Women of the Bible Lesson 17 Jael: A Story of Courage Part 15 Spiritual Weapons

2 Corinthians 10:4-6, “For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds,[Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One), Being in readiness to punish every [insubordinate for his] disobedience, when your own submission and obedience [as a church] are fully secured and complete.” (AMPC) 

Today we will be looking at our final spiritual weapon: Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving is a powerful weapon when we use it.  The problem is that too many believers have not been properly taught how to use it.  

Far too often, believers feel that thanksgiving is what we give after we've received the things that we've requested from the Lord. However, this is not accurate. The scripture tells us in Philippians 4:6, Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (NIV) 

Paul, in Philippians, specifically tells us we're supposed to give thanks as we're giving our petition. So, we give our petition and then we instantly thank God for the answer before we ever see it. Before there's ever a glimmer of it on the horizon because we know that the scripture tells in 1 John 5:14-15, Now this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us, and if we know that he hears us whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we asked of him. (NKJV) 

As we've talked about all through this study, his Word is his will, and as we are praying in agreement with him, we can offer thanksgiving because we know that we're going to have what we ask. 

Andrew Wommack says, “Praise isn’t like the caboose that just follows what happens, but it’s more like the engine of a train that makes things happen.” 

We will now look at four benefits of using the weapon of thanksgiving.   

First, a thankful heart breaks the power of the enemy over us.  

Thanksgiving counteracts discouragement, doubt, despair, anxiety, and anger. I want to look at a Biblical example found in Luke 17. Here scripture talks about Jesus cleansing 10 lepers. And it says that he cleansed all ten of them and they all went away to show themselves to the priests. But afterward, one of them came back. Luke 17:17-19, Jesus asked, “We're not all 10 cleansed. Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God, except this foreigner. Then he said to him, rise and go. Your faith has made you well.”  

In verse 19, Jesus says that the man’s faith has made him well. We know that leprosy eats away at your flesh, and so you lose appendages. First, your nose, your fingers, your toes, and then it works its way through your body and destroys everything in its path.  This man’s faith, coupled with his thanksgiving made him complete.  

The Greek word for well here is sozo which means: to save, rescue, deliver; to heal; by extension: to be in right relationship with God, with the implication that the condition before salvation was one of grave danger or distress; healed, cured, get better, made well.    

God healed him completely. Maybe he got back his nose, fingers, and the other things that were eaten away by the leprosy. It may also mean, and probably does, (our God does nothing halfway or partially) that emotionally and psychologically he was healed. In the Bible days, because it was a highly contagious disease, lepers had to yell unclean everywhere they went so that everyone around them would know that they had leprosy.  Being an outcast and untouchable, the emotional and psychological pain was probably just as painful as the leprosy itself.  

This man’s act of thanksgiving brought about a life change that he probably never believed was possible. The same can be true in our lives.  I read somewhere that thanksgiving is the Devil’s kryptonite.  When we begin to give thanks in the middle of our storms, we stop the enemy dead in his tracks.  He can no longer hit us with discouragement, doubt, despair, anxiety, and anger. When we give thanks, we cannot be focused on the negative. We are focused on the positive and we are focused on Christ, and that thankful heart cripples the enemy, just like kryptonite crippled Superman.   

A second benefit is that thanksgiving brings contentment.   

1 Timothy 6:6, But godliness with contentment is great gain. (NIV) Elisabeth Elliot, who lost her husband on the mission field, was quoted as saying: “Discontent dries up the soul.” 

She wrote: “To love God is to love His will. It is to wait quietly for life to be measured by one who knows us through and through. It is to be content with His timing and His wise apportionment.” 

Ephesians 5:19-20, ...Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NIV) 

In his commentary on Ephesians 5:19-20, William MacDonald said, “The shortest, surest way to all happiness is this: Make it a rule to thank and praise God for everything that happens to you. For it is certain that whatever seeming calamity comes to you, if you thank and praise God for it, you turn it into a blessing. If you could work miracles, you could not do more for yourself than by this thankful spirit: for it needs not a word spoken and turns all that it touches into happiness.”i 

Merriam Webster online dictionary gives happiness as a synonym for contentment.  Based on the previous verses, we see that to have contentment we must offer up thanksgiving to God in every circumstance.  As I stated before, thanksgiving takes our eyes and focus off our circumstances and puts them on the God of the universe.  It shifts our gaze upward rather than downward or inward.   

Thirdly, thanksgiving changes the spiritual climate and invites God into our battles.   

We have talked in a previous lesson about the battle between Jehoshaphat and the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites.  However, I want to revisit it in the context of thanksgiving.   

2 Chronicles 20:21, After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord for his love endures forever.” (NIV) 

The people sang their thanksgiving to God and as a result the Lord fought for Israel. 2 Chronicles 20:29, The fear of God came on all the surrounding kingdoms when they heard how the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. (NIV) Their thanksgiving caused the atmosphere to change in their territory and the enemies of the Lord began to fear him!  It also invited God into the battle with them.   

Offering to God our thanksgiving rather than giving voice to our frustrations and discontent, changes the atmosphere and opens the door for Him to fight on our behalf.  While we know that God is all powerful and can do anything, we need to also understand that he set parameters for himself to follow when he created mankind.  He gave us dominion over the earth and commanded us to rule and reign here. If we don’t take up our responsibilities, then things don’t get done and God’s hand are “tied” so to speak.  However, when we begin to walk in obedience to the Word, in this case, giving thanks in everything (1 Thessalonians 5:18), we partner with God, enabling him to fight on our behalf.   

Some might ask, how can I give thanks when my reality is so bleak?  Remember, we walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).  When we give thanks, we speak and act in faith.  Kenneth Copeland says, “Praise is the big gun of faith.” Praise here can be interchanged with thanksgiving.  As I stated earlier, thanksgiving coupled with our faith will bring victory!!!  

Finally, thanksgiving defeats pride.   

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey, said, “Thankfulness is a soil in which pride does not easily grow.” 

Proverbs 16:18, Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. (AMPC) 

Oxford online dictionary defines pride as: an excessively high, opinion of one's own worth or importance which gives rise to a feeling or attitude of superiority over others; inordinate self-esteem. 

In the book of Daniel, we read the account of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream about a tree.  

Daniel interprets the dream and warns the king that if he does not humble himself before God that he will be receive punishment until he chooses to acknowledge God’s rule and blessings upon him.   

Daniel 4:30-32, As he looked out across the city, he said, ‘Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor.’ 

“While these words were still in his mouth, a voice called down from heaven, ‘O King Nebuchadnezzar, this message is for you! You are no longer ruler of this kingdom. You will be driven from human society. You will live in the fields with the wild animals, and you will eat grass like a cow. Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses.’ 

Daniel 4:34-35, 37, “After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever. His rule is everlasting, and his kingdom is eternal. All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth. No one can stop him or say to him, ‘What do you mean by doing these things?’ 

“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud.” (NLT) 

Pride takes our focus off God and puts it on ourselves.  When we begin to think we can handle life and do better at taking care of ourselves then God can, we step on a slippery slope that will eventually lead to our downfall.  Pride is what got Lucifer cast out of heaven and what lead Adam and Eve to allow sin to enter God’s perfect creation.  Pride is no less destructive in our lives today.  Thanksgiving brings our focus back onto the only one worthy of praise! It puts our hearts and minds in alignment with the Word and opens the door for the blessings of God to be poured out on us.   

In conclusion, thanksgiving is a powerful weapon that breaks the power of the enemy over us, brings contentment, changes the spiritual climate and invites God into our battles, and defeats pride.  May we daily approach the Throne of Grace with thanksgiving on our hearts and lips!!! 

Works Cited: 

i Believer's Bible Commentary Copyright © 1989, 1990, 1992, 1995, 2016 by William MacDonald.