The Sword of the Spirit
God has instructed us to take up the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17b).
The Bible contains God’s Word
We Study it to Arm Our Sword
Hebrews 4:12 – For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 — 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work..
Psalm 119:11– I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
Psalm 119: 33-40 – Teach me your decrees, O Lord; I will keep them to the end. 34 Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart. 35 Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found. 36 Give me an eagerness for your laws rather than a love for money! 37 Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word. 38 Reassure me of your promise, made to those who fear you. 39 Help me abandon my shameful ways; for your regulations are good. 40 I long to obey your commandments! Renew my life with your goodness.
Psalm 119:105 – Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.
The more you and I know God’s Word, the more useful we will be in doing His will and being more effective in our stand against the devil.
The more we know God's Word the better prepared we are to battle against our enemy. Click To Tweet
How Can We Use Our Sword?
As we pray and study God’s word, He will release His discernment and His truth into our lives. These attributes, will help us deflect the temptations that come our way, and will help us to refocus our minds back onto Jesus. Then we will be able to work with the Holy Spirit to have the enemy’s strongholds wiped out of our lives.
The sword lets us show Satan that we are no longer the dumping ground for his garbage. We are in fact the servants of Jesus and are living a different lifestyle.
The sword of the Spirit lets Satan know our minds are no longer his garbage dump. Click To Tweet
Why We Need the Sword
Did you face any temptations this week?
Did you have any moments when the subtle suggests of the enemy broke down your resistance?
You know what I mean. You found yourself doing what you either know you shouldn’t be doing or you did something you had just decided not to do.
An Example of How to Work Through a Temptation
The Temptation
Have you ever been bombarded by feelings of worthlessness? That nagging little voice that says, “You don’t fit”; “you’ll only fail”, “They’ll never like you.” Our enemy the devil loves to sow these seeds in the hopes that we will pick them up and let them keep us from fulfilling the plans that God has for us. I don’t know about you, but whenever I feel worthless, I usually take that as an opportunity to not do anything of worth.
A Plan Of Action
Because feeling worthless does not help us enjoy our lives or motivate us to do the things that are necessary – we know that something needs to be done. For me, I need to “submit to God” PRAY, PRAY, PRAY! And, study the sections of scripture that will help me to know that I am of worth and value to Jesus. (James 4:7 tells us our game plan – submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee.)
Following Jesus’ Example
We remember from Matthew 4 that Jesus deflected everyone of Satan’s darts by quoting scriptures.
What scriptures could we study to turn this mindset of worthlessness around?
Scriptures that tell us how much God loves us:
Now all we need to do is devise a plan that will help us benefit from arming ourselves with these scriptures.
For me, that plan might include reciting them in the morning, afternoon and evening for preventative maintenance and to memorize them so I can recall them when a new temptation to fell worthless comes around – and they will come – the devil does not want to lose his grip on us easily. Now the Holy Spirit will fight the battle, while allowing me to do my small part which is to pray, stand and quote scriptures into my situation.
I know that this type of reflection works because I have used the process many times. What it does is cleanse the way that we think and helps us to see our situation from a different perspective and prepares us to cast our care into God’s hands when a new temptation comes along.
Conclusion
We can win the battles if we will put on the whole armor of God. Which includes out sword of the Spirit and The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith and the necessity to keep it all soaked in prayer.
Now that we are dressed for battle, let’s take our stand.
What temptation do you need to devise a plan of action with the Holy Spirit to defeat?
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