(I wish I had written this!)
“Don’t Be the Target – Be the Weapon” *
by Kim Potter, Dayton, Tennessee
“I don’t know about your experience, but the past several weeks have been a challenge for me.
Once again, I have been personally pressing through some areas I thought I had already overcome. It has not been fun.
One night, over the weekend, I was sitting, reading and thinking. I was thinking about how this thing I thought was over had crept up again, and how I was, once again, fighting symptoms. I was praying and asking God if I had opened a door somewhere to allow this attack.
My granddaughter, Brailee, was sitting beside me playing with a toy. We were not talking. I had not shared how I was feeling with anyone. As God often does, He spoke to me through her, a little ten-year-old girl.
She looked over at me, in the midst of my silent questioning, and said these words: “Nana, if you don’t want to be the target, then you will have to be the weapon.”
In stunned silence, I just looked at her. I asked, “What did you say?” She simply repeated her sentence and continued to play.
If you don’t want to be the target, be the weapon. In other words, get off the defensive and run at your enemy…like David did.
The Bible tells us, in 1 Samuel 17, that David picked up five smooth stones and ran at his enemy. This was no normal enemy; he was a giant, the most feared in the land. Still, David knew the power of his God and he was not afraid.
As I pondered on the words of Brailee, God took me to this story of David and Goliath. I began to think about the weapons—the five smooth stones.
Here is what I feel God is showing me…
Five Smooth Weapons – What Would They Be?
1. The Word of the Living God
“For the Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)
“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God endures forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)
The Word of God is the final say. Remember, Jesus Himself, when tempted by the devil, declared, “IT IS WRITTEN…” (see Matthew 4:4). He stood firm on what the Word of God says, and so must we.
2. Prayer
“…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16)
“And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him.” (1 John 5:14-15)
Pray without ceasing. Prayer is our connection to God. We know if we continue in prayer, God hears us. We cannot stop praying, and we cannot stop believing in the power of our prayers.
3. Fasting
“So He said to them, ‘This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.'” (Mark 9:29)
“…that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:18)
“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?” (Isaiah 58:6)
There are times when we must add fasting to our prayers, and if there was ever a time for fasting, I believe that time is now.
4. Communion
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:26)
“Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is My Blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'” (Matthew 26:26-28)
“And He took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.’ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in My Blood.'” (Luke 22:19-20)
There is great power in communion. As we take communion, we partner with all Jesus did at the Cross. I have witnessed the power of communion breaking attacks in my own personal life. If you don’t take communion often, you may consider making this part of your weekly time with God.
5. Peace
“Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.” (2 Thessalonians 3:16)
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3)
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27)
Peace is a weapon. Just as fear is a weapon of the enemy, peace is God’s weapon. A person who walks in continual peace is hard to devour. Make peace one of your weapons. Refuse—absolutely refuse—fear and confess and declare peace daily.
These are the weapons God has shown me. I am sure there are many more. Remember, David picked up five stones, but it only took one. One of these weapons will hit the mark and bring down our enemy. It did with Jesus, it did with David, and it will with us. God is no respecter of persons.
There are, indeed, giants standing before us. It can no longer be denied. The only question is…will we be the target or the weapon? For me, I choose to be the weapon! How about you?”
God,
Thank you for not changing. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow you are the I AM of Moses, the I AM of each of us, and the I AM of our great-great-great-grandchildren to come. You never fail and your Word stands true throughout all generations. As we look around this world it’s easy to see the many “Goliaths” in our midst. Yet, you gave David, someone seemingly small, unimportant, and untested, victory over his Goliath with five small stones. Thank you for our spiritual “stones” of your Word, Prayer, Fasting, Communion, and Peace. Holy Spirit, help us to use them daily – even moment to moment – so that we can see your power and authority working through us. Help us to trust you, our Rock, Redeemer, Fortress, and Shield. We ask this in the powerful name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8 NIV)
“God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14 NIV)
“Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.” (Psalm 119:89 NIV)
“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” (Luke 10:19 NIV)
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalm 18:2 NIV)
*https://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word.html?ID=29296#word-truncate