Thursday, April 26, 2012
…and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17b
What is the Word of God?
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105
God's Word—the Holy Bible—illuminates. It reveals to us the good and the bad, the wise and the unwise. It is the ultimate tool in learning how to live the best possible life, free from the restraints of stumbling in darkness.
Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. John 17:17
God's Word is truth, plain and simple. We can have perfect confidence in the fact that His words are accurate, true and unerring. When followed, they guide us without fail in the paths that we need to walk. Hosea 4:6 tells us that we can be destroyed by lack of the knowledge of God, but Luke 11:28 affirms that we will be blessed if we hear and keep the Word of God. Such knowledge is not just for us. We are to be ready to answer others who ask us (1 Peter 3:15).
The Soldier’s Sword
This sword is the offensive weapon God provides us. The Roman soldier wore on his girdle a short sword which was used for close-in fighting. Hebrews 4:12 compares the Word of God to a sword, because it is sharp and is able to pierce the inner man just as a material sword pierces the body. You and I were “cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37; 5:33) when the Word convicted us of our sins. Peter tried to use a physical sword to defend Jesus in the Garden (Luke 22:47–51); but he learned at Pentecost that the “sword of the Spirit” does a much better job. Moses also tried to conquer with a physical sword (Ex. 2:11–15), only to discover that God’s Word alone was more than enough to defeat Egypt.
A material sword pierces the body, but the Word of God pierces the heart. The more you use a physical sword, the duller it becomes; but using God’s Word only makes it sharper in our lives. A physical sword requires the hand of a soldier, but the sword of the Spirit has its own power, for it is “living and powerful” (Heb. 4:12). The Spirit wrote the Word, and the Spirit wields the Word as we take it by faith and use it. A physical sword wounds to hurt and kill, while the sword of the Spirit wounds to heal and give life. When we use the sword against Satan, we are out to deal him a blow that will cripple him and keep him from hindering God’s work.
The Lord’s Sword
When He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, Christ used the sword of the Spirit and defeated the enemy. Three times Jesus said, “It is written” (Luke 4:1–13). Note that Satan can also quote the Word: “For it is written” (Luke 4:10), but he does not quote it completely. Satan tries to use the Word of God to confuse us, so it is important that we know every word that God has given us. You have heard it said, “You can prove anything by the Bible.” True — if you take verses out of context, leave out words, and apply verses to Christians today that do not really apply. The better you know the Word of God, the easier it will be for you to detect Satan’s lies and reject his offers.
The Word of the
Lord gives us a weapon for every battle we will ever fight in this life. Any
question, any dilemma, any situation – there is something for every single
thing. It is all sufficient and timeless. What it said when it was written can be
applied to our lives today.
When we memorize God’s word, we always have it with us. Inside the Bible we can find all the information we will ever need for life. When we get caught in enemy fire or we find ourselves in a dangerous attack from the enemy, we can lift ourselves up and get our thinking on track. Satan will try to catch us off guard and throw us off. When we know what we know, we can stand firm and fend off his attacks.
For the word of God is living and
powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division
of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12
