If you are a believer in Jesus Christ you may know that the Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God, but you may not know just how powerful it is!
In fact, the Word of God is an indispensable weapon in Christian spiritual warfare. Of all the items of Christian armor identified in Ephesians 6, the only weapon of attack is the Sword of the Spirit: the Word of God.
The enemy of our souls is evil, fierce and cunning, but he flees when the Word of God is spoken in faith.
The Lord Jesus Christ showed us how to use God’s Word as a weapon when He faced the temptations in the desert. Each time Satan tempted Him, Jesus defeated each temptation with the Sword of the Spirit: the Word of God. In each case, Jesus began His answer with the phrase ‘It is written‘ and then quoted directly from the Scriptures.
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness 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 shall 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.’” (Matthew 4:1-10)
Jesus was already filled with the Holy Spirit before He was tempted in the desert, but it was only after He had encountered and defeated Satan with the Sword of God’s Word that He was able to begin His God-appointed ministry ‘in the power of the Spirit‘. Therefore, there is a distinction between being filled with the Spirit and being able to minister in the power of the Spirit.
This is an important lesson for every Christian. Many Christians who may have experienced an infilling of the Holy Spirit never go on to serve God in the power of the Spirit. The reason is because they did not follow the example of Christ. They did not learn to wield the Sword of God’s Word in such a way to defeat Satan and dispel the powers of darkness.
As Christians, we need to ask ourselves this question: How many of us are strong and have overcome the evil one? If we do not manifest this kind of spiritual strength and victory, the reason is our lack of knowledge of the Word of God!
The source of such victory is thorough, abiding knowledge of God’s Word and knowing how to use it in battle!
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 Lord’s people. (Ephesians 6:10-18)
If you want to triumph over the enemy, read, study, memorize and declare the Word of God out loud daily and you will see miracles in your life!
Shalom.
