For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds. 2 Corinthians 10:4 

Dear People Who Keep Company with God,

Spiritual battles are going on around us all the time (1 Peter 5:8-9). We may not always perceive them, and at times we may forget they are happening. But the enemy would love nothing more than to hit us with disappointment and discouragement that foster fear, distress and apathy. The devil should never be our primary focus. But we need to stay aware of his schemes, live alert in this world, and continue enriching ourselves through a genuine relationship with the Lord.

The way we approach these fights is paramount. We have access to powerful weapons to use against the devil (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Paul exhorts us to “Stand against the wiles of the devil,” “Withstand in the evil day,” “Having done all, to stand.” Stand with our God-given spiritual armor and prayer (Ephesians 6:11-18). Four times we are told to stand. Standing is foundational in any spiritual battle. We stand on the truth of Satan’s defeat at the cross (Colossians 2:15) while withstanding his ploys, lies, and false accusations.

Scripture is a powerful weapon against the forces of evil. Jesus said that the logos, the written Scripture, is truth (John 17:17). And in God’s eyes, truth and victory are synonymous. In Matthew 12:20, the phrase “justice to victory” is a quote from Isaiah 42:3. The more truth you receive and walk in, the more victory you will experience (John 8:32). We see this illustrated in Jesus’ encounter with the devil in the wilderness. The devil tried to manipulate Him with Scriptures, but he was no match for Jesus, who embodied the Spirit of Truth.

The spiritual gift of discernment is another mighty weapon. In the first few months of my life as a follower of Christ, I had dreams from the Lord in which He was counseling me regarding essential life decisions. But I had other dreams that were not from the Lord. These were not evil on the surface, but somehow, I knew they were not from the Holy Spirit. Ignoring those dreams would always prove to be the right choice. Looking back, I understand I was using the gift of discernment, which I did not even know existed back then.

The gift of discernment (1 Corinthians 12:10) is a supernatural ability to distinguish between the spirit of truth and error, holiness and evil. Just as jewelers can distinguish fake precious stones from the real, those with the gift of discernment can perceive holy and unholy spirits and recognize truth from deception. The beauty is that 1 John 4:1 tells us not to trust every spirit, but to test the spirits to see if they are from God. And that means all believers have access to discernment.

The most unrivaled weapon at our disposal is a loving relationship with the Lord. That fellowship with Him will make it much easier to see when the enemy comes with the manipulative use of Scriptures (Matthew 4:1-10), erroneous counsel (Matthew 16:21-23) or even disguised as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).

Many Blessings, BW

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