Spiritual Weapons

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 10 v 4 - 6: "(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; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled."

Ephesians 6 v 12: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

This Earth is a war zone on an unseen spiritual level that most people never know anything about. They are all victims of the carnage of spiritual warfare without understanding when at is happening to them or why. It is necessary to understand that we are spirit beings who acquired a soul and are clothed in a fleshy body.

In Ephesians we read that we wrestle not against flesh and blood. Our fight is not against human beings. Our fight is against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Our unseen enemies are Satan and his demons, who are not a myth or some imaginary fantasy.  There best strategy is that you don't believe they exist.

No earthly weapon can win this battle in the unseen realm. No guns or knives or bombs can kill evil spirits, therefore spiritual weapons are required to deal with them. Paul writes that these weapons are not carnal (visible or material) but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. Our unseen weapons are very powerful. Like the enemy has a peashooter and we have tanks.  We need some skills to use them.

Our weapons enable us to cast down imaginations. The enemy has programmed our imaginations to enable him to control situations around us to cause us to be defeated.  Our imagination can take a headache and turn it into a fearful tumour. As Job says - that which you greatly fear shall come upon you. The enemy will play on your fears add a good dollop of doubt and that which you have imagined becomes reality.  You worry a molehill into a mountain.

You imagine your spouse is being unfaithful. You are tormented with jealousy, suspicion and fear of losing your spouse. It is emphatically denied and the allegations are untrue but the imagination runs rampant and the torment continues until the marriage is murdered.

You imagine you are being monitored at work. Spied on and whispered about. You begin to behave erratically until the need to be monitored is necessary.  Your crazy fears and fevered imagination could cost you your job.  To this pile of hurt can then be added anger, bitterness and fear for the future.

Satan's only weapon against you is bluff.   If you let him torment you he will continue until you are destroyed.  Jesus came to show you the way of defeating him.  Your best weapon by far is the Word of God.  When Jesus was tempted during His forty day fast in the wilderness, He used the Bible words to overcome Satan.  Jesus knew His enemy.  Paul did too. He said I don't just beat ineffectually at the air, my weapons find the target.

Isaiah says No weapon formed against us shall prosper. We need to use our spiritual weapons of faith in God's Word and His victory formula: Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee.  Submit means that when you are under attack you call on God's help and do what He tells you to do.  Then resist, say NO to the temptation, and the devil WILL flee.

You can also cast down every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. Satan will use people to undermine our faith in God by sending a sceptic or an atheist to argue with you about the futility of God's existence. Cast down that high thing in Jesus' name. Let your faith and belief cause you to rise up and disagree with that unbeliever.  Turn the tables on Him and witness to him of the reality of Jesus.

You must cast down those imaginations too. Rebuke those wayward thoughts and stand firm on the belief that Jesus has healed you 2000 years ago on the Cross. He took that tumour, that illness, that addiction to drugs and alcohol, that jealousy, that paranoia and He broke its power to hurt you. Believe in His ability to keep you well and free.  If you use the authority over Satan to keep him at bay you will be an overcomer.

You can let a bird land on your head but don't let it make a nest in your hair. A bad thought can land in your mind but do not let it dwell there. Be swift to cast it down. Deny it any rights to torment you. Fear torments you. Fear causes you to go from bad to worse to worst. If you let it. Nip it in the bud. Pray and ask the Lord to help you overcome the fears. Perfect love casts out fear. His perfect love that took everything upon Himself so we would not have to suffer. Then if we do suffer we cry Why did the Lord let this happen?

He has given us power and authority in spirit that we never bother using so we never know how when a crisis comes. We are Christians walking in the footprints of Jesus and we have the same authority and abilities He had. We must start using that authority and those abilities to perfect them for the times they are truly needed.

The biggest problem is that you don't know you have these weapons but from today you have no excuse. Put your faith and trust in Jesus to overcome every enemy suggestion to believe you are ill or that you should do harm to another. Build up your arsenal so that the enemy bypasses you and chooses easier prey.

Prayer: Heavenly Father forgive us for not knowing what You have written in Your Word to secure and preserve us. Teach us to know our true authority and to use it with wisdom and skill.  Let us arise and fight the good fight with the powerful spiritual weapons You have given us. In Jesus' name. Amen.