Chapter 5 Weapons of War

In our ever-changing world, men are continually bombarded with mixed messages about what men are to be like and how men are expected to act. Feminists have convinced both genders, men and women, that if we lead or protect the women in our lives, we are sexist and misogynistic, which were once called “chauvinist pigs.”

Though confusion reigns, it is a welcome relief to have the Bible and God, our Creator, to guide us, renew our minds with the Truth, and, inevitably, transform us.

Rather than being preoccupied with sports, hobbies, or internet activities, I'm glad you've decided to fight back— facing the battle head-on with the weapons God has given us. Let’s learn how we can use the “weapons of our war” to pull down the lies that are destroying our lives, families, and our homes.

When I am in a battle and under attack, what should I do?

The ministry of reconciliation. Go directly to the top, talk to your heavenly Father, and appeal to Him. As children of God, we are to be ambassadors of God’s love, and that will always attract others to the Lord. “Therefore we are His ambassadors  . . . and [He] gave us the ministry of reconciliation. God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him... reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message, a ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18–20). Are you counting your wrongs? When people sin against you? Remember, God’s mercies are new every morning. Are your mercies toward the people in your life new every morning?

God wants us to learn contentment before He’ll change people in our lives. To prove the point further, let’s examine Paul’s life. “Not that I speak from want or need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.” Paul goes on to say, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11–13).

To Win, You must battle God's way. Do what God says—it will work! “To sum up, let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing” (1 Peter 3:8).

It's a spiritual battle. “Do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels” (Matthews 26:52). Twelve legions of angels, based on the Roman legion standard of 6,000 soldiers, would mean a minimum of 72,000 angels! Our heavenly Father promises to call on the angels to battle on your behalf in the “heavenlies” where the “real battle” is waging. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

Be committed. Be committed regardless of the consequences and leave the results to God. “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up” (Daniel 3:17). These youths believed God would deliver them, but, regardless of the consequences, they had resolved that they would not compromise, even if it meant death in the furnace.

These young men were determined to do what they knew God wanted them to do and left the results in God’s hands. As a result, the youths didn’t die, but the cords that bound them were removed by their walking in the fire. Do you have cords (of sin or anxiety or other strongholds) that are binding you? God will deliver you. Prepare for the battle that will win the war!

Preparing for War by Putting on Your Armor

The schemes of the devil. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:10–11). 

The full armor of God. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day” (Ephesians 6:12–13). 

Stand firm. “Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth . . .” (Ephesians 6:14). People love to talk about “stepping out in faith.” Ask God first. It may be better to stop moving and just stand firm! It may be the difference between trusting and tempting God. Sometimes, we feel as though we are taking a “step of faith,” but we are actually throwing ourselves off a cliff.

His righteousness. “And having put on the breastplate of righteousness . . .” (Ephesians 6:14). God is talking about His righteousness, not yours. He tells us in His Word that our righteousness is nothing but “filthy rags.”

Walk in peace. “And having fitted your feet with the gospel of peace . . .” (Ephesians 6:15). God says, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” and to “be prepared to give an account of the hope that is within you yet with patience and gentleness” (1 Peter 3:15).

The shield of faith. “In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith so you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16). You must have faith, not in yourself or someone else, but faith in God, in Him alone! Circumstances have nothing to do with faith. Believe in God's Word for the Truth about your problem.

Helmet of salvation. “And take the helmet of salvation . . .” (Ephesians 6:17). You must be saved and born again. You must be one of His children to really win severe spiritual battles. Just to be sure, it's easy. Just stop to talk to God right now in your head and heart. Just tell Him in your own words that you need Him now. If you don't believe in God, tell Him. Ask Him to make Himself real to you. Give Him your life, a life that may be completely messed up, and ask the Lord to make it new.

Tell Him that you will do whatever He wants, but you need Him to do it. Ask Him to “save you” from your mess and from the eternal torment that is waiting for all those who do not accept His gift of eternal life with Him in heaven. Thank Him for His death on the cross and His resurrection. You can now believe that you will no longer live alone; God will always be with you, and you will spend eternity in heaven. If you meant it, you'll feel it, and the best part is that people in your life will notice the change in you, too.

Sword of the Spirit.  Finally, “And the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). The more you read God's Word, the more ammunition you have and the easier to battle in the spirit. Yet, God says, when the battle is the Lord’s, the victory is ours! Create a place to read God's promises daily to help you win your battle. It's easy if they're on your phone, so you have them with you at all times. When you feel an attack coming on, like anger or anxiety or panic, anger or rage—cry out to God. “Cease striving and know that I am God . . .” (Psalm 46:10). Stand firm in faith and wait for God to do what only He can do.

Pray for those who persecute you. One of the most powerful weapons of war is to pray for your enemies—every one of them! Pray for them and ask God how He wants you to bless them. It wasn’t until after Job prayed for his “so-called” friends that God restored what Job had lost. “And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold” (Job 42:10). “But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44–45).

Spiritual War of Taking Your Thoughts Captive

Your battle may be won or lost in your mind. So take your thoughts captive! “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete” (2 Corinthians 10:5–6). Don’t play into the enemy’s hands. Don’t entertain wrong or immoral thoughts; take your thoughts captive!

Overcome evil with good. The enemy knows that if he can divide, he can conquer. Most of us play right into his hands, the hands of the enemy. God says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).

No matter how bad things seem—God is in control. Our comfort is in knowing that God is in control, not us and certainly not Satan, see? “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31–32).

Sifting. Jesus knew Peter's future, but he still had to go through the “sifting” to be ready for God’s calling on his life. 

What “Condition” Is Needed to Be Heard

Your desire needs to be His will. The only condition is, “If you abide in Me, and My Words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7). To know His will, know His Word.

The condition for the blessing. Each promise given by God has a condition for receiving that blessing. Many claim the blessing, ignoring the condition.

Condition: “Believe on the Lord Jesus . . .”

                                    Promise: “. . . and you shall be saved” (Acts 16:31).

Condition: “Delight yourself in the Lord . . .”

                                    Promise: “. . . and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).

Promise: “. . . God causes all things to work together for good . . .

                                    Condition: “. . . to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Humble yourself. “. . . And [if] My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). 

Humility will be tested. “. . . He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not” (Deuteronomy 8:2).

He teaches and leads the humble. “He leads the humble in justice, and He teaches the humble His way” (Psalm 25:9).

The humble will be promoted. “He has brought down rulers from their thrones and has promoted those who were humble” (Luke 1:52).

“And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances” (Ezek. 36:27).

“. . . Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16).

Wait. “. . . From the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. But the prince of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days” (Daniel 10:12–13). It may take some time to win the battles; do not become weary. “But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good” (2 Thessalonians 3:13). 

Two or three gathered. Find two friends who will pray with you. “But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus, his hands were steady until the sunset. . . When Moses held his hand up, then Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek (the enemy) prevailed” (Exod. 17:11–12). Find two guy friends who are like-minded. Ask God.

The power of three. “And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart” (Ecclesiastes 4:12).

Lift the other up. “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9–10).

He is there with you. “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst” (Matthew 18:20). “Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he responded and said to his high officials, ‘Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?’ They answered and said to the king, ‘Certainly, O king.’ He answered and said, ‘Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!’” (Daniel 3:24). No matter how hot things may feel, remember you are never alone!

Agreement. “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” (Matt. 18:19).

Pray for one another. “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (James 5:16). Confession to a like-minded friend is the best method of obtaining a pure heart and feeling free.

“They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed” (Psalm 34:5).

We all have sinned. We all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but God sent His Son. “For you first, God raised up His Servant, and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways” (Acts 3:26).

To obey is better than sacrifice. “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry” (1 Samuel 15:22). “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).

Begin by praying Psalm 51:2–4. “Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. Against You, and You alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in Your sight. You will be proved right in what You say,
and Your judgment against me is just. So it is right and fair for you to correct and punish me.”

Faith

Peter is an example of faith. Read about when Jesus asked Peter to walk on water in Matthew 14:22-34—it's one of my favorites! If He asked you to walk on water and do something that is seemingly impossible, will you get out of the boat? Notice that the moment Peter cries out to Jesus, the word is always followed immediately. Immediately, Jesus spoke to them and told them to take courage. Later, when Peter began to sink, he cried out to the Lord, and “immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him”! (Matthew 14:31).

Fear. But why did Peter sink? “But seeing the wind, he became afraid” (Matthew 14:30). If you look at your situation and at the battle that is raging against you, you will sink! Peter took his eyes off the Lord, and the result was fear! It says, “he became afraid.” If you take your eyes off the Lord, you, too, will become fearful and begin to sink.

Your testimony. How did the others in the boat react? (Did you forget all the others who didn’t get out of the boat?) It says, “And those who were in the boat worshiped Him saying, ‘You are certainly God’s Son!’” (Matthew 14:33). Are you willing to allow God to use you to show His goodness, His lovingkindness, His protection, to draw others to Him? There is a tremendous reward! This is evangelism. When you've gotten out of the boat and do what's seemingly impossible, people will come to you when they are having trouble because they have seen your peace despite your circumstances.

The wind stopped. “And when they got into the boat, the wind stopped” (Matthew 14:32). Your difficulties and battles will not go on forever. Peter was tested in order to be made strong enough to be the “rock" to build His ministry. Satan (and others working for him) will tell you that you will stay in your misery unless you run away, give in, or give up. But God never intended for us to remain in “the valley of the shadow of death.” God says that we go “through the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:4). Satan loves to make us believe that we will live there! He wants to paint a “hopeless” picture! God is our hope. And hope is our faith in His Word that has been sown in our hearts.

Imitators of faith. To be faithful, imitate the men in Scripture who exhibited faith. (You can find the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11.) We need to act on God’s promises by being “imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit God's promises” (Hebrews 6:12).

Act on the faith that you do have. “And He said to them, ‘Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you’” (Matthew 17:20).

Double-minded or doubting. You must not be double-minded. Your mind must not waver or doubt God. “But when you ask God, you must believe. Don’t doubt him. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is blown up and down by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do” (James 1:6–8).

Things not seen. Many people may ask you if you see any change. Patiently remind them God says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). “. . . For we walk by faith, not by sight . . .” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

The Lord will fight your battles. Stand and see! Once you have prayed, then do as God says—“You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf” (2 Chronicles 20:17).

The intensity of your trials is a sign that you are close to victory. Your trials may intensify when you are close to winning. “For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time” (Revelation 12:12).

Let’s begin our commitment to using God's Weapons of War by praying His Word . . .

“Dear heavenly Father, I enter into my prayer closet, and, now that I have shut the door, I pray to you, my Father, in secret. As you see me here in secret, you will reward me openly. It is written ‘all things you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive’ (Matthew 21:22).

“O God, You are my God; early will I seek You. My soul longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. Lord, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O Lord, You are my God; let not man prevail against You.

“Your eyes, Lord, move to and fro throughout the whole earth so You may strongly support those hearts whose are completely Yours. Search my heart.

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh, for the weapons of our war are not fleshly, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of God, You are ready to revenge all disobedience when Your obedience is fulfilled.

“O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous. I shall not be afraid of evil tidings; my heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. My heart is established, I shall not be afraid, until I see my desire come upon the enemy.

Like “Abraham, who hoped against hope, believed in hope, and was not weak in faith, staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. He was fully persuaded that what God had promised, He was able to perform.

“We are saved by hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For what man can see, why does he yet hope for it? But if we hope for what we see not, then we, with patience, wait for it. I would have fainted unless I had believed I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. I will wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He will strengthen my heart. Yes, I will wait on the Lord. They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.

“For since the beginning of the world, men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, besides You, what You have prepared for him who waits for Him. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen.”

May God Grant You Victory