Winning the Battle - Part 5: War Within

September 13th, 2026

MICRO CHURCH GUIDE
September 13, 2026

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

OneLife Students, Tailgate & Watch Party, September 19
Saturday night, September 19th, our Middle and High School students are coming together for a night of food, football, and fun at our Tailgate & Watch Party! We’ll kick things off at 6:00pm with a potluck-style tailgate, so bring your favorite game-day dish to share! Then at 7:45pm, we’ll gather together to watch the Tennessee Vols take on Kennesaw State! The whole family is welcome, so wear your orange, bring your favorite tailgate food, and invite your friends and family to join us at the Knox Center Campus. For more information about OneLife Students, mark the “students” box on your connection card.

Starting Point for Kids & Parents, September 20th
Is your child asking questions about following Jesus, baptism, or what it means to have a relationship with God? Our Starting Point Class is designed for 3rd-5th Graders and their parents to explore these important conversations together. During this interactive class, families will discover what the Bible teaches about salvation, learn the foundations of the Christian faith, and talk through what it means to trust and follow Jesus. Parents will also receive practical tools to continue these conversations at home, helping them confidently lead their child in their faith journey. We want every 3rd-5th Grade parent to sign up for this one hour experience! Our next class will be Sunday, September 20th in the large group room at both campuses. Ball Roads class will start at 9am and Knox Centers will start at 11:15. For more information or to register go to onelifeknox.com/events.

Night of Worship, September 30 – 7:00pm – Ball Road Campus
OneLifers from both campuses are coming together for a powerful Night of Worship centered around the awe and power of God. Through worship, prayer, and communion, we’ll turn our attention to who God is—His greatness, His holiness, and His power—and respond together in worship. Come expectant. Come ready to worship. And don’t come alone—invite someone to experience this night with you. Childcare will be available for kindergarten and younger.

Baptism
If you’ve given your life to Jesus but haven’t gone public with your story through baptism, now is the time to take that step! Baptism is an opportunity to publicly declare your faith, celebrate God’s work in your life, and take the next step in your journey with Jesus. We would love to walk with you through this process, answer your questions, and help you experience the joy of declaring your faith through baptism.
Mark the baptism box on your Connection Card, and we’ll help you get started!

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GIVE BACK
Give Jesus your best! Make a one-time tithe or offering or to set up a recurring tithe or offering: Click Here To Give Online.
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Bottom Line: God's Word must become louder than the war within.

Romans 7:14-15 NLT

14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.

Romans 7:16-17 NLT

16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

1. Recognize the war within.

Romans 7:15 NLT

15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.

WANT - DO - HATE

Romans 7:18-20 NLT

18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

2. Knowing what's right doesn't end the fight.

Romans 7:21-23 NLT

21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.

3. The battle is ultimately for what I believe.

Romans 7:24-25 NLT

24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

Romans 8:1-2 NLT

1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

Romans 8:5 NLT

5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.

Ephesians 6:17 NLT

17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

4. The Word is my weapon.

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START TALKING:

What are some examples from everyday life of things you know you need to do and you want to do them, but then you do something different and hate that you didn't do what you wanted to do?

START THINKING:

Read Romans 7:14-15.

What does Paul say is really the problem? Why is this a necessary and crucial first step to winning the war within?

Read Romans 7:16-17.

Why does knowing what is wrong prove that I know God's law is good for me?

Read Romans 7:18-20.

Paul talks about sinful nature, comparing it to a life in Christ. How can we embrace this without going too far one way or the other; that is, either feeling defeated or taking no responsibility? Why is it important to separate what I do from who I am in terms of identity?

START SHARING:

In Romans 7:15, Paul gives us the Want - Do - Hate cycle: I want to do what pleases God, I do something else instead, and then I hate what I did. In what ways do you experience this? How does this war within most impact you? How can recognizing that cycle help you to stop it in its tracks? (Hint, consider 2 Corinthians 10:5).

Read Romans 7:21-23.

Paul compares what he wants in his heart (to please God) to a war with his mind. The war within is a battle for our beliefs. Do I believe the lie that temptation offers or do I believe what God says and His promises? In the areas where you experience the Want - Do - Hate cycle, what are the beliefs that the temptation offers versus the beliefs from God's Word that say otherwise?

Read Romans 8:5, Ephesians 6:17, and John 1:1.

With all of these in mind together, how does the Word of God become louder than the war within? How have you experienced the written Word, the personified Word (Jesus), and the voice of the Word (the Holy Spirit) being louder than the lies of temptation and the Want - Do - Hate cycle?

START DOING:

What will you do this week to better know Jesus (the Word) and meditate on His word (the Scriptures)?

When you pray, how will you begin to listen for the Spirit more than doing all the talking? How do you know when God is speaking, and what role does the written Word play when you believe you have heard from Him?

How will you use these concepts in conversation with your "one" and others who are far from God so that they can hear through your story how Jesus brings victory over the war within?

START PRAYING:

Pray for each other in the micro church to stand firm in their faith, especially in the areas shared throughout the conversation above. Pray that our identity in Christ and standing on his promise that there is now no condemnation for those of us who are in him will ring so much louder than the schemes of the enemy and the war within. Pray for each person to love those where they live work and play like Jesus loves them and to live like a missionary, pointing those who are far from God to an experience with Jesus.

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CONNECTION CARDS
Be sure to fill out the online Connection Card to let us know next steps, prayer requests, or other information you'd like to share, click here.
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MULTIPLICATION
Share spiritual/missional conversations you've had where you live, work, and play:
- Who did you have a conversation with that took a spiritual/missional turn this week?
- What questions did you ask to discover where God is at work in their life, even if they are not aware?
- How were you able to share your story of life change or how you have experienced Jesus?
- How can you be intentional this week with people where you live, work, and play to have spiritual/missional conversations if the opportunity arises?
- Who in your life do you think could be disciple-able or open to spiritual/missional conversations?
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WHAT'S NEXT?
- Discuss the next step for your micro church. When will we gather again, and which purpose will it fulfill (missions, fellowship/care, growth, worship, multiplication)?
- Discuss the next step for your micro church. When will we gather again, and which purpose will it fulfill (missions, fellowship/care, growth, worship, multiplication)?

Posted in Micro Church Guides