The Weapons of Our Warfare

Ephesians 6:10-18 - "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God, for the bringing down of strongholds, the casting down of imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God; and the bringing captive of every thought to the obedience of Christ Jesus."

We Are at War!

There is a great battle going on in the spirit world but we have been delivered and transferred into the kingdom of the winning side! We have been given "authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of th enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt us." (Luke 10:19) Whose kingdom? The kingdom of Jesus Christ - God's WORD. Every born-again believer has been given the privilege of being in the army of God and has also been given the keys to operating in that kingdom.

In the book of Job, God shows that its not He who is the afflicter but the healer. This is the oldest book in the bible and it correctly shows the truth. It is the devil who destroys, steals, and kills; it is God who heals, blesses and restores. In Genesis 14, the story is told of Lot, Abraham's nephew, who was kidnapped by enemy kings. It says that as soon as he heard, Abraham armed himself, followed in pursuit and recovered ALL. We have to do the same when we hear what the devil has done to our children, our finances, our marriages, our lives - we too have to arm ourselves with the weapons God has provided, and pursue the devil and recover ALL. The word of God says that if the thief is found out, he must restore seven times what he has stolen!

The devil has an individual plan against every child of God. He knows your weaknesses and he has a demon assigned against you, against your spouse, against each one of your children. You may not know it but this is a personal battle with him. But don't be afraid! God has raised up an army that knows how to fight spiritual warfare. If the devil has come at you, now is NOT the time to run and hide; you need to put him in his rightful place: under your feet! Don't be ignorant of his schemes and strategies. God says that His people are destroyed due to a lack of knowledge. (Hosea 4:6). Ignorance kills.

There are three ways to approach spiritual warfare:

1. Passive in the midst of battle - ignoring the devil won't make him go away.
2. On the defensive - just dodging the fiery arrows
3. On the offensive - stabbing him before he can get too close to you!

We are on the attacking side, glory to God! "And the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force". We have our marching orders. No, not the one we sing about 'when the saints go marching in'. Remember that old song, 'we all want to be in that number when the saints go marching in'? Well, I used to think it was marching into heaven. But no, you walk in or run in or float in with the rapture. You don't march anywhere unless you are a soldier following orders, going to war! you can't get the medal without the doing, the furlough without the warring, the crown without the battle. You can't have a great victory without having a great battle. Even childbirth is a battle - a pushing and straining to bring something forth. The seed you plant in the ground must push and strain its way out of that ground in order to produce. The moth must push and strain its way out of that cocoon in order to become a butterfly. Be encouraged. God has provided us with mightly weapons, not according to the flesh, but MIGHTY through God! We have the blood of the Lamb, the name of Jesus, the armor of God, and the Holy Ghost! Hallelujah!

The Blood of the Lamb

We have been redeemed from the bondage of the devil. Bought and paid for with the precious blood of the Son of God. Washed and made righteous before the Father; we are not the person we used to be. Praise God! God came down and enveloped Himself in flesh to save us. God "has delivered us from the kingdom of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son, in whom we have redemption through his blood and the forgiveness of sins."

The Name of Jesus

As if the blood wasn't enough (it IS), He has also given us His name. The name that is above every name, in heaven, on earth and under the earth - Jesus. Yeshua. God with us. There was a time when not having a "name" meant one was ostrasized. If a child was born out of wedlock, he was not accepted and was the brunt of unkindness. Even in today's society, if you bear the name of Rockefeller or Scharzenegger, or Kennedy or any of the names associated with money and position, then you are 'somebody'. The name opens doors for you even if you are a very distant relative. How much more will the name of Jesus open the door to your prosperity, your victory!

Philippians 2:9-10 - "therefore God has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and every tongue proclaim Him Lord."

Jesus is above the name of sickness! Jesus is above the name of poverty! Jesus is above the name of abuse and drugs and alcohol and want and lack! We have the authority to use that name to tell sickness to BOW. To tell financial problems to BOW. To tell satan and his demonic spirits to BOW! And they have to do it because of that Name! If you don't see it happening in your life it is because you don't really believe it. but you have to understand - if God said it, its settled. Don't wait until you see it in the natural - walk like you know its true because it is true; the manifestation WILL come.

For there is no other name on earth by which we can be saved (made whole, complete, nothing lacking). Do you know the name of Jesus? Do you know who Jesus is? He is the WORD of the living God. He is Jehovah-Jireh, our provision. He is Jehovah-Shalom, our peace. He is Jehovah-Raphe, our healing; He is Jehovah-Shammah, our righteousness. He is El Shaddai - more than enough to meet any need you have, physical, emotional, financial, mental, spiritual. He is Elohim, creator God, Lord of lords and King of kings!

The Armor of God

In olden times, soldiers protected themselves with armor: clothes made out of iron or some other hard material. They wore a helmet to protect their head; a breastplate to protect their chest, heart, and other vital organs; a loin cloth (long shirt) made of chain links to protect their ability to reproduce; plates of iron around their legs and feet; and carried both a sword and a shield - one for defense and one for offense. If the enemy ever caught them without it, they wouldn't stand a chance!

Ephesians 6:10-18 says "finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the tactics of the devil. For our struggle is not with flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Therefore, put on the full armor of God so that on the evil day you may be able to stand, and having done all, stand. Gird your loins with truth, put on the breastplate of righteousness, and have your feet equipped with the preparation to announce the good news of peace. Above all, take faith as your shield with which you shall be able to quench all the fiery arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword which the Spirit wields, praying always with all manner of prayer and supplication in the Spirit."

The way the pieces of armor are mentioned is the way the devil attacks.

1. Loins girded with truth - ignorance of God's word (Rom 8:32) will kill you!
   The ability to reproduce does not begin in your sexual organs but in your mind. If you don't have the truth of who you really are and what you can do, you will never be able to reproduce others in that same image. The way you see yourself is what you show to others; and what you show to others will affect how they see themselves.
   
2. Breastplate of righteousness - condemnation.
   

   You will never do anything if you come under condemnation. Don't confuse this with conviction. Conviction is when you sin and you know you have sinned and need to repent and be restored. Condemnation means always feeling unworthy. Always remembering your past. Always thinking you are never going to be good enough. That was true before you were saved. But now, Jesus has made you the very righteousness of God! (Col 1:13) You are a new creation, able to do what God asks of you.

3. Shoes of peace - preparation. One translation renders this as "firm footing", another adds "speed". Your firm footing in a local church. Your preparation of studying and meditation on the Word of God will place it in your heart for the day of battle.
   
4. Shield of faith - God WILL keep His word!
   
   

   This is why you have to be in the Word. You have to get to the point where you know that you KNOW that you know that what it promises is yours. Knowing who you are - who God says you are - will enable you and empower you to DO what God's word says that you can do. The devil doesn't stand a chance! The word of God spoken out of your mouth will pull you out of any situation. It will cause you to excel in everything that you set out to do. It is the power to prosper!

5. Helmet of salvation - "as a man thinks, so is he."
   

   Your mind is like a computer. What you put in is what you get out. Gird the loins of your mind with the truth of God's Word. You have to replace all the lies, confusion and distortions which have been placed in your mind by wrong teaching, by the world, and the devil. You have to stop putting trash into it that won't help you when you get into trouble. Start the process by reading about what God says about you. Its the only thing that will help you succeed.

   
   
6. Sword of the Spirit - Each time you speak God's word in faith, you stab the devil with it! Each time you rise up in your spirit concerning what God has said about your situation, you stick a dagger into him. You've got him on the run, glory to God! (Is 55:11) It is the word of God that is your sword. Keep it ever sharp; ever ready!
   
7. Praying - God doesn't do anything without you asking first. He says that all His answers to us are Yes and Amen, which means 'so be it'. You need to go to God boldly, thanking Him for all the times he has seen you through. You take His promise with you and thank Him that He has provided a means for you to escape the snare of the enemy. Then you go about boldly declaring what God has given you. If its healing, then you begin confessing that by His stripes you are healed; if its financial, then you start declaring that God supplies all your needs and even your wants, because He is your Shepherd.' Prayer isn't about begging God to give you something. Its about thanking Him that He has already done so!
   
8. Praying in Tongues - When you don't know what to pray, use the 'unknown language' that God gave you when you were baptized in the Holy Ghost. Speaking in tongues is a weapon that is at your disposal so that you can communicate directly with God and not have the devil know what you are saying. Use it!

Remember that your armor works because of Who is inside you. The power of the Holy Ghost has been given to you so that you can use the weapons to push the devil back off your health, off your family, off your finances. It is the Spirit Who empowers you to stand strong in the midst of battle, Who brings all things in rememberance to you, Who gives you peace throughout any and every situation. And all you have to do is look within your heart and bring out what the Word of God has deposited there. Open your spiritual eyes and SEE that the weapons you possess are more than enough to win the battle; for the war has already been won!