Total Warfare

Text

"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 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 10:4-5

Bible Reading

2 CORINTHIANS 10:1-6

Devotional

Here is a description of the nature and power of preaching. The word of the gospel is in the first place a call to repentance and an announcement of salvation in Christ. That word has the power to bring about conversion and salvation because it is the Word of God.

But the gospel is more than the call for repentance and faith. It is also the power to prick the balloons of human reasoning and the artillery that wrecks the forts of human pride. In fact, the gospel will not only expose the folly of human-centered thought, it will take these thoughts captive to obey Christ.

Christians have not always paid attention to the wider implications of the gospel. Too often they have regarded the gospel as a message through which peace was restored between the soul and God. They have not always sensed its power to affect the thought patterns that rule the university and the ideas that shape the struggle in the field of labor relations. We must be aware that our attitudes towards sex and money, science and warfare, have everything to do with our faith in Jesus Christ as the beginning of a new order of things. And this reordering of thoughts and attitudes is brought about by our listening to the gospel.

When Christian warriors enter these different fields and areas, they must not switch weapons. In academic life they will be tempted to rely on logic; to lean on oratory when they turn to politics; to think in terms of worldly power when in business. But "the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world." The reordering of thoughts and attitudes is brought about by the Word of God.

Just as the original creation was made by God's speech, so the new order is called into being by the Word of Christ. This gospel must be proclaimed by God's people—not just extensively, that is, over the whole earth, but also intensively, to every part of life.

REFLECTIONS

Pick an area of your life such as working or parenting or studying or using your leisure time. How could the transforming power of the gospel be more evident in that part of your life?

-----

I love it when God orchestrates things perfectly. It seems the past two devotionals not only aligned together nicely, but my thoughts on both seem to fit as well. When asked to think upon Jesus and reflect upon WHO He is, I was brought to the beauty, the simplicity and deep truth of the Gospel. Now we will be talking about the Gospel some more! If this isn't an obvious implication that we are to take the Gospel everywhere we go and every day of our lives, I'm not sure what is.

When we are fighting a daily spiritual battle against the ruler of this world, we need to be guarded by the Gospel of God. The Gospel is transforming and it is also your main weapon in the fight against evil. I'm sure that sounded a bit medieval but its true. When talking to unbelievers about God, a lot of times, conversation can become a bit heady. That is, it turns into more of a debate, a bate and switch, a let me tell you all these facts and prove to you that your god is not real. Many people like to say that these people are searching and maybe in some instances that is true, maybe they want to know what all of this is about. But I've seen many times its people who want to argue, who want to prove God wrong, who have no true idea or real desire to understand the things of God.

This is where the Gospel comes in as our true weapon on this battle field of life. The Gospel is truth, it is love, it is conviction, it is transforming - for all those whom God has called to Himself. We have no idea who those people are, but it is our job to tell them the Gospel. The Gospel disarms people, it breaks barriers, it binds Satan and it is the truth of Salvation by Grace through Faith. Many times when put in a bind or confronted by someone who demands answers, we are quick to want to answer them exactly what they asked rather than allowing the Holy Spirit to do a work of regeneration on someones heart, by simply preaching the Gospel to them. We forget really quickly how powerful the Gospel is, we forget how powerful God is. If He wants someone saved, they will be saved. It will not be by anything any of us did. We may be used as a conduit to help further Christ's kingdom, but in the grand scheme of things, God is in control of it all!

How can the transforming power of the Gospel be more evident in my life? I know that I need to be more open about it at work. I'm open about it in every other area of my life. My employers know that I go to church, that I've done missionary work to China and France. They know that I sing church songs to the girls. But I need to be more open with what God has done for me, what He has saved me from (He saved me from myself!), how He works in my life and how its all because of The Gospel. I need to show them more of Christ. I'm convicted even now that I don't pray for them enough, to cover the entire family in prayer - that God would save them and if He chooses to use me to do it, Praise God. If He uses someone else, Praise God. Now I know what I need to commit to doing everyday. What about you? Where can The Gospel be more evident in your life? Grace&Peace.