The Weapons of Our Warfare
By: Loren Larson
II Corinthians 10:3-4 – “For though we walk in the flesh (refers to the fact that we do not yet have Glorified Bodies), we do not war after the flesh (after our own ability, but rather by the Power of the Spirit):
“(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (carnal weapons consist of those which are man-devised), but mighty through God (the Cross of Christ [I Cor. 1:18]) to the pulling down of strong holds.)”
The Warfare
Whether the believing Saint realizes it or not by accepting Christ as their personal Saviour, they have been cast into the midst of a battle. This battle is a war that exists between good and evil, between the flesh and the spirit, between Satan and the Saint of God. There is no reprieve from this war. It has raged down through the centuries, beginning from the Fall of man and will continue until Satan and all his accompanying cast of characters are assigned their spot in the reservoirs of Hell, expunged forever by God’s Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. A person in the Army of the Lord has been given weapons that affect a spiritual enemy. Therefore, they are spiritual forces yielding great spiritual powers. If we try to combat these forces by means of our personal strength, ingenuity, or willpower, they will box our ears back. Failure is guaranteed. But, if we will avail ourselves of the weaponry supplied by God and the means through which this weaponry is deployed, the Victory is sure to be ours. The problem is that we are more prone to a “fleshly” endeavor than we are knowledgeable of how to locate, much less operate, these weapons. Far too often we are trying to overcome spiritual forces with fleshly applications. Let’s look at our weapons and how we are to use them.
The Weapons
There are four key weapons that are either attitudes or actions that must be held to by the Believer. While there may be many more, these four are vital. They are:
1. Submission to God’s Word;
2. Faith;
3. Prayer; and,
4. Praise.
In all things the Believer is to be submissive to God’s Word. There is no other Source we need to rely upon outside of God’s Word, the Bible. James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.” If we will approach our relationship with God through Faith in Christ and Him Crucified we are acquiescing to the proper way and means by which to live this Christian life. If we fail to submit to this process of Faith and Grace, our defeat is assured. We cannot stand in the strength of self. If we would be the Disciple of Jesus we must follow the Discipleship process Jesus gave to His Followers in Luke 9:23, “And He said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Being dependent upon what Jesus did for us at Calvary, every hour of every day is what is meant by “take up his cross daily.” As we depend upon Christ and His Finished Work, the Holy Spirit begins to fight on our behalf.
The Adversary
Peter told us of the adversary that would seek to destroy us. In I Peter 5:8-9 he said, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the Devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour: (9) Whom resist stedfast in the Faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren who are in the world.” The import of these verses is obvious. We are told to constantly be on guard, be vigilant in this. Satan, our adversary is sure to fight against us. While it may not be Satan himself that attacks, we can rest assured that any effort by principalities or powers, or wickedness in high places, comes as a result of his wiles and strategies. We resist these attacks by Faith. Peter said we are to “resist stedfast in the Faith.” Again we must always tie our Faith to Calvary and the Work carried out there by Christ.
First, I must know that it was at Calvary that my Covenant relationship with Christ was cut. All my benefits come from this truth. Second, I must realize that at Calvary Jesus defeated Satan and all his works. I John 3:8b says, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the Devil.” Again in Colossians 2:15, Paul says, “And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” Again in Hebrews 2:14, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the Devil.” Understand that Satan has already been defeated, his works and efforts may come against me, but my Faith in Christ and the Cross enables me to resist his efforts. Make no mistake about it, he is a great adversary. He does have power. Do not take that truth lightly. He hates us and desires to destroy us and/or make our lives miserable. We resist his efforts, knowing that God in Christ has already defeated him and his works. He will lay siege to your soul but surrender not! God will see you through, just Believe!
Prayer And Praise
While the first two weapons of submission and faith are more attitude than action, the last two are action based on the right attitudes. We have the right and the privilege of taking every need to our Heavenly Father. In a battle, prayer should be the first line of defense. We must pray about the issue, prayer for direction, pray for leading, and even pray that God would teach us how to pray for our current dilemma. Our instructions regarding these two weapons come from Philippians 4:6, which says, “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Faith takes on action through prayer that is non-carnal. Prayer says that we believe God can and will handle our situation. We take everything that we realize we can’t control to the Lord. When we realize that much of the life we lead we can’t control, prayer becomes a constant activity. We start to depend on prayer as much as we do our very food.
We have the right to pray to the Father because of what Jesus did at Calvary. We have access by His Name through Faith in His Person and His Work. Secondly, we are to be a praising people. We praise God because He is worthy. He is to be honored. He is to be adored! We thank Him for all that He has done and for all that He will do! The classic example of prayer and praise bringing supernatural results is seen in Acts 16:25-26 where the Bible says, “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. (26) And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bands were loosed.” If we want God to Move on our behalf, we must learn to trust Him exclusively. Submission, Faith, prayer, and praise are all weapons of a non-carnal nature. Let’s put them into practice and watch God Move mightily among us!