There are some people who don’t like surprises of any kind. They don’t want surprise ingredients in their foods, don’t want surprise birthday parties, spontaneous trips, or surprise gifts. The idea of being presented with anything unexpectedly is a no-go for them, and they are not amused. The irony is that in life, some surprises simply can’t be avoided, and these are the ones all of us dislike. We have a dastardly evil enemy who studies our weaknesses and waits for the most inopportune, unsuspecting moment to blindside us. We are sometimes totally caught off guard by situations when our defenses are down. People that we thought were friendly start coming for us in the worse way. Relationships fall apart, and our pocketbooks become tighter and tighter. And these are sometimes just the beginning of the enemy’s game-plan, but they are not the weapons, and we make a huge mistake when we think they are.
In Isaiah 54:17, in the Old Testament, God told His people that no weapon formed against them would prosper. He didn’t say that the weapon would not be formed, but assured them that if it was, it would not prosper. It is important that we understand who forms the weapon, what it is formed of, and what it is used to do. It’s not a surprise to the believer that the devil forms the weapon against God’s people. When examining exactly what is used to form this weapon, we must be clear that it isn’t metal, iron, or wood. It’s not people, relationships, money, or sickness.
Every weapon that is formed against us is forged from our own doubt and fears. It is made from a set of circumstances that are sometimes so far off our radars that we would never suspect an upset to our plans. It is typically an area where we’ve not trusted God as fully as we have in other aspects of our existence. In Job 3:25, Job said that the very thing he feared had overtaken him, and that the thing he dreaded had come true. If it were left to us, none of us would ever allow those doubts and fears to come to the surface, but it isn’t left to us. Studying us, just as he did Job, the devil tests and tempts using people and situations. What is the purpose of this? To scope our greatest vulnerabilities and get us to act on our doubts and fears, so that we will re-act to what he’s done.
The weapon is formed as soon as we re-act. Therefore, it’s not the external person or situation that gets us. It’s the internal doubt and fear that bubbles to the surface. This is the material he uses to form the weapon. God tells us that no weapon formed against us will prosper, yet, we behave in these situations as if it we haven’t received this Word. We re-act in fear, which demonstrates a mindset that makes the problem greater than the promise Heavenly Father has made to us.
The devil doesn’t know your thoughts, he reads your actions. If we start to panic at the appearance of a small dart, he then knows where and how to aim, and will continue to do so until we resist by standing on the promises of God’s Word in faith. To see this in action, let’s examine Paul’s instruction when a believer in the Corinthian church allowed the devil to use him. The members got upset and were about to lower themselves to the level of this man’s wayward behavior, but Paul stepped in and made it clear that this was a trick of the enemy. It was a bluff, and Paul kept it from becoming a weapon by telling them in 2Corinthians 2:10-11(NLT), “When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.”
Weapons are for warfare, and they are used to both injure and defend. We are children of the King. God would never have us in a position without armor that is fail-proof and able to stand against any and every trick the enemy pulls. Let’s not cower in fear, respond in anger or fright, or lose it in any way over a bluff of the enemy. If we do this, we will tell him exactly where our weakness lies. Let’s be strong and filled with courage because we trust God with all our hearts.
Heavenly Father is fully committed to us overcoming fear and doubt. Life is in Christ, for he tells us in John 14:6 that he is the way, the truth, and the life! This allows us to know that life is indeed a dynamic reality. Life will always and forever move us in the direction of the truth, and anything that isn’t the truth will be exposed. When it is, and we are hit with something we didn’t see coming, we don’t acquiesce to the level of doubt and fear. God is with us even in the middle of our darkest hour. Weapons that are formed will not prosper, but our faith can’t be sitting on the sidelines somewhere.
Ephesians 6:12 tells us that our real enemy is not a flesh and blood person. Our real enemy is the devil and demonic forces that were kicked out of heaven with him. God has given us spiritual weaponry to fight the weapons of a spiritual enemy. He tells us to put on His armor, so that we stand on the authority of Jesus Christ. We don’t have to lift a finger in this battle, for the battle has already been won. Our responsibility and privilege is to stand in victory with the faith God has given us.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“No Weapon!!!”, written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2019. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.