No Weapon Formed Against Us Shall Prosper

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Isaiah 54:17

17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper,

And every tongue which rises against you in judgment

You shall condemn.

This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,

And their righteousness is from Me,"

Says the LORD.

NKJV

Unlike any moment in our lifetimes, we are witnessing gruesomely brutal acts performed against followers of Jesus Christ.  These gruesome acts are similar to what early Christians experienced with one exception, media now allows thousands to view this brutality instilling fear in many.  We know from 2 Timothy 1:7, fear is not from God.  However, we are fleshly beings and witnessing the gruesome brutality against Christians today can cause even the most courageous person to fear.

 To deal with this fear we must,

1)      Pray – Praying according to the pattern of prayer outlined in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) begins with our praising and worshipping God.  This makes it possible for us to see our situation from God’s perspective and from that perspective, things that appear big to us from our fleshly perspective appear small.  From this perspective we experience power, love, and can have soundness of mind instead of fear (2 Timothy 1:7).

2)      Study God’s Word – Besides being a sword for spiritual battle, the Word of God also brings comfort to followers of Jesus Christ.  Since the Bible is the Word of God, reading and studying it is like having God in the room with us, speaking to us.  Just as prayer can give us a Godly perspective of our situation, listening to God through study of His Word also gives us a Godly perspective.  Prayer, in conjunction with study of God’s Word lets us be in communication with God, the source of the solution to our situation.  We would never believe failing to communicate with our spouse or a close friend was a good idea and likewise must make an effort to communicate with God, our creator through prayer and study of His Word. 

3)      Fellowship with other believers – When we find ourselves in a fearful situation, it is easy to begin believing no one else has ever been in this situation before.  We then begin to believe our situation is hopeless.  Hebrews  10:25 says, “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”  (NKJV)  Jesus experienced oppression that led to his gruesome death on a cross.  He also knew after his ascension to be with His Father, His followers would experience great persecution causing the martyring of many for their faith.  Without regular fellowship with others experiencing the same persecution, Jesus knew His followers would begin to feel isolated, believing their situation was hopeless.  In our age of social media and the internet, it is possible for Christians to have regular study of God’s Word in cyberspace.  In fact, many churches, including the one I attend, live stream services over the internet.  This is useful for times when it is not possible to physically attend services due to being out of town or sick but it should not be a replacement for regular physical connection with other believers.  We need regular contact with others who may be experiencing the same persecution or oppression we are experiencing so that we do not become fearful or feel isolated.

4)      Focus on our eternal reward and Jesus’ promise to return – When we place our faith in Jesus Christ and make Him our savior, we have the hope and promise of eternal life, a life of eternity with Jesus Christ.  Even death cannot separate us from this promise.  When experiencing fear, read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.  14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.  

15                 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.  16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.  And the dead in Christ will rise first.  17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And thus we shall always be with the Lord.  18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.”  (NKJV)

Fear is a very real emotion and even though we have accepted Jesus as our Savior and have the Holy Spirit within us, we still live in fleshly bodies and experience fear.  This is why we must remain in constant communication with God through prayer and His Word.  We must also meet regularly with other believers to strengthen one another.  We must also keep our focus on the prize, eternity with our Lord and share the Gospel with others so they too can experience relief from fear.