Weapons and Warfare

Read: 2 Corinthians 6
“And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” 2 Corinthians 6:1

Examine:
To receive the grace of God in vain is to receive it without purpose. The Grace of God is given freely but it is given with expectation. The expectation is that the receiver of the grace joins God battle. Later in this chapter Paul returns to his usual metaphors of soldiering and outlines the offensive and defensive weapons we have been given.

Apply:
There are three sets of defensive weapons listed:
Innocence and purity- My best defense is not being vulnerable or exposed in the first place. My choices have to be innocent and pure.

Knowledge and insight- My head needs to be in the game and my eyes need to be constantly scanning the horizon. I should never get caught flat-footed.

Long-suffering and patience- My mental toughness is imperative. There is nothing more lethal to good defense than quitting or being over aggressive.

There are three offensive weapons:
The Holy Spirit- The very power of God. The same force that raised Christ from the dead. The promise of things to come. The enabler of greater things.

The love of Christ- Freedom from sin. Adoption as sons and joint heirs. The availability of all that is in heaven. Alignment with the mission of the Father. The valor needed to fight until the end.

The power of God’s Word- It is infallible. It rightly divides. Its spoken power created the heavens and earth. It is alive, active and at work still today.

Pray:
When I look at the two sets of weapons listed above I immediately want to land on the offensive ones. They represent power, strength, courage, victory and moving forward. Nothing feels better than the thought of kicking some tail and winning a battle. The defensive list, on the other hand, is not so immediately exciting. It represents a different set of challenges as most of them point to me restraining myself and keeping my flesh in check. I need both in my life and I recognize the training in need in using them. I pray that You help pick these up today and use them effectively.