Let’s face it, the difficulties we see and experience on a daily basis are beyond our ability to fix. Satan is doing everything he can to convince us that we really don’t need God or his power working in us, for us, or through us. How do we deal with the opposition we inevitably are encountering?
In my life, I have found that I need to engage powerful weapons when it comes to protecting myself against Satan’s schemes. Satan will use whatever means he can to devour my time, talent, and treasure and to keep me from using my resources for God’s purposes and his glory. Over time I have discovered five “Power Weapons” for fighting against Satan. These weapons are entirely dependent on God’s power and not my own.
Power Weapon 1: Call on God
“Call on me in prayer and I will answer you. I will show you great and mysterious things that you still do not know about.” —Jeremiah 33:3
This is a statement made by the Creator of the universe himself! The statement seems so simple, but the reality of it is almost beyond belief … almighty God will answer me! All I need to do is call out to him.
We need to remember how great the counsel of God is and how mighty his work is. By his mighty power he created the heavens and earth. Throughout the Old and New Testaments we read of his intervention in the lives of his people. As we expand our knowledge and experience of just how great God is, we will more quickly remember to turn to him when the going gets rough.
God has promised to answer us! He has promised to show us great and mighty things! He has promised to strengthen us! I want to pursue God as the first priority in my life. I want to be a Converterlator, an agent of change. I want to fulfill the Great Commission by strategically investing my time, talent, treasure in God’s purposes. I want to call on God … first … when I need help and guidance and protection.
Power Weapon 2: Focus on God’s Power through Jesus Christ
When we take time to reflect on God’s power, we’re amazed. And this in turn expands our vision of what God can do in us and through us. Images of God’s power are presented throughout the entire Bible. And yet, even then, we only see the “mere edges” of his ways (Job 26:14). His power gives us confidence that he can overcome anything that is causing difficulty in our lives. His presence can dissolve any obstacle. Since he is the creator of all things, he knows all about our world and has the creative ability to deal with anything that is in need of repair.
I am a huge fan of acrostics, which are poems, word puzzles, or other compositions in which certain letters in each line form a word or words. An acrostic can help bring to mind important topics. For me, most often my acrostics are words associated with key Bible verses that help me remember key attributes of God. Here is one of the acrostics I have developed that helps me remember that when I call on the power of Christ, he will, through the Holy Spirit, provide what I need. The word is CHRIST, with each letter giving me a key attribute of God. I’ve then associated a key verse with each attribute. This word is important to me, but it is not a formula. You can put an acrostic together on your own.
C — Companionship
Your conduct must be free from the love of money and you must be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you and I will never abandon you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper and I will not be afraid. What can people do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5–6).
H — Hope
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in him, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” —Romans 15:13
R — Revelation
“He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him.” —Daniel 2:22
I — I
“I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” —Galatians 2:20
S — Submission
“For the weapons of our warfare are not human weapons, but are made powerful by God for tearing down strongholds. We tear down arguments.” —2 Corinthians 10:4–5
T — Trust
“Trust in the Lord and do what is right. Settle in the land and maintain your integrity. Then you will take delight in the Lord, and he will answer your prayers. Commit your future to the Lord. Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf. He will vindicate you in broad daylight, and publicly defend your just cause.” —Psalm 37:3–6
When I soak my mind and heart on this acrostic and its accompanying verses, I experience the wonderful peace and power that only come from God. I also use it in my conversations with the Lord, sowing my conversation with its contents. The Holy Spirit has often in his grace quieted my heart and mind. We can be freed and empowered when we use the Scripture in this way.
Power Weapon 3: Be Filled with the Holy Spirit
“And hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” —Romans 5:5
We live by the Spirit. When we are filled with the Spirit, we will not fulfill our own desires, but those that God has given us. We are talking Son Power here, power that enables us to accomplish all that God has for us to do and be.
You and I are like ink pens. An ink pen is an instrument to be used by another. Without ink, the pen is useless. A pen without ink is left on the desk. Only with ink is it fit for use by the writer and prepared for the mission it was designed for. The Spirit is the “ink” in us. In order for us to be instruments God can pick up and use to continue “writing his story” in our world, we need to be filled with the ink of the Holy Spirit. When we are filled, we can flow with the Spirit into our daily lives with his power. This Son-powered life overcomes our sinful nature. For as Paul said in his letter to the Galatians, “because the person who sows to his own flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit” (Galatians 6:8).
We often fail to believe what God can actually do in our lives and circumstances if we truly soak, sow, and flow in currents of the winds of divine Son Power. Take a step of faith and flow with the Spirit!
Power Weapon 4: Use the Armor of God
“Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand. Stand firm therefore, by fastening the belt of truth around waist, by putting on the breastplate of righteousness, by fitting your feet with the preparation that comes from the good news of peace, and in all of this, by taking up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit (which is the word of God). With every prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and to this end be alert, with all perseverance and petitions for all the saints.” —Ephesians 6:10–18
This passage presents one of the most powerful truths in the Bible: we have the ability to protect ourselves against the attacks of Satan. Read the passage again and identify the various pieces of armor: belt of truth, body armor of God’s righteousness, shoes of peace that come from the Good News, shield of faith, helmet of salvation. All of these represent defensive armor things that will protect us from Satan’s attacks. When we are under attack, we often don’t think about using God’s truth, righteousness, peace, Good News, faith, or salvation. These words seem to lack power. But we need to remember they are not words, they are tools in the hands of the Holy Spirit to empower us.
There is one offensive item listed in this passage, and that is the Word of God. Paul calls it the “sword of the Spirit.” It is the weapon used to aggressively counter the overtures of Satan as he attempts to ensnare us in his strategies of stealing, killing, and destroying. It is only when we soak our hearts in the Word of God, so much so that it actually becomes a part of our spiritual DNA that we will be able to use this weapon effectively. God’s Word will work on our behalf when we allow it to be used as the sword of the Spirit.
Power Weapon 5: Experience God’s GRACE
I believe one of the greatest weapons we have in our arsenal is biblical truth. When we are in the middle of a spiritual attack or trial we can firmly stand on God’s Word. I’m including another acrostic here, GRACE, because the verses remind me that God is working in my life. You can easily adapt this acrostic with verses that are important to you.
G — God’s Greatness
“You are from God, little children, and have conquered them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” —1 John 4:4
R — Rejoicing
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice! Let everyone see your gentleness. The Lord is near!” —Philippians 4:4
A — Acceptance
“But these are the ones sown on good soil: They hear the word and receive it and bear fruit, one thirty times as much, one sixty, and one a hundred.” —Mark 4:20
C — Compel
“For the love of Christ controls us, since we have concluded this, that Christ died for all; therefore all have died.” —2 Corinthians 5:14
E — Eternal Rewards
“And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. Then books were opened, and another book was opened—the book of life. So the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds.” —Revelation 22:12
Each one of these verses represents a “power nugget” motivating us to rely on the Son-powered life. Power nuggets are verses that fuel our everyday living.
As we learn to use these Power Weapons we will lead a victorious Christian life. It can be difficult to remember to turn to God, and to his Word, when we are experiencing difficult times. However, God’s power is what we need more than anything else in those times. Take time to soak your heart and mind in God’s great promises, so that you will have them ready when you need them.
How much time are you currently spending in God’s Word so that you will have his promises ready when you need them?
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