In life, there are many obstacles. The Bible says; “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 NIV). The devil, who is the adversary of your soul, is always lurking around looking for an opportunity to pounce and hurt the children of God. The good news is that God is bigger and more powerful than the devil. The Bible says; “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4 NAS). The devil is not a human being, he is a spiritual being. Therefore you can not defeat him through using your fists or using fleshly weapons. The Bible says; “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” (Ephesians 6:12 NIV). Because of this, you can only defeat the devil through spiritual weapons; weapons of warfare given to you by God to defeat the devil and live in victory in the name of Jesus Christ.
The first weapon of warfare is the weapon of faith. Having faith in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, and having faith in His promises and truths for your life is the first step. The Bible says; “…If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you” (Matthew 17:20 NAS). Faith is essential in your walk with God and it is the foundation of your belief in Christ. In the Bible, faith is depicted in this way; “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1NIV). It is through your faith that you will please God and move His heart in favor.
The second weapon of warfare is the weapon of prayer. Through prayer mountains are moved. The Bible says; “Truly I say to you, whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst” (Matthew 18:18-20 NAS). When you pray in Jesus name, you are releasing your faith and taking a stand against the enemy of your soul. It is through prayer that spiritual battles are won and the cohorts of hell are bound back by the mighty host of Angels in Heaven. Jesus displayed the importance of prayer during His walk on earth. In various passages of Scripture it talks about Jesus taking time by Himself to kneel before His Father and recharge Himself through prayer and communion with God. This is very important when it comes to your walk with Him. You must take time for prayer and communion with Christ.
The third weapon of warfare is the weapon of God’s Word. It is essential to study the Bible and read its’ truths. It is through the Scriptures that you will learn the tenets of the faith; and it is through studying the Word that your faith will be made strong. The Bible is likened unto daily bread. Without it, you can not survive; you will eventually become weak and frail and wither away. You need food to survive and get through life. So it is with the Word of God. If you want your spirit to be strong, you must feed it through reading the Bible and learning the Scriptures.
It is vital to speak the word. In Matthew 4:1-11(NIV) it says; Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, It is written: “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Then the devil took Him to the holy city and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If You are the Son of God, he said, throw Yourself down. For it is written: He will command His angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Jesus answered Him, “It is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give You, he said, if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.” Then the devil left Him, and angels came and attended Him.
Jesus was tempted by the devil. Jesus spoke the truth and spoke forth the Word to defeat the devil and his devices. The devil knows the Word of God and he will always come to tempt the people of God, distorting and perverting the Word to make his point. But as Jesus did, you must know what the Word says and then speak it forth, defeating the devil and his trickery. If you do not know the Scriptures by memorization, then open the Bible and begin to read it aloud. Pick Scriptures that pertain to what you are going through and build your faith. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you in your times of studying the Bible and allow Him to bring to life its’ truths and how they apply to you and your life’s circumstances.
The fourth weapon of warfare is the weapon of tithing. The Bible says; “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over…” (Luke 6:38 NKJ). It is very important to the Lord that you are giving into His kingdom, and honoring Him with your tithes and offerings. When you give into God’s work you are making war against the devil and all his devices through your obedience and faith to give as the Lord commands you. When tithing, it is essential to seek God and inquire of Him where He would like you to give and how much He is requiring of you to give. When you seek the Lord in these matters, He will lead you, and in this, you will be giving into good soil and giving the amount He is commanding you to.
When you tithe you are honoring God and those that are spiritually feeding your life. Many times people expect many blessings from the Lord, but they are unwilling to trust Him with their finances. If you do not trust the Lord with your finances, then you will not be able to trust Him with much else. The Lord often calls a person to give in their most difficult financial hour. It is through their obedience to obey Him that He will unlock a blessing for their lives and turn their circumstances around.
The fifth weapon of warfare is the weapon of fasting. The Bible says; “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting” (Mark 9:29 Amplified).The Bible also says; “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” (Isaiah 58:6 NIV) There are many types of fasts including; a one days fast, a Daniel fast, a forty day fast, and more. Jesus displayed the importance of fasting during His time in the wilderness. The Bible says that He was lead into the desert to be tempted by the devil. During His time there He fasted for forty days. His flesh was weak, but His Spirit was strong. It was through His Spiritual strength that He defeated the devil and his evil temptations.
Like Jesus, when you fast you are denying your flesh and your spirit is made strong. It is also through your times of prayer and fasting that the devil’s power is broken over your life and those you are praying for. Fasting is a powerful weapon and one that is often ignored or taken lightly in the Body of Christ. You must remember the example that Jesus set in His time of fasting. The Bible says that after Jesus was tempted and fasted for those forty days in the wilderness, He returned in the “power of the Holy Spirit.” It was at this time that He began His public ministry and began performing many miracles.
The sixth weapon of warfare is the weapon of worship. Worship is not only the act of singing praises unto the Lord’s name, but it is also a condition of your heart. When you obey the Lord you are worshiping Him. Your obedience and reverence for God is an act of worship that is exceedingly pleasing in His sight. The Bible says; “All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to” (Deuteronomy 28:2-8 NIV). This passage of Scripture displays just how important it is to obey God. When you obey Him, you are essentially defeating the devil in your life. You are opening yourself up to the Lord’s blessings for your life, and you are shutting the door to the devil and his devices against you.
Using these weapons of warfare is vital if you want to be an overcomer and walk in an effective manner in Christ. However, even when using these spiritual weapons, remember that it is essential to walk in obedience before the Lord in order to have victory in life. Many people believe they can do whatever they want, whenever they want, and still have a blessed and victorious Christian walk. This simply is not true. This is a lie and a deception of the devil. The Bible speaks about not using the gift of salvation as a right to sin. Every believer has a covering of the Lord over their lives. This is there to keep and protect them. When a person does wrong before the Lord and does not obey His voice, they step out from underneath that covering and open themselves up to get attacked by the devil.
In order to prevent this from happening, a person must keep short accounts with the Lord. That is to repent of sin and not allow sin to take root in their hearts. In the Bible Jesus said; “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17 NAS). Make wrongs right with God and those that were hurt or affected by this sin. Also, seek the Lord regarding unrepented sin. Many individuals go through life and forget or ignore their wrongs from the past. They leave a trail of sin behind them and never take care of it. It is essential to face the past, repent for it, and then allow the Lord to do a work in your heart over it. When a person takes care of their past sins and allows the Lord to move in their hearts over it, then they are far less likely to repeat it. When sin goes unchecked, it takes root, flourishes, and then wreaks havoc on a person’s life. The Bible says; “Sin flourishes in darkness.” When a person exposes their sin before the Lord and repents, they can be healed, freed, and restored. Through this repentance the door to the devil is shut and his access is cut off. It is in this that a person finds victory in Christ.
Today, I encourage you to seek the Lord. I encourage you to seek Him in repentance and understanding of His Word, His truths, and the spiritual weapons of warfare that He has made available to you. I encourage you to exercise your faith and your belief in Him and His promises for your life.
You can start by praying this prayer aloud to Him;
Dear Lord Jesus,
I ask that You would forgive me of my sins and wash me clean with Your blood. I ask that You would speak to my heart this day and deliver me from the power of the devil. I ask You Lord to teach me how to use the spiritual weapons of warfare that You have given me, and I ask that You would stand with me in this. I thank You for all these things.
In Jesus Mighty Name I Pray,
Amen
Recent Comments