The Christian Soldier: Weapons of Warfare
The Christian Soldier: Weapons of Warfare
Continuing with the theme of spiritual warfare and the
Christian Soldier I would like to speak on the weapons that are at our
disposal. My mother used to always
remind me that the battle would not always be easy nor will the burdens always
be light, but we must endure til the end.
So, your question might be how do we endure or fight this battle to the
end when it seems like the enemy is beating us down? How do we manage when it seems as if your
back is against the wall?
In this world, we're fighting a war. We may not notice
it, or we may forget it exists. And the enemy would love nothing more than for
us to be unconscious of his presence, filling our lives with discouragement and
defeat, anxiety and worry, and a flurry of activity and strife. The enemy comes to destroy you and all that
you stand for. The enemy wants to
defeat you and see you broken, but God wants you whole.
The truth comes from God’s word as revealed by Apostle
Paul, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: for the
weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling
down of strong holds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that
exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every
thought to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:3 – 5
Paul doesn't say what our battle weapons are in this
text, but he does say what they do. They demolish strongholds. They demolish
Satan's arguments (sometimes referred to as imaginations). They demolished
everything haughty and elevated that tries to keep us and others from
understanding God. They bring every thinking under the control of Christ's
obedience. They also empower us to punish disobedience when we are following
God's commands (vs 6). Each of these outcomes is worth delving into more.
What are the Weapons of Our Warfare?
What weapons do we as
Christians have at our disposal to battle spiritual wickedness? To begin with, Apostle Paul let’s the
Corinthian church know that We Are At War!
There is a spiritual battle going on all around us. The danger of sin is all around us in the
world system and could possibly attack us from within ourselves. We don’t wrestle against flesh and blood but
against the spiritual wickedness. The
devil and his minions don’t want you to have full deliverance and so, he will
attack on every hand. The following are a list of 7 weapons that will help you,
the Christian Soldier, fight the onslaught of the enemy. This list is not all
inclusive but is apart of your arsenal against the devil.
First Weapon Is Praise
Psalms 22:3 states, “but thou
art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” Without a doubt,
PRAISE is a powerful weapon in the battle against Satan. Satan and the demons
despise it when people thank God, especially when it comes from a pure heart.
Praise invites God's presence into our lives in a way that Satan can't resist.
We would have significantly less interference from demonic entities in our life
if we praised God more. Your praise puts
you in the presence of the Lord who will fight for you. It confuses the enemy when you can still be
joyous and give God the glory when he has come at you with everything he’s
got. The Psalmist stated that your
praise would silence the enemy and the avenger.
The Light of the Lord’s
presence will drive old man Satan and his imps away. So, lift your voices and sing praises unto
the Lord God who is worthy of the praise.
Second Weapon Is God’s Word
God’s word is a mighty weapon
in the fight against wickedness. The
truth of His word will be a sword and a shield to help stand against the
onslaught of lies from the enemy. Satan
attempted to tempt Jesus when he thought he was at a weak state because of
fasting. Jesus responded to the devil
each time he said something with “it is written,” referring back to the word of
God. God’s word was so powerful that
Satan eventually left Jesus alone. God’s
word is a weapon to make the enemy leave you alone. God’s word is filled with promises to His
people. His promises are a guarantee
that he will perform His word and help you fight against the spiritual
wickedness of the devil. The more of God’s
word you get through the Bible, the closer you will draw near the Lord who will
cover and protect you. The way to win is
to do just like Jesus did and speak God’s word by saying, “it is written.”
Third Weapon Is We Overcome By The Blood of Christ And The Word Of Our Testimony
Revelations 12:11 is familiar
because my mother would quote it often to remind me and my siblings that
because of the blood of Jesus Christ she had a right to redemption and
protection from the enemy under the loving arms of Christ. Christ came into the world to redeem us from
our sins. Satan wants to trip us up with
sin but the blood of Christ is here to cover us and redeem us from our
sins. Once you are strengthened you can
tell or witness to someone else to help them to overcome as well. Satan will try to accuse you but when you are
covered under the blood of Jesus Christ all accusations are out the door
because you are covered under the blood of Christ.
Sin can cost you a lot. If we are unaware of the power of Jesus'
blood as it can be used to this issue, we may feel condemned and discouraged
when Satan adds his accusations to our wrongdoing. One of my former church
leaders would always say “sin can keep you out of the Kingdom, but repentance
gets you in.” We have an opportunity to
repent because Christ shed his blood on Calvary and redeemed man. As long as, we are covered under the blood of
Christ we don’t have to be discouraged but we can be happy in Jesus.
Fourth Weapon Is Prayer
Prayer is the main battle
front in your spiritual warfare against wickedness. Prayer is our way of communicating to the
Lord. So, through prayer and the Holy
Spirit you are connecting and communicating to God, who hears and answers our
prayers. There are different types of
prayer, including prayer of supplication, intercessory, and thanksgiving. Prayer is a weapon that can empower the Christian
soldier. It is our opportunity to have
one – on – one communication with our Lord and should be a constant part of our
daily walk in this battle against spiritual wickedness. It is one of our most powerful weapons to use
in spiritual warfare.
Fifth Weapon Is Fasting
Fasting is another powerful
weapon to wage war against the devil and spiritual wickedness. Done in conjunction with meditating on the
Word of God and prayer, fasting can bring us closer to God and His will for our
lives. Fasting is one way to draw closer
to the Lord. Fasting teaches you
humility. It is an amazing tool in
spiritual warfare to break bondage and set the captives free.
Sixth Weapon Is The Holy Spirit
The next weapon in our arsenal
is The Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8 states,
“but ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” Our lives become a living witness that others
may see the wonder working power of God upon our lives. We are living witnesses of the goodness and
power of God to break the bands of spiritual wickedness in this world. And as we learn to draw on the power of the
Holy Spirit to accomplish what we couldn't before, we will begin to experience
triumph in our lives as we fight the good fight of faith against spiritual
wickedness! We must walk in humble submission to the Lord and allow the Holy
Spirit to lead and guide us. We must allow the Holy Spirit to pray the Father's
desire through us. He may choose to disclose it to us so that we might pray in
our native tongues, or He may choose to pray through us through the gift of
tongues.
To stay strong in the war, God
provides us with strength, insight, and discernment through His Spirit. He
never abandons us to our own devices to struggle in our own power. Every day,
we require His new filling, as well as the empowerment that only He can
provide. The Holy Spirit empowers us to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, as
well as guiding, teaching, convicting us of sin, assisting, and equipping us to
live courageously in a dark world. Every believer possesses the gift of God's
Spirit, which resides inside them. The same mighty Spirit that raised Lazarus
from the dead, split the sea, broke through prison walls, and made the lame walk
is still alive and well today within us.
The “gifts of the Holy Spirit”
can be received and used by someone who is “filled with the Spirit” and has
learnt to be “led by the Spirit.” You can learn about them in 1 Corinthians12:8-10. Through the gifts of the Spirit, the body of Christ has been empowered
by God to win souls for the Kingdom of God and bring complete deliverance to
those who would believe. It requires
faith to operate in the gifts of the Spirit.
Through these gifts the body of Christ has specialized weapons, so to
speak, to battle against the onslaught of the enemy.
The Seventh Weapon Is The Name of Jesus
I once heard preacher say,
“God won’t do for you, what He can do through You!” God will support us if we
truly submit to Jesus Christ and obey the Holy Spirit. For the time being, we
take on Christ's physical body. Demons will be driven to flee, even fiercely at
names, because we believe in Jesus' name. Jesus is right beside us, encouraging
us and assisting us in achieving our goals. The Lord does not want any to
perish. My mother always said “only what
you do for Christ will last!” What we do
in the name of Jesus has significance in tearing down the walls of Satan. We cannot let Satan build his kingdom over
the land. The Christian Soldier must
represent the name of Jesus who gives us the authority and the power through
the Holy Spirit to stand firm against spiritual wickedness.
Conclusion To The Matter
In a world that encourages us to go our own way, our willingness to obey Christ's words and commandments is enormous. It sets a powerful example by demonstrating that we are prepared to die to our own desires in order to live for God's glory. However, it will never occur organically. Every step of the way, our flesh, cravings, and sin nature will battle against it. We can be victorious in following the path that Christ has for us. “For in him we live, and move, and have our being,” as stated in Acts17:28 kjv.
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