"Only the sword of the spirit is a weapon of offense. Yet, a very critical part of defensive warfare is attack, preventive attack. Interestingly also, there doesn’t seem to be any dearth of consistent teaching on the defensive weapons...But from all indications, it is not being taught in full. Why is the whole word of faith not taught as consistently as the other components of the “weapons of our warfare?"
I have been saying that I whole-heartedly welcome the dawn of reality upon church leaders in Nigeria, who have raised the clarion for self-defence among the Christian communities in northern Nigeria where fatal attacks have become regular fare. I have anchored my agreement with this stance on the position that a victor God, Jehovah Sabaoth (the Lord of the Armies of Heaven), can neither give birth to victim children; nor fail to provide for their protection. But I have also emphasised that Kingdom warfare is not about AK40s or rocket launchers or even machetes; but about weapons provided for in the word of God.
I have tried to show from the word of God that the men and women who aggravate us, who join militias or mobs to kill and to maim us, are mere tools in the hands of forces far above them. That, I have said is the import of Apostle Paul’s declaration that 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” (Ephesians 6:12), which in contemporary English reads: “We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world (CEV)”. I have also made the point that it is a recognition of this truth that led the apostle to teach that “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (2 Corinthians 10:4).
I ended the last piece with the example of the Lord Jesus’ encounter with satan in, of all persons, Peter, the apostle, recorded in the book of Matthew, chapter 16. “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter; Get thee behind me, Satan… (verses 21-23).
Two things were pointed out from the account. First and, I quote: “Notice, the Bible says, the Lord Jesus spoke to Peter, but addressed satan. Did Peter suddenly transfigured into satan, or did satan become another name for Peter, like Cephas, for instance? The answer is neither. The Lord, in reacting to Peter’s well-meaning rebuke, saw beyond him; he recognized the one speaking through him. In other words, satan was the enemy, not Peter...”
Secondly, I wrote: “...Jesus knew who the enemy was, satan, a spirit. He knew that a bazooka won’t dislodge it. So, what did He do? He used the appropriate weapon: the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (see Ephesians 6: 17). He used “the weapons of our warfare”, which “are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” He resorted to the word which the Bible assures us is, “is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). God intends that words should be a major weapon of our warfare. It was for the Lord Jesus. That’s why in the book of Revelations, it was said of him that …”out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword” (1:16), and was later described as “he which hath the sharp sword with two edges” (2:12).”
As is clear from all of these, there is a need for us to not just familiarize ourselves with the weaponry, but to really learn to use them until we become so proficient in them that we are always battle-ready. As we have seen, Apostle Paul identified the whole armour of God in verses 14-17 of Ephesian 6 in these words: “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” (emphasis added).
Interestingly, all but the last are defensive weapons. Only the sword of the spirit is a weapon of offense. Yet, a very critical part of defensive warfare is attack, preventive attack. Interestingly also, there doesn’t seem to be any dearth of consistent teaching on the defensive weapons. This is understandable because, they are seen as basic and foundational to our faith. But so is the word and this is widely recognized. But from all indications, it is not being taught in full. Why is the whole word of faith not taught as consistently as the other components of the “weapons of our warfare? Abuse may have been among the reasons, but I wish to categorically state that it’s the enemy at work! This is because once the whole word is taught and grasped and many more of us become proficient, he will score fewer and fewer victories. That scares him. (CONCLUDES NEXT WEEK).
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