the eyes of our understanding would be opened to know “the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe,” the same resurrection power that raised Jesus and seated Him “far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion.”
Pastor Ricky also challenged the church to grow up spiritually: “When I became a man, I put away childish things” (1 Corinthians 13:11). “You can’t stay a child in God. You’ve got to grow.”
The power of suggestion
Ephesians 6:12 says we wrestle “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” The kingdom of darkness is organized like a military, and one of its main weapons is planting thoughts in our minds. That’s why we hold up “the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked” (Ephesians 6:16) and cast down imaginations (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Pastor Ricky gave an everyday example. Jeannie asked him to fix the kitchen lights and the smoke alarm that beeps at 3 a.m., but he had already promised to visit someone in the hospital. The enemy whispered, “He never listens to me,” and offense crept in on both sides.
Neither one of us are enemies. The devil’s the enemy, not your spouse.
Jesus said the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). When those thoughts come: stop, and cast them down.
Strongholds and the strong man
- A stronghold is in the mind: wrong thoughts and patterns. You tear it down by casting down those thoughts and bringing them captive to Christ.
- The strong man is the spiritual enemy behind it. Jesus said you must bind the strong man before you can take back what he stole (Matthew 12:29), and He gave us the keys of the kingdom: “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven” (Matthew 16:19).
The law of sacrifice
Lucifer fell because he wouldn’t give up what he wanted to gain the greater good, which is God Himself. Pastor Ricky said that same temptation is behind every sin: settling for comfort, mediocrity and self-gratification instead of giving ourselves to God. The law of sacrifice has two steps: be willing to separate yourself from something you think is good, and then give it to God.
When I sacrifice it to God, I get God.
Jeannie shared how she learned this. As a new believer making $3.80 an hour, she paid her tithe first, even when the math didn’t work, and the Lord always got her through. Today, she said, sacrifice looks different: answering the phone call she doesn’t feel like taking, and doing the work of bringing her thoughts captive to Christ. “The heart is deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9), so we can’t just follow our feelings.
Jesus said, “Whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?” (Matthew 16:25–26). Pastor Ricky closed by praying that nothing in this world, not even comfort, would ever take God’s place in our lives.
Scriptures from this message
- Isaiah 14:12–15, Ezekiel 28:12–17, Ephesians 1:17–21
- 1 Corinthians 13:11, Ephesians 6:12, 16, 2 Corinthians 10:5
- John 10:10, Matthew 12:29, Matthew 16:19, 25–26
- Matthew 25:40, Jeremiah 17:9
Your next step
If this message touched your heart and you want to give your life to Jesus, you can pray this simple prayer:
Lord, I ask You to forgive me. I open my heart for You to come live in me. Change me and save me, in the name of Jesus Christ.
We’d love to help you take your next step. Get connected with Miracle Place Church.
About Miracle Place Church: we take in people struggling with addiction off the streets for 12 months, housing, feeding and clothing them as their lives are transformed. We broadcast on radio in Uganda every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and our Joseph’s Storehouse thrift stores support these missions.
Join us in Baker: Sunday School at 10 AM and Sunday Service at 11 AM; Thursday free community dinner at 5:30 PM and service at 6:30 PM. Miracle Place Church, 2080 Main St, Baker, LA 70714. Can’t make it? Watch live on Facebook, YouTube, or BoxCast.
