“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4)
When humans make war against each other, we expect the strongest party to win. But when Christians wage spiritual war, the outcome does not depend on their own strength. The weapons of their warfare “have divine power to destroy strongholds”. This phrase makes clear that the power of believers does not lie in their own strength, but in God’s strength. As God said to the apostle Paul: “My power is made perfect in weakness”. When Paul was struggling, God’s strength in him became especially obvious. He declared: “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).
This paradox between human weakness and God’s strength is a recurring theme in Paul’s ministry. He stresses that God has chosen “what is weak in the world” to shame the strong and to prevent people from boasting in their own strength. Paul’s own preaching also was “in weakness and in fear and much trembling”. It was obvious to all that his audience did not come to faith because Paul’s preaching was so powerful, but that their faith rested “in the
power of God”.
Do you feel strong or do you need God’s strength every single day?