Welcome to my randomized study & miscellaneous thoughts about the Awesome God of the universe, who He is and what He wants us to be.

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Arming For Spiritual Battles
The Full Armor of God
Part 6 - The Sword of the Spirit


Finally, we come to, “the sword of the spirit which is the word of God,” Ephesians 6:17. The Greek term translated sword (mavcaira, macaira) refers to the Roman gladius, a short sword about 2 feet long, used for close hand-to-hand combat. This is the only clearly offensive weapon in the list of armor mentioned by Paul. It may also be used as a defensive tool to block or turn aside sweeping or thrusting attacks by the enemy. Unlike the bow and arrow, the catapult or the spear, the sword was used in close-in combat with the soldier never letting go of it. His hold upon his sword could be loosened only upon his death and nothing short of it – as his very life depended upon it.

The sword of which Paul speaks is, as he explains it, the word of God; that is, the revelation which God has given of himself, or what we call the Holy Scriptures. This is called the sword of the Spirit, because it comes from the Holy Spirit, and receives its fulfillment in the soul through the operation of the Holy Spirit. An ability to quote this on proper occasions, and especially in times of temptation and trial, has a wonderful tendency to cut in pieces the snares of the adversary. (from Adam Clarke's Commentary)

And so too, like a soldier’s sword, useful for both close-in offensive and defensive encounters, is the Sword of the Spirit, God’s Holy Bible.

We can use the sword of the Spirit to protect and hit back at the enemy by:
1. Providing us with an understanding of the ugly and destructive nature of sin.
2. Providing us with scriptural answers to Satan’s false reasoning, temptations and arguments.


Using the Sword of the Spirit - against the powers of darkness

The enemy sometimes comes against us directly. Not all circumstances are natural. Sometimes it is easy to discern that we are up against the forces of darkness. Satan will resist our attempts to preach the gospel and press into the will of God. The Sword of the Spirit is given us to enforce God's will.

Let’s see some practical applications of the sword of the spirit:
1. See the value of God's word. Get a hunger and desire for it.
- If you are one with Christ then His promises are for you (Galatians 3:29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise. NASU)
- Satan's lie brought the fall (Genesis 3:4) and God's word will enforce the victory (2 Peter 1:3 – 4 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. NASU)
- Place your hope and confidence in the promise. Don't break His word. Make this your desire (Psalm 119:114 You are my hiding place and my shield; I wait for Your word. NASU)

2. Know the promises that are relevant to your circumstances. Don't just assume. Read the law book yourself. Sort them out and use the relevant ones for your specific circumstances accordingly. The best time to do this is when you are in sound health and free of severe oppressions. This is the time to get prepared for the evil day.

3. Have a good overview of the promises available to you. Know that you are to rely on His grace and not your gifting.

4. Meditate on the promises. This will fill you with the Holy Spirit. Godly wisdom and revelation comes to those who dwell on the word. Don't treat them like a passing stranger; rather like Abraham did the angels (Genesis 18:1-15) bid them to stay. By this, Abraham received the promise of a child. His persistence brought life. For some reason the Almighty God has ordained it to be this way. We see the same example with Jesus (Luke 24:27-32).

5. Plead the promises at the throne of Grace. Meditation is similar to a lawyer preparing his brief. Once your heart has been filled with the riches of the promises then is the time to execute them. Bring them before the Lord and spread them before Him. Speak them to the circumstances and forces that oppress you. Use them as a sword to dismantle every intention of the enemy against you.

6. Act your faith. A soldier does not drop his guard immediately after wounding the enemy. Watch your words. Idle words can be destructive. Believe the promise and do not let sense and reason defeat you. Live and act as if the promise is true because they are.

Moreover, like the Roman soldier, today’s Christian should have such a grip upon the Word of God that not even the gates of hell could shake it loose from his/her grip! Also, the Roman soldiers had to commit many hours of practice and training in order to build up the muscles necessary to handle the sword, become comfortable and proficient in handling the sword and allowing the sword to become a “part” of them – an extension of the soldier’s arm. The Christian must also commit the necessary time and effort to reading, studying, understanding and applying God’s Word. How sad it would be to see a mortally wounded soldier with his sword still in its sheath! Let us not allow our Bibles to get or remain unused and dusty on the shelf!

Keep yourself armed and fight on with His weapon,
Dr. Larry
scribbled with crayon by dr. larry at 11:43 AM