Our Weapons Are Not Carnal

Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

The Kingdom of God would advance a lot faster and with more power if the subjects of this kingdom would really take time to understand what our weapons are and what they are not. Much damage is done and battles become more difficult to overcome because of a lack of this basic understanding.

Problems arise when people begin to fight this battle without understanding the word or recognizing the true leading of the Holy Spirit. In the beginning of the New Testament, God’s people were instructed first to wait unit they were given power from on high- wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Don’t run out and begin working out of your own strength, and your own ideas. Wait! And in the meantime, they prayed. They gathered together, worshipped and prayed for that power and then for the next step they were to take. And when the power came down, many souls were saved. The Kingdom of God advanced rapidly.

When we do not wait for God, when we allow fears, or the pressures of other mens opinions and expectations of us to cause us to move forward without knowing that we are right in the center of the will of God, we are headed for a long,weary, and pretty fruitless path.  We will not be fighting the “spiritual” battle, but rather a “carnal” battle- a battle against flesh and blood. The battle will be with people, without power, and we will become disillusioned and discouraged and eventually may grow completely cold in our love for God and his work. It is so imperative to “tarry until you are endued with power from on high.”

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; 2 Corinthians 10:4

How do we know if we are using carnal weapons?

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 1Corinthians 3:1-6

When the fruit of our warfare is not advancing the Kingdom of God, but rather producing a lot of strife, envying and division, we can know beyond a doubt that we are fighting a carnal battle. When men are being lifted up and hailed instead of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are leaning on our own strength and understanding. If people are not being saved and delivered from the strong holds of Satan, we are fighting with carnal weapons. Chances are great that our message has become carnal. There is no power in carnality. (Isaiah 26:18)

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Ephesians 6:10-18

Our battle is against the devil. We are not fighting against people, but seeking to rescue them from him. Our strength is in the Lord; our power is in HIS might;We wrestle against principalities-a territory ruled by a prince; In this case the prince of darkness. We are wrestling to take spiritual ground from him- to take souls back for Christ. We are wrestling against “spiritual wickedness in high places” -people who have set themselves up as a “mighty one” or a “spokesman for God” but in reality they are power-hungry liars! We are wrestling to take souls away from their damning influence.  (Matthew 23:15)

Our spiritual armour is an earnest desire to know truth; It is a heart that is purified and full of righteousness; It is preparedness everyday in the word of God and prayer before we head out into the world or to our daily duties; It is faith that what God has promised he will fullfill; The helmet is knowing that we have been saved from sin, we have been changed.

Our weapon is the word of God–  Christs word dwelling in us in abundance (Colossians 3:16)- and always praying; always seeking God’s help and power and resources and direction.

A lot of problems would dissolve in the Kingdom of God and a lot of progress could be made, if people were more careful to make sure that the weapons of their warfare are not carnal. Conversely, so much damage has been done throughout time because of ones who claimed to be fighting the battle of the Lord, but in reality, were only fighting carnal battles with their own self and their own understanding leading the way.

Its so easy to start fighting a carnal battle because we are living in a carnal world and a carnal body. But Christ made the way for us to be FILLED with HIS spirit and to fight this battle on His terms and His way.