Armour, Weapons and Strongholds

UV 906-10,000 Armour and Weapons For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; 2 Corinthians 10 v 4 God is not in favour of war and violence. He abhors the shedding of blood. This is the reason He did not commission David, a man of war who had shed much blood, to build the temple at Jerusalem. The word “Jerusalem” itself means “My peace.” It fell to Solomon who was a man at rest who did not engage in much war to build the temple of the Lord. At the same time we are all called to join the good fight or to wage spiritual warfare for the Lord. We are to take a stand for God in our lives and to remain still. The battle is the Lord’s. The Lord fights the battle on His own terms at the spiritual plane. He will act on our behalf. The weapons of our warfare are spiritual and not carnal or “of the flesh”. These are not meant to inflict physical wounds. Inner wounds are more deep and more harmful and do not easily congeal or heal unlike the external wounds. The Word of God is the first spiritual weapon. It is described as a sharp two-edged sword. It cuts both the one that uses it and the one on whom it is used. It is so sharp it cuts to the point where bone and marrow meet or the innermost parts of our being, where eye cannot see. Like sword-fighting is a learnt and practiced skill, we need to be skilled in the use of the Word, its interpretation and its application. The Holy Spirit will enable and train us to use the apt Word for the apt occasion or need. When we pray in accordance with the Word and claim promises of God contained therein, it is a most powerful spiritual weapon. Prayer is the exercise of faith in an unseen but known God. It is written that through faith, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Samuel, David and the prophets “wrought righteousness, subdued kingdoms, obtained promises and stopped the mouth of lions.” While we engage in spiritual warfare, the Lord surrounds us with a phalanx of His angels. We are also not to neglect to wear the helmet of assurance that the Lord is with us as a mighty Saviour. We are to wear the breastplate of a righteous heart, spirit and lifestyle. We are to wear the belt of truth tight around our waist to hold our lower garments or accoutrements in place. We should be ready to share our testimony of our experience of salvation and God’s grace to all who are needy or willing to listen. Our kneecaps should be covered by the spirit of fervent, continual prayer. We are to be mighty in words and deeds. We should be willing to “root out, pull out, throw down, destroy” the strongholds of the enemy of our souls” and to “ build and plant” the strongholds of the Lord. We should be like the creature called the armadillo that never takes down its armour for a moment or in short, we should always be watchful and pray in the spirit, not exposing any chink in our armour. Prateep V Philip