THE WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE (Part 1) MAY 2017
REFERENCE: 2 Cor. 10:1-5 (NKJV)
2 Cor. 10: 1-5
Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you. 2 But I beg you that when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 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…
There is no denying that we are in warfare of one kind or another. Yes, we are born of woman and as such we are prone to troubles. To accept this fact, is easier said than done. In 2 Cor. 9: 6-11, Paul had just admonished the believers to bless the saints by way of giving. He further reminded them that God is the One who provides their resources so that they would be able to give. He gives the discourse on purposeful, decisive, cheerful giving and later complements it with, “…For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal…” in Chapter 10:4-5. God reminds us, through Paul, that the weapons of our warfare are effective, but how do we equate bountifulness with pulling down strongholds? Paul did!
When we obediently relinquish the resources that He has given us, THAT STRONGHOLD is pulled down. God gives us seed to share and when we do, He multiplies it, gives us our daily provisions and increases our fruits of righteousness. That seems like a great return plan. No other investment plan can top that promise to us.
The greatest stronghold is to hold on to whatever we think belongs to us. The heaviness of disobedience is a burden that can be lightened. Without that weight, we are then able to soar to spiritual heights. Is He Lord totally? What is He Lord of? Do we display the first effect of our weapons (…mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds)?
What does that have to do with the weapons of our warfare? We are in a war to release what we have, to God. A nerve is exposed in us when we think that OUR resources are insufficient for our needs, yet alone share them. We become defensive and controversial. The widow in 1 Kings 17, did that too:
…And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup that I may drink.” 11 And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”12 So she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son…
Elijah taught the widow to trust God with the little that she had and prove Him. Do we hear her rehearsing the following words: “Lord, You can supply my need for: health; paying bills; friendship and; protection and a son, but I will manage my own little resources”? Do we echo those words? It should not be so! Our whole self has to be placed on the altar of sacrifice, thus resulting in being wholly acceptable to God. This is not unreasonable, because He expects complete obedience and trust. Are we admonished to decipher the ways of God or to lean on our own understanding? NO! Is it our responsibility to figure out how five loaves and two fish filled more than five thousand people? This brings us to the second effect of our weapon: it casts down arguments and things that are made more important than the knowledge of God. He says, “Prove me….”
In 2 Cor. 13:1-3 we are told that, “in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.” There are innumerable testimonies from people who have proven God. One of those is as follows: (Abbreviated version) On trying to deposit some money at a bank, I was told that a counterfeit $100 bill was included in the cash. I had just received it from the teller at the bank across the street. There was no more cash in my purse so I knew it came from the first teller. The second teller gave me a receipt for the bill, so I returned to the first bank and reported what had happened. They refused to take responsibility so it seemed that I was about to lose $100. On my way home I prayed, “Lord, You said, You would rebuke the devourer for my sake, if I was in obedience by bringing tithes into Your house. Now it’s time to prove You.” By the time I got home there was a voicemail telling me to come back to the bank and my account would be credited with $100.
The arsenal of prayer was used against the principalities that tempted me to get out of character. When clouds of darkness and spiritual wickedness rear up their ugly head, we prepare for war by being fervent in prayer. The saying, All I can do is pray, minimizes the potency of prayer and diminishes our view of its accomplishment. Why should we live below the privilege of prayer? It is NOT our last resort. It should be our GO-TO. So another stronghold could be prayerlessness.
Prayer is: the believer’s breath; a limitless lifeline; our source of survival and; the access to the Almighty. Therefore without it, we faint. Without breathing, we die. How then do we expect to defeat the Enemy without approaching the throne of grace and applying the Word of God? Don’t underestimate the power of prayer. Be totally convinced of God’s might. The angels wait to be dispatched; therefore we must bring our requests to God so that He can engage their expertise.
Finally, the third effect of the weapons God has given us is that it captures and subdues every thought that exalts itself against Him. We must condition our mind to focus on whatever is virtuous and praiseworthy. The mind is a war zone if we allow the Enemy to play ball there (a stronghold). When we convince someone to change their mind, we have pretty much won them over about a given matter. That inward change results in a renewal. Until then, we are prisoners of our own making.
It’s in the surrender of our, thoughts, will, resources and intellect, that God has total control over us. Don’t run wild with “what-ifs”. Declare, “I have the mind of Christ.” The devices have been exposed. Whatever has come to highjack our joy, sap our strength and ruin our reputation, are devices, but we have a choice. We can choose to be kept in perfect peace by keeping our mind on Jesus (Is. 26:3), drawing our sword, and standing at attention and be ready to use it (the Word of God). Confidence in God dictates that He will do what He has promised. There is no limit to His riches. We can appropriate them by following His principles as are given to us in His Word. Give Him thanks for His manifold blessings.
What if we should take the attitude that: We have an audience with the King of kings; our Father cares about our well-being; angels have been dispatched to fight for us; that weapon that has been formed against me cannot prosper; the word of faith is in my mouth? This attitude creates mighty weapons through God, and demolishes strongholds.
REFLECTION
Think of and discuss other strongholds that may be in our lives. How can they be pulled down?
Dr. O. A. James