IT IS WRITTEN!

‭II Corinthians 10:3-6: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” NKJV

OBSERVATION:  How do I fight my battles?  This is a question I need to ponder as I read these familiar verses in II Corinthians.  We are all engaged in the battle of life.  There is a definite enemy who has a strategy to steal, kill, and destroy all that God has created and designed for our lives.  Jesus made this very clear in His earthly ministry.  Yet, He also gave us an awesome promise.

‭“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”John 10:10

There is a pitfall in the battlefield of life.  We live in a physical world.  The attacks in life most often come clothed in the actions and attitudes of men and women.  As we encounter these attacks it is easy to forget the true nature of our struggle.  We view the enemy as the person or circumstance that stands before us.  We forget that we are in a spiritual battle and that our enemy is not the person or the physical obstacle that has been put in our way.  The true battle is against the deception the enemy of our souls has used to blind men and women and control their lives.

As I think on this truth our nation is in another presidential election cycle.  In roughly five months we will vote for a new president who will lead our country for another four years.  The political battlefield is heated with accusations and disagreements.  While the nation is divided in the heat of this debate it is easy for the believer to get pulled into the enemy’s lies.  The enemy is not as concerned about the ideological battle as he is in deceiving the church into fighting the wrong battle using the wrong weapons.

Jesus did not come to overthrow the Roman Empire and all of its wickedness.  Did Jesus oppose the wickedness of the Roman Empire?  The answer would be an unequivocal yes!  Yet, Jesus did not come to establish His Kingdom wielding swords or even political debate in the public square.  Jesus came in the power of the Holy Spirit proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom.  When Jesus was confronted with the lies of the enemy in the wilderness temptation, He did not enter into a wrestling match against Satan.  Jesus overcame the temptations of the enemy with three simple words,

IT IS WRITTEN!

Jesus’ entire ministry was focused on proclaiming the heart of the Father as revealed in the holy writ of Scripture.  Jesus’ ministry was birthed in prayer, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and anchored in the Word of God.  It is the truth that the enemy does not want us to use.  Only one weapon cannot be defeated by the lies and deceptions of the enemy.  This weapon is the sword of the Spirit, the written, inerrant, infallible Word of God!  While it is tempting to jump into the ring and box with our opponents it is not effective.  The only thing we can do that will have a lasting value is proclaim the truth of God’s Word!

IT IS WRITTEN!

While so many churches are trying to attract people with sermons that tickle the ears, the world is raging a war of lies and deception.  The enemy is not the person promoting the lies. The lie itself and the father of these lies is the true enemy.  We can hide in our churches and pretend we are exempt from this struggle but the battle wages on and souls are caught in the balance.  The only hope for this world is for the church to rediscover the spiritual weapons God has given her to fight this war!

The Early Church turned their world upside down.  How did they do this?  They proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  They preached Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  They fought this battle on their knees in prayer and paid the price for proclaiming the truth in the public square.  They were not ashamed of the Word of God.  They learned how to use the weapons of prayer and the Word, being empowered by the Holy Spirit, and the result was a transformation in the lives of those who received the Word and a dramatic impact on the cultural landscape in which they lived. They learned how to proclaim with boldness,

IT IS WRITTEN!

We need another Great Awakening in America.  The first and second great awakenings began as the church proclaimed the truth of God’s Word and committed themselves to prayer.  Every great revival in the church’s history began in prayer and was marked by the bold proclamation of the Word of God.  The church was never called to muster an army, establish a political party, or engage in hand-to-hand combat with those who oppose the truth.  The church was called to put on the full armor of God and fight the spiritual battle of life through prayer, the Word of God, and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.  In Paul’s outline of our spiritual armor, he lists only these two offensive weapons –

The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and praying in the power of the Holy Spirit.

While every believer is called to support the government that God has established and exercise their civic and moral duty to vote their Biblical values in the voter box, these alone will never win the battle.  The real battle is spiritual.  It is a battle for the souls of men and women.  It is a battle of truth against the lies of the enemy.  It is a battle of the spiritual Kingdom of God against the kingdom of darkness.  We are all in this battle.  As soldiers of the faith, we must remember the true nature of this battle and ensure we are equipped to fight it properly.

‭“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints…”  Ephesians 6:13-18 NKJV

Lord, help me to stay focused on the real battle before me.  Help me to walk in the power and discernment of the Holy Spirit.  Give me the boldness to speak Your truth in love.  Grant me the grace to win the battles of life like Jesus did.  Teach me those three important words,

IT IS WRITTEN!

In Jesus’ Name