Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.
Paul seems weary in this passage. Who can blame him? He has been through a lot, and he just wants what is best for his fellow believers. He knows what is at stake, and he is practically begging the Corinthian Christians to heed his words. He is charging them to remember who they are in Christ and fight the good fight. Paul urges them to not wage war as the world does, but to do so as Christ does with gentleness and understanding. Ready to fight armed with the knowledge of the Lord. In verses 3-5, Paul explains, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We 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.”
We are fighting a war not only with the outside world, but a war within ourselves. It is a fight every day to remain holy and pure in the eyes of God. There are so many sins coming at us all of the time that the battle can leave us all weary. Paul reminds that there are many spiritual battles that we will face that will seek to undermine our faith and separate us from God, but thankfully, we are empowered by God’s divine strength. Arming ourselves with spiritual weapons, we can defeat anything the world and Satan throws at us. I don’t know about you, but that truth gives me renewed confidence!
Let’s refresh our memories and discuss some of the spiritual weapons the Lord has given us. One essential spiritual weapon is the Bible. It is the living word of God and our firm foundation as believers. Paul says that we fight with the knowledge of the Lord. Where does our knowledge come from? It comes from reading and studying the Bible.
Another spiritual weapon is prayer. Prayer is powerful because it is a direct line of communication with God. We must pray without ceasing. Prayer is how we seek God’s guidance and make our requests known to Him. Through prayer, we strengthen our bond with God. After all, it is His battle we are fighting, not our own. We cannot win the fight if we are not communicating with the Lord in prayer.
Lastly, we must discipline ourselves to take captive intrusive thoughts that separate us from God. Intrusive, ungodly thoughts are a powerful weapon in spiritual warfare. They can quickly send us down a path of unrighteousness. We have to be ready to intercept ungodly thoughts with divine power. We must be always ready to fight by putting on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:13). Confidently, we can proclaim victory over spiritual warfare because the war has already been won through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.
Reflection:
Prayer: Dear God, teach me how to fight against the battle that takes place within me. I have a real enemy, but You are greater than anything I could ever face. Help me to discipline my mind, seek You in prayer, and store the truths of Your Word in my heart. In Jesus' name, amen.
Family Devo: 2 Corinthians 10
By: Amanda Carpenter
When partnering with your family to know, love, and follow Jesus, we strive to create and share content filtered by the Head-Heart-Hands model.
Head: the knowledge of God and His Word | Heart: the personal connection from scripture | Hands: a missional mindset
As we read 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, scripture states, “The weapons I fight with are not the weapons the world uses. In fact, it is just the opposite. My weapons have the power of God to destroy the camps of the enemy. I destroy every claim and every reason that keeps people from knowing God. I keep every thought under control in order to make it obey Christ.”
Where are the Star Wars fans? When I read this scripture, I’m reminded of the famous lightsaber, only MORE powerful. Here’s my disclaimer: I am not a Star Wars expert, but I do know that the lightsaber can cut through almost anything and deflect enemy attacks. Paul, however, is telling us about a weapon that is even more powerful, the POWER of God! This weapon includes the Bible, Holy Spirit, prayer, and complete faith that God is in control. If we can surrender to God by letting him take control of difficult situations, he WILL take care of us. He can stop the devil from encouraging us to make bad decisions, and He can use us to teach other people about Him. I don’t know about you, but I want THAT kind of weapon.
I have GREAT news! You can have THAT kind of weapon. When you accept Jesus as the Lord of your life, the power of the Holy Spirit works through you. He comforts you in hard times and helps you make choices that are good for you and pleasing to God. If this is a decision you would like to make, talk to someone about it today. Tell somebody about the incredible power of God.
Prayer: Lord, I thank You for the power of Your Holy Spirit. Show me what it is like to have the power of Your Holy Spirit in my life to deflect enemy attacks and help me make choices that You want for me. Amen.