II Timothy 2:3-4 – ““You therefore must endure hardship as a
good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one
engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please
him who enlisted him as a soldier.”
You were created for spiritual
growth and progress. The Apostle Peter penned these words in 2 Peter 3:8, “but grow in the grace and
knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
When you came to Christ you enlisted as a soldier of the cross in the
army of the Lord. When Joshua was
preparing to take the city of Jericho he had an unexpected meeting with the
Commander of the Lord’s Army. Joshua
5:13 reads, “And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted
his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn
in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for
us or for our adversaries?”
A
soldier must always be on alert for a possible attack. You are called to a spiritual battle. This battle must be fought with spiritual
weapons. II Corinthians 10:3-5 says, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do
not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God
for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing
that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into
captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
You
engage the enemy by utilizing the powerful weapons God has placed in your
hands. The following weapons are
available to the believer to overcome the attacks and assaults of the enemy:
· We have the
weapon of the name of Jesus. There is no
name more powerful than the name of
Jesus.
· We have the weapon of the gifts of the Spirit, especially
the gift of discerning of spirits.
· We have the weapon of praise. The God of heaven inhabits the praises of His
people.
· We have the weapon of prayer and intercession. James 5:16 says, “The effective fervent
prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
· We have the weapon of binding and loosing. Matthew 16:19 reads, “And I will give you the
keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in
heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
· We have the weapon of agreement. Matthew 18:19 teaches,
“Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything
that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.”
Perhaps one of the greatest weapons you
have to engage your enemy is the power of your testimony. Revelation 12:11 says,
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their
testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”
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