We live by faith, not by sight. 2Corinthians 5:7
If we live by sight then we trust what we see and hear instead of what we believe. We can start to believe the lies of enemy and of this world and soon, the mountain we face is bigger than our God. The Psalmist reminds us of the power of God though and the mountains we face:
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth. Psalm 97:5
But the Word is only active if we activate it. If we wield it. A sword left lying on the coffee table will rust with time. It will become duller with each passing day. Then when the enemy comes seeking a foothold we cannot fight because we have not picked up our weapon in so long. Throughout the Bible God exhorts His people to stay in His Word. From Joshua to Jesus:
Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1: 8-9
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." Matthew 7: 24-27
There are more spiritual weapons given to us by the Lord. Praise ushers in the very presence of God and fasting draws us closer to God through a disciplined life. But prayer and the Word are crucial to war against the schemes and wiles of the enemy and this world. When we pray; we have relationship with God our Father. When we read His Word we are equipped with power. The closing line in the key verses explain how we are to literally fight. The foothold the enemy seeks to develop a stronghold from, starts small beloved. It starts as a thought, a feeling, or a combination. Those thoughts are simply, not of God. If we entertain the thought, we allow the foothold and the progression can begin. One thought leads to another. One feeling feeds off another. Soon the foothold is a stronghold and the enemy seeks to distance us from God and ultimately, doubt Him. The way we fight these attacks is by taking those initial thoughts and feelings and making them obedient to Christ. They are trying to set themselves up in opposition to what we already know and believe. They are trying to set themselves up in opposition to God. There is nothing to be gained by entertaining that which we ought to demolish.
Through prayer and staying in His Word, we strengthen the Spirit within us. Then when the enemy comes in and says we should fear this or that, we know and believe that God did not give us a spirit of fear and that perfect love casts out all fear. When the enemy whispers that God has abandoned us, we know and believe that He will never leave us nor forsake us and that He sticks closer than a brother. When the enemy whispers that you will never amount to anything, we know and believe that we are more than a conqueror. We take the thought that is set up in opposition and make it obedient to what we know and believe. Depressed? We know that in the Lord is fullness of joy. Confused and unsure? We know that His Word is a lamp unto our feet and He will make our paths known before us.
