Spiritual Weapons—the Name of JESUS
“For the weapons of our warfare are not worldly by have divine power to destroy strongholds…” 2 Cor 10:3-5
Unconventional warfare demands unconventional weapons. We are fighting a war that is spiritual in nature and consequently, we need spiritual weapons. These are weapons that to the world mean nothing. They wield unseen power against invisible forces. The are divinely powerful and skilled warriors, followers of Jesus need to arm themselves and train themselves in their use.
“At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father…” Phil 2:10-11
The name of Jesus is powerful. Just saying his name puts demonic forces on the run. Psa 138:2 says, “Thou hast exalted above everything Thy name and Thy word.”
It is a re-occurring story that I have heard numerous times. A young or fairly immature believer starts to grow spiritually. As they start memorizing Scripture and begin learning how to pray, at some point they come under direct spiritual attack. When they tell me, they sometimes are embarrassed and can’t explain what happened to them. They awake with a start in the middle of the night. They feel as if the room has grown cold. They fell as if someone is sitting on their chest and trying to suffocate them. You might think that they are having a heart attack, but they are not. They can barely speak. Fear grips them and seemingly paralyzes them. The only thing they can think about, the only prayer that they utter is a plea for help by saying the word, “JESUS”. As they say “Jesus, Jesus” over and over again, the fear dissipates, the coldness leaves, the pressure lessons then disappears. I’ve heard this many times, all from healthy, young males, all officers/ warriors in the military. There is power in the name of JESUS.
Several years ago, after coaching my son’s baseball team, I was out on the street in front of our house talking to one of the other dads. At the top of our street, about ½ block away, three teenagers rounded the corner, making lots of noise, sounding very drunk and out of control. As they started walking down our street, the girl fell and one of the guys fell on top of her. Then, I heard her yell, “Get off of me. Stop what you are doing, Get off of me…” Her voice kept getting louder and louder, approaching what I would call SCREAMING”. Meanwhile, the third guy just stood their watching. From my vantage point, I thought the fellow lying on the girl was trying to rape her. I yelled up at him, “GET OFF OF HER!” There was silence and I yelled again, “GET OFF OF HER NOW!” The fellow who was standing and watching, a guy around 16 or 17, started walking briskly down the street toward me, screaming at me at the top of his voice, every other word a curse word. “What do you care? Who the (BLANKETY BLANK) are you.” His voice kept getting louder and louder as he was quickly approaching me, with a threatening posture. Within seconds, he was right up in my face, asking me again, “What was I and why did I care?”
Just before he got to me, my wife came out to see what the commotion was about. I told her to dial 911 and she left. I shot up prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to fill me and to help me in this confrontation. Immediately, He brought Prov 15:1 to mind, “A harsh word stirs up anger, but a gentle answer turns away wrath.” Very calmly, and in a low, calm voice I said, “I am a follower of JESUS and worship and serve Him. I love that girl and don’t want her hurt and I love you too.”
As soon as I said the name “JESUS”, it was literally like I hit him up the side of the head with a 2X4. He stopped cussing, stopped yelling, and the fierceness in his eyes vanished. He shook his head several times and said, “I’m a Christian too…”
You could have fooled me.
By this time, the fellow who was on top of the girl had gotten up, and they were walking down the street. After witnessing to the fellow who was in my face for a bit, he joined his other two drunken friends and they continued on their journey. The police showed up 45 minutes later and then departed taking a statement from me.
I marveled at how the mention of JESUS calmed a raving, out of control drunk who was uttering vile threats against me. I marvel that at the name of Jesus, demons release their grip on believers. I marvel that at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is LORD.
I pray that you would study and understand and use this powerful name of Jesus. “Hitherto you have asked for nothing in my name, ask and you shall receive that you joy may be full”.