The Sword of the Spirit
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
Paul taught the church at Ephesis that their warfare was not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). He stressed that in their resistance, they were to take up the full armor of God. This armor included:
- The belt of truth
- The breastplate of righteousness
- Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace
- The shield of faith
- The helmet of salvation
- The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God
Every article of armor described is an impenetrable covering designed to defend a specific, vulnerable part of the body—all, that is, except one. That exception is an offensive weapon—none other than the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.
All it takes to use the sword of the Spirit is for a child of God to speak or pray a phrase or a verse of Scripture in faith. Many years ago, a dear friend of mine, after being saved for only a week, told a couple of friends who were fascinated by the occult about her new relationship with Jesus. When they heard it, they began trembling in rage and swearing at her, threatening to force her to give up her faith. Well, she had been told the week before that if the devil attacked her faith in Christ, to rebuke him in the name of Jesus for there was power in that name. She shouted, “I rebuke you, in the name of Jesus! Get out!” The two young men tore out of the door before she could even finish her command!
Did she have a Bible school degree? NO. Had she attended twenty-five seminars? NO. She merely spoke out what she had learned from the Word on the first day of her salvation. The sword of the Spirit went to work, severing the ties with friends who could potentially confuse or mislead her. The close relationship she had with them was effectively cut off by the Word of God that day.
You grow up in faith by drinking the sincere milk of the Word of God (1 Peter 2:2) and by learning to chew and digest the solid food and meat of the Bible (Hebrews 5:12-14). And as you develop the ability to feed on solid food, the Bible says you mature with consistent intake of the Word. By practicing it, you are trained to discern good and evil (Hebrews 5:14).
When you wield the sword of the Spirit, you are operating not only in the Word of God, but also in the Holy Spirit. If you maintain a continual diet of the milk and meat of the Word of God, His Spirit will trigger a phrase of Scripture or a full verse to your heart and prompt you to speak it, pray it, think on it, or study it. This is the sword—His Word—prompted by the Spirit of God, i.e., the sword of the Spirit. If you are troubled, are facing a stressful situation, or are ministering to someone, you can trust the Holy Spirit to bring to your heart what you’ve read or heard from the Word that will perfectly address the issue at hand. Jesus said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you” (John 14:26). This is the operation of the sword of the Spirit!
You are directed by God’s Word to put on the full the armor of God—to walk in truth and righteousness, to be ever-ready to present the gospel of peace, to walk in faith, and to guard your thoughts by the saving grace of Jesus Christ. And, summing it up, you are commissioned by God to carry at all times, in your mouth and in your heart (Romans 10:8), that wonderful sword of the Spirit—the Word of God.
No time spent in pursuit of the Word of God is ever wasted. It will cause you to grow; by it you will be equipped to discern good and evil, and by exercising His Word, you will accomplish the purposes of God.
God bless you as you equip yourself in His Word!
Dorothy
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12