Spiritual Warfare- Your Weapon of Choice

In the medieval days, knights were given swords, those who had proven skill with bows were given bows and a quiver full of arrows, and then there were weapons such as maces, clubs, crossbows, and different swords; each used for different things. In modern times, different types of weapons (grenades, sniper rifles, machine guns, pistols) are given to different soldiers according to their rank and purpose. I don’t know the ins-and-outs of weapons, but I know that shotguns are big strong guns, but they are extremely loud. I also know that sniper rifles are big strong guns, but they are quieter. So you wouldn’t use a shotgun if your mission required stealth, right? In this article, we will focus mainly on what each weapon does; that way, we can be better equipped when it comes time to select and use a weapon.

     

More than likely, you knew everything I just said (and may even be pointing out technical flaws), and you may be wondering just how that relates to the Bible. The Bible is the ultimate armory for spiritual warfare. Look at Hebrews 4:12. I’m not typing out the verse here for a reason, so go and grab your Bible if you didn’t when I just asked you to look up Hebrews 4:12. Now, once you’ve read the verse, fan through the pages of your Bible, not necessarily reading anything, but just noticing the words in it. Think of the Bible as an armory with different weapons in it. Whenever we face a trial, it is like we have been ambushed by the enemy. Which weapon are you going to pull out at that point?

     

When I talk of the different weapons, I mean a verse or a passage that will help you fight the temptation, along with prayer. Did you see all of those pages in your Bible when you (if you) flipped through your Bible? Well, we have a lot of options, so how do we choose?* Just to illustrate my answer to this question, read this illustration:

     

A man walks through the jungle, on guard duty during the Vietnam War. He has two pistols, a grenade, and a knife strapped to his belt and a rifle strapped to his back. He is suddenly ambushed. What does he do? Well, he has several options, and none of them are really “better” than the other.

     

Despite all of his weapons, I’m going to say that he basically has three options:

1. Fight

2. Call for help

3. Both

     

In the article entitled “Spiritual Warfare-Making Allies”, we will talk a bit more about these options, and how we should handle it. For now, just imagine that he chose to fight instead of option two or three. You’re probably scrolling down on your computer or iPad to see how much longer this article is*. Not much longer. Did you catch what I was trying to say with that illustration? No weapon is “better” than another, but I’m going to leave you with a cliff hanger here and say that how we choose our weapon is based on three things:

1. Where you are in your battle

2. What weapon the enemy is using

3. What each weapon does

*Please note that not all passages will apply to us or at least not to where we are in life, but most are applicable in different situations.

*I do that too J