WEAPON OF WARFARE By: Patsy Weiser
I am an outdoorswoman. Being outside and observing nature is my passion. As a result, I also love to hunt. On opening day of deer season, I had a grand revelation while sitting in my stand. Although I love the outdoors, I am a “scaredy cat” when it comes to walking in the dark to my deer stand. I always insist on my husband going with me and helping me get inside. Then he can go on his way. This year, on opening morning, he walked me to my stand as usual. It was approximately 5:45 am and still dark. I loaded my gun and stood it up in the corner, got my extra bullets ready, and arranged all my items within easy reach. All of a sudden my mind starting working, and I had the thought, “What would I do if a wild animal snuck up to my stand and tried to attack me?” For a moment the thought made my heart race. Then I remembered what my husband has told me many times in the past, “You are the one with the loaded gun - what’s there to be afraid of?” That made me feel better.
All of a sudden it hit me that many Christians are just like that. We are safe and secure in the fact that we have accepted Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, and we are covered by His blood and all it has accomplished for us - similar to me being in my deer stand. We also have the Word of God which is the weapon we can use to annihilate the devil. It is loaded and ready like my gun - all we have to do is pick it up and use it. Yet we are often sitting somewhere in a circumstance of life scared out of our wits by our situation -wondering what to do. Our situation could be a health issue, financial woes, family problems, etc. We sit huddled in a corner letting the enemy beat up on us, stealing our joy. Yet we have a weapon much more powerful than my .243 at our disposal.
Ephesians 6:10-17 says, “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.’’ (NLT)
A great example of using the Word of God as a sword is found in Matthew 4 when Jesus went into the wilderness for forty days and was tempted by Satan. Each time the devil approached Him with a different temptation, His response was, “It is written…” (NIV) or “The Scriptures say…” (NLT). We can get the same results. However, that will require spending enough time in the Word to become so familiar with it that we can use the correct ammunition for each attack. Only then will we be victorious over the devil and stop him from stealing, killing, and destroying us.