Weapons of our Warfare
SCRIPTURE: 2 Corinthians 10 
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BIO: My name is Donna McClellan and I have the privilege of serving as associate pastor for Prayer and Spiritual Formation here at FPCO I have been here almost 5 years and love Orlando in the winter although summer is another story!! I am grateful to be here. I am single and since I have lived most of my adult life apart from family I have been blessed to have my sister move here and we now live together which has been great. I love being with friends, riding my bike, reading a book I don’t want to end, walking at the beach, and hearing/discussing people’s faith stories… always a reminder of God’s faithfulness to us!
KEY VERSE: 2 Corinthians 10:4 "the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."
CENTRAL TRUTH: Paul is stating an obvious but often ignored truth…. we are in a war and the weapons we fight with are weapons not made with human hands, but weapons that only the Holy Spirit can provide.
DEVOTIONAL: Weapons of our Warfare
For most of us, there are certain Scripture passages or phrases from what we have read or been taught that seem to come back to us over and over again. When that happens with me, I get the feeling God really wants me to get this! One of the phrases that comes back to me is " It is not about you". I hear that over and over again in all areas of my life.
Along with that truth is a statement that stayed with me from the writings of Eugene Peterson when he said that when we come to Scripture we must remember that we are not the main character… God is both director and main character.. we are the actors in the story and must find the part we are to play within the story. It is always a good reminder to me that I am to be "shaped by the Word" rather than trying to shape the Word to fit my ideas or plans.
As we read the 10th chapter of Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, it is clear that Paul understands the power and priority of the Gospel above everything else… including the perceived wisdom and power of the world. He is well aware that the Gospel can and should shape his life and give him victory over the enemy.
Much of Paul’s writing in this chapter is spent defending his integrity, his apostleship and ministry. His critics said that Paul was very courageous when he wrote letters from a distance but very timid and even weak when he was present with the Corinthians. Paul may have been unimposing and unimpressive in his physical appearance and may have lacked the high professionalism of his day but Paul knows and clearly asserts that his power comes not from human qualifications. Paul does not deny his human weakness, but affirms that a spiritual warfare demands spiritual weapons.
His warfare was not according to the flesh, because he was not fighting against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers (see Ephesians 6:10ff) He knew the spiritual battles could only be fought with spiritual weapons such as Prayer, the Word of God, love, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul did not depend on personality, human abilities or even the authority he had as an apostle.
A footnote from the Reformation Study Bible states the following "In the spiritual realm (which was what Paul was talking about) the word stronghold refers to centers of demonic opposition to the gospel. Paul recognized that his opponents in Corinth were servants of Satan but that knowledge did not frighten him, for the power of the Holy Spirit within him was far greater. False wisdom and sophisticated arguments were some of the weapons used by those servants of Satan in their attack against Paul."
Clearly, Paul understands that it is not about him… but about God and the power of the Gospel. His motivation for ministry, his commitment to his call and the way he evaluates his ministry (not by measuring, evaluating and comparing by human standards) brings us back to a central truth of the Gospel " though we live in 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."
If we are not experiencing "victory" over ourselves and our sin, perhaps it is because we are depending on human efforts rather than calling on the weapons God has given us through the power of the Holy Spirit.
QUESTION 1: How much are you depending on your own abilities and experience in living the life God has called you to rather than depending on the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within you and longs to reign in your heart?
QUESTION 2: Are you allowing the circumstances and realities of the world to rob you of the peace and joy that comes not from focusing on human realities but on the truths of the Gospel and the power that Gospel brings.
QUESTION 3: Thank God and remind yourself that "Greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world".
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