2 Corinthians 10:1-6 (Weapons)

Now I, Paul, appeal to you with the gentleness and kindness of Christ—though I realize you think I am timid in person and bold only when I write from far away. ² Well, I am begging you now so that when I come I won’t have to be bold with those who think we act from human motives.
³ We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. ⁴ We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. ⁵ We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. ⁶ And after you have become fully obedient, we will punish everyone who remains disobedient.

In case you forgot, I want you to be ready.  You are going into battle today.  A big one.  Not a battle with guns and swords, but a battle "against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12).  You are battling against an enemy you can't even see, and he likes it that way.

In this passage, Paul is talking about the battle he is doing for the sake of Christ.  He is trying to spread the Word, while his opponents are trying to spread rumors about him being a weak man so people won't follow him.  Their attacks have really taken a toll on Paul's important ministry, and he's had just about enough of it.  So, he's writing to the Corinthians to let them know the truth.  As I read straight through chapters 10-12 today, I felt as if I was listening to a passionate preacher.  It was incredible!  Paul gets really fired up about this, and the Truth of what he says is refreshing.  I'd encourage you to take five minutes and read through the rest of the book!

Our battle is against satan.  He's not just some mystical creature.  Just look around our world!  If God is love, then someone else definitely has a hand on this earth.  He is a destroyer, a liar, a lover of all things self.  And he prowls around looking for people who are ready to be deceived into thinking his way is the better way.  I wonder, have we been believing any of his lies lately?

Who is that person in the mirror?  She's so ugly, and she really doesn't matter. 

If I could just get that raise, then all my problems would go away and I'd really be content.

My marriage is not what I thought it would be.  Where did the romance go?  I don't deserve this.  I know I said until death do us part, but I just don't think I can or should have to stay in this.

Or the one that always gets me:  If I could just have _________, then I'd feel settled.

And there are so many more lies we believe every day!  How do you battle something so subtle?? Paul reminds us:

We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do.  We are going to have problems, and we are going to automatically believe these lies because that's our human nature.  Unless we wage war.  Waging war is more than just a verbal reprimand.  Do we get the picture from this text that battling this enemy takes more than just a few minutes of thought and the few minutes we spend reading devotionals?  To wage war means to carry on, to keep doing it.  Constantly.  The moment we ease up is the moment we are defeated.  We can't forget this enemy and this battle.

We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.   God's weapon's are available to us as we fight against the Devil's strongholds in our lives and the lives of others.  They seem foolish to the world, and the world will tell us they are useless, but they are the weapons that will work.  We must choose whether we want to use God's weapons or the world's, but in defeating an invisible enemy, I'm not sure a gun or tank is going to work.  God's weapons--prayer, faith, hope, love, God's Word and the Holy Spirit--are the only weapons that can break down the arguments our culture makes in favor of satan's ways and that can destroy the walls he builds to keep people from knowing God.

Let me give you a recent example: Just yesterday, I was remembering a time when I was stuck in the midst of an emotionally exhausting situation (one that is too personal and raw yet to tell), but I did not know how to share something with a person I dearly love.  I thought the news would shatter them, and I feared that this news would literally be life-changing in a negative way.  For a couple days, I prayed and trusted that God would take care of this situation on my behalf.  Three days later when I talked to this person, they shared with me how God had used two strangers to talk to this person and prepare them for what I needed to say.  Strangers!  Two different ones at two different times over the course of those three days!  I wish I could tell you more than that right now, but I'm telling you, the Holy Spirit, our faith, and our love for people are a powerful and effective combination.  "The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:14).

And to battle the lies we believe (like the ones listed above), we give 'em the one-two punch.  We must be in the Word so that we can know the Truth, and then we can pray that the Truth would saturate our hearts and minds.  We must choose to do this.  For years, I told myself that I believed the Bible, but yet I was somehow still believing all the lies that came my way.  That's not belief!  My Sunday church attendance was not enough to fight the enemy.  I needed to commit to spending time in the Word myself, and though I am far, far, FAR from perfect in my belief, I can see that I have come some distance.

Are you ready for battle today?  It's gonna be rough at times, but you have the weapons!  They will work.  God promises that.


Molly Monroe