LEARNING DAILY

 

2 Corinthians 10: 3-6, For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

 

The blogs have been pointing to a topic that is either not understood or many do not know anything about. Choosing between Barabbas or Jesus, evil and good, and walking on the narrow way to God’s kingdom often involves spiritual warfare. I have written about the armor of God found in Ephesians 6 before; every Christian needs to understand what each piece of armor is for and the need to put it on every day. I would bet most of us do not do so.  We sin sometimes because we choose to and other times it happens because we get caught up in life. Much of the sin committed is because we fall into the traps set by the devil and his followers.

 

God has provided His followers with spiritual weapons because our warfare is against spiritual forces of evil. Worldly weapons of personal power, strategic strength, aggression, human integrity, talents, wealth, political solutions, organizational skills, propaganda, charisma and personality are not adequate to pull down the strongholds of Satan. Trying to use these skills to defeat him is a plan for defeat; you and I on our own will fail miserably when trying to oppose and defeat the devil and his followers. “The only weapons that are adequate and effective against his unrighteousness, teaching, and deception are those God gives us. Those weapons include the blood of Jesus, the authority of Jesus’ name, the power of the Holy Spirit, the spiritual gifts given to us and by putting on His armor” (LSSB). These weapons must be used by Believers in “faith and obedience, fortified by the work of Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit” (DJSB).

 

These weapons when used in this way are powerful – they come from God to be used against our spiritual enemy. The Apostle Paul writes about other weapons that will help us in our daily walk with the Lord such as commitment to truth (know what it is), righteous living (choices are important), reading and studying God’s Word, spending time in prayer (fellowship with the Father), staying faithful, loving others, and believing in the hope of our salvation. Sounds easy, right! You and I must not become complacent in our walk with the Lord. These days are “perilous times” and “the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8). Peter’s statement is very real to us today because the devil is a real adversary whose time is short. He is trying to find, defeat, and devour as many of God’s followers as he can by blaming each other or God for their sufferings. Paul tells us to resist the devil by using the weapons God has given us. When we do, the devil has no choice but to flee.

 

By using the weapons God has given to us, The Church will be victorious and God’s kingdom will be revealed in power to save sinners, encourage believers to be strong in their faith in order to know and resist the deceptions and temptations of the devil. The devil is running rampant in these last days. The Lord Jesus warned us. The Apostle Paul warned us in his second letter to Timothy. They did not warn us so we would be afraid but to encourage us to be strong in His authority and power given to us through the Holy Spirit. The Church cannot substitute worldly weapons to fight spiritual battles; worldly weapons cannot destroy the strongholds of sin or deliver from Satan’s evil passions running widespread throughout the world and our nation. The result in attempting to do so is to be overrun by the power of darkness. This must not be allowed to happen.

Tomorrow we will explore the meaning of verse 5.

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible