If you are a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, you have surely recognized the truth presented by the apostle Paul that we are engaged in a battle, but not a physical battle, rather a spiritual battle.
Ephesians 6:12 (ESV) — 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Because it’s a spiritual battle, we are equipped with spiritual weapons.
2 Corinthians 10:3–6 (ESV) — 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
Before we consider our weapons, we need to look at the passage above and take special note that we are not in a battle according to the flesh. In other words, we are not looking to beat people up or even engage in any kind of conversations for the purpose of making a good argument so as to come out on top of the other person. Engaging in battle according to the flesh is just taking things into our own hands, which results in relying upon our personal strength or whit. Rather, the apostle says, we rely upon divine power to bring down strongholds, destroying arguments, and every lofty opinion against the knowledge of God, resulting in taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
In case you missed it, this battle is a battle for your mind, which is why the end goal is to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. If this spiritual battlefield is a battle for your mind, we must be reminded of the importance of taking responsibility for our thought life as in presenting ourselves to God as a living sacrifice, so that we participate in God’s transforming us in the renewal of our minds.
Romans 12:1–2 (ESV) — 1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
How is that transformation taking place in your life? What weighs heaviest on your mind each day? Does the world have a greater place than God in your daily thoughts? It’s easy to put God and His word on the shelf and give little or no attention to spiritual things, but that is a setup for failure and a sure way to drift from fellowship with God. Going back to 2Corinthians 10:3-6, we must engage ourselves in the battle for our minds and seek God’s help in bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. God has not left us helpless in engaging in the spiritual warfare alone, rather he has provided secure armor.
Ephesians 6:13–20 (ESV) — 13 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. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
From this passage we should take heed to the fact that we are to do all we can to stand firm, which implies we need to put forth an effort. Too often Christians take a lackadaisical approach to the spiritual battle and say they are relying upon God’s sovereign purposes to be carried out and He will protect. That is true, but if God has provided weapons, He expects us to provide the effort to use them. God provided the help in David’s battle with Goliath, but David made the effort in stepping up to fight the giant and in his reliance upon the living and true God.
The weapons described include truth, righteousness, the Gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and two offensive weapons – the word of God and prayer. When you break it down, in order to use the weapons that God has provided as listed in the passage above, we need to saturate our minds with the word of God as we read it, hear it preached, study it, memorize it, meditate upon it, and obey it. That practical participation in the word of God will transform our minds, drown out every imagination that is out of line with the Scripture, and will captivate our thought life. The other offensive weapon is prayer. When we spend time seeking the mind and help of God, expressing our dependency upon Him, and praying for ourselves and others, including those who proclaim God’s word in preaching, we find ourselves consumed with God, as we long for His power, presence and help.
Nowhere in these passages of instruction do we find a need to learn about the enemy. The closest admonition to that would be Paul’s reminder to the Corinthian church about the way Satan seeks to divide the church in areas concerning forgiveness and false teachers.
2 Corinthians 2:10–11 (ESV) — 10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
2 Corinthians 11:2–3 (ESV) — 2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
It is important that we have the “mind of Christ” as we bring every thought into captivity, which is the result of our minds being transformed as the Spirit of God takes the word of God to our minds and hearts as we obey it.
1 Corinthians 2:12–16 (ESV) — 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
We do not have to fall prey to the enemy; God has provided everything we need in His word. Now use it.
Godspeed,
Bob Brubaker, Pastor
Christ Community Presbyterian Church
Clearwater, FL
