2 Corinthians 10:3-6 – “For 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.”  NASB

This is a much longer devotional than I normally offer. I would normally do this over several days, but I felt prompted to put it into one package.

As I read passages like this, my excitement and anticipation in God are renewed.  I see unlimited possibilities in the Christian walk rather than gloom and doom.  I am not oblivious to the problems in our present world, but I am also very cognizant of God’s Person, Power, and Potential!  We all have or face strongholds in our lives from the devil’s opposition.  God offers a solution and gives us equipment to combat the forces of hell. 

I want to focus on ‘Three Primary Weapons’ in this discussion, which will span more than one post.  Those are – The Name, the Word, and the Blood of Jesus.  It is my biblical understanding and life experience that when the ‘Word of God’ confronts a ‘stronghold’ of the devil, it renders it powerless and devoid of strength. 

When the ‘Name of Jesus’ is used against the enemy, that name prevails every time!  When the ‘Blood of Jesus’ is brought against a ‘Stronghold’ by the Word of our Testimony, the stronghold is utterly destroyed.  Our weapons are Mighty Through God to the pulling down of strongholds.

You can have a virtual arsenal, but if you have no delivery vehicle or cannot get those weapons to the battle, they do you no good!  Most are aware that the “Name, Word, and Blood of Jesus’ are weapons, but the question is ‘how do we get them to the point of attack?’  Let me use something in the natural to convey a spiritual truth:

Our military arsenal has ICBMs or Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, which are extremely large rockets capable of being launched over thousands of miles and destroying a target with pinpoint accuracy.  They are essential to the defense strategy of any nation that has them.  Yet, we must distinguish between the rockets and the warheads on those rockets. 

The power is not in the rocket but in the warhead.  The rocket is simply a vehicle to get the warhead to the proper place at the appropriate time.  If the missile were launched with no warhead, it would do minor damage upon arrival, but armed with the warhead, it could destroy a huge target. 

The power is in the warhead!  This is equally true spiritually.  The power is in the weapon.  The power is in the Word, Name, and Blood of Jesus!  Yet, until these warheads are launched, they do not pull down strongholds.  They must be launched against the enemy to bring the desired victory.

What are our launching rockets?   Prayer, preaching, the word of our testimony, praise, and worship!  These vehicles launch spiritual warheads against the enemy and bring the Power of God to bear on the situation.

We have talked about the Name, Word, and Blood of Jesus being Spiritual Weapons of Warfare and that we had some launching rockets to propel these warheads into the battle.  Let us begin by looking at them:

THE LAUNCHING ROCKET OF PRAYER…

I have concluded that the only people who do not believe that prayer is of any significant benefit are those who do not pray!  I do not mean to be calloused, but I believe that to be true.  There is absolutely no doubt of the validity, importance, or power of believing prayer!  Prayer receives its power from the weapon of the Name, Word, and Blood of Jesus.

When we pray the Name, the Word, and the Blood of Jesus, we find an incredible release of spiritual power, yet at the same time, we find it vain to pray meaningless and unbelieving repetitions.  One prayer warrior of old declared that ‘Prayer is the greatest force in the universe,’ and I do not argue that because prayer that carries the spiritual warheads of the Name, the Word, and the Blood of Jesus is armed with the most incredible power known. 

If you remember the words of Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call unto me, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, which you did not know…” you understand.  God has declared that IF we pray, He will work and bring great and mighty things to pass even beyond our ability to know or comprehend.  In a sense, God has limited Himself to working in conjunction with our praying!

It is my conviction that ‘in prayer’ we can touch lands thousands of miles away, send help to divine prisoners, minister in every city in the world, and cross every barrier and obstacle.  Prayer can penetrate where human flesh cannot. 

Yes, that includes our government (1 Timothy 2:1-4).  When we pray for our government, we are to pray that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life. Good government allows us to preach the Gospel freely and openly.  It guarantees civil liberties and protects freedom of speech.  We can do more on our knees than in any other fashion, but that does not mean we cannot or should not be otherwise active.  But always remember that Our Weapons are Mighty!

There are Eight (8) Laws or Elements of Prayer.  I will call them Laws for the sake of understanding:

1. The Law of Boldness.   (Hebrews 10:19) – “Having, therefore, brethren, boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus.”  The Blood of Jesus enables us to access the throne room of heaven.

• The Law of the Blood.  Prayer is offered on the foundation of the Blood of Jesus.

• The Law of Faith.  (Hebrews 11:6) – “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them who diligently seek Him.”

• The Law of Right Relationships.  (Mark 11:24-25) – “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.  25 “Whenever you stand praying, forgive if you have anything against anyone so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.” 

• The Law of God’s Will.  (1 John 5:14-15) – “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests we have asked from Him.” 

• The Law of the Holy Spirit.  (Romans 8:26-27 – “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

• The Law of Praise.  (Psalm 34:1) – “I will bless the Lord at ALL TIMES; His praise shall CONTINUALLY be in my mouth.”

• The Law of Right Motives.  (James 4:3) – “You ask, and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.”

All are extremely important and explain why sometimes we are ineffective in our praying.  It does not explain everything but should give us food for thought and personal examination of our hearts, motives, and lives.

We considered the launching Rocket of Prayer. Now let us consider more launching rockets for the Weapons of Spiritual Warfare:

THE VEHICLE OF PREACHING…

At the risk of being misunderstood, I say Preaching is an incredibly important element and activity for the Body of Christ.  It is one of the great tools that God has given to launch spiritual weapons effectively.  It is by the ‘foolishness of preaching’ that men are saved!  Paul counseled Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:2 – “Preach the word!” 

When anyone stands at the sacred desk or anywhere and preaches The WORD, that person is launching a weapon of warfare against the devil’s strongholds.  Preachers should expect ‘strongholds’ to come down as they preach.  Our preaching should go forth mixed with faith, knowing that we are launching mighty weapons against the forces of hell.

When I look at the life and ministry of the apostle Paul, he epitomizes the importance and power afforded in preaching. He was a preacher from almost the moment of his conversion.  From the beginning of his ministry, he was commissioned to take the Name of Jesus before the Gentiles and kings!  Everywhere he went, he proclaimed the Name of Jesus!  He continually preached the Word, the Name, and the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and mighty things took place in his preaching.

THE VEHICLE OF THE WORD OF OUR TESTIMONY…

In Revelation 12:11 – “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.” The Word Testimony in Greek means ‘witness,’ so to testify means to witness.  In a court of law, you are asked to testify or give witness to only what you know and things you saw and heard.  You must speak from direct personal experience, not opinion or presumption.

The word of our testimony is a mighty launching rocket.  I believe that your testimony is powerful, no matter what that testimony is, because it is a witness of the Power of God transforming your life.  Sadly, many are robbed of the beauty of their personal testimony because they have deemed it not to be as significant or colorful as someone else’s. Still, it is Your Testimony, and it is your account of Your Experience in God, and that is powerful.  Nothing is more real and moving than a personal account of what God has done.

THE VEHICLE OF PRAISE AND WORSHIP…

Praise and worship are very personal but can be a significant corporate thing.  When congregational Praise and worship are offered, there is incredible power generated.  Psalms 22:3 tells us that God Inhabits the praises of His people.  Therefore, as we Worship and praise as a group, we manifest unity, harmony, and agreement that opens the door for the Holy Spirit to move freely in our midst.  In doing so, we are launching the Word, the Name, and the Blood of Jesus and pulling down strongholds.

That brings us to an important point – The power of the Tongue!  We use it in praying, preaching, testifying, praise, and worship.  With our mouths, we launch the weapons of warfare, but we can also launch weapons of the enemy by engaging in gossip, back-biting, undue criticism, unrighteous judgment, fear, and doubt.

No matter how dark things may seem around you, the power of God surrounds you, and as Paul and Silas sang praises in a prison cell at midnight, we can launch the weapons of warfare in our darkest hour and see the Hand of God move mightily.

Learn to utilize and launch God’s weapons of warfare!  May God be with you as you go through your day!