Scripture Reference: 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Ephesians 6:10-18

WEAPONS OF WARFARE – Continued

We are in a war like no other. Because it is spiritual warfare, the weapons that we use cannot be the normal weapons of this world. The devil does not succumb to guns or bombs. Nor does he surrender to human wisdom or strategies; to fight the devil, we need spiritual weapons.

Jesus offered an example of spiritual weapons in use when He resisted the devil in the wilderness. Whenever the devil tried to tempt Him, Jesus replied by quoting from Scripture (see Matthew 4:1-11). With every thrust of Satan’s sword of lies, Jesus parried with the sword of the Lord, God’s Word. Even the Son of God did not leave spiritual warfare to His own strength of character or will; He instead fought the battle with the spiritual weapon of the Word of God. Jesus offers a model for us to follow in our daily battle; we should know the Word of God so well that when we are asked our opinion on anything, we naturally give God’s.

On a very practical level, we can win this spiritual battle by using the Word of God and prayer. Prayer keeps us in communication with our commander-in-chief. As we pray, He directs us, guides us, protects us, and even shows us the parts of His Word that are needed for the victory at any given moment. Have you ever experienced the Spirit working as His Word comes to your mind at just the right time, for just the right purpose?

PREVENTING CASUALTIES

When I was a young man attending the church where I had surrendered to the Lord, we would have what was called “sword drills” or “Bible drills” in our church youth group. In contest form, we would try to respond to questions our leaders asked us with the correct Bible verse as quickly as possible. Though at the time we saw it as a game, we were being trained for a very real spiritual warfare. The soldier who must learn to use a weapon in the midst of battle is an unfortunate one. How much better it is to be trained in the proper use of your weapon in the safety and security of a training camp with your comrades?

When Paul admonishes Timothy to “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15), he is clearly calling Timothy to engage in serious training in the use of the spiritual weapon of the Word. If we do not have a working knowledge of Scripture, we will likely become a casualty in this spiritual battle we are in. Remember, the best defense to warding off the attacks of the tempter is a good offense. And there is just no better offense against temptation than proper knowledge and use of the Word of God.

Most Christians agree that studying and knowing God’s Word is valuable. But we often fail when it comes to actually using the Word in warfare. This is where prayer comes in. We must learn to pray God’s Word back to Him.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.