Spiritual war requires spiritual weaponry...
Most of the time, from
things like our food order being wrong to thick traffic to a disagreement with
a coworker to our children struggling in school to relationship crisis ...
well... honestly, nearly everything... is a spiritual battle. We may not
recognize it as such, but our lack of recognition does not change the level of
reality.
When the war is being
waged in the confines of self, spiritual war that yields spiritual success
requires spiritual weaponry.
Likewise, when we are
in conflict or concern with others, it's not a battle of flesh against flesh.
First, we are often in conflict within self -- the spirit and the flesh. So we
need to wage war well within before we address what is going on without. Secondly,
we need to understand the other person is going through the same thing.
Thirdly, between ourselves and the other person, it's not about who can win the
war of the flesh, but rather we will seek the Lord for HIS victory in us and
over the situation.
It's not about muscle
against muscle. It's not about intellect against intellect. It's not about
talent versus talent. It's not money versus money. Even if it was David versus
Goliath, it was really Goliath versus God.
That's how it is with
conflict...
We think it's me
versus you. It's each one of us against God and us versus God. Our conflict,
even when it's against each other, is never as simple as we imagine. It's never
as me-versus-you-simple. God is involved. It's not about winning or losing as
much as it's about loving and glory. God wants us to love Him and each other,
and when we receive victory from above, that happens, EVEN IF it seems we get
defeated down below.
"For though we
walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the
weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy
strongholds." (2 Corinthians 10:3-4 ESV)
The ESV Study Bible
makes a very succinct note concerning these two verses above: "Paul is not
waging a fleshly battle but a spiritual one. The weapons of his warfare are not
physical but spiritual, such as prayer, the Word of God, faith, and the power
of the Holy Spirit. By the Spirit Paul tears down the strongholds of wrong
thinking and behavior that are reflected in the lives of those who resist his
authority."
How often do we view
conflict correctly?
How often do we deploy
spiritual weaponry?
Are we willing to
change?
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