Partners with the Winner
2 Cor. 10:3-5: For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strong holds. 5We 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.
No science fiction movie comes close to describing the conflict raging around ys in the spiritual word. The forces of God and of his enemy Satan are locked in battle over the lives of individuals, families, communities, and nations.
Although we usually cannot see these forces with our physical eyes, there should be no doubt in our minds that they exist. The Bible describes Satan as an angelic being who was thrown from heaven because he tried to exalt himself above God (see Isaiah 14:12-15). He's now fighting for control of the world and the souls of humans. He desires to take God's place as the object of human worship.
When the devil first appeared as a serpent in the Garden of Eden, it seemes as if he had succeeded in his evil intentions. He led Adam and Eve into sinful choices that brought a curse on humanity and shattered their relationship with God (see Genesis 3). But right them the Father set in motion a plan of restoration through his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus broke the cursre of sin and death (see Romans 5:12-21) and opened the way for us to be welcomed back as sons and daughters of God.
Jesus invites us to join in partnership with him in destroying the workd of the devil. Althought our victory is guaranteed, the enemy has not given up. He uses subtle deceptions and accusations to try to turn us away from our source of life and power - God himself.
We can share in this spiritual warfare through our prayers, praises, proclamations, and exercise of the spiritual authority Jesus Christ has given us. We need not fear Satan, for God's power is far greater than his (see 1 John 4:4). But we do need to be aware of his schemes and resist them.
Satan's works are rooted in pride, unbelief, and fear. Anything that causes to think we don't need God, to doubt his Word and character, or to be fearful about the present or future is a seed planted by the enemy. Embracing wrong ideas about God establishes mind-sets in a person or society that turn them away from God and therefore toward death and destruction.
This is exactly what happened in the Corintian church, where false teachings were undermining the faith. Today Satan uses humanism, atheism, and other philosophies to the same effect. Our greatest weapon in exposing these evils is the truth. No human philosophy can stand up to God's Word.
Paul underscored that reality when he reminded the Corinthians that their fight was against the devil and his work, and not against people (see also Ephisians 6:12). Over the centuries, the church has often forgotten this. We have fought heresy, other religions and philosophies - even other Christians - with swords or guns or verbal attacks, instead of with kindness, meekness, and prayer. Whenever this is the case, the devil is the only victor.
By using the Lord's chosen weapons, our victory is assured. We immediately put the devil on the run, demolishing his strongholds, and setting free the people he has kept in bondage.
