As Christians, we know that at this very moment, we are part
of a life and death struggle against the forces of darkness.
Whether we like it or not, we are soldiers in an army, and we
must take part in spiritual warfare in order to survive.
How can we truly engage ourselves effectively against the
enemy? What will render him ineffective? Repentance, or turning
away from evil and turning toward God, is certainly a pivotal
starting place. To be effective against the enemy, we must
continually pray, seek the Lord, and search the Scriptures,
making them a part of the pattern of our everyday lives, always
refraining from ungodliness. We certainly also know the
importance of fellowship with other believers, and of taking
authority over that which is not of Christ.
But what, really, specifically, are the weapons of our
warfare? We know about our armor--the shield of faith, the
breastplate of righteousness, and the belt of truth--but these
are for our defense. There are also offensive weapons, like the
sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. But there are
also many others. In fact, Paul tells us in II Corinthians that
these weapons are mighty, to the pulling down of strongholds,
although he doesn't seem to go into a great deal of depth as to
what they are, and how they can be used to defeat the destroyer.
Many people don't realize that we have a veritable arsenal
containing a vast array of spiritual weapons, although we may
need training on how to use some of them. A few are secret
weapons, known only to the commander-in-chief Himself, Jesus
Christ, and those to whom he has committed them. Others are
extremely powerful, and therefore need to be used carefully, or
they could cause damage both to ourselves and to our friends.
Let's pause, now, for a moment, to consider exactly what we
mean by spiritual warfare. What do we mean when we state that we
are taking ground for the kingdom of God? Does this mean that we
have more and more people attending our churches? Or does it
indicate that, in the political arena, our candidates are getting
elected? What does it mean to possess the land? To become
wealthy? To be in charge of many people? What does it mean to
rule and reign with Christ? Does it simply signify that we have
political power, and that we can therefore decide what happens to
large numbers of people? Or does this refer to something
entirely different?
One of the peculiarities of the Christian Faith is that we,
as Christians, are able to accomplish some of the greatest and
most important things by doing the exact opposite of what one
would normally expect is necessary for the fulfillment of a
particular goal. This will become evident as I begin to name,
specifically, some of the weapons that I've been talking about.
You may disagree with me about some of these weapons.
That's okay, you don't have to use all of them. At least for the
time being, just use the ones that you feel comfortable about
using.
I would like to start simply by giving you a list of many of
these weapons. This is not an exhaustive list, and I'm sure the
Lord will bring to your mind many others as I begin to mention
them. Some are very, very powerful, and, as I've already
suggested, many of the most powerful ones are the ones that would
seem to the uninitiated to be least useful, or even completely
useless. Of course, they must be used properly. Some should
only be used during hand-to-hand combat. Others can be used in
sophisticated offensive maneuvers, but only when the commander
has given the express order. Timing is everything when you are
engaged in warfare.
Okay, here are some of the weapons that God has given us to
use: Returning good for evil. Doing the right thing, even if it
means suffering or persecution, or personal loss. Joy in the
midst of trials. Obedience to God, regardless of the cost. Never
taking offense when you are wronged or betrayed. Acting
according to conscience, whatever the consequences. Never
believing bad reports about others, no matter how convincing.
Giving everyone the benefit of every doubt. Trust in God in
every situation despite all appearances. Excessive generosity.
Fairness and kindness to all people. Forgiving everyone for
anything, no matter how seriously they have wronged you, even if
they are not sorry for what they have done. Genuine thankfulness
for all things, even tribulation. Not defending yourself when
accused, knowing that God will vindicate the innocent who trust
in Him. Praising God in adversity. Always dwelling upon that
which is good. Not allowing anything to be more important to you
than God. Willingness to suffer reproach by identifying with
that which is of God. Not allowing yourself to become distracted
from God's purpose for you. Never being concerned about how
others will view you. Relying upon God to help you in difficult
circumstances. Humility. Resisting temptation. Self-sacrifice.
Being unassuming. Patience. Modesty. Courage, or the refusal
to fear. Unconditional love. Never doubting that God will
provide for our needs. Deferring to others. Thinking of others
more highly than ourselves. Putting every suspicious proposition
or assertion to the test.
The enemy would have us to believe that it is onerous to do
these things. On the contrary, these are the things that are in
our greatest interest, and we are therefore delighted to make use
of them. The deceiver would try to caricature them as
"obligations," and that we are duty-bound to try to perform them.
But they are not our duty so much as they are necessary to us for
our own well-being. A person who makes frequent use of these
weapons understands that it is in his or her own interest to do
so, although it is best not to use them because they are
beneficial to us. Rather, we should make use of them because it
is pleasing to God that we do so. This is the way they become
extremely effective.
When we use these weapons, we destroy the work of the enemy
in our lives and the lives of others. For example, satan's work
is circumvented when we refuse to take offense when we are
wronged or betrayed. He is thwarted in his attempts to bring
about disunity when this happens.
Do you want to be a strong Christian warrior? Then forgive
your enemies. Humble yourself. Let everyone else have
preeminence. Don't seek to be well liked or well respected.
Don't maneuver your way into an enviable position. Let God do
it. Don't seek power or wealth. Then when God moves on our
behalf, it becomes clear that it is God who has raised us up, and
that we could not possibly have done it ourselves.
The effective Christian warrior is not the one who looks
good because he or she has taken care to make himself look good
outwardly. Rather, it is the one who is concerned with whether
he or she is truly good inwardly. Tremendous spiritual power is
derived from putting this principle into practice.
We have listed far more spiritual weapons than we can
describe in any detail, but let's just take a closer look at a
few of them:
First, let's consider forgiveness. One of the most
effective ways of releasing the power of God is through the
forgiveness of one's enemies. If you really want to throw a
monkey wrench into the enemy's plan to destroy you, then forgive
everyone who has ever wronged you, however seriously. There is
tremendous power in forgiveness. It brings about healing and the
joy of restored fellowship.
We sometimes forget that there is an enemy who wants to
destroy us. If we have bitterness or unforgiveness toward
someone, then that thing will eat away at us, and it begins to
destroy us. You will even begin to feel the effects of it in
your physical body. Give it up! You can't afford to nourish
hatred towards others. It will destroy you, spirit, soul and
body. This is exactly what the enemy hopes to accomplish, and
you play right into his hands when you resist the urgings of
conscience to renounce unforgiveness.
Now let's look at a few other weapons. Humility: If we
humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, then, we are told, He
will raise us up in due time. This is an infallible principle
for those who engage in it with proper motivations.
Modesty: To fight the good fight effectively, we must not
boast. We must not do anything to make ourselves look good. We
must, in modesty, remain silent unless there is a clear mandate
from God for us to speak. If we do this, then God is able to
show Himself to be strong on our behalf, when appropriate.
Trust in God: Absolute reliance upon God for everything does
not constitute passivity, but trust in the power of God, and
recognition that, in and of ourselves, we are as nothing, but
that if we are living and working in obedience to God, He will
bring to pass all that concerns us.
Thankfulness: When we are genuinely thankful for all things,
even in tribulation, the enemy is thwarted once again, since it
is no longer possible for him to cause us to attribute that which
is evil to God, who is sovereign over all things. This means
that we are no longer eligible for the miserable fate awaiting
all those who will not trust Him in all things.
Praising God in all Circumstances: There are many reasons
why we should praise God, even in adversity. First, we should do
so because he is always, at all times, worthy of our praise.
Secondly, in doing this, we acknowledge the sovereignty of God
over our lives and His love for us. He has control over all
circumstances of our lives and uses them for our benefit, despite
all appearances to the contrary. When we praise God in
adversity, we acknowledge these facts. Third, God abides in the
praises of His people. He will be with you during your
experience of adversity, and He will go before you and fight on
your behalf in the battles of life.
These are just a few weapons, and we have only touched on
them briefly. But the Lord will probably remind you of many
others as you think about these things. We should all be
continually asking Him to show us what weapons we should be using
in various situations, and to teach us how to use them
effectively. In many cases, it is simply a matter of practice.
In other cases, we need special wisdom as to how to use a weapon
properly. May the Lord grant us this wisdom and help us to use
these weapons effectively and remind us to contend with them
earnestly every moment of our lives. In Christ's name we pray.
Amen.
Richard M. Riss
Union Bible Church, Old Bridge, N.J., July 26, 1992