Walking the Walk (2 Corinthians 10:1-6)

Just relax! That's easier said than done. Some people have an innate restlessness that seems infinite. No matter where they are, or what they are doing, their mind refuses to shut down. These people can't sit still, even on their days off. Vacation is just a modified work week in a different setting. I must confess. The reason I can confidently describe those who can't relax is because I am one. It's not that I forget that God is in control. It is more like I'm a hamster on a wheel, and I can't get off. I'm busy doing God's work, and I am passionately serving him. My problem is that I'm the one trying to make things work instead of waiting on God. With all that I am, I want people to come to Christ, and I want our churches to grow. However, I can't make people do what I know they need to do. I need to relax and let the Holy Spirit do his work. For believers, the inability to relax is something that can interfere with God's will. Paul was in the same kind of battle. 2 Corinthians 10 opens with him acknowledging the cynics and critics of his ministry. Some in Corinth were complaining that he was not consistent, and they questioned his apostleship. This passage examines the walk, weapons, and warfare of the believer.

I. The Walk of a Believer

Paul was an intelligent and passionate man. He shared the truth of the Gospel, and sometimes, people did not respond positively. Everywhere he traveled, he would ensue either a riot or a revival. In verse 3, Paul speaks about walking in the flesh. Here, he means walking as a human, not as a fleshly sinner. He is speaking to everyday people. He knew that intelligence and passion was not enough to do the will of the Lord. Three important things believers need in order to do God's will. First, believers need wisdom, but not necessarily a high IQ or a PhD. Believers need the kind of wisdom that I call, the ability to connect the dots. Wise believers can see how God uses many events and people to paint the big picture of their lives. Secondly, believers need spiritual strength. Ephesians 1 tells those who believe that they have the same power and strength that raised Christ from the dead. Last, believers need to keep on keeping on. Paul was a champion of perseverance. He worked hard, was imprisoned several times, flogged, beaten with rods, pelted with stones, and once was shipwrecked. He was often cold, naked, hungry, and thirsty. Yet, none of these trials caused him to give up on God. Paul knew these were not normal attacks, but they were a result of a spiritual war. The warfare of the believer is not hunger, sickness, or mishaps. The warfare of the believer is spiritual, and believers need to use appropriate weapons against the enemy.

II. The Weapons of the Believer

This spiritual warfare is against us because we are believers who are in the ministry of sharing the Gospel. We war against forces that want to tempt, scare, and discourage us. Satan wants interrupt our walk with Christ. He wants to stop us in our tracks. Verse 4 describes our weapons as divinely powerful, but exactly what are they? Moses, Joshua, and Daniel knew about divinely powerful weapons. When Moses approached the Red Sea with Pharaoh's army close behind, what did God say? Be still; the lord will fight for you! When Joshua conquered Jericho, the Lord told him that he had already delivered the city to him, but instructed him to march around the city 6 times in silence, and on the seventh time, to shout. The walls of the city fell, and Joshua was victorious. When Daniel was thrown into the lions' den for praying only to the living God, his prayers for protection were answered. These 3 of many more examples in the Bible show us that our weapons are trust and prayer. We were not meant to battle powerful, demonic forces by ourselves. Matthew 7:7 tells us to ask, seek, and knock. This is not a one time event, or even an occasional event. This is a continuous asking, seeking, and knocking. God will guide and lead your life if you will trust and keep on praying- a sober reminder to be ready at any moment because events happen in an instant.

III. The Warfare of the Believer

Two things to understand about the warfare of the believer. First, spiritual warfare is supernatural. Just because spiritual warfare is supernatural, that doesn't mean it is not real. Like Moses, believers should be still and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's direction. Secondly, our weapons are for the destruction of the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. Since the time of Christ, unbelievers have depended on human reasoning to explain away the things of God. The Pharisees saw the miracles of Christ, yet they explained these events not as miracles, but trickery and magic. Scientists of the last few centuries will not acknowledge that the world and everything in it was made by God, the divine creator. They want to reason that it was the work of a big bang and evolution. By using reasoning and false arguments, unbelievers are convinced that they are right with the world, and some believe, they are right with God. In Paul's day, the Corinthians were wicked, but believed they were right with God. They had no clue that they were losing the battle because they didn't even know they were in a battle. Individuals today are in heart-breaking battles. Even the church of today has many battles. One that stands out in my mind is the battle of complacency. We have become too comfortable with our sporadic attendance and our lack of real service to our communities and our world. The way we win is so simple, and it is found in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." This is the Gospel in simple terms. As soon as we trust God, he becomes our warrior. A simple prayer that we pray every day is this. "Guide and lead our lives today." Keep asking, seeking, and knocking. Trust and pray. That's the walk of the believer. Amen.

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