FULL ARMOR OF GOD-SWORD OF
THE SPIRIT
Ephesians 6:10-18
is the basis of our discussion. “Finally,
be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your
stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore
put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground,
and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around
your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with
the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of
faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit
on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the
saints.”
In our last Blog,
we discussed the Helmet of Salvation. We learned that we must protect our minds from the enemy.
Our minds must be renewed and transformed daily by God’s Word and His Will. We must submit
our thought life to the cleansing power of God.
The next piece of equipment is the Sword of the Spirit (which is the Word of
God). What is the Word of God??? The Holy Bible. How
do we use the Bible as a weapon? First, let’s go back to our example of the Roman solider.
Swords were the basic weapons of a Roman solider.
A sword was used as an offensive weapon. It was a piercing and cutting weapon that a solider
might stab or slash an enemy with. All swords had two parts, a handle or hilt and a blade.
The blade was usually straight with a point. There were many types of swords that were used
for different purposes.
You had short swords with double-edged blades that could be used to cut into heavy metal armor
and it also was a good weapon to deliver that fatal, quick thrust. There were also long swords that
had a greater reach and were stronger because they were made out of steel. These swords were great
for chariot warfare.
In the same way a sword is the soldier’s basic weapon, the Word of God is to be
ours. A solider was always ready for battle and we are to be ready too. We should have
our armor and weaponry ready at a moment’s notice. The devil likes to sneak up on you when you’re
unaware. Remember never allow yourself to get too Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired
(H.A.L.T.). This is when the devil loves to attack.
Do you remember when Jesus had just spent 40 days fasting
and prayer?
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert
to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The
tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Jesus
answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If
you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: " 'He will
command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against
a stone.'" Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God
to the test.'" Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all
the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you
will bow down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written:
'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" Then the devil left him, and angels came
and attended him.” (Matthew 4:1-11)
As you can see, the devil tempted Jesus when he was physically and mentally weak. The
enemy first came at Jesus with a solution for his physical need. Instant gratification is a ploy he loves
to use. ‘I need this right now or my life will be over’. Then he came at
Jesus attacking his personal character. The devil loves to remind you of who you use to be.
He wants you to doubt that God has changed you. (Colossians 3:10) And finally,
he came at Jesus with the offer of power and prestige. The devil wants you to by-pass God’s planning
and timing and receive it now. He wants you believe that you can get it now all on your own without God;
that you can become a god with the same power and authority. Each time, Jesus fought back using the Word
of God, His sword.
Did you notice that the devil was “quoting” Scripture too? Well, actually taking
Scriptures out of context is what the devil does because he is a deceiver. He loves to confuse God’s
people, especially, the ones who do not know and understand God’s Word.
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman
that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
(2 Timothy 2:15)
How
can we fight back against the attacks of the devil? Memorize Scriptures! We must
be able to hide the Word of God in our hearts. We must always be ready to quote the Word
at a moment’s notice. We might not always have access to the physical Bible. But
if the Word is in your heart, you are always armed and ready for battle. Find Scriptures
that deal specifically with your weaknesses and temptations. Then commit them to memory, mediate on them,
pray the Word and then the Word of God will come alive in you. You’ll be able to withstand
any form of attack from the enemy. These Scriptures will become your sword.
There is another benefit for memorizing Scriptures too. As you begin
to speak the Word of God, the Holy Spirit will convict other people. They will see their bad thoughts
and actions and desire to repent and be forgiven. This now becomes an opportunity to spread the Gospel
of Jesus Christ.
So, begin to polish your sword by
learning the Word of God for yourself. So you can always be ready to battle any temptation that
may come your way.
Next time, we will discuss what it means to Pray in the Spirit.
