Weapons of Our Warfare

 Weapons of Our Warfare

October 1, 2025

2 Corinthians 10:3-6

3For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, 6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.

Yesterday, we talked about our enemies in spiritual warfare, and we mentioned that we have weapons for this warfare. But exactly what are these weapons and how do we use them? In a teaching by Derek Prince on spiritual warfare, he notes that all spiritual weapons originate in the mouth. We have been studying Ephesians 6 and there we see that two such weapons are the word of God and prayer.

Ephesians 6:17-18

17And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

To be an effective offensive weapon, the sword of the Spirit must be used by speaking the word of God. A sword is of no use when it is in it’s sheath. It must be pulled and brandished against the enemy by speaking the word of Gods. Likewise, prayer is a vocal exercise in which we apply spiritual power and authority to a situation be speaking a prayer.  Pastor Prince continues his teaching by listing spiritual weapons:

1. The Word of God - Eph 6:17
2. The Name of Jesus - Ps 8:1-2
3. The Blood of Jesus - Rev 12:11
4. Through

• Prayer
• Praise
• Preaching
• Testimony

All of these weapons are utilized through the spoken word. In particular, Brother Derek goes into great detail about how in Revelation 12:11, the blood of the Lamb is tied to the word of their testimony. He teaches that the blood is of no effect until is applied by speaking the word of testimony. It would be the same with the Name of Jesus. It’s all well and good to believe in the name of Jesus, but it’s power is released when you pray in the Name of Jesus. The authority of the name must be released by a spoken prayer.

My personal favorite on this list is praise. As a worshipper, I identify with the priests in ancient Israel who led the army into battle with the sound of trumpets. Praise and worship has the power to break strongholds and open the heavens for victory in spiritual battle.  So raise a battle cry, shout a praise and declare the power of the blood and watch the demons flee! As Paul says in Corinthians, these weapons are powerful to pull down strongholds, destroy speculations and bring down every lofty things that would seek to oppose God. So put on the full armor of God and take up your spiritual weapons and take on the forces of evil in this world. Remember, He has won the victory.

1 Corinthians 15:57

57but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

See Derek Prince: Spiritual Weapons for Spiritual Warfare:

https://www.derekprince.com/sermons/306 

And “The Blood, the Word of our Testimony”

https://www.derekprince.com/sermons/389

Who is the Enemy?

 Who is the Enemy?

September 30, 2025

Ephesians 6:10-12 - The Armor of God

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armorof God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

2 Corinthians 10:4

4for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.

Romans 8:38-39

38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We are at war but who is the enemy? Here in the US we have MAGA raging against the progressives and Antifa; but neither one is the true enemy. In Europe, we have the Russians fighting the Ukrainians; but again, neither side is the true enemy. Yesterday, we had news of a possible end to the conflict in Gaza; but in this case as well neither the Israelies nor the Palestinians are the true enemy. So who is the enemy? Who are these principalities and powers that are behind all the world’s conflicts? The Bible gives us some details of the eternal battle between good and evil. Here are a few references:

Isaiah 14:12

12 “How you have fallen from heaven,

O star of the morning, son of the dawn!

You have been cut down to the earth,

You who have weakened the nations!

Daniel 10:13

13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.

Revelation 12:7-9

7 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. Thedragon and his angels waged war, 8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

So the battle is not a new thing but war has been raging in the heavenlies since the fall of Lucifer in Isaiah 14. In Daniel we see a glimpse of the battle between the Prince of Persia and MIchael the archangel. Later on in Daniel, we are told that the Prince of Persia (a spiritual principality) was displaced by the Prince of Greece, so even the evil forces are in conflict with themselves. In world history, we see when this happened when the kingdom of the Meads and Persians was conquered by Alexander the Great of Greece. Thus we see that heavenly battles can lead to real world wars. In Revelation, we learn that the battle is ongoing and that the dragon and his angels were thrown down to earth, so earth is now involved the this battle.

So if our battle is not against flesh and blood but against these spiritual principalities and powers, how to we fight the battle? Paul tells us that our weapons are mighty and that our armor is the armor of God. We fight a spiritual battle with spiritual weapons. We will go into that more tomorrow, but for today, the important point is to recognize that our enemies are not flesh and blood. However vile the murderer and rapist is, he is not the real enemy. We are to pray for and love our earthly enemies, but to discern the true evil powers behind their actions and fight against those. 

When Erika Kirk forgave Charlie’s assassin publicly, it struck a mighty blow in the heavenlies. What the devil sought to do to stir up animosity and strive between the left and right in America was thwarted. Some of those present that day say that they felt something break in the heavenlies when she made that declaration of forgiveness. The battle turned because forgiveness is a powerful spiritual weapon and it put to flight those demons that were stirring up hate and civil war. We need to follow that example as we continue to fight the battle and be mindful to not hate our human foes, but to hate the powers and principalities that motivate them to do evil. The first step is to recognize who the true enemy is and direct our spiritual weapons in their direction. So let us take courage and fight the good fight, but to also remember the admonition of Jesus to love our enemies.

Armor of God

 Armor of God

September 29, 2025

Ephesians 6:10-18

The Armor of God

10 Finally,be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

I’ve heard many teachings over the years about the armor of God, but I  it don’t recall any that explained that this imagery come directly from the messianic prophesies of Isaiah.

Isaiah 11:1-6 - Righteous Reign of the Branch

1 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,

And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.

2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him,

The spirit of wisdom and understanding,

The spirit of counsel and strength,

The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

3 And He will delight in the fear of the LORD,

And He will not judge by what His eyes see,

Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;

4 But with righteousness He will judge the poor,

And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth;

And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,

And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.

5 Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins,

And faithfulness the belt about His waist.

6 And the wolf will dwell with the lamb,

And the leopard will lie down with the young goat,

And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together;

And a little boy will lead them.

Isaiah 59:16-19

16 And He saw that there was no man,

And was astonished that there was no one to intercede;

Then His own arm brought salvation to Him,

And His righteousness upheld Him.

17 He put on righteousness like a breastplate,

And a helmet of salvation on His head;

And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing

And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle.

18 According to their deeds, so He will repay,

Wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies;

To the coastlands He will make recompense.

19 So they will fear the name of the LORD from the west

And His glory from the rising of the sun,

For He will come like a rushing stream

Which the wind of the LORD drives.

Isaiah 52:7

7 How lovely on the mountains

Are the feet of him who brings good news,

Who announces peace

And brings good news of happiness,

Who announces salvation,

And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

We often hear how the armor in Ephesians 6 corresponds to the uniform of the Roman soldier, of which the first century Christian would be well aware, but they would also have been very familiar with the book of Isaiah , and so Paul’s words would have inspired visions of the conquering messiah, clothed in The armor of God, coming to save those who believe. This is similar the the vision of John in Revelations of the messiah coming with a sword in his mouth to conquer evil.

Revelation 2:16

16Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.

This image of the Messiah coming to save His people clothed with glory and majesty would bring hope to a people under the thumb of the Roman empire, whereas the image of a fierce Roman centurion might bring feeling of despair apart from the knowledge that we are victorious , and seated with the Lord in heavenly places. (Eph 1:20)  So take heart. There is a battle with powers and authorities in heavenly places, but we can stand firm and experience the victory in Jesus, the glorious and victorious Messiah.

Acting vs Walking

 Acting vs Walking

Sept 18, 2025

Ephesians 3:14-19

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 so that Christ may dwell inyour hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

What does it mean to be strengthened with power through the Holy Spirit? Let us listen to what Watchman Nee has to say about the difference between acting like a Christian and walking in the power of the Holy Spirit.

“Too many of us are caught acting as Christians. The life of many Christians today is largely a pretense. They live a “spiritual” life, talk a “spiritual” language, adopt “spiritual” attitudes, but they are doing the whole thing themselves. It is the effort involved that should reveal tothem that something is wrong. They force themselves to refrain from doing this, from saying that, from eating the other—and how hard they find it all! …

“Our life is the life of Christ, mediated in us by the indwelling Holy Spirit Himself, and the law of that life is spontaneous. The moment we see that fact, we shall end our struggling and cast away our pretense. Nothing is so hurtful to the life of a Christian as acting; nothing so blessedas when our outward efforts cease and our attitudes become natural—when our words, our prayers, our very life all become a spontaneous and unforced expression of the life within. Have we discovered how good the Lord is? Then in us He is as good as that! Is His power great? Then in us it is no less great! Praise God, His life is as mighty as ever, and in the lives of those who dare to believe the Word of God, the divine life will be manifest in a power not one whit less mighty than was manifest of old.”

Sit, Walk, Stand,  by Watchman Nee, pp. 18-19

When we look at the life of someone like Charlie Kirk, we can see this difference illustrated. When someone is acting like a Christian, eventually his true nature will leek through. Even a good actor has “out takes” that they have to cut from the movie to create the illusion that he is acting perfectly. But when someone is kind and open to discussion, day in and day out, even in the face of a hostile crowd, you can see the power of the Holy Spirit at work. The Spirit is able to do through us what we are unable to do ourselves. So let us be like Charlie, that is to be like Jesus, and let the power of the Holy Spirit work through us to love our neighbors even when they are being mean and hateful.

Life

 Life

Sept 15, 2025

John 14:6 (NASB95) 

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no onecomes to the Father but through Me.

Yesterday we talked about death and the forces of evil that we see in our society. I would be remiss in my duty if I did not point out that there is an answer. There is a way that leads to truth and life and that way is Jesus. There are many people today searching for answers, asking about the Bible and how to find a good church. Keeping it simple, here are some guidelines for them to get started.

Find a church that preaches that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.

Find a church that not only teaches the love of God, but demonstrates it in daily life.

Find a church that teaches and demonstrates the power of the Holy Spirit to lead you into all truth and help you lead a holy life.

Find a church that teaches that the Bible is the word of God and is faithful guide to teach the truth.

That’s it. It’s not hard to find the truth if you sincerely look for it. So pray for those seeking the truth and reach out to help them find the way. God is at work and the Spirit of God is moving in the land.

I think that is what Charlie was trying to say.

Chalie Kirk- RIP

 Charlie Kirk- RIP

Sept 14, 2025

 Proverbs 14:12 (NASB95) 

There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

John 10:10 (NASB95) 

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

It seems that many things are becoming clear to some people this week. It has always been true that the advocate for death and destruction was the enemy of our souls, but some people have been confused.

Because of “compassion” for the woman and a “woman’s right to choose”, many advocated for the death of unborn children through abortion.

Because of “a public health emergency” and  a fear of death and disease, many supported the untimely death of many through the Covid vaccine, respirators and Remdesivire.

Because of a desire to resist tyranny and fascism, many supported the sending of thousands of young men to war from Afghanistan, to Ukraine to Gaza.

Because of “compassion” for the underdog and repressed minorities, many looked the other way as murderers and rapists were released back onto the streets to kill and main over and over again.

But when a young man, a father and a husband, who wanted nothing more than to talk civilly about the issues was gunned down in broad daylight, a light went on. How can I support the murder of such a man? And when an innocent young woman was killed on a train for no reason but that she was white and alone, some began to question why her killer was arrested and released 14 times without consequences.

It is an eternal truth that the enemy comes only to steal and kill and destroy and many are waking up to the fact that the ones advocating for this death and destruction are not your friends. It is sad that it takes such tragedy to wake people up to the truth, but it has ever been so and will be so till the end. In the book of Acts, Stephen was a powerful advocate for the gospel and the enemy had to have him stoned to death to silence him. But through that senseless death, one Saul of Tarsus, who was standing by, began to question. It was only a short time later that he “saw the light” , as they say, on the road to Damascus. But it took both the death of Stephen and the vision of Jesus to change Saul’s heart. We pray this week that there will be many Damascus road experiences as young people begin to wake up and see the evil that is calling for death and destruction and turn to the light. Come, Lord Jesus, and bring revival the the hearts of millions of people.

Let the rallying cry be, “I am Charlie Kirk. Change my mind.”