Scripture makes it clear that “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God” (2 Cor. 10:4). God has equipped us with everything we need to stand firm and overcome. In today’s post, we will take a closer look at some of these weapons.
Praise
When Jehoshaphat was going into battle, God gave an unusual instruction—that the musicians should go ahead, with the warriors following behind (2 Chro. 20:21–22). To a layman, that would seem like the most careless strategy. With three nations advancing against you, the strongest warriors should surely take the lead. But for God, praise was all they needed. Without any warrior doing as much as aiming a bow or raising a sword, Israel secured a landslide victory. As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against their enemies, and they were defeated. While they praised, God fought on their behalf.
For Paul and Silas, also, praise was a weapon. As the two men sang praises to God with chains holding them in a prison cell, it resulted in deliverance from their bondage (Acts 16:25–26). An earthquake shook the prison, and their chains fell off—not just for them, but for all the prisoners present. What the guard may have thought was mere melody was, in fact, spiritual warfare.
The walls of Jericho, as insurmountable as they seemed, without the use of any tools, one day became rubble. For seven days, the Israelites marched around the walls, and on the seventh day, after the seventh time around, their shout of praise brought down walls that once stood mighty (Josh. 6:15–20). As cliché as it may sound, sometimes, your victory is just a praise away.
However, like every other weapon, praise must be mixed with faith. Without faith, it becomes mere activity or a simple melody rather than a spiritual engagement. But when offered in faith, praise becomes a powerful weapon that shifts battles and secures victory.
Prayer
One of the most powerful weapons of warfare given to the believer is prayer. Scripture even encourages us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17), and for good reason. Prayer is where we bring our burdens before God and receive what we need, be it direction, comfort, or answers. When Peter was unlawfully imprisoned, the church responded with prayer, and God sent an angel to deliver him (Acts 12:5–11). He was delivered from that trouble because there were people who stood in the gap for him. Jabez also understood the power of prayer. He had a life that was stifled with limitations, leaving much to be desired. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, he fought against his terrible fate through prayer. God heard his prayer of faith and turned his life around. (1 Chro. 4:10).
No effective warrior goes into battle without a strategy, and in prayer, we receive ours through direct communication with God. When David was newly crowned king, the Philistines thought it was good for them to attack Israel. Instead of panicking, David did what every believer should do—he prayed. As he prayed, God gave him a strategy which he used to defeat his enemies. Again, a similar thing happened, and David did not rely on the former strategy. He prayed again, and God gave him a different strategy that granted him and his men total victory (2 Sam. 5:19-24). A believer’s life is a war. We are in constant battle against the flesh. It is through prayer that we receive strategy, strength, and renewal to remain victorious.
We see this clearly in the life of Peter. Jesus warned him that the devil desired to have him, yet He said, “I have prayed for you” (Lk. 22:31–32). Before the attack even came, the countermeasure had already been set in motion; prayer. In the same way, in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus Himself, in His humanity, wrestled with the weight of what lay ahead. Yet as He prayed, He received the strength to endure and fulfill His mission, securing a victory we still celebrate today (Matt. 26:36–44).
Scripture is filled with such examples. Elijah prayed, and a drought that lasted years came to an end (1 Kings 18:41–45). Moses interceded, and a nation was spared from destruction (Exo. 32:11–14). Hannah cried out to God, and her reproach was taken away (1 Sam. 1:10–20). Daniel and his friends prayed, and they were delivered from the king’s harsh decree (Dan. 2:12–19). Again and again, we see that prayer is a powerful weapon in the hands of a believer.
The word
When listing the armor of God, the word is described as the sword (Eph. 6:17). Every other piece of the armor is primarily defensive, but the sword is offensive. It is the weapon used to advance, to confront, and to overcome.
“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.”
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NIV
Notice that these battles are often fought in the realm of knowledge. They involve ideas, beliefs, and thoughts that oppose the truth of God. This is where the Word becomes indispensable. Praise, though powerful, does not in itself give knowledge. Even prayer, without understanding, can become misguided. But the word is where we receive truth. It is the foundation upon which every other weapon stands. If you are to confront falsehood, it must be with truth, and that truth is found in the Word of God.
When the devil tempted Jesus, He responded with the Scripture. For everything the devil had to say to Him, He had an “it is written….” on standby. Each temptation was countered with the word, and through it, He secured victory (Matt. 4:1-11).
This is why bible study and committing scripture to memory are non-negotiable for believers. It is a tool for overcoming temptation, discerning truth, drawing strength, and equipment for every good work. It is a tool by which we remain secure in the victory given to us by Christ. Without it, we are vulnerable to all sorts of deception. If you do not know the word, you cannot effectively wield the sword
Even if the battle may be real, the victory is even more real. And God has already equipped us with everything we need to overcome: Praise, prayer, and confession of the word, all offered up in faith.
Faith+blog 