2 Corinthians 10: 4-5; Ephesians 6: 14-18
‘Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints’.
Knowledge is power they say, and the application of knowledge is wisdom. The Bible says ‘my people perish for lack of knowledge’. This means that it is possible to miss out a great deal due to lack of knowledge. So ignorance is never an excuse!
The many scriptures about gaining knowledge testify to the fact that God does not want us to dwell in ignorance; but rather to be knowledgeable about different aspects of our lives, especially our spiritual lives as Christians.
The Christian lifestyle is in constant battle with worldly standards, values, customs, and patterns. In addition, satan has unleashed his demonic powers and spiritual forces to ensnare us (hinder our progress). Seeing that the enemy of our soul is ‘sabbathless’ and relentless in his deadly pursuits, it becomes incumbent to know the weapons (available to us) by which we can dislodge the devil’s onslaughts and assaults.
As mentioned in Ephesians 6: 14, we need to know the truth – for the truth will set us free (John 8: 32). Another weapon is righteousness – strive to live a holy life (1 Peter 1: 15-16). We have the Gospel of peace – tell others about Jesus (Mark 16: 15). We also have the weapon of faith – this is the bedrock of our Christian walk, for without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11: 6).
There is a need for salvation – once we give our lives to Christ, our identity in Him becomes a covering for our mind. One of our major weapons is the word of God (sword of the Spirit) against which the devil has no argument because it is settled in heaven (Psalms 119: 89) – Hallelujah!
Other weapons include praying in tongues (Ephesians 6: 18), praise, worship, giving thanks, listening to sermons, etc. It helps to make a list of these weapons and place at a strategic place in your home. And whenever the devil launches any of his attacks, pull out one of your weapons and resist him.
May the Holy Spirit teach you what weapon(s) will be most effective for whatever situation confronts you!
Shalom!