The Weapons of Our Warfare (Identity in Christ Part 7)

By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away! I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete, 2 Corinthians 10:1-6.

Where does the battle begin? The battle begins in the mind. The first assault against the world came with a thought. The planting of a seed of doubt in Eve’s mind of the goodness of God. People all over the world are deceived by the implanting of thoughts. A seed (thought) planted becomes an argument, if we don’t cast down arguments we give the enemy a foothold, and lies if they are not uprooted become strongholds (fortresses of lies). Paul tells us that we wage war against these arguments, lies, doubts, and deceptions. We apply the truth of God’s Word and by the power of the Holy Spirit cast down everything in opposition to God’s Word.

In our world today there is an assault on God’s Word. There’s nothing new under the sun, but I see it more my country as I get older. Things that God strictly forbids are put on the TV, internet, and radio as normal or the new normal. The Bible is being called, “Old fashioned, outdated, out of context, or misinterpreted.” I’ve even heard Christians call sin okay or say God didn’t really mean what He said. Evil is being called good, and good is being called evil. The Bible speaks that these times would come. It speaks that in times to come people will have itching ears to hear only what they want to hear and will reject the truth of God’s Word.

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear, 2 Timothy 4:3.

Paul also tells us that our battles are not against people. See verses below Ephesians 6:10-20.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

What Are Our Weapons:

1. Truth (God’s Truth). We need to know God’s Word for ourselves. How can we know if we are being deceived if we do not read and study the Word of God for ourselves? We ask the Holy Spirit for revelation, and we dig in. We know truth, we live truth, and we speak God’s truth.

2. We pull down lies. It’s good to ask God to reveal any lies we believe about Him, His Word, ourselves, others, etc…God cannot lie. Once a lie is revealed, it’s our job to renounce that lie. I’ve done the following. “Father Your Word says You are my protector and provider. I renounce the lie that You will not and cannot meet my needs according to Your riches in glory.” Any lies we hang on to impact our ability to live a fulfilled life.

3.Take every thought captive. We are impacted by what we  constantly see and hear. Every thought we have is not of us or from God. Any thought that is against God’s Word, we reject.

4. Prayer. A person who does not pray is a person without peace, power, or hope. We need God. If we say that we do not need Him, we are operating in pride. Humility is dependence on God. Our prayers are effective. I heard someone say, “You know what happens when you don’t pray? Nothing” God responds to the cries of His people. I recommend praying God’s Word. Beth Moore has a great book called Praying God’s Word, http://www.barnesandnoble.com/listing/2686790662192?cm_mmc=GooglePLA-_-Book-_-Q000000633-_-2686790662192&cm_mmca2=pla&r=1.

4. Know who we are in Christ and operate in the gifts of the Spirit. We have been given so much in Christ. When we do what God placed us here to do, we see God’s Kingdom come and His will done on earth. If we are passive and not engaged in any service to His Kingdom, we see evil increase and increase. We are part of the solution as co-laborers with Christ. “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. Do not allow evil to triumph. Do not do sit by and do nothing,” Edmund Burke. If we do nothing, we can’t shake our fists at God. He gave us tools to be victorious.

5. Walk by Faith. Trusting God and walking by faith is imperative to seeing victory. We do not receive what we are unwilling to believe God for. God’s people were victorious in the past by believing God for victory.

6. Submit to God and resist the devil. We can not rebuke an enemy we are in agreement with. If we are in rebellion to God’s will for our lives, we will not be victorious. Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you, James 4;7. The devil is not more powerful than God. He goes where people give him access. He is not all-powerful. God is all-powerful. We are personally defeated when we rebel against God and choose our way over His.

7. We put on the full armor of God. If you read above Paul gave us information about our armor. I will post more later about the armor of God.

I hope this post was helpful for you. Worship is not listed, but it is also a very powerful weapon. I will do a separate post solely on worship.

Here is my prayer for us.

Father I pray that You would reveal any lies we are believing about You, Your Word, ourselves, or others. May we renounce those lies and live devoted to truth. Come in power and demolish any strongholds in our minds. I ask that we would study Your Word, spend time alone with You, and pray without ceasing. May Your Kingdom come and Your will be done in our lives and in our world. I ask for Your truth to permeate our world. In Jesus powerful name, Amen.