Overcoming Weapons of War
Pastor J. R. Wilhite, author
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The first page of this study is a review of a previous study, "Weapons of War". This is needed to ensure the results of this study. * It is also highly recomended that you read "Weapons of War" if you have not done that yet. 2 Corinthians 10 (KJV) 4. (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5. Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; Paul said it best above, casting down imaginations. So what does he mean? The source of forced thoughts is Satan. That is right; Satan is forcing thoughts on us 24/7. Have you ever had a thought or said something, only to wonder, "Where did that come from." That thought was one Satan was pushing on you; he was trying to get you to blow it. There is only one way to get the thoughts of God over those of Satan; and that is to seek them. Before I share how and why that is, we should delve further into what Paul said. In 2 Corinthians 10:4, he said our warfare is not carnal, not of the flesh. The actual word in the Greek is "sMarkikos": Strong's Ref. # 4559 Romanized sMarkikos Pronounced sar-kee-kos' from GSN4561; pertaining to flesh, i.e. (by extension) bodily, temporal, or (by implication) animal, unregenerate: KJV--carnal, fleshly. Since our warfare is not of the flesh, that only leaves the soul and the spirit. God would not allow it to be something we are not of yet. Therefore, that leaves the soul (your soul is your mind, will, and emotions). Do not confuse the "brain" with the "mind". The brain stores data; the mind is where it is actually used. So for Paul to say casting down imaginations that would mean that we have imaginations we do not need. "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God," Not only do we cast down these imaginations, but we are to take every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God. Then, bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. So there are imaginations that are not of God; and that only leaves Satan. For those who do not know it, imaginations include thoughts. Paul used imaginations because they include thoughts; the other way around would not include imaginations. We are to take each thought, imagination into captivity that is not of the knowledge of God. This sounds like a full time job, does it not? At first, it is not easy; but in time it does get easier and takes less and less time. Matthew 17 (KJV) 18. And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. John 14 (KJV) 12. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. James 4 (KJV) 7. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. The idea is - on your own, you cannot do this but with God's help, you can.
There is no such thing as an original thought, and if you are totally honest with yourself, you will realize it. Every thought you have had or will have has already been thought before you were born; and will be thought again. So, what is the big deal, and what does it have to do with what Paul said? We get our thoughts from one of two sources only. One source forces thoughts on us all the time; the other source we have to seek.
Understand all sin, all wickedness, all things we do, we wish, or things we did not do, first started as a thought. All thought we can either cast down or dwell on; and make it ours. Once we adopt that thought, it will then come out of our mouths and eventually manifest as an action.
{Remember what will judge us in the end}
Matthew 12 (KJV)
36. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
37. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
{Where do all words come from? All words start as a thought.}
Your mind feeds your emotions and will. If your will is strong, it is because you have chosen the right thoughts that strengthened your will. With a strong will, your mind will become even stronger. Then the day will come when you will even rule over your body.
The idea is this we can be divided by our thoughts; and we continue to be. Here are some examples: Society, race, religion, etc. In the flesh and based on these, we can see division. Are there divisions in the spiritual, which we cannot see?
John 4 (KJV)
24. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Everything of the Spiritual (which is of God) comes first from the spiritual to our spirit; to our mind; then out our mouths; and into actions. Satan can divide us in our thoughts by forcing his thoughts on us; also in every other way.
Matthew 12 (KJV)
25. And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
Surely, you have experienced someone getting offended at something you said or did; and you could not understand why. Why is that? Because it was not what you said that caused the offense, as much as it was the way Satan was manipulating the person's thoughts by planting offense. Does this mean that we are free to say whatever? No, never does it mean that. However, it does show that when we are offended, we should imediately look at what offended us. Moreover, we should make sure to get it out before we dwell on it; and it causes even more walls in.
The idea of offense or strife is to divide us from each other but more importantly to divide us from God.
Remember Jesus said:
Luke 12 (KJV)
51. Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
52. For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.
53. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Strong's Ref. # 1267
Romanized diamerismos
Pronounced dee-am-er-is-mos'
from GSN1266; disunion (of opinion and conduct):
KJV--division.
What would cause this? When people are aligned with God in their thoughts, they are divided from those whose thoughts are of Satan. That is the spiritual of course. In the physical, the son physically turns the father in and so on during the last days; this is because of their belief.
We must be on our guard.
If we get our thoughts in line with God, seek His thoughts, and cast down those of this world and Satan, then the will and emotions will grow in line with the mind. As the will gets stronger in this, then the flesh will get in line; and we will overcome the flesh.
We fail in controlling the flesh because we try to do so with thoughts forced on us of Satan. Satan is liar. He will tell us we cannot control the flesh. When we do not realize our thoughts come from Satan (forced on us), we believe the thought is ours and we accept it as ours. Then, we fail; and this happens to us in everything of God. If you look at all the promises of God, they all are being blocked by our thoughts (doubts), forced there by Satan. "Force" in this instance does not mean the same as someone forcing their way into your home, their violation in that is apparent. Instead, force in this case means - if we knew about it, we would not want it; he knows this, and still he does it.
Most people, if not all, can be easily offended by the idea they are agents of Satan. It does not matter to them that you have pointed out they were doing this without realizing it. Instead, we must candy coat things to make it more digestible. This is especially apparent when it deals with just where offense starts in the mind.
Think about it; since birth, we have all been receiving and accepting thoughts as our own, and they were not. If we thought it, it must be our thought, right? However, now you should realize that is a lie straight from Hell itself and the author of lies. Satan has continuously forced his lies since we were born; we are now addressing this at ages ranging from 12 to 112. That means we are up against years and years of lies. I am 51 now; that means I have 51 years of lies in me, and that every thought or at least the majority were not mine at all. Satan is very devious. Since we did not know and fully understand what he was doing, he was able to plant thoughts, and then pervert them later to his use.
Now that we know it we need to get the lie out and here is the list:
YES HE DOES.
NO, THEY ARE NOT.
NO IT WAS NOT, it was Satan trying to keep you out of the picture.
NO, IT DOES NOT.
NO, IT DOES NOT.
I cannot say, because I am just discovering who I really am.
No, it was you, but the original thought that started it was not you. However,
when you dwelled on it and made it yours, then it was you. But, it was not meant
to be yours or you at all.
NO, NO, NO, no one is to old or to young.
NO, it will only take a long time if you do not get on it and stay on it now.
The idea here is that we have been under the influence or and manipulated by Satan our entire lives until now. Understand, he does not force his ways on us all the time; he is not God, so he has limitations. Since he is limited, he can be overpowered; so, he can be defeated. Actually, he was already defeated at the cross by Jesus for us. Now it is our turn to take what Jesus did for us and put it to good use. When you become a risk of going over to God, then Satan will zero in on you. If you may be close to discovering the truth, he will zero in on you.
Most of the time, our thoughts are in reaction to our environment. Television, movies, music, school, family, friends, and the world itself are elements that have been preset to get us collectively to believe different lies. Satan cannot impose his thoughts on everyone at the same time. Therefore, he has the world set up to keep us in line; he does this through the comunities in which we live, in our entertainment, etc. When we seem as though we may step out of line, he then will get involved.
Of course, through our lives, he has planted thoughts for one of two reasons:
This bears repeating - We need to take all thoughts that are negative in any form (offense, strife, guilt, depression, feeling bad about ourselves, etc) and analyze them. Then, we must be sure we need to deal with them at all; or just cast them down. Now almost all of my thoughts of offense and strife will be cast down; but I am offended at what Satan is doing to me. This is one of the few times that offense is good. That is because it keeps me on my guard.
More often than not, Satan uses guilt to keep us off guard and out of the way. Sometimes, the guilt may be from something real that we did. If this is the case, we should deal with that; the rest should be cast down. What guilt should we deal with and how? It is when it deals with something we know is wrong and we continue to do so. We need to deal with the issue causing the guilt. We look at what we did, and then we try to not do it again. However, that is as far as the guilt should go. Guilt should be like a pain in the back - a sign of something we are doing wrong, so we can correct it. Then it (guilt) should go away. Satan will use guilt to trip us up and get us tied up in self-pity, doubt, or shame.
You see, we are all good people who have had evil forced in our lives. It has even been planted in the flesh itself (for more about the seed of sin in the flesh read the study "God's Plan"). We should take all things that do not line up with the word of God and cast them down. Conversely, if they line up with the word of God in a forgiving and non-judgmental way as well as in His Love, then we keep them. Regardless, we need to be sure we are hearing from God to verify the truth. Satan has hidden knowledge from us.
We have learned that "Christ" is not the last name or title of Jesus. Instead, it describes who Jesus is in the Spiritual. Christ means, "anoint". In Luke 4:18, Jesus said He was anointed with the Spirit of God. To be "of Christ" is to have God, in us, on us, and all the way through us. We should be dripping of the Spirit as sponge drips water from it. The sponge is anointed in water, when it is so full of water it is dripping water from it. If we are anointed in the Spirit this way, the lie will not be found in us. From this, we have learned that to be of Christ or the body of Christ, we must be anointed with the Spirit of God. That cannot be if Satan manipulates us in our thoughts. For the anointing to work in, on, and through us, we must be 100% in-line with the thoughts of God, not Satan.
Before any of you get offended, I am not any more in-line than you are; I am just learning this as well. Remember, Satan is a liar, and his number one tool is deception. He has been around a lot longer than any of us. Moreover, Satan stood in the presence of God for a lot longer than any of us will ever live in the flesh. Honestly speaking, very few are likely to admit that Satan continues to deceive us. Anyone not willing to admit that Satan does this should stop reading right now; because this study will be a waste of your time. Like everything in life, there is always the truth at the base. We have all heard that a person addicted to booze or drugs must first admit he/she is addicted, before they can even start on the path of deliverance from the addiction. From there, they must have support groups and stay on their guard 24/7 to avoid falling into the temptation that will always be there.
We are the same way; to overcome we must:
1 John 4 (KJV)
1. Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
{At the beginning, you can confuse your own thoughts (thoughts Satan will try to place) and think you are hearing from God. When you hear from God and hear that yes, you will know it is God.}
John 10 (KJV)
1. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
2. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
4. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
Matthew 12 (KJV)
43. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
44. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
45. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
John 5 (KJV)
14. Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
Some will try to tell you that you cannot hear from God; that the Bible is the voice of God. That is a lie, and they do not realize they have accepted the lie from Satan. However, it is a lie. Nowhere in the Bible does it say the word of God is His voice. "…The Word became flesh and dwelt amoung us…" - (John 1:14). The Word (Jesus) then told the apostles He would leave but He would send another, the comforter, the Holy Spirit. He said we would be taught all things…(not just of God) by the Holy Spirit; and "…all things taught will be brought back to remembrance..." - (John 14:26). There are many, many verses that talk about hearing from God. Think about the arrogance that a person must have to believe God can listen to and answer 6+ billion people and their prayers, but not talk to them. What father does not want their child to listen to them?
Matthew 7 (KJV)
9. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10. Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much
more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
{God is our heavenly Father, do not limit Him}
There are those who say due to predestination, it is all done and we cannot do anything. In respect to the overall picture, that may be true. This is not because God set it in stone; but because He saw forward, and only told what He saw.
Question: Could God make a rock so heavy He could not lift it?
Answer: Yes, then He would lift it. It is not that He lied, but that nothing is impossible for God.
Some of us are going to greatness, and others are not; they will appear to be vessels of honor, and some are not. We can make a difference, maybe only in our own lives; but we can. We should and we better while we have the chance. Imagine spending your entire life with needs of funds and never seem to have enough. Then your last day, having nothing to lose, you really look around for the first time. You suddenly notice a stone in the back yard, which was previously not visible, unless you really looked. Moreover, you discover that it is worth a king's ransom, and it has been there all along. How sad…that is what our life with God is like. We are so busy with life that we miss the most important thing(s). Of all the things you will ever own; which of them will last 100, 500 or 1000 years from now?
{What God offers is eternal; not just for the next life, but this one as well}
Here are some of the questions I have had, since realizing just how much my thoughts were not my own.
You see, these are some of the questions planted in us by the world. We want a nice home, furniture, car, televisions, etc. However, is that what we really want? How many times have you bought something to later wonder why you ever bought it in the first place?
Think of the following:
Are we that flaky and shallow? I do not think so, now.
Faith is something that only comes by hearing (see Romans 10:17). Remember, I said there is a physical and spiritual side to every verse. We understand the physical side; however, we are only starting to learn the spiritual side is even there. Physically, we hear the word, and faith comes. That supports the faith in us; that which we hear Spiritually from God. Spiritually, it is hearing it from the Spirit, as we hear it in the physical.
There are two segments of this study remaining. The next one is "the promises of God and why we do not get them" I will use Mark 11:22-26 to show you why we do not get the promises.
Mark 11 (KJV)
{Faith comes by hearing two ways (physically and spiritually). To hear spiritually, you must be in line with your thoughts. So no faith, the promise is still waiting to come to you.}
{Doubt is a seed planted in our mind and that best serves Satan.}
{Believe, yes; but first you must know what your true desires are; not the ones you think you know}
Forgive…I cannot do that; that man raped and killed my child! What can anyone get from unforgiveness except hatred? Unforgiveness is a sign of judging.
But, we are told to judge, we are told to look at their fruits and judge them by their fruits, right?
Matthew 7 (KJV)
16. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
No, we are not told to judge; we are told we "…know them by their fruits". Think about this - The sun is up; and you look outside and see the sun. Are you judging the sun by saying, " I saw the sun up so I know it is up"? The same thing is true here -You see a person killing another person; you see the fruit of their action. That does not mean that person (the killer) cannot be saved and helped; it just means at that moment Satan is in control and not God.
Conversely, if you see the fruit of the spirit, you know they are of God. That is the only true fruit. There is only way someone can produce all nine of the fruit of the Spirit in their life where it is evident to others. That is if they have the Spirit in, on, and through them. When James said, "…show me your faith and I will show you my works…" he was saying my faith produces the works in my life. He is not saying "works producing the faith" or "the faith alone left alone to do the works". With all things of God, they will produce good works; not of man, but of God.
Galatians 5 (KJV)
22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23. Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Which would you rather have?
Did you choose option #2? You see, if you have love, joy, and peace, the rest will come. Personally, what I truly want in life is not a new car or home, but God's love, joy, and peace. Moreover, with those in place, the car and home will be there as well. They just will not be as important as before; they will finally be in their place in my life.
The best way to grow is one that will offend and send most running away. This must be best; why else would Satan have put so much time and effort into getting people so turned off by it…unless it presents a problem for him.
Mark 4 (KJV)
3. HeMarken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
4. And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
5. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and imediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
6. But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
7. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
8. And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
9. And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
10. And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
11. And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
12. That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
{They cannot see because they only have physical eyes to see; and not spiritual eyes. The same holds true for hearing; they only have physical ears with which to hear.}
13. And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
14. The sower soweth the word.
15. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh imediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
16. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, imediately receive it with gladness;
17. And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, imediately they are offended.
18. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
19. And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
20. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
Malachi 3 (KJV)
11. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.
Mark 4 (KJV)
4. And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
Re-read Mark 4 and then re-read Malachi 3:11 and understand in the word "fold" should be construed as percentage. The idea is - a person may get 30% or even 60% of the word; but to get 100%, there is only one way; that is if someone is rebuking the devourer of your ground so it is good and that which is planted will grow. To know what this is look up Malachi 3:9-12.
Reading one verse at a time may be the only way to read the Bible and understand it. One verse at a time, instead of reading by chapters or books at a time, will help you to grow. Do not rush by trying to do it all in a day, a week, or a month. Instead, take a verse, read it, and then seek God's understanding of it both the physical and the spiritual sides. DO NOT move on to the next verse until you have that one deep in you. This is how I have learned the most…one verse at a time.
Here is one example of how I learned the power and importance of reading the Bible one verse at a time. I read a verse that referred to others raising with Jesus on the third day and going into the Holy City. This got my attention. The reason most do not catch it, is because like so many verses in the word of God, they can easily be missed if not read with the Spirit and one verse at a time.
Matthew 27 (KJV)
52. And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53. And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
When Jesus died due to sin, He went to Hell. However, the sin was not His; so, it could not remain on Him. When the sin fell off, Jesus would not have remained in Hell. He spent three days, one day for each year He ministered, and preached and those who believed followed Him out of the grave. Those, who did not believe, remained not in Abraham's bosom, but in Hell.
John 5 (KJV)
25. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
26. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
27. And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
28. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Romans 10 (KJV)
9. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
(How can anyone read all God has done and put up with from us and not see Him for total love and salvation?}
Luke 16 (KJV)
19. There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21. And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23. And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
28. For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
In Luke 16, Jesus told a true story; it was not a parable. It is important to note that before Jesus, there was Abraham's Bosom and Hell, which were only separated by a gulf. The law was meant to serve two purposes: (1) to point out sin and (2) to help those who would try to go some where other than Hell until God got His plan (Jesus) in place (on the earth).
Why did God not do it day 1?
Because of us, God had to bring Jesus into this world via a woman. To do so meant the chosen woman would have to have faith and agree. To get to that point, it took time to plant His word in the earth and help mankind grow in faith.
Luke 1 (KJV)
38. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
On a closing note, search in the New Testament for every verse that has "Spirit" in it. See how many times we are told to follow, listen, and be obedient to the Spirit.