4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,….., bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:4-6 (NKJV)
When are we going to get it? We live in a battle zone! Why is it that when things are crashing down around us we blame, we curse, we have a pity party or we curl up in a ball of despair? As believers, we know that our every move is either flesh driven, Holy Spirit driven, or manipulated by our enemy, satan.
Think about the last time you were having a bad day. Things were happening that were pushing all your buttons. You blew up in anger, or you laid down in tears. You let despair rock you all over the place. If you’re like me at all, you offered up some desperate sounding prayers while continuing on down the detour toward hopelessness.
Darkness has a slick, effective skill at blindsiding us; hitting our weak spots when we’re not looking. We get hit and we get mad at God for not stopping it. I’m just being honest here because I’m guilty.
Over and over in scripture we are taught to be alert, to be on guard, to keep that armour in place, sword drawn. We are told to guard our hearts, to stand on His promises, to speak faith, and to declare Truth. We have every weapon, every tool and most importantly the strongest power there is, Jesus Christ, abiding within us. We are already victorious, but we don’t seem to get it! We sing the songs, and quote the verses, but when the attack strikes, down we go!
The weapons of our warfare are not carnal. They are not physical. The weapons we hold are spiritual and they are powerful. We just have to get it, really get it—-if we’re going to live above the sludge!
We are instructed to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. I am convinced that this is where we get off track. When the battle begins, right from the inception, we must stop and submit our thoughts to Him. It’s fine to call out to Him for help, but our part is to stop the negative thought patterns which lead to anger, self pity, blame, or other dark emotions. Sometimes the battle to stop those thoughts is intense, but this is the key. Once we stop and submit our thoughts, taking them captive to His will, He will help us to navigate those thoughts back toward the path to strength. Taking authority over the situation with your sword–the Word of God, will yield power over the situation. Our spiritual weapons are mighty for the pulling down of strongholds. Start proclaiming those verses, those promises, out loud and watch darkness dissipate.
If we understand the power within us, as His children, we can rise above the attacks, standing firm and confident. Get those thoughts under control and then take that insane situation that is in your face and hand it over to your Father. He has the answers. He knows the details better than you do. Trust Him.
In these last days, we are finding ourselves in the battle more than ever before. We are tested, tried and attacked. We must remember that we have been given the tools, the weapons to defeat the enemy, to defeat our fleshly weaknesses, and to stand in victory. If we don’t use what we have, it’s our own fault we’re defeated. I’m not saying it’s easy. Some days are difficult. I’m saying, (and talking to myself here), that we have all we need, and “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:13)