1By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away! 2 I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 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. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete. (2 Corinthians 10:1 – 6)
Over the last three days, we have certainly seen how the Discipline of Bible Study is key to providing what the world desperately needs – God. Today, we switch our focus to the Discipline of Spiritual Warfare. Will the relevance of this Discipline to A World in Need be as obvious? Let’s consider this over the next two days.
When we speak of a world in need we are, of course, referring to people in need. However, the world can also be defined as the kingdom ruled by Satan. As Christians in Satan’s domain, we are by definition at war, whether we acknowledge it or not.
Please prayerfully read the passage above, and note the presumption that we are at war. Also, note the power God provides and what it is capable of doing.
Questions
- How conscious are you of the spiritual battles around you?
- In what ways might unbelievers benefit from Christians practicing spiritual warfare?