The weapons of our warfare: our victory over Satan the accuser.
Believer, do you seem to always have thoughts of bad things happening to you or your family members? Do you feel like something bad will happen to you because of a particular sin that you committed (and sometimes your worst fears even come to pass!)? Do you have 'un-Christian' thoughts and can't seem to find a way out? Do you sometimes think that you are not really saved? Have you tried to stop thinking these thoughts but they just don’t go away? Do you have this fearful expectation of bad things happening? There is Good News for you! This is spiritual warfare- what we believe and speak of Jesus Christ determines our victory.
First, understand that this warfare is not won by doing good deeds, reading Psalms, begging God to consider you after all you've done, doing night vigil, fasting or sowing seed which are all carnal (of human effort.) The battleground where we wrestle against “spiritual wickedness in high places” is not some mountain top, in a coven or in the work place. The battleground is the mind. We see this in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5:
“3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”
Bear in mind that “according to the flesh” means “by human effort.” We see this in the account of the births of Ishmael and Isaac in Galatians 4:23–
“23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, 24 which things are symbolic.”
The NLT version says: “The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of His promise.”
Abraham and Hagar had some human strength in them when they brought forth Ishmael but with Isaac, it was all “by grace (Sarah) through faith (Abraham.)”
Back to our warfare: “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”
Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament words defines stronghold as used in verse 4 above as follows:
What are we bringing down? Strongholds (of those things in which mere human confidence is imposed) and Arguments/Reasonings.
What are we bringing into captivity? Every thought.
All of these things happen in the mind. This is where our "guilty" or "not guilty" verdict before God the Righteous Judge is determined...based on what we BELIEVE when Satan the Accuser throws accusations at us (many times from behind pulpits!) Also consider Ephesians 6 for the weapons with which we fight this warfare:
10 "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—”
There's nothing physical or man-made about the whole armour of God. No fasting, vigil, sowing seed or anything emanating from human-effort, required to win this warfare. And what we fight against in this war? What are Satan's weapons? The TPT version of the above passage puts it thus:
“11 Put on God’s complete set of armor provided for us, so that you will be protected as you fight against the evil strategies of the accuser!”
What we fight against is the evil strategies of Satan the Accuser. But what are these evil strategies? The same kind that Satan used on Eve when he deceived her into believing that she could be godly (be like God) by human effort, but we know how that ended. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is a picture of the Law which gives the knowledge of good and evil. See Paul's typology concerning the forbidden fruit in Romans 7 (MSG)-
"The law code started out as an excellent piece of work. What happened, though, was that sin found a way to pervert the command into a temptation, making a piece of “forbidden fruit” out of it. The law code, instead of being used to guide me, was used to seduce me."
Believer, the spirit of the antichrist is not anti-God. In fact, it preaches very STRONGLY on the need for one to be godly (be like God) but its own way of attaining godliness is by human effort at eating from the Law that kills. Isaiah 53 shows us God's way: Isaiah prophesied about the suffering of Christ in Isaiah 53. See the result of His suffering for us in Isaiah 53:11-
"After He has suffered, He will see the light of life. And He will be satisfied. My godly servant will make many people godly because of what He will accomplish. He will be punished for their sins."
As he did with Eve, Satan, through his ministers on many pulpits, is still seducing people with the law, hiding verses like Isaiah 53:11 and perverting the law into a temptation and making a piece of the forbidden fruit out of it. So let's see how this warfare is still happening today and how we get to fight and live. Remember Romans 3:
“26…In this way God shows that He himself is righteous and that He puts right everyone who believes in Jesus. 27 What, then, can we boast about? Nothing! And what is the reason for this? Is it that we obey the Law? No, but that we believe. 28 For we conclude that a person is put right with God only through faith, and not by doing what the Law commands.”
This is the crux of the gospel: Righteousness by faith.
Also recall Ephesians 6:16– “above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”
The law is not of faith; law-keeping to get right with God is a testament to bring faithless. No shield of faith here.
Satan the Accuser and his agents, many of whom are behind pulpits, try to shut down the message of Christ (righteousness by faith) by saying it is a license for people to wallow in sin or that you have to "play your part" by depending on the arm of flesh (human effort) at not sinning in order to be godly! Such disregard the power of the Holy Spirit to transform believers to the image of the glory of the Lord (2 Cor. 3:18) but they trust in the arm of flesh (human effort) that will fail to transform sinners to right living!
Satan, through his agents behind many pulpits, throws fiery darts of accusations regarding how we have sinned and come short of the glory of God…but never points you to Christ as Saviour from sins. He tries to get us depending on strongholds of works of the law done in order to attain righteousness before God. These accusations are geared at getting us to start thinking and reasoning about our state of righteousness/godliness that Christ paid for. Judgment is passed on the guilty. The righteous go free. But Romans 3:10 says: "There is none righteous, no, not one!" So everyone who expects to get a favourable judgment based on his own works stands condemned.
What is our weapon and how do we overcome in this warfare? Remember:
4 "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”
We win by “…bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,” But what is this "obedience of Christ?" We see this in Romans 5:19-
"By one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous.”
Also Romans 5:9- "And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God."
But Satan's ministers tell you that you become unrighteous when you sin and that you can still experience God's wrath despite Christ's sacrifice for you. As stated earlier, it all begins with reasonings or arguments and thoughts that arise as a result of Satan's accusations that you are not godly/righteous after Christ suffered to make us godly. This accusation usually comes from corrupted pulpits. How hearers react to such accusations determines life and death:
Stand before God in your own righteousness from your own obedience and face the full wrath of His law, “For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.” Romans 3:20.
But stand before God in His gift of righteousness to you that is from the obedience of Christ and be free from guilt and condemnation and then live the abundant life in Him.
You see, the mind is the battleground for our spiritual warfare. It is akin to a court of law. God is the Righteous Judge and He will not leave the guilty unpunished. Jesus Christ is the Advocate and Sin Offering of all who believe right and the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Truth) is the Witness that bears witness to the Truth. See the righteous foundation for this Truth in Christ's sacrifice for us in Hebrews 10:12-14-
"12 whereas Christ, having offered the one sacrifice [the all-sufficient sacrifice of Himself] for sins for all time, sat down [signifying the completion of atonement for sin] at the right hand of God [the position of honor], 13 waiting from that time onward until His enemies are made a footstool for His feet. 14 For by the one offering He has perfected forever and completely cleansed those who are being sanctified [bringing each believer to spiritual completion and maturity]."
What does this mean? Christ has completed the atonement for sins for ALL time. In Him, our past, present and future sins are forgiven. By His one offering,
"He has perfected forever and completely cleansed those who are being sanctified [bringing each believer to spiritual completion and maturity]."
Immediately after verses 12-14 is verse 15-17 where we see the testimony of the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Truth) who is ever-present in the witness box to bear witness to the Truth (righteousness by faith) in the court of law that is our mind:
“15 And the Holy Spirit also adds His testimony to us [in confirmation of this]; for after having said,16 “This is the covenant that I will make with themAfter those days, says the Lord:I will imprint My laws upon their heart,And on their mind I will inscribe them [producing an inward change],”He then says,17 “And their sins and their lawless actsI will remember no more [no longer holding their sins against them].”
This is the witness of the Spirit of Truth to all who are in Christ: "Because of Christ’s sacrifice for you, God does not remember your sins; God is no longer holding your sins against you!"
But due to the teaching of a false doctrine that is not the gospel by agents of the Accuser behind some pulpits, many in the church do not know or believe this truth. Many feel that God who "so loved the world...." is still holding their sins against them.
In this court of law that is the mind, Satan is the accuser/prosecutor. "Ha Satan" in Hebrew literally means “the prosecutor” or “the accuser.” Like any prosecutor in any earthly court, a prosecutor cannot pass judgment or sentence anybody. What a prosecutor does is present charges against the accused in court, with the aim of getting a guilty verdict and then ask for the harshest sentence. This is warfare.
What the devil and his agents do (even from some pulpits) is throw accusations (fiery darts) to sow seeds of wrong imaginations and thoughts in people's minds: they accuse people (including believers) of Sin and imperfection without pointing the sinner to Christ who saves from sins. They threaten many with judgment (God's wrath) if they don't do certain things in order to be good with God, contradicting Romans 5:9 which says we are saved from God's wrath through Christ as we have been declared righteous in Him.
These accusers behind some pulpits make you doubt that you are really saved because you don't quite have it all together when it comes to living a sinless life, as if sinners are not trying hard to stop sinning and as if it is our own obedience that makes us righteous and not Christ's. They lie to believers that God is angry with them and will punish them for their sins unless they do things in order to be godly; the same sins that Christ came to save His people from (Matt. 1:21) and that His Spirit testifies to us that He no longer remembers because of Christ's one sacrifice for sins for ALL time according to Hebrews 10:12!
They lie that believers are still subject to generational or other curses when Galatians 3:13 says "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law...." Have you noticed that the church is where many Christians first learn that there is a curse in their life! That is an accusation!
They lie that God who gives us all things FREELY with Christ according to Romans 8:32 will not heal/protect/provide for believers because of their sins and inadequacies, unless they do certain things by human effort in order to be godly (be like God.) The same strategy was used on Eve. Such ministers never teach that we are made righteous by Christ's blood and saved from wrath through Him as we see in Romans 5:9. They teach that you are to save yourself from God's wrath by your puny efforts at obeying the law, neglecting the body and doing things that only they can prescribe.They never tell you that Christ is Saviour from those sins that you struggle with as we see in Matt. 1:21-
"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Because of their wrong teaching, many are trying hard to keep the law in a bid to get right with God and so sin has dominion. See Romans 6:14- "For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under Grace."
Because of their wrong teaching, many in the church feel that God is angry with them when they sin and that God remembers the sins of those who are in Christ, having Him as our Righteousness! They accuse sinners like the Pharisees did with the woman caught in adultery. Those Pharisees were even better because these "ministers" in some churches today tell you that you can do something by your own effort to save yourself from sin and sure death. But as it was with the woman caught in adultery who would have been killed according to the law, the letter kills. The Spirit gives life and the Spirit testifies that in Christ, God does not remember your sins.
Didn't read your bible this morning?!!!! What a great sinner thou art! You read only 4 chapters? You could have read 10!! Now read 10 chapters so that you can “be like God!” There is always more for YOU to do with these accusers. No talk of what CHRIST has done to make the sinner righteous or the power of the Spirit to transform the sinner to right living. These are “the fiery darts of the wicked one” and we quench them with the shield of (righteousness by) faith.
When a person is accused of sins and shortcomings in this manner and his response is to start doing things by human effort in order to “get right with God” instead of confessing Christ as his righteousness, he condemns himself. He has believed the lie that God remembers his sins. The Spirit of Truth cannot bear witness to this lie. This is the testimony of the Holy Spirit for all who believe:
“He then says, 17 “And their sins and their lawless acts I will remember no more [no longer holding their sins against them].””
Nothing to do with our works or obedience to the law. All because of the finished work of Christ in making the sinner righteous. Even the good things we do to get right with God are an abomination to Him. Isaiah 64:6 says:
"We are all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in Your sight."
Romans 5:19 shows us how our "not guilty" verdict in this court is: "By one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous."
This is the only brand of righteousness that suffices for God the Righteous. Our own righteousnesses are like "a menstrual rag" and will send those counting on their strongholds of obedience to the law, the good things they do or sacrifices they have made to get a favourable opinion from the God the Righteous Judge straight to bondage, jail and ultimately death!
Thank God for He is merciful and still blesses us in our ignorance. He is Abba, Father, not a hard Taskmaster that is just waiting to let the devil have a go at us when we mess things up as some who profess Christ make Him out to be.
This is spiritual warfare: When Satan the Accuser comes accusing of sins and the coming judgment and tries to get people to start rationalising how their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds or start doing things in order to escape the judgment of God the Righteous Judge, all who are guilty but respond with the following are accepted in the Beloved and get to escape God's wrath:
"My Lord God, of myself I am a sinner through and through. I have no righteousness of my own. Jesus Christ is my righteousness. He died for my sins and has made me guilt-free. In Him, You do not remember my sins. You are my Abba Father. There is no condemnation for me in Christ Jesus. Through Him, I am saved from wrath."
In this court of law that is the mind, the Holy Spirit bears witness to our confession of the Truth: 17 “And their sins and their lawless acts I will remember no more [no longer holding their sins against them].””
And God the Righteous Judge forever sees us as "not guilty" aka Righteous because of the finished work of Jesus Christ the Son of God and our Advocate as it is written in Romans 5:9-
"And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God."
But the one who accepts the accusations of Satan and his agents behind some pulpits reminds God of how he tried to obey the Ten Commandments, washed church toilets, gave to the poor. He tries to right himself with God by re-doubling his efforts at law-keeping and doing "menstrual rag" righteous deeds. He rejects the price that Jesus paid for all of our sins. He rejects Jesus as his Advocate/Defense and becomes his own advocate with his "menstrual rag" works.
Once a person accepts his guilt and starts explaining to the Righteous Judge why he sinned and how he can make amends and how he will do his best to be good next time and keep the Ten Commamdments, he rejects the price that our Lord Jesus paid to set him free. The Spirit of Truth cannot bear witness to a lie. Such becomes his own advocate and rejects Christ as his Advocate! This is why many still suffer symptoms of the curse that Christ has delivered us from. This is wrong believing. Christ has become of no effect in their lives as it is written in Galatians 5:4 -
"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace."
What comes next is condemnation, a fearful expectation of judgment…then "death begun" in the form of stress, silly mistakes, sickness, poverty, etc.
Romans 4:25 says of Christ:“who was delivered up because of our offences, and was raised up because of our being declared righteous.”
See the TPT- "Jesus was handed over to be crucified for the forgiveness of our sins and was raised back to life to prove that He had made us right with God!"
God raised Jesus from the dead TO PROVE THAT we have been declared righteous. To believe that one is not made righteous by Christ's obedience but still has to do certain things by human effort in order to be righteous before God is to deny the resurrection of Christ. This is to deny Christ. This is unbelief. Such here do not believe Jesus. Such reject the gift of righteousness that is from "the obedience of Christ" and so cannot win in this warfare. So condemnation follows: See John 3:16-18:
“16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
To believe Jesus is to have Him as “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” We have none of ours to boast of or stand in this court of law. After condemnation comes judgment, right where Satan the Accuser wants all to be. But all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (having Him as our righteousness) shall be saved.
Believers, 1 John 4:17 says: "Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world."
In Christ, we have been blessed to be able to stand boldly in the day of judgment because God's love has been perfected among us in making us as Christ is in this world- RIGHTEOUS and apart from works. This "day of judgment" is not necessarily Judgment Day when books will be opened but any day that the devil levels accusations of unrighteousness against us/reminds us of our guilt and demands that we be punished according to the law.
Glory be to our Lord God for grace to overcome the Accusers fiery darts of crazy thoughts and accusations by "casting down imaginations...." and “bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” Remember Romans 5:19 -
"For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous."
This is not righteousness based on what we do or don't do. It is a gift -Romans 5:17. God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us so we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor.5:21). We bring these thoughts into captivity by believing and confessing what our Lord's obedience has achieved for us: "I am the righteousness of God in Christ."
So how can a thing as simple as confessing our righteousness bring peace of mind and rid us of these burdensome thoughts? The bible has the answer for this too in Romans 10:10 –
“For with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
When you believe and confess with your mouth your righteousness in Christ, every single blessing that is for the righteous in the bible becomes yours! The fiery darts (evil thoughts and accusations) which are the weapons of the enemy will fail in your life because – Isaiah 54:17-
“No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,And their righteousness is from Me,”Says the LORD.”
Notice that this blessing is not earned by obeying the Ten Commandments, fasting and prayer or any work. It is an inheritance (heritage) for those whose righteousness is from the Lord, not their efforts at keeping the law or trying to curry His favour. Believe. Confess it and see it!
Notice “No weapon formed against you shall prosper,". The Accuser and his agents' weapon is charging people with disobedience to the law in order to get people to face judgment, just like a prosecutor in a court of law who uses his tongue to bring charges against the accused. Colossians 2:13-15 tells us that Christ has disarmed them of this weapon by cancelling the record of charges against us...:
"13 At one time you were dead in your sins. Your desires controlled by sin were not circumcised. But God gave you new life together with Christ. He forgave us all our sins. 14 He wiped out what the law said that we owed. The law stood against us. It judged us. But he has taken it away and nailed it to the cross. 15 He took away the weapons of the powers and authorities. He made a public show of them. He won the battle over them by dying on the cross."
But many are still hugging the Law and its charges and trying to pay for their sins when Christ has paid it all and forever. Believer, let go in Jesus' name! None of us deserve to escape punishment. We escape by grace- undeserved, unearned, unmerited favour.
Before any of Satan's weapons/accusations can prosper, one has to be condemned by the law, just as it is in an earthly court of law. But the law condemns the best of us. Grace saves the worst of us. No one can be made right with God by keeping the law. Yet many are trying so weapons of Satan are prospering. Believers, by grace, let's not be found here. Our weapon is not our puny fasts, seeds, vigils and obedience to the law. Our weapon is our righteousness from "one Man's obedience," Christ's!
Paul described righteousness as a weapon in 2 Corinthians 6:7 -
“in [speaking] the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand [like holding the sword to attack] and for the left [like holding the shield to defend],”.
Truly, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God! Believers, the battle for our mind is fought with the weapon of righteousness which we have as a gift from our Heavenly Father through Christ. This is our shield (of faith) to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one aka accusations of the Accuser.
The Lord Jesus Christ is our only defense against the devil's weapons a.k.a accusations! Christ paid in full for all of our sins – past, present and future. But many of us often forget that in Christ, nobody can bring a charge against us, according to Romans 8:33 –
“Who will bring any charge against God’s elect (His chosen ones)? It is God who justifies us [declaring us blameless and putting us in a right relationship with Himself].”
See Romans 4:5- "But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,"
God justifies the ungodly - those who have no good in them and by His grace, see their need for a Saviour. When those accusations of guilt and shortcomings come knocking, that is warfare.
By grace, we remember Whose and who we are in Christ – the righteousness of God. In Christ, we do not continue to live in sin because the path of the righteous (by faith) does not grow darker and more sinful;
"But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day." Proverbs 4:18
Right believing always produces right living
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