Last week we moved through three chapters, but this week we were only able to get through six verses! 1 Corinthians 10:1-11 is all about waging spiritual warfare, which we are all engaged in everyday! V.1-2 – Waging spiritual warfare begins with a proper heart attitude. Our example is the Lord Jesus Christ, and the meekness and gentleness he displayed in his life – 1 Corinthians 2:1-5. It is coupled with boldness, as Paul had to defend himself against “some” in the church who spoke against him, accusing him of walking according to the flesh, the old Adamic, fallen nature we are all born into. A good soldier knows how and when to use the training they have been given to achieve their objective. V.3 – Spiritual warfare is not fought in the strength of the five senses – touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. We may use them to alert us to the danger that is always present, but spiritual warfare goes much deeper. We are in the world, but we are not of the world. We are in the darkness, but we are not of the darkness. V.4 – Warfare is not an occasional skirmish, but a campaign – a long drawn out battle plan devised to defeat the enemy. The weapons of our warfare are not physical, but mighty! Paul goes into great detail about our armor and weapons in Ephesians 6:10-18. 1. Humility is one of the chiefest weapons we must learn to use. Philippians 2:5-8 Pride plays right into the hands of the wicked one – the devil. He is the king of all the children of pride. Job 41:34 Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:12-18 reveal that Lucifer was filled with pride that caused his downfall. It is the first sin ever recorded! He said “I will” five times in Isaiah 14. Ezekiel 28 describes his heart as being lifted (pride), and iniquity was found in him. We must protect ourselves from attempting to defeat our enemy with the same weapon he uses. Humility is a realistic view of yourself from God's perspective. It is manifested in meekness – an inner strength that enables you to respond with gentleness and steadfastness in the midst of opposition, criticism, or rejection. It grows out of being able to see yourself as God sees you. 2. The Sword of the Spirit – the Word of God applied into our lives. Ephesians 6:17 3. Agape Love (charity) – unconditional love is the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives. 1 Corinthians 13 4. Prayer – the heavy artillery of spiritual warfare. Even from a distance, spiritual warfare is usually won on our knees. Ephesians 6:18 We must be actively engaged in pulling down the strongholds of our lives – those things which hold tightly to, that prevent us from being the good soldier we have been called to be. V.5 – Memory is both a joy and a curse in each of us. We rejoice in fond memories and we can become despondent over bad memories. Satan loves to use our past failures to defeat us in the present. This is danger of psychology, which uses past hurts to discern one's current emotional state without bringing those past hurts / thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ! V.6 – Self-examination is critical to being a good soldier. Learn from your past failures in order to succeed in the current battle you are in. Revenge disobedience through obedience! The key ingredient is a repentant heart attitude – putting on the Lord Jesus Christ and his attributes of obedience, meekness, and humility in our daily battles we face. 2 Timothy 2:3-4: Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
