Quelling Pride While Allowing our Light to Shine Before Men

Pride often compels men to crave human approval, as much as self-approval. Self! Self! Self! This is the achilles' heel of even Christian men that causes them to waver precariously in their spiritual walk. When I was in pre-law and law school, if someone asked me why I wanted to be attorney, I would likely respond, "To be an advocate. To help people." I could say in some sense I had sincere motives, but there was also some desire for prestige lurking in the shadows, hence some pride driving that ambition. The pride was perhaps much larger than I was willing to admit at the time. It is probably no surprise either that many aspiring lawyers would be forthright and simply say their purpose is to "make money" or "be successful." C.S. Lewis wrote:

The pleasure of pride is like the pleasure of scratching. If there is an itch one does want to scratch; but it is much nicer to have neither the itch nor the scratch. As long as we have the itch of self-approval; but the happiest moments are those when we forget our precious selves and have neither but have everything else (God, our fellow humans, animals, the garden and the sky) instead...
—Lewis, C.S., Letters of C.S. Lewis, ed. W.H. Lewis (New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, Inc.) p. 256.

For believers, our sufficiency should be in Christ. It's not the accolades of men that we should seek, but the future grace. Many see a tension between Christ's words, because he also admonishes us: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Mt. 5:16). So, how does one go about letting our light shine before men without simultaneously falling in the sin of pride? Our Lord asks, "How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?" (Jn. 5:44) We're not to work from selfish motives to be manpleasers for eyeservice (Eph. 6:6). No man is immune from the sin of pride, not even those who pursue ministry and discipleship. The Pharisees practice their ritual, pomp and ceremony that they might be seen of men. Behind Christ's teachings are a tacit call to examine and re-examine our hearts, and take heed to the Word of God. The Word of God is the discerner of the thoughts and intentions of our heart (Heb. 4:12). "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time..." (1 Pet. 5:6). Making Christ are all-sufficient portion is the beginning of laying our pride at the foot of the Cross.

And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, ... (2 Cor. 3:4-6 NKJV)

To make Christ our all all-sufficient portion requires humility; a virtue like patience, that is often only cultivated by the trials and adversity of life. When we begin to find the grace of humility, it is then that we can begin to let our light truly shine before men, and see with self-examination that we are operating from more pure motives. "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Lk. 14:11). Forging an eternal perspective, setting our sights on the promises of God, and desiring to store up for ourselves, treasures in Heaven, is the beginning of wisdom and one of the marks of embracing discipleship. Letting our light shine before men, requires an eternal perspective. It means helping and serving others not that we might recollect our good deeds to butress our sense of self-approval or get the approval of others, but rather to glorify God. We need to be mindful that the Lord rewards us for our good works (seen and unseen of men.) "He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him..." (Heb. 11:6)

We Should Strive to Show Geniune Concern For Others

But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.
—Proverbs 11:14

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
—Philippians 2:3-4

And the Word speaks for itself.

Are You an Encourager or a Discourager?

Here is food for thought: a rhetorical inquiry that one can meditate upon, and ask themselves. Are you an encourager or a discourager? Do you build up the brethren in Christ, or do you discourage, dissuade, and sow discord?

Now why will you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD has given them?
—Numbers 32:7

Do you edify and exhort people with encouragement, or do you sap their spiritual vitality with insults? Christ's children often face discouragement from their own wayward brethren, and from their oppressors who hold them and the Lord God of Israel in contempt. As Christians, it's in our capacity to lift one another up in a spirit of love. How sad it is that so many take delight in the bringing others down that they might exalt themselves? The Lord is the vindicator and protector of His people. May we with reverence and fear, be mindful of the value of encoruagement and be ever so weary of being a sower of discouragement in the hearts of men.

But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us. Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, and hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
—Ezra 4:3-5

Do you oppress men's souls? Fear God and turn from your ways. The Lord is the vindicator and protector of His people, and those idle works will be brought into judgment.

Be an encourager!

Who Can Tame The Tongue?

But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?
—James 3:8-11

I heard a good sermon this past Sabbath about guarding our testimony as believers. One of the perennial concerns we should have is guarding our testimony as believers, and we do so by bridling our tongue. The Apostle Paul exhorts us in his letter to the Colossians, "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one" (Col 4:6). This goes beyond just abstinence from cursing, and coarse language.

Do you gossip, embellish slander, betray the confidence of counsel? "A talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter" (Prv. 11:13). It afflicts everyone in some facet. But we should strive to take our minds captive with the Word of God, and heed its exhortations on our conduct of speech. We of faith should strive to exemplify the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ, and do unto others as we would have them to do to us. Much of the sin we commit against one another starts with a foolish tongue, our speech.

May I bridle my tongue, and speak with grace, as all those of faith should do.

Related Articles:
A Moral Checkup For Your Mouth

Our Troubles are but for a Season

In Psalm 73, Asaph recounts his experience of nearly falling: "...my steps had nearly slipped." As the wicked were prospering, his heart was troubled and he was chastened. The Baptist pastor Charles Spurgeon noted of our troubles: "Our troubles have always brought us blessings, and they always will. They are the dark chariots of bright grace... These clouds will empty themselves before long, and every tender herb will be gladder for the shower. Our God may drench us with grief, but He will refresh us with mercy." As Luke 17:13 says, "And they lifted up their voices and said, 'Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!'" The Lord is our all sufficient portion. As Psalm 73:25-26 concluded: "Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Whether one is going through a struggle with illness in the family, a bad job market, or a disquieted life of anxiety attendant to life's burdens, the Lord knows our troubles. Likewise, he can use the hardships of life to draw us closer to Him, in service of His will. For those of faith, our reflection should be that the Lord cares for us, and He will shepherd us through the dark vallies of life. The Lord vindicates His people and judges the oppressors of His people. We should Trust in Him and cast our cares upon Him. If we diligently seek Him, beseech His mercy and forgiveness, then we can start to look for His providential blessing.

My desire is to work through my trials in His strength. As I seek a new job and a new domicile, I look to the kind hand of providence. My desire is to live peaceably among men, to grow in grace, and proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom, and seek the Lord's perfect will for my life whereever He make take me. I beseech the intercession of the Lord Jesus Christ, His mercy, His protection and His grace, and I cast my cares to Him.

Jonathan Edwards on Prayer and Devotion

Once, as I rode out into the woods for my health, in 1737, having alighted from my horse in a retired place, as my manner commonly has been, to walk for divine contemplation and prayer, I had a view that for me was extraordinary, of the glory of the Son of God, as Mediator between God and man, and his wonderful, great, full, pure and sweet grace and love, and meek and gentle condescension. This grace that appeared so calm and sweet, appeared also great above the heavens. The person of Christ appeared ineffably excellent with an excellency great enough to swallow up all thought and conception ... which continued as near as I can judge, about an hour; which kept me the greater part of the time in a flood of tears, and weeping aloud. I felt an ardency of soul to be, what I know not otherwise how to express, emptied and annihilated; to lie in the dust, and to be full of Christ alone; to love him with a holy and pure love; to trust in him; to live upon him; to serve and follow him; and to be perfectly sanctified and made pure, with a divine and heavenly purity.
—Jonathan Edwards

The Harvest is Great; The Laborers Are Few

Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
Matthew 9:37-38

E.M. Bounds, the so called man of prayer, wrote this:

Our Lord's plan for securing workers in the foreign missionary field is the same plan he set on foot for obtaining preachers. It is by the process of praying. It is the prayer plan as distinguished from all manmade plans. These mission workers are to be "sent men." God must send them. They are Godcalled, divinely moved to this great work. They are inwardly moved to enter the harvest fields of the world and gather sheaves for the heavenly garners. Men do not choose to be missionaries any more than they choose to be preachers. God sends out laborers in his harvest fields in answer to the prayers of his church. Here is the divine plan as set forth by our Lord:

But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few. Pray ye, therefore, the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth laborers into his harvest.

It is the business of the home church to do the praying, It is the Lord's business to call and send forth the laborers. The Lord does not do the praying The church does not do the calling. And just as our Lord's compassions were aroused by the sight of multitudes, weary, hungry, and scattered, exposed to evils, as sheep having no shepherd, so whenever the church has eyes to see the vast multitudes of earth's inhabitants, descendants of Adam, weary in soul, living in darkness, and wretched and sinful, will it be moved to compassion, and begin to pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into his harvest.

Missionaries, like ministers, are born of praying people. A praying church begets laborers in the harvest field of the world. The scarcity of missionaries argues a non-praying church. It is all right to send trained men to the foreign field, but first of all they must be God-sent. The sending is the fruit of prayer. As praying men are the occasion of sending them, so in turn the workers must be praying men. And the prime mission of these praying missionaries is to convert prayerless heathen men into praying men. Prayer is the proof of their calling, their divine credentials, and their work.

He who is not a praying man at home needs the one fitness to become a mission worker abroad. He who has not the spirit which moves him toward sinners at home, will hardly have a spirit of compassion for sinners abroad. Missionaries are not made of men who are failures at home. He who will be a man of prayer abroad must, before anything else, be a man of prayer in his home church. If he be not engaged in turning sinners away from their prayerless ways at home, he will hardly succeed in turning away the heathen from their prayerless ways. In other words, it takes the same spiritual qualifications for being a home worker as it does for being a foreign worker.

God in his own way, in answer to the prayers of his church, calls men into his harvest fields. Sad will be the day when Missionary Boards and churches overlook that fundamental fact, and send out their own chosen men independent of God.
—E.M. Bounds, Power Through Prayer

Psalm 70 - Make Haste to Help Me According to Your Loving-Kindness

1 MAKE HASTE, O GOD, TO DELIVER ME; MAKE HASTE TO HELP ME, O LORD.
2 Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt.
3 Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame that say, Aha, aha.
4 Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified.
5 But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O LORD, make no tarrying.
—Psalm 70 (NKJV)

I love the Lord Jesus Christ, and boast of the wonderful works of His hands. May the lord deliver me and lift me up in paths of righteousness, give me the peace that surpasses all understanding, and set my paths straight. Great is thy faithfulness O Lord from everlasting to everlasting.

May I strive to exemplify His Word in my life, and may the Lord equip me with the grace to accomplish those good works.

The Lord Holds Dominion Over All Creation

The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters. Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place?
—Psalm 24:1-3

Sometimes, it's best just to let the Scripture stand forth in its beautiful simplicity rather follow-up with commentary.

The Virtue of Forgiveness and the Lesson of the Prodigal Son

"And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors."
—Matthew 6:12

This simple platitude from the Lord's Prayer should be of profound significance to the Christian in their lives. We struggle with hurt and sorrow often inflicted upon us by others. The solution? The Cross and the message of forgiveness offered by the Lord Jesus Christ. For those of faith, we should take heed to the commandments, and remember that when all is forgiven of us, then how can we not forgive our brother? "For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You" (Psalm 86:5) "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you..." (Matthew 5:44). People might retort at the command to forgive, "He is my enemy? How can I forgive?" The Lord Jesus commands us to forgive even our enemies. "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse" (Romans 12:14).

We can reflect upon the depths of God's forgiveness for His flock in the parable of the prodigal son. The prodigal son spoiled His inheritance through rioutous living, and when he came back his father embraced him with a heart of forgiveness, clothed him and feed him.

11 ¶ And he said, A certain man had two sons:
12 and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19 and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23 and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
24 for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
25 ¶ Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing.
26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and entreated him.
29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment; and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
30 but as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
—Luke 15:11–32

Sinners, we can embrace forgiveness in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior. When we meditate and reflect upon the depths of the Lord's love for His sheep, and His abundant grace and mercy, how can we not love our brothers and forgive their trespasses? Where we struggle to forgive, may we seek the grace of the Lord, and ask of Him who gives wisdom liberally and without reproach. Let us not carry grudges. "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do" (Colossians 3:12-13).

As our Lord Jesus Christ says, "These things I command you, that you love one another" (John 15:17). Forgiveness and love! Let it not be just hollow platitudes, but a reality in our lives. May I have a forgiving heart, and savor the tender mercies of my Lord Jesus Christ. When all is forgiven of us, how can we cannot forgive our brothers?

"Forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."
—Ephesians 4:82.

We of Faith Should Diligently To Do What is Good

Galatians 6:9 states, "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." Of this passage, Matthew Henry writes,

We are all very apt to tire in duty, particularly in doing good. This we should carefully watch and guard against. Only to perseverance in well-doing is the reward promised. Here is an exhortation to all to do good in their places. We should take care to do good in our life-time, and make this the business of our lives. Especially when fresh occasions offer, and as far as our power reaches. [1]

May God give me the grace to do good works, and not tarry or grow discouraged. May God quell any leaven of sin, of cynicism, of despair, and of discouragement. Too often we sinners of faith stumble and falter in midst and weariness of doing good. We must recognize our unequivocal dependence upon the Lord for guidance and grace.

May I grow in grace, and manifest the fruit of the Spirit in my life. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10). May I lay aside my sin and my pride, and set it at the foot of the Cross, and plead the righteousness of Christ. All I have is in Jesus Christ.

May the Lord quell my anxiety, fill any void of unbelief in my life with faith, and may He deliver me from my sins.

If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?
—Luke 12:26-28 (NKJV)

The Apostle Paul reminds us, "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Eph. 1:7). We have true riches in Christ! May I lay a hold of those treasures!

[1] Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary. Galatians 6.

The Sanctity of Labor

I've been living in an area hit hard economically, and there frankly are not that many good jobs to go around. I plan on remedying the situation by moving to a better job market, and look to the kind hand of providence for blessing in that endeavor. My desire is not for slothfulness, but for diligent and faithful discharge in exercise of my professional duties. Likewise, I hope to make a living and gain dignity and esteem from faithful discharge of those duties.

Work and toil were part of the consequence of sin, but work and toil serve a value, and God gives His flock the grace we need to endure work. We work to the glory of God. I look to find dignity in my work and be a good steward of resources in God's strength. I definitely believe we work in Heaven, but not by "the sweat of our brow."

The error of the medieval church was the sacred-secular dichotomy, but the Reformation overthrew the distinction. Every job, no matter how mundane, can become intrinsically important to the glorification of God and love of one's neighbor. Likewise, taking heed to the little tasks can be preparation for greater stewardship responsibilities. If we approach it with enthusiasm, then we can look for God's blessing and prosperity in our endeavors.

R.C. Sproul offered an audio broadcast on labor which I found beneficial. Work sets you free.

The Liberating Truth of the Doctrines of Grace

God is truly the author and finisher of our faith! (Heb. 12:2)

When I was coming to Christ, I thought I was doing it all myself, and though I sought the Lord earnestly, I had no idea the Lord was seeking me. I do not think the young convert is at first aware of this. I can recall the very day and hour when first I received those truths [of the doctrine of election] in my own soul—when they were as John Bunyan said, burnt into my heart as with a hot iron, and I can recollect how I felt that I had grown on a sudden from a into a man—that I had made progress in scriptural knowledge, through having found, once for all, the clue to the truth of God. One week-night, when I was sitting in the house of God, I was not thinking much about the preacher’s sermon, for I did not believe it. The thought struck me, How did you come to be a Christian? I sought the Lord. But how did you come to seek the Lord? The truth flashed across my mind in a moment—I should not have sought him unless there had been some previous influence in my mind to make me seek him. I prayed, thought I, but then I asked myself, How came I to pray? I was induced to pray by reading the Scriptures. How came I to read the Scriptures? I did read them, but what led me to do so? Then, in a moment, I saw that God was at the bottom of it all, and that he was the Author of my faith, and so the doctrine of grace opened up to me, and from that doctrine I have not departed to this day, and I desire to make this my constant confession, “I ascribe my change wholly to God.”
—Charles Spurgeon, [1]

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.
—John 6:44

The Value of Self-Sacrificial Service: The Example of Queen Esther

Queen Esther is a clarion example of courageous risk in the service of others, and for the glory of God. In the fifth century before Christ, many within the Jewish community were in exile to Persia. During that time, there lived a man named Mordechai. Mordechai had a younger cousin named Esther, who grew up to be a beautiful woman, and was eventually taken by the Persian King Ahasuerus to be his queen. Though, one of the Persian royals, Haman, developed a pathological enmity towards the Jewish refugees. He lobbied to have them wiped out and exterminated. Ahasuerus did not even realize that his own wife Esther was a Jew. Mordecai dispatched word to Esther, and pleaded that she make intercession on behalf of her people. Esther was well-aware of royal law which made it a capital crime to approach the king without being called upon, unless he lifted his golden scepter.

Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!”
—Esther 4:15-16

"If I perish, I perish," she declared. She had no cognizance of the outcome, but she trusted in God. This is the Spirit of Christ at work. As our Lord proclaims, in the Gospel of John (v. 15:13,) "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends."

Here is a fascinating fact: before being taken as the King's wife, Esther bore the Hebrew name Hadassah, which means "myrtle" in Hebrew. Likewise, the name Esther is most likely related to the Median word for myrtle, astra, and the Persian word setareh meaning star. Interestingly, the myrtle blossom resembles a twinkling star. The word also connotes "hidden," and God placing Esther precisely where He placed her allowed the Lord to fulfill His purposes in saving His people in much the same way the Lord used Joseph.

Related:
Esther Chapter 4-6

The Beatitudes

The beauty of our Lord Jesus Christ's words in the Beatitudes is that it does not need commentary.

1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.
2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
—Matthew 5:1-12

I am thankful for Jesus Christ!

Our Weapons for Spiritual Warfare are Not Carnal; Nor are our Battles Against Flesh and Blood

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
—2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NKJV)

As Matthew Henry writes, in his concise commentary, "The work of the ministry is a spiritual warfare with spiritual enemies, and for spiritual purposes. Outward force is not the method of the gospel, but strong persuasions, by the power of truth and the meekness of wisdom. Conscience is accountable to God only; and people must be persuaded to God and their duty, not driven by force." [1] Our battle as Christians is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12), but against spiritual darkness in high places. We should cloak ourselves in the whole armor of God, and prepare ourselves for spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:10-20). Our tactics and weapons are not to fight wickedness in kind. We requit evil by not resisting it in its own manner, but responding commensurate with the Lord Jesus Christ's teaching. As C.H. Spurgeon notes,

If we let passion take the place of judgment, and self-will reign instead of Scriptural authority, we shall fight the Lord's battles with the devil's weapons, and if we cut our own fingers we must not be surprised. Again, in troubles which come upon us as the result of sin, we must not dream that we are suffering with Christ. [2]

[1] Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary. 2 Corinthians 10.
[2] Spurgeon, C.H. Morning and Evening. "July 3rd, Evening."