Weapons of Destruction

Weapons Intro: You ever fell as if it wasn’t for bad luck you wouldn’t have any luck at all? Ever fell like when it rains it pours? Ever make the statement “well it’s bound to get better because it can’t get any worse”. I would think it’s safe to assume we are living in trying times and circumstances are weighing the church down. By church I mean you and I the Body of Christ. There sickness, unemployment, addictions, people struggling financially, marriages falling apart, broken relationships. John 10:10 says The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. Eph 6:12 says For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Church we are at war! Central Truth: I have not yet begun to fight definition Words attributed to the eighteenth-century naval hero John Paul Jones. He was doing battle with a British ship when his own ship was badly damaged, and the British commander called over to ask whether Jones had surrendered. He answered, “I have not yet begun to fight.” He and his crew then captured the British ship. His own ship later sank. Points: How can we be so confident for a victory? 1. The enemy weapons can’t destroy us. Is 54:17 No weapon that is formed against you will prosper There are so many times in our lives where we feel as if there are enemies around every corner. We feel as if there are people out there seeking to harm us – mentally, physically and most importantly, spiritually. I hate to confirm this, but there are. There are people out there who wish harm on you; say awful things about your character; will gossip; will lie; will cheat and steal from you, or on you. Their actions (these weapons) will hurt, will discourage and cause discomfort… …BUT they will not prosper. He [God] isn’t just speaking about guns and knives. He is speaking of any tool used to inflict emotional, physical or spiritual harm upon you He didn’t promise they wouldn’t hurt you. Nowhere in here [Isaiah 54:17] does it say they [the weapons] won’t affect you. No. He says they will not prosper. They will not find success in truly harming or destroying you. You will come out with a few scars; but, stronger, wiser and more connected with the Lord. Look for that connection now; tap into that strength to get you through the battle, because you know through God you have already won the war. You haven’t thrown in the towel yet, have you? I haven’t either. 2. God’s weapons destroys the enemy (our guns are bigger) Paul rights “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 & we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” ( 2 Corinthians 10 : 4,5 ). 2 Cor 10:4 We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds ;) In the spiritual warfare that every Christian believer is involved, several invaluable weapons can be effectively used by him or her to destroy the enemy, however great or powerful the enemy may seem. A. Worship. As soon as we worship the Lord with all our body, mind, spirit, soul and strength and concentrated on Jesus in worship, the presence of the angels of God just increased by leaps and bounds. In the Bible days it was the worshippers that led the army into battle. B. The Blood of Jesus, Rev 12:11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; C. the name of Jesus, James 2:19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. Philippians 2:10, "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;" Mark 16:17-18, "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." D .the Word of God ( Sword of the Spirit), Hebrews 4:12-13 New International Version (NIV) 12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. E. prayers & fasting When the righteous pray fervently, God’s power is released to accomplish much. But, what about those times when the cares of life distract us from seeing our righteous standing before God through Christ and cause us to pray limp prayers that bounce back at us? In such times, our prayers need help. We need a breakthrough in our prayer lives. A biblical key to a breakthrough in our prayer lives is to join fasting with prayer. Jesus told His disciples on one occasion that the reason they could not cast out a particular spirit of infirmity from a demonized lad was because of their unbelief (See: Matthew 17:20-21). A few verses later, He added these words: "But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." The point is that prayer and fasting combined can debunk our unbelief and re-empower our prayer lives. When prayer alone doesn’t work, prayer and fasting will bring the breakthrough. These are the main weapons that every believer can use against the enemy. Illustration: Jesus is Going to Win Vernon Grounds tells of an incident that happened while he was in seminary. Since the school had no gymnasium, he and his friends played basket ball in a nearby public school. Nearby, an elderly janitor waited patiently until the seminarians finished playing. Invariably he sat there reading his Bible. One day my friend asked him what he was reading. The man answered, ‘The book of Revelation.’ Surprised, my friend asked if he understood it. ‘Oh, yes,’ the man assured him. `I understand it.’ ‘What does it mean?’ Quietly the janitor answered, It means that Jesus is gonna win.’” Grounds concludes, “That’s the best commentary I have ever heard on that book Central Truth: I have not yet begun to fight definition

To tell others that there is a God that loves them really goes along way but to show others the love of God speaks volumnes.