"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." Ephesians 6:12 (NIV2011)
"Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses." 1 Timothy 6:12 (NIV2011)
"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings." 1 Peter 5:8-9 (NIV2011)
"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."
2 Corinthians 10:3-4 (NIV2011)
The problem for many believers is that they do not access or pick up the weapons that God has furnished for the battle. They've heard about the weapons, read books about the weapons, and could probably even tell you quite a bit about the arsenal, yet those very same weapons lie in the dirt or neatly packed in the closet of their spiritual life.
Fasting is one of the most unused weapons in the arsenal of the believer. Many Christians know about fasting but somehow relagate it to first century Christians or some form of ancient ritual of self-imposed suffering to gain God's approval.
RIDICULOUS WEAPONS
If you were to examine many of the battle plans in scripture, you would find the strategies used, and the weapons employed, seemed a bit ridiculous. For example, when King Jehoshaphat and the people of Israel were about to be attacked by a vast army, they picked up a few weapons that seemed a bit "ridiculous" yet yielded a miraculous victory. Their weapons of choice were to fast and to sing (2 Chronicles 20). Now what kind of army would weaken their soldiers with fasting and then send in an unarmed choir to the frontlines of the battle? Yet, that's what King Jehoshaphat did.
Singing "Give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever" the choir and army marched into battle. This God-given lyric, a simple yet powerful weapon, led the way to Israel's triumph. Scripture tells us that because of King Jehoshaphat's simple and even ridiculous strategy, the location of the battle was permanently changed to "The Valley of Blessing." God turned a valley of imminent destruction into a valley of blessing through the simplicity of praise! And so it is with you and your journey of faith. During these 21 days of fasting - of PURSUIT - I encourage you to pick up the unused weapons of your arsenal, and then watch as the Lord fights for you.
WEAPONS OF WARFARE
We could define a spiritual weapon as "anything found in scripture that drives back the power of darkness, defeats our spiritual enemies, and establishes the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth." Based on the description here are several weapons found in God's Word:
- Prayer
- Intercession (focused prayer for others)
- Thanksgiving
- Singing
- Giving
- Tithing
- Time in the Secret Place
- Unity
- Praise
- Communion (observing the Lord's Supper)
- Memorizing Scripture
- Forgiving Others
- Resolving Offense
- Declaring the Word
- Binding and Loosing
- FASTING
Take a moment and consider the list of spiritual weapons above. Which ones are you using consistenlty and which ones are laying on the ground, gathering dust or perhaps have never even found their way into your arsenal. Then consider how you might begin taking up some new weapons furing this time of PURSUIT. For those who are new to fasting, let me encourage you to go after God with a Biblical time of fasting and see what He will do on your behalf.
BIG PROMISES
2 Corinthians 10:4 says that "these weapons have divine power to demolish strongholds." This is a huge promise and reality: When we fight God's way with His weapons, demonic forces, strongholds, and barriers are not just pushed back, delayed or discouraged, they are destroyed! Imagine a building being imploded, completely turned to dust. This is what "demolish" means. This is the power available when we utilize the weapons we've been given. Those fortresses of despair or barricades of unworthiness that have limited your future in God are on the brink of being blown to bits as you step into the season of fasting and prayer!
MEMORY VERSE: 2 Corinthians 10:4 (NIV2011) "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the
contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."
PRAYER DIRECTIVE: As we spend time with the Lord, let's ask Him to reveal to us the weapons that we have neglected or perhaps have yet to discover. Ask Him to show you what the battle plan is for this time of fasting and prayer, this time of PURSUIT. Strategy is as important as our willingness to fight. God is the one who releases diving strategy as we wait on Him. Ask the Lord if there is a specific weapon that you need to use today. It might be even look like a "ridiculous" weapon, but who knows, you could be a simple song away from a breakthrough!
Adapted from "Pursuit", by Dave Patterson, 2019, The Father's House.
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