Barbra Gentry-Pugh

Love Is Your Weapon

June 22, 2025

^“Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” Philippians 2:4 (NASB)

^“Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.” Romans 12:21 (NLT)

“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12 (NASB)

”Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” Philippians 2:4 (NLT)

^“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NLT)

There are times when I sit down to write, fully intending to pour out what I have in mind: a topic I’ve studied, prayed about, or simply feel passionate to share. But then the Holy Spirit redirects me, the subject shifts, and the words take on a different form, and I hadn’t planned. Sometimes, the lesson is meant just for me. Sometimes, it’s the Spirit’s correcting, healing, or empowering me first. And I’ve learned that when God speaks, obedience is better than preference.

Today’s devotional message is one of those moments as I intended to go in another direction, but God impressed upon me the message of Love! Initially, I had no idea which direction I would be going in, as I have probably written more devotionals on love and love-related topics than on any other topic. Usually, when I get quiet and listen, God will place the topic on my heart. Then, almost immediately, God reminded me of a book written by a dear friend of mine, Minister Natika Battle, “Love is my Weapon”. Ok, God, I got it!

I purchased Minister Natika Battle’s book at her book signing. This powerful book beautifully illustrates what it means to fight life’s battles with love. It is a living testimony of grace, strength, and the healing power of choosing to love even in life’s most painful places. Reading “Love is My Weapon” was a brave reminder that love, when rooted in Christ, is not soft or sentimental; it is spiritual warfare. It takes strength to forgive, boldness to stay tender, and faith to believe that love can still win after the pain. Love, modeled after Jesus, is not a passive emotion; it is an active, divine power that breaks chains and rebuilds lives.

Minister Battle was very transparent in sharing her story. After the death of her parents, she was heartbroken and vulnerable, only to have her deep capacity to love exploited and betrayed. This painful experience left her cautious. Like many of us, she questions whether she could ever love so fully again. Minister Battle had a powerful revelation! She recalls the unconditional love her parents showed her and how that same love allowed her to give and grow, even after being hurt. In that moment, she realizes: Love is not just a feeling, it’s her greatest weapon! Love is a weapon! It is the weapon the enemy can’t replicate and the one that defeats bitterness, anger, division, and fear.

The Power of Love as a Weapon

Love disarms the enemy
Love turns the other cheek ~ Matthew 5:39.
Love covers a multitude of sins ~ 1 Peter 4:8.
Love keeps no record of wrongs ~ 1 Corinthians 13:5.
Love lays down its life ~ John 15:13.
Love never fails ~ 1 Corinthians 13:8.

Psychotherapists and those in the field of psychology have long recognized that humans have deep-seated needs for belonging, love, and a sense of worth. I often say, “everyone needs a degree of love, respect, and attention! At the core of every human being is the need to be seen, valued, and accepted. Love gives us a connection. Respect affirms our dignity. Attention tells us we matter.

Love gives us connection and nurtures the soul.
Respect honors your humanity and affirms your dignity.
Attention communicates worth and says you matter.

These aren’t just emotional desires; they are foundational to healthy psychological and spiritual development. While these needs show up in different ways, they are deeply woven into how we form identity, emotional stability, and our ability to thrive. When these needs go unmet, especially in childhood or in close relationships, we begin to question our worth and may internalize shame, isolation, or anger.

Reaching back in my college classes in Psychology: Abraham Maslow ~ Hierarchy of Needs, his theory places love and belonging at the center of his hierarchy, immediately after basic survival needs. His Hierarchy of Needs is a psychological theory that proposes that humans are motivated by a series of needs, arranged in a hierarchical order ~ https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html. The most basic needs, at the bottom of the hierarchy, must be met before an individual can focus on higher-level needs. The hierarchy includes physiological needs, safety needs, love and belonging needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs.

Questions:

Have you ever felt like love wasn’t enough to protect you from pain? What was the outcome?
In what ways has God used love to heal your heart after betrayal or loss?
How does viewing love as a weapon of spiritual strength change how you approach forgiveness?
What are some “enemies” in your heart (e.g., bitterness, anger, fear) that love could disarm today?
How can you practically walk out the truth of 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 in a current or past difficult relationship?

When Minister Battle was faced with heartbreak and confusion, she revisited her foundation in 1 Corinthians 13 and remembered the love her parents had shown her: patient, kind, enduring, and unconditional. That same love became her weapon, not to harm others, but to guard her heart, heal her wounds, and advance in victory.

Based on your response to emotional pain or spiritual pain, the experience can harden you or

transform you!

YOUR HEART CHALLENGE: There comes a moment in every Believer in Christ’s journey when love doesn’t feel like enough. When your heart has been shattered by someone you trusted. When loss leaves you raw and questioning. When betrayal makes you want to harden your heart rather than offer it again. Love is our weapon is a brave reminder that love, when rooted in Christ, is not soft or sentimental; it is spiritual warfare!

It takes strength to forgive, boldness to stay tender, and faith to believe that love can still win after the pain. Love, modeled after Jesus, is not a passive emotion; it is an active, divine power that breaks chains and rebuilds lives.

God wants to show you if you have been fighting battles with the wrong weapons (i.e., waiting for an opportunity to get someone told, venting frustrations instead of taking it to God, fighting low self-worth with events or competition, using manipulation, charm, silence or retaliation to ‘win‘ instead fighting with the God’s armor or the weapon of love, and others). Ask for God’s help in clothing your life in LOVE. Seek His strength to love even when it hurts, even when it’s not returned, even when you are weary. Be reminded that love is not just what you feel, it’s how you fight!

A LOVING HEART: A loving heart is a heart of strength and boldness that can love even when it hurts, even when it’s not returned. A loving heart understands that love is not just what we feel, it’s how we fight! When faced with heartbreak and confusion, a loving heart revisits its foundation in 1 Corinthians 13 and remembers that love that was shown to us: patient, kind, enduring, and unconditional.

A loving heart can embrace the same love which is our weapon ~ not to harm others, but to guard our hearts, heal our wounds, and advance in victory. We don’t need to fight bitterness with bitterness or pain with revenge. Love is our weapon, and we can use it boldly!

PRAYER:  Father God, thank You for Your authoritative, inerrant, and inspired Word that gives us clear instructions on how we are to love, recognizing that love is our greatest weapon. Father, show us where we have been fighting battles with the wrong weapons. Help us to choose to love even when it’s hard, and remind us that love is not a weakness, but a reflection of You and Your grace. Strengthen our hearts to forgive, to heal, and to reflect Your grace. Teach us to employ love as a weapon of light in a world full of darkness, in the Precious, Powerful, and Preeminent name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.