Using Our Weapons

Either my eyes have been opened or there is more spiritual warfare against myself and those God puts in my path than ever before. God's word tells us that we are equipped for battle with the full armor of God and that our enemy is invisible (Ephesians 6:10-20). The weapons we fight with are not anything like the weapons of the world. Paul gives us a little more insight into how it all works:

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

every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge

of God, and we take captive every thought to make it

obedient to Christ.

2 Corinthians 10: 3-5

Don't you have people in your life whose walls of resistance in their minds are as high and thick as the walls of Jericho? What are these walls made up of? To name a few, there are hefty doses of pride, bitterness, and unforgiveness. And for some, these walls are strengthened by drugs and alcohol.

While studying this 2 Corinthians passage I read an enlightening commentary by Warren Wiersbe in which he wrote about Paul's attitude towards these walls of resistance:

Paul's attitude of humility (as he wrote 2 Corinthians 10) was actually

one of his strongest weapons, for pride plays right into the hands

of Satan. The meek Son of God had far more power than Pilate

(see John 19:11), and he proved it. Paul used spiritual weapons

to tear down the opposition-

Prayer, the Word of God, Love,

the Power of the Spirit at work in his life.

He did not depend on personality, human abilities, or even the

authority he had as an apostle.

I am asking you to stand in the gap with me for those we love, whose minds are opposed to the truth of God's Word. Let's be alert and use our weapons every day. We also must listen to our Commander, trusting and obeying him so the walls will come tumbling down. He may even ask us to do some weird stuff like he did with the Israelites in Jericho (Joshua 6). Marching around a city wall seven times and shouting doesn't seem like an effective way to tear down a super-thick city wall, but obeying God produces amazing results.

I thought it was very strange that God has recently lead me to be re-baptized, even though I have been walking faithfully with him for over twenty years. I feel strongly led to get my baptism in the proper order. I was baptized at 11 years old but did not fully surrender to the Lord until 1987, at age 27. I also want to announce to the world that I am dead to myself and living for God in this full time writing and prayer ministry. And you know what? I can already see some cracks forming in the walls of those around me.

Use your weapons of prayer, God's Word, love, and allow the Spirit to work through you. Trust in his divine power to tear down the strongholds. I can hear the thunder of the walls crashing down even now. Amen.