2 Timothy 2:22-26
Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and
peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 Don’t
have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know
they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome
but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Opponents
must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance
leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their
senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive
to do his will.
We all face adversity because of our faith in Jesus. It’s important to
understand that the source of this conflict isn’t our coworkers,
or anti-Christian cultural crusaders, or other religions. The real source
of the opposition we face is Satan and the demonic forces.
2 Corinthian 10:3-5
3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world
does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the
contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish
arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge
of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
The good news is our weapons are much more effective than our
enemies’ weapons and we don’t just use them defensively. Our
weapons don’t just give us an edge, they demolish strongholds.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may
be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Our weapons don’t destroy, they equip us for every good work that
we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to accomplish. God’s word is the
most powerful weapon of all, at any time in history. God’s word is
eternally effective and will lead us down the right path even in when
we’re engulfed in the fog of spiritual warfare.
What is the Holy Spirit saying to you through these scriptures?