The Sword of the Spirit
"let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light…put on the Lord Jesus Christ…" Romans 13:12-14
With Christ living within you and daily expressed in your life, you have put on God's protective armor. In the previous articles on the "Armor of God," I have discussed the defensive armor of spiritual warfare: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation. God provides these basic items for your protection; your spiritual enemies cannot penetrate them. The sixth piece of God's armor, the Sword of the Spirit, is not just a defensive tool but a powerful offensive weapon-the Word of God, a source of immense power and strength for every believer.
We do not wait for the enemy to attack with the armor of God, but instead, we join Christ in an offensive battle, taking up the Word of God. In Ephesians 6:17, Paul instructs believers to overcome Satan and his hosts by taking "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Sadly, a form of biblical illiteracy has taken root, and believers have become passive in utilizing the sixth piece of God's armor. It is not just a suggestion but our solemn responsibility to actively study, understand, and apply the Word of God in our lives as followers of Christ. This passivity has resulted in a deficiency in understanding God's Word. In particular the blessings we possess in Christ. People thus become easy prey to the destructive forces of evil. Christians are seeking help from counseling philosophies and techniques that overlook vital biblical truths. Many churches are compromising their preaching and teaching. There are a plethora of self-help books that are replacing the sound exegetical study of God's Word. When the enemy comes in like a flood, few have the Biblical discernment to respond to Satan's deceptions.
We learn from Christ's pattern for using the Word of God. For example, Satan attacked our Lord with three direct temptations (Matthew 4:1-11). The first one was, 'Don't trust God. Make stones into bread. Don't wait for God to supply your needs (Matthew 4:3). Jesus responded with a quote from Deuteronomy 8:3 that was related exactly to that temptation'…It is written, man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every Word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.' (Matthew 4:4). Then satan said, 'Dive off the temple and let God catch you' (Matthew 4:6). Satan wanted Christ to trust God for a wrong desire. Jesus uses Deuteronomy 6:16 to deal with that temptation, 'It is written again, you shall not put the Lord your God to the test' (Matthew 4:7). Then satan said, 'Bow down and worship me' (Matthew 4:9). Again, Jesus used Scripture, Deuteronomy 6:13, to deal with the temptation, 'Be gone, Satan! For it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve. Christ precisely used the sword of the Word.
We must stand with our full spiritual armor, ready to gain victories in our daily battles. Remember, we already know the outcome of the war. Victory is not just a possibility but an unavoidable reality for us as believers. This assurance of victory should fill us with hope and confidence as we face our daily battles. I desire to help others understand their identity in Christ and find the blessings of standing firm in victory. The Sword of the Spirit is the perfect weapon God has provided!