Awake in the DawnSample

EFFECTIVE WEAPONS

WORD

We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:3–5

THOUGHT

When it comes to dealing with the enemy, we are instructed by Scripture not to engage defensively or offensively in our natural abilities. Our worldly weapons prove worthless as we wage war on the supernatural. The battle belongs to the Lord, and his methods against the enemy manifest differently than the strategies formed in the minds of people. In fact, God’s ways often appear unrealistic and impractical. However, if they are the methods of God, they will prove effective.

Napoleon Bonaparte, the famous and often quoted military strategist, said this concerning Christ: “I know men, and I can tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man,” and “between him and every other person in the world, there is no possible term of comparison.”

Napoleon, along with many other historical military figures before him and after him, founded empires through the use of force. Jesus Christ, however, establishes his kingdom through love. He is no mere man. God’s ways are not our ways, and his “weapons” that lead him to victory are not our weapons.

PRAYER

Father, teach me your ways, so I might see the things in my life that are obstacles to bringing you glory fully destroyed. Thank you that you are all-knowing and all-loving. I rejoice in being able to serve the one true God, who builds his lasting kingdom on the foundation of love and mercy. Amen.

And don’t let us yield to temptation