Weapons of spiritual warfare are mentioned in 2 Corinthians Chapter 10 verse 3 to 6. Find out what they are and why they work.
Before I knew Christ, my spirit is dead. When I accepted Christ as Saviour, my spirit is born again. I am now righteous and the devil cannot touch my spirit.
The only area that the devil can attack is my soul and mind because Abba God gave me free will. And because he has such limited places to attack, he will constantly try to do so. Therefore, even though my spirit is untouchable, my soul and mind are under attack.
The Apostle John wrote in 3 John 1:2 about the soul prospering.
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be healthy, even as your soul prospers.
3 John 1:2 WEB
The devil will try to prevent that.
What are my defence?
According to 2 Corinthians 10:5-6,
4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the throwing down of strongholds, 5 throwing down imaginations and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience when your obedience is made full.
2 Corinthians 10:4-6 WEB
1. Be humble
Verse 5 obviously refers to pride. Every proud thing should be cast down. When I imagine I have many talents, skills and knowledge, I allow the devil opportunities to attack me. When I think I can do something on my own, I concede the devil some ground. Pride ultimately leads to self-reliance and thinking I know as much as God.
I need to recognise that all these are imaginations, puffed up thoughts. I am nothing without God.
2. Focus on the obedience of Christ
I used to think that the obedience of Christ in this verse is for us to emulate. I win spiritual warfare by being obedient like Christ.
I did not know that I was setting myself up for failure. For fail I did. I tried and tried and came to a point of realization that I can never be like Jesus.
Romans 5:19 defines what the obedience of Christ is.
19 For as through the one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one, many will be made righteous.
Romans 5:19
The obedience of Christ to God is Christ accepting God’s will to go to the cross for all men. By obeying God, many sinners were made righteous.
The key point is that by His obedience I am made righteous. Nothing I do to obey God can save me and nothing I do to disobey God can disqualify me. It is a gift, freely given, paid by the blood of Christ.
Taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ means reminding myself of Christ’s obedience to God’s purpose of saving me by grace and faith alone.
Romans 10:2-4 talks about how my effort to achieve righteousness frustrates God’s gift of righteousness.
2 2 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they didn’t subject themselves to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the fulfillment[a] of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Romans 10:2-4
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 is merely another way of expressing Romans 10:2-4. Cast off my own righteousness and submit to the righteousness of God. That’s the way to win spiritual warfare.
3. Remember I am God’s beloved
Focusing on the person and work of Christ is simple and pure but the devil doesn’t just throw up his hands and give up. He continues to try to deceive me through subtle and crafty schemes; distracting my mind from focusing totally on Christ.
Pointing me to my flaws, failings and ugliness, the devil asked me why would God bother with someone like me.
Because I am God’s beloved. How do I know that? Because God said so. When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, Jesus countered the devil by quoting the scriptures.
4 But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of God’s mouth.’”
Matthew 4:4 WEB
What is every word that proceeds from the mouth of God?
This isn’t words in the bible but words that God spoke. Just before the temptation, in Matthew 3:17, the spoken word of God was recorded:
17 Behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Matthew 3:17 WEB
I believe that Jesus countered the devil’s temptation with this spoken word. In the same way, I believe that by focusing on the same spoken word that I am God’s beloved, I can counter the devil.
Love evokes strong emotions. This connects with the truth of Christ’s obedience to create a strong helmet of salvation.
On what ground do I say that I am God’s beloved?
Jesus is God’s Beloved. There is no doubt about it. But me? Christ’s obedience has won me salvation and righteousness but belovedness?
According to 1 John 4:17, as Jesus is in Heaven, so am I in this world. What He has in Heaven, I have in this world. The blessings of God for me is for now and the present. Not in the past nor in the future.
17 In this, love has been made perfect among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so we are in this world.
1 John 4:17
In conclusion, I am persuaded that the weapons of spiritual warfare; the battle for my mind is won by being humble, by focusing on the obedience of Christ and remembering that I am God’s beloved.
Focus on Jesus as the one who was obedient to God on my behalf. Focus on God’s great love for me, and remember that Jesus is my champion. Every battle He won, I won.
What about 2 Corinthians 10:6?
6 and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience when your obedience is made full.
2 Corinthians 10:6
My obedience is made full by my faith in Christ, the fulfilment of the Law given by God.
This personal study on the weapons of spiritual warfare in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 is inspired by a sermon entitled “The Battle For Your Mind” by Joseph Prince of New Creation Church, Singapore.
View an excerpt:
Find the full videostream message at https://www.josephprince.com/sermons/the-battle-for-your-mind
Let me know what you think