February 16, 2013 … Winning in God’s Warfare

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 47

 Passage of the Day: 2nd Corinthians 10: 4 [underlined below in the context of verses 3-6] [NLT] …  
3 We are human, but we don’t wage war with human plans and methods. 4 We use God’s mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil’s strongholds. 5 With these weapons we break down every proud argument that keeps people from knowing God. With these weapons we conquer their rebellious ideas, and we teach them to obey Christ. 6 And we will punish those who remained disobedient after the rest of you became loyal and obedient. 
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Contextual Study of today’s passage: 2nd Corinthians 10 [NLT] … Go to this link … 
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Reference Passage #1: Ephesians 6: 10-13 : [NLT] … {Every day is a battle. So, put on your armor, take up your sword; and do battle in Christ’s Name.} …  
10 A final word: Be strong with the Lord’s mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. 12 For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms. 13 Use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. 

Reference Passage #2: 2nd Timothy 1: 7 : [NLT] … {We don’t have to be afraid of our spiritual enemies.} … 
 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 

Reference Passage #2: Proverbs 23: 7a : [NKJV] … {How we think about a matter is how we’ll deal with that issue. We become how we think.} … For as he [i.e., any man or woman] thinks in his heart, so is he. … 

My Journal for Today: As a fellow Christian reading along with me here, I pray that you have internalized the reality that we’re in a battle every day of our lives. And God’s word teaches – and I have realized – that these issues and battles I face every day are far beyond my human abilities and strengths to handle them. But I also recognize and lean on the truth of 1st John 4: 4b, “…because He Who is in you [and me] is greater than he who is in the world.” 

When I finally came to realize in my Christian life, as Paul taught Timothy (and all Christians in 2nd Tim. 1: 7, quoted above), that I don’t have to fear my very powerful spiritual enemies, … that I can deal with life with God’s power of love and the self-discipline HE provides for me, … I began to walk in victory in my life. Was it still a battle every day? Of course it was … and is! But I don’t have to be a victim in these battles we call life. I can walk in victory; … because God has given me the armament and the weapons to do battle … and to win!

The Apostle Paul wrote about those armaments and weapons in that famous passage in Ephesians 6: 10-18. I hope you’ve studied those teachings in depth; because when you fully understand the truth and implications of that passage, you’ll recognize how you can do battle with God’s defensive weaponry, along with His powerful offensive weapon, the Sword of the Spirit, and then with God’s primary battle strategy of taking the high-ground of prayer and holding it for Christ. The winning strategies for spiritual warfare are all right there in that passage.

We Christians do have THE POWER on our side, don’t we? And we don’t have to be victims any more. God wants us to be VICTORS in His Name and for His glory. But as long as we see ourselves as victims and we THINK of ourselves as defeated, Satan has us – by our own surrender – right where he wants us … trying to fight the flesh, in the flesh. And we’ll never be winners with that battle plan.

We have to fight Satan and his spirits with THE SPIRIT. And the primary battle ground is going to be in the mind. Above I quoted one of the most powerful truths in the Proverbs (see Prov. 23: 7a, translated best in the NKJV above) … the truth that we become what we think. And if we think of ourselves – truly believing – that we are covered in Gods’ full armor. If we believe – in our hearts – that we’re carrying God’s well-sharpened and well-practiced Sword of the Spirit. And if we know we’ve taken God’s high-ground for battle in our Spirit-surrendered prayer, we will be victorious as we face Satan, the world, and our own deceitful hearts.

If you’re reading here, I hope you’ve taken the high ground for battle with your prayer in the Spirit this morning. I hope you know that the defensive armor you’re wearing is strong and that you’re fully covered for battle. And I hope you know you’re carrying a well-sharpened and practiced Spirit-Sword, just as Jesus did when He confronted His arch enemy in the wilderness (see Matthew 4 or Luke 4).

We can – and we will – be victorious in battle when we know how – in our minds – to do battle here in the earthly realm, with God’s Spirit and His angels fighting with us in the Spiritual realm. Personally, today, I’m fully dressed for battle; and I carry the Sword of Truth, sharpened and practiced for battle; and I’m already on God’s high-ground of prayer. How about you? Let’s go do battle together for Christ today!

My Prayer for Today … Lord, as I step on to another battlefield this morning, I’m dressed and ready. I carry Your Sword; and I’ve climbed Your high ground in prayer. Let’s do battle together, Lord, in Your Name and for Your glory. … Amen