2 Corinthians 10

We have been talking of our authority in Christ, the strongholds of the enemy. Today we will go over a few of the weapons of our spiritual warfare. Lets start with one that should be obvious to each and every believer: speaking truth, not lying. In John 8:44 Jesus says about the Devil, the enemy of our souls, He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.

When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies. I believe the NIV says “he speaks his native language.” When we are honest, we keep the devil at bay, when we refute a lie, we come against the devil and what he is attempting to do. Lying is a sign of a mind darkened by sin and it shows what is within their heart. Lying is also a sign of a lack of responsibility… Now in order to refute a lie we must know the truth. Twisted scripture or scripture used out of context is basically a tool of the enemy.

Which brings us to one of the most important weapons we have, The Word of God. This Truth is not about being honest over lying. This is – The Truth, as when Jesus said Sanctify them in The Truth Your Word is Truth, this Truth is seen in Eph 4:15 where we are told to speak The Truth in Love. That is where the power is, coupling the spiritual weapons of God’s love and His Word together.

There are many that speak The Truth hurling God’s word as lead shot at those wounded and trapped in sin. There no regard for the sinner and it is often done to ridicule, mock, and to make themselves look better.

The Truth of God is to be shared in and out of the Love of God that is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. If the love of God is what propels the Truth then it will be effective. But we cannot overly emphasize love by being nice and overly concerned with their feelings. The commentary I was reading said that “Truth can be harsh, it can tell us things we would rather not hear, or reveal things we would rather not see… Truth with out love is a tyrant. Love without Truth is a lie” In John 12:38 Jesus said The one who rejects me and doesn’t receive my sayings has this as his judge: The word I have spoken will judge him on the last day… Now In verse 5 He says we take every thought captive, that “we” are Believers, Christians, those that are following Christ as lord and Savior.

How do we take every thought captive? By making it obedient to Christ. But how can you do that if you don’t know what His will is?

False religion, human reasoning, and a worldly outlook have produced thinking that imprisons the minds of many. If there is an opinion, an idea, or any thought that comes against Jesus and His Church it is from the enemy and must be dealt with. We have to pick up the sword of the Spirt and learn to use it in both defense and offence, if not, we risk being destroyed.

God’s Word in Isaiah 5:13 says Therefore my people will go into exile because they lack knowledge And in Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will reject you from serving as my priest. There are three more spiritual weapons that when joined become even more powerful. 1. praise and worship; praise expresses and builds up your faith and it is in faith that you take your Next Step. So faith is the 2nd arm of our Spiritual trident. The third arm of this trident is prayer… James tells us about the prayer offered in faith and how the earnest prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving (praise) let your requests be made known to God. You have access to the throne of Grace…

Our weapons in our spiritual battle are not fleshly, but mighty through God. We engage in the battle for souls Trusting Christ and rightly dividing the Word of God (2 Tim 2:15), we take every thought captive, pull down the strongholds, and, by the grace of God, set the captives free.

Questions: What strongholds are keeping you from sharing the Gospel? Are you using the Spiritual Weapons God has given to Believers or do you go unarmed into enemy territory?

Further Reading: Isaiah 5:13, 54:17, Hosea 4:6, Colossians 1:10, Revelation 3:14-22, Matthew 4:4, 8:44, 12:34, John 15:1-8, Ephesians 4:17-24, Revelation 1:16, John 12:48, Ephesians 6:17, Matthew 4:1-11 (4) Psalm 150:1-6