“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
As I was researching for a new article, I thought that the Lord wanted me to expose more of the evil which is happening in the shadows. Barack Obama and his “Organizing for Action” Marxist/Socialist group is coalescing throughout America. BHO considers these people to be his troops – his army, if you will.
Not only is this disconcerting to me, that a former president considers himself to be a catalyst in bringing down Capitalism, and bringing about Socialism in America – but this is unprecedented in the history of our country. In the past, presidents have served their term(s) and then stepped back to allow the newly elected administration to govern.
Socialism/Communism is a Godless System of Governing
We must understand that a Socialist/Communist government will not stand for allegiance to anyone but the governing authorities. They refuse to compete with those whose allegiance is to God.
What can we do?
The most important thing to Jesus is to save the lost. He wants none to perish. As I was researching “Organizing for Action” and other groups which Obama has spear headed. I began to think to myself – WAIT! Our weapons are not carnal – this war is not against flesh and blood. We are fighting a spiritual battle! We serve the King of the Universe! Satan loses – in case you haven’t read the end of the Bible! But again, the souls of those who have been deluded by the enemy – these are precious to our Lord. So, what is our strategy?
PRAYER PRAYER and being dressed for battle!
We must study the Word of God so that we fully understand that which is happening on this earth. We must pray without ceasing and we must be dressed for battle!
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 6: 10-18).
From gotquestions.org
Question: “Spiritual strongholds – what is the biblical view?”
Answer: The word strongholds is found once in the New Testament, used metaphorically by Paul in a description of the Christian’s spiritual battle: “Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses [strongholds]” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4, NASB). This passage reveals the following facts about our warfare:
1) Our battle is not planned according to the way this world fights; earthly stratagems are not our concern.
2) Our weapons are not physical, for our warfare is spiritual in nature. Rather than guns and tanks, our weapons are those of the “full armor of God” and consist of “the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:14-17).
3) Our power comes from God alone.
4) God’s plan is to demolish spiritual strongholds.
What are these “strongholds” or “fortifications” we face? In the very next verse, Paul interprets the metaphor: “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). The “arguments” are the philosophies, reasonings, and schemes of the world. The “pretensions” have to do with anything proud, man-centered, and self-confident.
Here’s the picture: the Christian, wearing his spiritual armor and bearing his spiritual weapons, sets out to “conquer” the world for Christ, but he soon finds obstacles. The enemy has erected strongly fortified garrisons to resist the Truth and thwart God’s plan of redemption. There is the fortress of human reasoning, reinforced with many subtle arguments and the pretense of logic. There is the castle of passion, with flaming battlements defended by lust, pleasure, and greed. And there is the pinnacle of pride, in which the human heart sits enthroned and revels in thoughts of its own excellence and sufficiency.
The enemy is firmly entrenched; these strongholds have been guarded for thousands of years, presenting a great wall of resistance to the Truth. None of this deters the Christian warrior, however. Using the weapons of God’s choosing, he attacks the strongholds, and by the miraculous power of Christ, the walls are breached, and the bastions of sin and error are battered down. The victorious Christian enters the ruins and leads captive, as it were, every false theory and every human philosophy that had once proudly asserted its independence from God.
If this sounds a lot like Joshua fighting the battle of Jericho, you’re right. What a great illustration of spiritual truth that story is (Joshua 6)!
Sharing the gospel is not the only time we see resistance. We can also face demonic strongholds in our own lives, in our families, and even in our churches. Anyone who has fought an addiction, struggled with pride, or had to “flee youthful lusts” knows that sin, a lack of faith, and a worldly outlook on life are indeed “strongholds.”
The Lord is building His Church, and the “gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). What we need are Christian soldiers, totally surrendered to the will of the Lord of Hosts, who will use the spiritual weapons He provides. “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God” (Psalm 20:7).-source
God is our Everything
In the article from gotquestions, this is the very first point made about spiritual strongholds:
“Our battle is not planned according to the way this world fights; earthly stratagems are not our concern.” What a breakthrough, when we finally get this!
Without God, our efforts to bring about change are futile. We are not here to bring change to governments – we are here to share the Glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ with the lost! In order to be strong in the Lord, we must dress for battle.
Satan will not sit still when he sees the people of God standing firmly on the promises of God, and boldly sharing the Good News of Salvation through Jesus Christ. But his flaming darts and his strongholds are only effective against the Christian who is not leaning upon the Lord.
We are defenseless without God and His Word.
This revelation has calmed my spirit, emboldened my walk and has thrilled my soul! We are the children of God Almighty who is King of the Universe!
MARANATHA!
Amen Sister!
I am ready! Great post, why hadn’t I seen this before?
Chrissy
Praise God the gates of hell will NOT overcome His Church! As Christ is, so are we in this world (now)! In Christ we tread on the lion and the cobra; we trample the great lion and the serpent! (See Matt. 16:18, 1 John 4:17; Psalm 91:13).
If I may add this, see “Displacing the Devil from the Heavenly Realms – Operation Footstool” regarding God’s plans for His Church overcomers:
https://thelordiswithus.com/2016/08/21/part-11-displacing-the-devil-from-the-heavenly-realms-operation-footstool/
Reblogged this on mtnwolf63.
Thank you for this post.
If we have strongholds the devil will use it. Dear God help us to recognize these strongholds and OVERCOME IT!! Rev 2 and 3 and and that of eg Jacob (Gen 32:28) reveals God’s compassion for overcomers. O thank you for being here to emphasize our need for the full armor of God and to die to our nature and the world day to day, for in the end there’s a great reward.
Deuteronomy 3:22 (NASB)
22 ‘Do not fear them, for the LORD your God is the one fighting for you.’
I don’t put a lot of emphasis of spiritual warfare myself. I let the LORD fight that fight for me. I like to keep my focus on the Great Commission above all. Point them to Salvation and ensure they are fed a diet of GODS Word.
I stand on HIS Word, in this battle concerning myself and the world around me. My words are useless but HIS are eternal and will NOT return void. We have the ULTIMATE “How to guide” the Bible:
Zechariah 4:6 (NASB)
6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts.
1 John 3:8 (NASB)
8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.
James 4:7 (NASB)
7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
1 John 4:4 (NASB)
4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (NASB)
3 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.
1 Peter 5:8-9 (NASB)
8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.
We all share in this!
Amen, brother! Knowing God’s powerful word via living/applying it is key. We have everything already in Christ – God is eagerly waiting for His Church to die to our old self and apprehend our new selves in Christ and BE as He is in this world (1 John 4:17)!
Brian. I am wondering about you. You say you do not put much emphasis on fighting in the heavenlies with the Spiritual Weapons GOD Himself Gave us?…yet, you quote the verses about them??
1) We are commanded by GOD to Put On the Full Armor GOD Gave us. We are commanded to do so, And, use those weapons to pray against and fight, in the heavenlies. It is a New Testament Command to us to do so. GOD Will NOT do so for you, I, or our nation, and other Believers. 2) I humbly ask you to study and learn Exactly what Each piece of the armor is, and How you acquire each piece. There is much you must do to be able to effectively wear and fight, with these weapons.
3) GOD has Never said that all you need to do is lead someone to Jesus. You have much else to do. And, fighting in the heavenlies is one of the big duties of yours/ours. One of the reasons America is where she is today, is directly because many “believers” do not Follow CHRIST and HIS Gospel. We have too few that truly know how to pray effectively, and too few who are willing to do so.
Becoming a Believer means fighting in the spiritworld, also.
Alexia
To clarify:
My point is I let GOD fight that battle for me. The Full Armor of GOD not the full armor of Brian. He defends me. The sword of the Spirit which is the WORD of GOD. The very Word of God we stand on. Not the Word of Brian (thank God for that)! Remember when the LORD himself was tempted He used the Word of God. “It is written”
Don’t misunderstand me I’m not implying that I’m (we’re) not in a Spiritual battle at all. I’m (we’re) VERY much in the thick of it. I only imply that the LORD is the only one that brings victory there.
As far as being commanded to lead others to the LORD, it is very much a direct command from the Lord, one that convicts me:
Matthew 28:18-20 (NASB)
18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
If your emphasis isn’t on the Great Commission that’s fine, You have convictions that lead you to serve in other necessary areas. We are all gifted by the Spirit differently to serve the Body of Christ. Each of us has a part as workers of the Lord. Some are Teachers, some are evangelist, some are intercessors, some are servants, some are edifiers, some are watchman, ETC ETC, but we all serve ONE Body. As believers we do not all serve in the same capacities. We are all different parts of the same Body.
I’m not in the business leading people to the LORD to make “Nominal Christians” As most of the Church seems inclined to do these days. I’m in the business of leading folks to the Lord and making sure they are fed by the Word of God.
My comment wasn’t a dismissive one on Geri’s topic. it was only to share the WORD in edification, that this battle is WON, and the LORD fights for you. Nor do I imply we should have a do nothing attitude:
Ephesians 2:10 (NASB)
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
I only quote replete scriptures that state GOD is the one that fights for you. He wants us to trust HIM.
As for the war. Let’s stand on HIS Word!
Isaiah 54:17 (NASB)
17 “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.
שלום be upon you.
Shalom
Thankful you replied and clarified. Blessings
Just found this post of yours…it is wonderful. I am mentoring another sister-in-The-Lord, and I had told her a few weeks ago, that I would be teaching her (and self-review) the WEAPONS of our Warfare. It is so important for Believers to realize that they Must put on the Full Armor. Not, pick and choosing what pieces they want. Because those weapons build upon each other.
Blessings.
Amen!