We are in a war today whether we know it or not. We have an enemy. He’s not flesh and blood but he stirs up people who are, to oppose God and His followers more viciously today than ever before. I was thinking and praying about that today. Here’s a bit of my train of thought…
Eph. 6:12: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].” The word for wrestle occurs in only this one place in the New Testament. It depicts a wrestling match where the winner pins his opponent, keeping him down and unable to continue fighting. Not dead, but defeated.
How can we defend against and defeat this enemy? Not with physical, human weapons. We have to use the weapons God designed and gave us, train with them and become proficient with their use.
II Cor. 10:3-6: The weapons of our warfare are not carnal (merely human) but spiritual, powerful enough to defeat anything that opposes God.
Eph. 6:10-17: Our spiritual armor includes a sword, the Word (rhema) of God. (Rhema is like an “instant message” from God, a message from Him to us that is appropriate to the occasion.) This Word is an offensive weapon against the enemy. Spoken. Verbalized.
I Cor. 12:4-11: The Gifts of the Holy Spirit include words (logos) from God, knowledge (information) and wisdom (how to use the information). (Logos = doctrine, instructional speech, sermon or scripture.) These words, like all the Gifts, are also appropriate to the occasion.
Matt. 10:19-20 and Mark 13:11: When being persecuted (arrested, harrassed, attacked) for your faith, don’t pre-plan what to say; the Holy Spirit will speak through you at that point in time. (Speak – say something, tell someone something.)
Psalm 119:11 “Thy word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against Thee.” The definition of word here is similar to that of logos in the New Testament. Heart means the center of your being, your soul, will, desires.
Matt. 12:34 and Luke 6:45: Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. (The word for heart is kardia; similar to the Old Testament word, it means center of your being, your soul, will.) If it’s not in your heart, the Word of God — your spiritual weapon — won’t be readily available for you to use against the enemy.
Joshua 1:8: This book of the law (God’s Word) shall not depart out of your mouth… meditate on it day and night… observe to do it, and you will make your way prosperous and have good success. (Meditate means muse, imagine, mutter aloud.)
God’s Word, logos and rhema, are powerful weapons against the devil, the enemy whose goal in life in to steal, kill and destroy us. (John 10:10)
If God’s Word is in our heart, in our mouth and in our actions (obedience), we will succeed in whatever God has assigned us to do.
Esther's Petition 