For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
Do you believe this? Do you recognize the battle we, as believers in Jesus, are in? As Christians we understand we have an enemy, that he roams around like a lion just waiting to devour us (1 Peter 5:8), but knowing truth and recognizing the attack are not the same when we need to combat the enemy’s attack.
This summer, on my daughter’s birthday of all days, God revealed very plainly to me the battlefield on which we are living. You can read about my experience HERE. Since that day I have been more aware of the attacks of the enemy when they come, but sometimes fighting back is a challenge. The enemy loves to hit us when we are most vulnerable. For me, those hits come when I am tired or overwhelmed. The good news is God has given us the weapons we need to fight back:
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, (Ephesians 6:13-17)
Let’s look at 3 ways to combat the enemy’s attack.
Our Spiritual Arsenal
1. The Word of God.
Hebrews 4:12 tells us that God’s word is alive and active; it can cut through the lies of the enemy. Recall how Jesus fended off the devil with scripture when the devil tempted him in the wilderness for 40 days. The devil, himself, knows what scripture says, but one of the ways he attacks is by twisting the truth. Jesus, countered every attack of the devil by stating TRUTH. We must stand firm on the Word of God. One way to do this is by hiding God’s truth in our hearts. (Psalm 119:11)
2. Prayer
The second defense in the battle we are going to look at is prayer. The Bible mentions prayer more than 650 times. Jesus tells us prayer is our best defense against temptation (Matthew 26:41) because although our spirit is willing to follow after God, our flesh is weak. The enemy knows this and will use temptation to attack. Believers are to pray without ceasing, but just as important is to be thankful as we do. This leads to our third defense, worship.
3. Worship
When you think about worshipping God what comes to mind? For many, the first thought is singing. Singing, however, is only one means of worship. Did you know that there are 7 Hebrew words that are translated “worship” in the Bible? Their meanings include: to extend one’s hands, to boast, thanksgiving, to kneel, a new song, to shout as well as making music. Humans are created to worship God. Some of the ways we can worship Him are through praise, being grateful, giving, loving others and living a sacrificial life.
As we get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving in the U.S., I have designed an opportunity to worship and praise God with a grateful heart. I invite you to join me on my Youtube channel for Hymns of Grateful Praise.
Join this event HERE.