Sword of the Spirit

Ephesians 6:17 - "... and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God..."

We are now to our final piece of armor, which is the sword of the Spirit. The previous pieces of armor leading up to this one did not all give us the exact spiritual definition of what they represent. However, this one does. The sword of the Spirit is the word of God. Just as the sword is a defensive and offensive weapon, so is the word of God.

In Matthew 4, we see how the word is just that, the perfect and inerrant defense and offense for a follower of Jesus Christ. Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness for 40 days, where He was ultimately tempted by Satan. Nearing the end of His fast, Jesus was undoubtedly hungry after more than a month without food. Satan uses this to his advantage and tempts Jesus while He is in a moment of vulnerability. Jesus responds with a proper defensive use of the word of God in verse four by saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" He does it again in verse seven by saying, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" Satan, the father of lies, then goes for the kill by promising Jesus the keys to all the kingdoms of the world. Jesus now shows us what it looks like to go on offense with the word of God. In verse 10, He says, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, "'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'"

A sword is strong enough to defend us against the attacks of the enemy, but sharp enough to cut through the lies and deception used by Satan to pull us away from the source of life. When we are clothed in the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes of readiness given by the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation, our last and arguably most important piece of armor is the sword of the Spirit. Without this, we cannot defend and attack as a warrior for the Lord needs to. When we are in a moment of weakness, taking hits against our armor, it is the sword that defends us, those around us, and gives us power to advance forward in the battle. How do we access and properly use the sword of the Spirit?

We must start by recognizing that the word of God is perfect and totally without error. It is given to us by God and Paul tells us that it is, "breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We must do as the Bible says and store up God's word in our hearts, so that we do not live in sin and rebellion against Him (Psalm 119:11). When you follow Jesus, you will be met with trials. But the Bible tells us to rejoice, pray, and give thanks in all circumstances because that is God's will for us (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Without knowledge of the word we do not have an ability to call these things to mind in moments where we are facing trials and need our sword. More importantly, without wisdom, we cannot correctly and boldly apply the word of God to our lives. Wisdom is more than knowledge for the sake of knowledge. It is faith in God's sovereignty, power, and grace to overcome any obstacle we face. We are wise when we rely on the sword of the Spirit to fight our battles and not our own strength.

Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." As people who profess belief in Jesus Christ, we must use His word to guide our lives and guard our hearts. Back in Ephesians 6:18, Paul closes his list of the Armor of God by commanding us to be "praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication." No trial is too difficult, no struggle is too great, and no moment is too devastating to not humble ourselves and drop to our knees in prayer to our Creator and the sustainer of our lives. If He is our Lord, we must submit to His will at all times. We can have all the armor and knowledge available to man, but if we do it all without genuine and enduring faith, it is all for show and is not fit for Kingdom work. James 1:12 says, "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him."

My friends, I beg you to read the word of God. Read it carefully. Spend time daily with your Creator and allow Him to equip you as He continually works in and through you to bring about His will for your life. Arm yourself with the same weapon Jesus used to do ministry in this world as He prepared to take on the penalty of sin so that we may know the Father and inherit eternal life. If we are going to honestly and earnestly follow Him, we need every piece of this armor. But without reliance on His word, our efforts will be futile. His word is sufficient, His grace is sufficient, and Christ is sufficient.