Proverbs 27-29 2 Corinthians 10

“We fight with weapons that are different from those the world uses. Our weapons have power from God that can destroy the enemy’s strong places. We destroy people’s arguments and every proud thing that raises itself against the knowledge of God. We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NCV)

It’s a tradition for people who are losing the argument on facts to attack the other person. The Corinthians who were causing the problems used that time-honored method by lashing out at Paul, noting that while his letters carried a lot of weight, he was a light-weight in person. They accused him of using strong words, but not being able to back up what he said. Paul’s response was simple: I haven’t had to use strong words in person up to now, but I will if I must. In the middle of that argument, he reminded us of the most important understanding of the battle that all Christians are engaged in: we don’t use the weapons of warfare that the world uses. We don’t use those weapons because they aren’t effective in the spiritual battle that’s taking place. We use weapons that come from our relationship with God that destroy the strongholds the enemy has over us. We proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. We pray for God to work. We follow God in obedience.

Jimmy Malone, Sean Connery’s character in the movie “The Untouchables” criticized his attacker for bringing a knife to a gunfight. He had the better, worldly weapon. What he didn’t realize was that the knife wielder was a decoy who lured him into a deadly trap. It was a better weapon. As Christians, we don’t bring worldly weapons into a spiritual battle – and that’s the war that we’re engaged in. We can destroy other people with our quick wit and heavy sarcasm, but that’s not our ultimate goal. We can gain political power and force people to follow our laws, but that won’t change people’s hearts. We can appeal to our authority in the church if the “battle” is between different groups in the church, but that won’t bring peace. As Christians, we don’t seek a worldly victory over those opposed to us, instead, we seek a spiritual victory over the forces of evil that will open the door for people to see Jesus for who He really is. Our weapons: the gospel, prayer, the love of Christ, changed lives, have been crafted and chosen perfectly by God for this battle. When we “fight” God’s way, our victories lead to a great victory in the lives of those who once were our “enemies.” Keep praying and sharing the gospel in the love of Christ so that we can make the greatest difference in the world today.

Lord, remind me that my battle isn’t against the people who would argue with me. Remind me that You love those people too and that my battle, Your battle, is against the spiritual forces of evil in this world.

Scripture taken from the New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.