Guns
Greater Faith Christian Fellowship
Pastor Jason Charles
11/02/2014
Let’s read II Corinthians 10 4-5 4 “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” “For the weapons of our warfare are…for pulling down strongholds…” What is a “stronghold?” Literally it is “a place, position, or dwelling that is fortified/reinforced (i.e. a fortress). A stronghold in someone’s life is an area that the enemy has attacked and (at least temporarily) has reinforced his position as inhabitant or victor. He is NOT moved passively! At that point he must be moved by (spiritual) force/authority.
Our weapons also empower us in “…casting down arguments (imaginations—KJV). Through our spiritual weapons we are empowered to put to silence both verbal (opposing) arguments of men, as well as demonic attacks that take place on the battle field of our own thought life. This includes thoughts of pride, selfishness, sinful lusts and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge/righteousness of God; bringing EVERY thought into captivity to the (submissive) obedience of Christ (and His Holy standard of Purity and blamelessness).
Now, this is what our weapons do. But what ARE our WEAPONS? The first weapon afforded to us is prayer. There is NO substitute for direct communication to the Father through prayer. Many wonderful things happen and can be changed through God’s power when drawn upon by your prayers. The amplified bible expounds this beautifully saying in the latter part of James 5:16 “…The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes TREMENDOUS POWER available dynamic in it’s working.” We can “plug in” to the power source of the universe through prayer!
Okay so let’s say, prayer may be the engine, but what are the lubricants that make that engine function properly and smoothly? Let’s read James 4:7 “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Let’s look a little closer. “…submit to God. (THEN) Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Most Christians will tell you, “I am submitted to God.” But what does this really look like lived out in our lives? Let’s read Matthew 25:40 and “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me. Matthew 25:45 “Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ “…you did it to Me”; “…you did not do it to Me.” One major way we submit ourselves to God is how we treat OTHERS. We often lose sight of the fact that the people He allows into our lives ARE the OPPORTUNITIES God is giving us to serve\submit\LOVE Him! The Bible says in I John 4:20 “If someone says “I Love God”, and hates his brother, he is a liar; For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom He has not seen?” Our weapon of submission to God does not function unless I submit to God through love in action and attitude toward others for which He also suffered bled and died.
We also have another very powerful weapon afforded us that I as well as many other Christians can GREATLY benefit from. Let’s read Mark 9:29 “So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”“THIS kind…” Maybe you are facing “THIS” kind of opposition, and “THIS” kind of opposition does not move without SELF-SACRIFICE. I realize that some translations do not include the word “fasting”. But beloved, as a pastor I can tell you that in this life there ARE SOME THINGS that really DON’T MOVE without prayer and fasting. Self-sacrifice IS at times the ONLY element that will bring about a breakthrough in your life. Jesus said, “He who humbles himself will be exalted”. When you want/need something MORE than the food you eat, self-sacrifice is no longer a struggle; it is an exciting step toward receiving your victory. – Beloved, God has afforded us (put at our disposal) ample ammunition and spiritual weapons in our arsenal, but a gun is not made to fire, unless you PULL the TRIGGER!
Have a blessed week!
Pastor Jason Charles
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