Weapons Of Our Warfare

1 Samuel 17:45 Then said David to the Philistine, ‘Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou has defied.

David, just a young teenager, armed with a sling and a bag of stones, stood before the Philistine giant, Goliath, who towered over six feet and was armed in glorious battle attire. He was imposing, keeping the Israelite army trembling in their boots. But David was not intimidated.

David rejected the cumbersome equipment that Saul tried to dress him in to face the giant. The young man was unfamiliar with such weaponry for he said to the King that he ‘had not tested them.’ Laying the armor aside, David took up the simple tools that had proved worthwhile in killing the enemies that attempted to ravage his flock in the past – a sling and smooth river stones placed in his shepherd’s bag. But the weapons that were most needed David treasured in his heart.

David had something more powerful than weaponry or physical might. He was full of the power of the Lord; confident that the outcome of this battle would be to the glory of God. Full of courage, David declared with unwavering confidence that the Lord would deliver Goliath into his hands, and that he would strike the giant down and cut off his head!

There are times when our enemy seems like an overpowering, unconquerable giant. He rises up looming over us, taunting us with sneers and reminding us of how small and weak we are. He is persistent, just as Goliath was. Scripture tells us that the giant took his stand against the Israelites morning and evening for forty days. The enemy’s attacks are ruthless and relentless. He will attempt to wear us down with his continuous barrage of insults.

1 Samuel 17:49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.

There is a crucial point in this event, we must not forget. Goliath had a point of weakness where the stone struck his forehead, and our enemy has a point of weakness too: he is already defeated. The giants in our life will fall when faced with the weapons of warfare that God has given to His saints. Goliath, like his prominent deity, Dagon, had fallen face down, paying homage to the real God and defender of the Israelite people. And one day soon our enemy will also bow his knee in homage to Christ, the Lord of all.

2 Corinthians 10:4  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.

Like David, we can rise up, stand strong and use the weapons of warfare God gives His saints, to ensure that our enemy will finally fall. Unlike the weapons of this world, that are employed for fighting battles, the weapons we have are spiritual and note that they are MIGHTY. The carnal weapons (ridicule, jealousy, anger, self-pity, lust, insults and violent threats) are ineffective and insipid in comparison. But what is the armor that God has given enabling us to stand against the wiles of the enemy?

Ephesians 6:14-17  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.

We are to put off our old self, belonging to our former corrupt lifestyle, and put on our new self, which is a life of holiness. This new life includes the clothes of a warrior’s battle gear. These are the very weapons that the Lord has given us to wage war against the giants, or the spiritual forces in the Heavenly places. For we are not warring against flesh and blood, but ‘against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.’ (Ephesians 6: 12).

A thorough study of each piece of battle weaponry by every believer is critical to the effective outworking of that armament in our warfare against the Heavenly hosts. A call to being dressed in each piece of armor along with a militant call to keeping alert in prayer is the urgent plea of Paul. We cannot afford to be dressed in anything less. Though listed last, prayer is no less an offensive weapon in the believer’s arsenal. I imagine that David himself, would have earnestly sought the Lord in prayer before his encounter with Goliath, certainly not presuming that his strength and skill alone would result in a victorious outcome.

Let’s heed the call to be dressed in the weapons that God has provided. And let’s heed the call to enter the intense battle that rages around us with purposeful prayer. The victory belongs to the Lord, and He has given us a part to play. May God give us the favor He granted to David as we obey His command to stand firm in the weapons of our warfare and pray without wavering.

‘Heavenly Father, thank You that the battle belongs to You and victory over the enemy is imminent. Help me to stand firm in You, dressed in and using faithfully the weapons of our warfare. In Jesus name, Amen.’