WEAPONS

The LORD has His armory, and has brought out the WEAPONS of His indignation; for this is the work of the Lord God of hosts in the land of the Chaldeans – Jeremiah 50:25

The Lord has given to the Church and to believers, spiritual WEAPONS which are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds: “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds” (2Cor.10:4). The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, fleshly or ordinary; but supernaturally released from God’s armory (Jer.50:25). Weapons are meant to be used. Possessing spiritual weapons without using them is as futile as not possessing them at all. What is the use of having the Bible without reading it? Knowing the verses by heart without application is as useless as not knowing them at all. To ensure God's intervention and guaranteed Victory, we must be trained and equipped to utilise the weapons He has provided us with. “The LORD is a Man of War” (Exo.15:3a). His armory is full of diverse weapons. Let’s meditate on Seven Key Weapons we are to employ in spiritual warfare:

The Blood of Jesus: the incorruptibly cleansing power of the sinless blood is the ground of our redemption and justification. I John 1:7 says, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” His blood is our incomparable weapon of Dominion: “And they overcame him by the BLOOD of the Lamb…” (Rev.12:11a).

The Word of God: is our platform to exercise dominion rights and privileges. Satan’s power to deceive is on the ground of Ignorance. God’s Word enlightens; it delivers us from Ignorance. His Word is our instrument of deliverance from destruction (Psa.107:20). The Word of God is the Sword of the Spirit (Eph.6:17). His Word is “living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword…” (Heb.4:12). We overcome the devil by “…the Word of our testimony” (Rev.12:11b).

The Name of Jesus: represents authority and power. There is no higher authority: “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth” (Phil.2:9-10). Jesus gave us power of attorney to use His name. He stands behind His name. In His name, signs and wonders follow those who believe (Mk.16:17).

The Indwelling Holy Spirit: is God Within. The Holy Spirit builds a protective shield around us at salvation that lasts through life. Therefore, “…He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1Jh.4:4b).

Praise: is the act of glorifying or extolling God. Praise centres on God’s Person and Character; and He dwells in the praises of His people (Psa.22:3). Praise is a powerful weapon of warfare. Praise precedes Victory. In 2 Chronicles, King Jehoshaphat led God’s people into battle against their enemies, as he was instructed to appoint singers unto the Lord. As they went before the army praising God, “the Lord set ambushes against” the adversaries (2Chr.20:21-22).

Prayer and Intercession in the Spirit: “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” (Eph.6:18). There are different kinds of prayer for different situations, namely: prayer of petition; prayer of faith; agreement; binding and losing; intercession; commitment and consecration; and prayer in the spirit for personal edification.

The Gifts of the Spirit: nine supernatural gifts are highlighted in 1 Corinthians 12 8-10 – “the word of wisdom…word of knowledge…faith…gifts of healings…working of miracles…prophecy…discerning of spirits…different kinds of tongues…interpretation of tongues.”

God gave His Church these spiritual weapons to enable believers war a good warfare as part of His Victorious Church against which the gates of hell shall not prevail (Mt.16:18). We are soldiers in His spiritual army, with the assignment of reaching the world for Jesus. We must become increasingly proficient in the use of our weapons of warfare.