WEAPONS OF WARFARE

We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. —II Corinthians 10:3-5

Military weaponry has advanced in leaps and bounds. The technology is truly astounding. For example, “DARPA is working on multiple projects to study the capabilities of hypersonic flight. Several years ago, the agency conducted hypersonic test flights with an HTV-2 bomber; in 2011, the bomber prototype reached a top speed of Mach 20 before losing control. The Air Force has also said it is working on hypersonic weapons that could be fired from aircraft traveling at high speeds.” http://www.livescience.com/51388-hypersonic-jet-could-fly-mach-5.html “The speed of sound varies depending on the temperature, pressure, and density of the medium through which the sound waves travel. For dry air at sea level at 68° F, the speed of sound is 767 miles per hour, or 1235 km/h.” So Mach 20 at 767 miles an hour would be 15,340 miles an hour! Think about that! The distance between the North and South Pole is 12,430 miles. That distance could be traveled in less than an hour!

Yet, however amazing this weaponry of the world is, followers of Jesus Christ do not use that weaponry “to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.” No, instead we use God’s mighty weapons. Weapons that are far superior to any worldly weapon. What are God’s mighty weapons? Ephesians 6:10-18 tells us clearly—

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”

The mighty weapons of God: truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, the sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) and prayer. The mighty warrior of God is honest and living rightly before God. This warrior is engaged in the spiritual warfare as he takes the good news into the darkness of the enemy camp. He can do this because of his faith in God and not in himself, understanding that he is saved by nothing he does, but by God alone. Knowing and applying this extinguishes all the weapons of the devil. This warrior’s primary offensive weapons are the Word of God and prayer. He stays in communication with his Commanding Officer and seeks to be obedient to His Word, carrying out His mission. These are the weapons of the faithful follower of Jesus Christ. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God” (Psalm 20:7).

Dear Father, please help me to be using Your weapons of spiritual warfare and not worldly ones. Thank You for the empowerment of Your Holy Spirit and Jesus’ authority. May I yield to Him!

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