Devotions: The Battles We Fight

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.

2 Corinthians 10:4 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Even though we are here physically, we do not fight a physical battle, and the weapons we use are not physical but spiritually powerful. We are made up of two parts in a sense; the physical and the spiritual. The flesh here does not refer to the sinful nature but to our physical state. We are in a battle, whether we realize it or not, for our souls, for the spiritual state of ourselves and those around us. Yet because this battle is not physical, we cannot fight it physically. We must fight it spiritually. We cannot afford to take the things of this life at face value. The fights we have with others are more than they appear; often there is a spiritual battle in the background. We have to remember that the real enemy is satan, not our spouse or our children or whoever we are battling, and we need to address the real enemy rather than attacking the person. The word fortresses is figuratively translated arguments. We are not attacking a castle like Ivanhoe or King Richard. Our battles are often in the form of arguments. The best way to fight against the enemy in word is with scripture. That is how Christ responded to him in the wilderness. We need to use the truth of God so that when others reject it, they are not rejecting or fighting us but God Himself. Remember that the Bible is also referred to as a sword. Scripture is our best weapon. With it we can tear down the destructive arguments and thoughts that would otherwise tear us down. With it we can “capture” those thoughts and arguments and take them captive so that they are brought to judgment before God. While scripture is our weapon, the battlefield is prayer. We must constantly be in prayer before, after and during an argument. It is what supplies us with what we need, the spiritual stamina, the connection and lifeline to God, and helps us grow and use the strength of God. Are you aware of the battles around you? How can you more effectively wage war? How can you use your weapons more powerfully?

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Translations of Greek and Hebrew words taken from blueletterbible.org