He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.
Luke 22:36
How do you fight life’s battles? Right now, millions of people across the world are facing private battles some big, and some small. Battles can strengthen us and sharpen our wits against the enemy and then sometimes battles can destroy us. It all depends on our spiritual stance. Many people are familiar with scriptures that remind us that it is God who fights our battles (2 Chronicles 20:15; 1 Samuel 17:47). And indeed, he does. He fought for his people Israel in the Old Testament and he fights for his children today. But we may be less familiar with scriptures that call upon believers to take up a sword and fight (Ephesians 6:17).
In Luke 22:36, Jesus says to the disciples, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.” There are times dear friends when we must fight. There are times when we must take our stand against the enemy and bring the weight of our salvation through Jesus Christ to bear on the evil situations that assail us. If you have never engaged in spiritual warfare, maybe now is the time to take up that sword and fight! Fight as Daniel fought Goliath (1 Samuel 17: 1-54); fight as the Israelites fought at the battle of Jericho (Joshua 6:1-27).
It is time to take a stand in the victory that has already been won on your behalf and bring God’s word to bear against your enemies. Believe that you have already conquered Satan through the name and the blood of Jesus. Believe that he must flee. Do not relent until he does. That is what a soldier in God’s army must do. Take up your sword and fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
Dear Father, thank you for the victory that is already mine through Jesus Christ, my Lord and my Savior. In the name of Jesus, I command Satan to flee and I receive release from the oppression he has caused in my life. Amen.