good morning and welcome. This is pastor lucy painter with your daily insights and we continue with our service On Monday which is day 11 of this series of battles frontline, we saw the Lord instructing the inside that during their battle with the northern kings they were to cripple the horses in pan or the chariots of the enemy. And we say that the reason for this was so that they do not associate their victory with their wits and craftiness so that they would learn to rely on the Lord and on his promises. We give a few examples of how we justify taking the devil's weapons and tools and using them to our advantage. And we concluded that we are fighting on a level that calls for absolute obedience to the word of the Lord, an absolute trust in the Lord.

Today we are going to look at some more instruction for the spiritual warfare we are engaged in as believers. These were the words of a postal paul to the Church of Corinth. Second Corinthians 10 was 3-5 says for though we walk in the Flesh, we do not war again. Next according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. Bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of christ. We said yesterday that our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against Principalities, against powers, against the rulers of Darkness of this world and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

But the fact that we are not engaged in a physical battle doesn't make it less real. We are waging war against an unforgiving remorse, less and a powerful spiritual enemy. And we're fighting this barrel while in a physical world where craftiness, ingenuity, personalities, organizing abilities, and other weapons of the flesh which impress people cannot work in the battle we are in. And that's why Paul admits that he works in the flesh in the same sense that we all do. He admits that he is as flesh and blood as the rest of us. He struggled with the same things that the Corinthians was struggling with. He was subject to inform it ease of human nature. But be that as it may, paul did not wage war as the world does.

He refused to use the can of weapons at his disposal. And I don't think he was talking about chariots, horses, spears, and swords. I think he was talking about the same things we were talking about on monday, paul was renouncing the manipulative and dishonest ways that his adversaries were using. He refused to defend his apostolic credentials, using the same kind of means that his opponents were using. He knew that the only way to bring down stronghold. The only way to put an end to beliefs and perceptions that contradicted his knowledge of God and his understanding of the nature of God was through spiritual weapons and the weapons he described in a fashion 6, 14 - 17. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the Gospel of Peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit.

This is what it takes to fight in the spiritual warfare. We are in not wildly power, not shows of authority and personal achievement. This battle is not won with smooth words and scheming. And paul followed in the footsteps of Jesus, about whom it is said in Philippians two verse 6-8, that even even been in the form of God, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death. Even the death of the cross, you see, jesus way to victory was not the can away he did not engage in domination. Is shows he did not go around trying to outmaneuver and manipulate people. He was through humble obedience to God. He humbled himself. He let himself die. So that God's power of rez election would be manifested in him.

So that victory of a sin would be achieved. So that God's work through him would be a testament to his lordship. And you know, we said yesterday that this is a battle that has been fought on a different fronts and on different levels. And I will say today that unless we are willing to humble ourselves, Unless we are willing to die to self, Unless we become willing to give up fighting spiritual barris on Kano levels, we are fighting a losing battle. The world may think we look ridiculous in the army of in the armor of God. Yes, the world may even scorn the weapons the Lord gave us to fight with the world may not understand how you can remain calm in the situation you're in. They may not understand how you can still believe in God after so many years of suffering. They may not get how you Neil and pray over something that everyone else is taking shortcuts to get.

They may not get that place of truth, righteousness, in the word of God in the free world. They may not understand the role of faith, Salvation of the spirit of God in a world where everyone is free to do as they please. But we believers, we do understand the point of all this. We know that we wield a great weapon, a great power. It's only this power, the power of God that can pull down the strongholds. It's only the power of God that can cut out the stubborn roots that our cannon nature has set down in our hearts and our minds. It's only the spiritual weapons that can tear apart the kind of veil that clouds our actions and thinking. It's only these weapons that can bring lies to the thinking that sets arguments against the mind and the methods of God.

It's only the weapons of the spirit of God that can pull down the stronghold of our carnal wisdom and expose its worthlessness in the spiritual welfare we are in for this is the only way to win the battle against the Kano way of thinking and doing among the believers. There is no other way to make our thoughts and hearts captive and obedient to the Lordship of jesus than this. There is no other power by which we can take Dominion of our Conaway's. Other than this, there is no other power by which we can be transformed by the renewing, renewing of our minds. Other than this, this is my prayer with the Lord help us to identify the strongholds that we face every day. May he help us to identify the spiritual playing in which the true enemy is fighting so that we may respond as the Lord would have as a respond.

May the Lord help us to recognize where the enemy has come and set his defenses so that we may bring them down. May the Lord give us the strength to combat false doctrines and hear us is we arm ourselves in the spirit to conquer and occupy the regions that the enemy has occupied for so long. May the Lord help us to conquer every argument. Every false logic and speculation that underestimate the redeeming power of God. How I pray mm Oh how I pray, this is my prayer with the Lord help us. May the Lord help us. I just wanna post this so that you can pray to because we need the Lord to help us. How I pray that we do not let the disappointments of this life make our hearts fatal grounds for lies.

How I pray that we do not see control of our lives to see two lies or cults and forgiveness and anything else that the devil may use as the roots of his strongholds. May we learn to prayerfully probe our lives for those battle grounds for those struggles and unhealthy patterns and tear them down. May the Lord help us to a binding him to remain steadfast and unseasoned in this spiritual warfare. In jesus mighty name. I believe that you have prayed with me in jesus name. Amen this is pastor, lucy painter with your daily insights and this is battles frontline data attain shalom.