Because I took the time yesterday to talk about the helmet of salvation in our study of the armor of God, I don't want you to think I forgot about the sword of the Spirit also mentioned in verse 17 of Ephesians 6. This is definitely not a piece of equipment a Christian engaged in spiritual warfare needs to overlook, amen?? Whether fighting or not, we need "the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."

Thy Word is like an armory
Where soldiers may repair,
And find, for life's long battle day,
All needful weapons there.
O may I love Thy precious Word,
May I explore the mine,
May I it's fragrant flowers glean,
May light upon me shine.
O may I find my armor there,
Thy Word my trusty sword;
I'll learn to fight with every foe
The battle of the Lord.

Even a renowned warrior like Napoleon Bonaparte said of the Word of God, "The Bible is no mere book, but a living Power that conquers all that oppose it."

I hope that we, as God's children, consider our Bibles as such living Power, for maybe then would we spend the right amount of time in them and then proclaiming what we have found... We need more Christians holding tightly to the sword of the Spirit!

The Word of God, the sword of the Spirit that lives within us, is the only piece of the armor of God that is an offensive weapon. All the other pieces are defensive, for protection. But the Sword is to use in hand to hand conflict, that "close-up" fighting. There is nothing else we should be taking hold of to use to fight with- things like traditions or commands of men, culture, science, theories, opinions etc. They are ineffective when fighting spiritual battles, amen? Our Bibles must not lie idle, we must pick them up and use this powerful source when going forth to conquer! There is power in God's Word! It does not return void like our words do. Don't be found swinging your opinion around in the air foolishly, pick up your Sword and fight with the written Word of God like Christ did to defeat Satan! ( Luke 4:1-13)

Luke 4:4, "And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God."

The only thing that really matters is what God says! For instance, when you have a family member question the Biblical way in which you are raising your children, open the Word with them. Answer with, "It is written..." When you sit down with a lost neighbor to answer her probing questions about your church, open the Word with her. Answer again, "It is written...." When you sit down with that hurting sister in the Lord whose husband is not doing right, open the Word with her. "It is written..." When you sit down with your child who is showing signs of a heart problem in their recent attitude change, open the Word with them. Over and over again we should answer people with, "It is written...." Why? Because a material sword pierces the body, but the Sword of the Spirit- the Word of God, pierces the heart...

Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

Yes, the Word of God is sharp like a sword and is able to pierce the inner man with conviction of sin. If you are using your opinion all the time to pierce people with, you are going to need your own strength to swing that sword around. It is really nothing more than a 'physical' sword. But if you let the Word of God to do the cutting, your strength is not needed, for God's power is behind it! No longer will you be afraid to enter into these types of discussions with people because God's Word will do the fighting for you! Using God's Word makes truth sharper in our own lives too. There are many Christians walking around with swords that are not being used to cut away at sin, first in their own lives and then in the lives of others as they confront difficult situations and people in life. God's Word alone is more than enough to defeat any foe!

Ladies, there is no doubt about it, the Word of God is mighty in it's influence. The more of the Word you know, the more of the Word you are sharing with others, the mightier God's influence will be through you. We have the opportunity and privilege to mightily influence our homes each and every day, don't we? Let's be sure that we are using the written Word of God to do so... Let's not cut people to pieces with the stabbing physical sword of our own opinion, let's open the Word of God and use the sword of the Spirit faithfully and lovingly to cut away at sin, beginning with our own hearts! True, it is sharp and it pierces, and the truth will hurt, but there is healing and life accompanied with the cutting of God's sword as it reaches the hearts of those we open the scriptures with. What good would a soldier of the Lord be without such a powerful sword in hand? We would unwisely fight, unknowingly hurt, and sadly miss God's target every time - the heart of man.

Psalm 19:8, "The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes."

What about the target of your heart today, dear lady? What has God revealed to you about the thoughts and attitudes of your own heart? Is there something revealed in His Word that He would like to cut away from your heart? Something that might be hindering you in your battle for the Lord? In the Word, we see God and we see how God sees us. A bit piercing at times, but necessary! The Lord wants our motives and intentions to be pure while we fight the good fight of faith. Let the sword do it's work, yield to the Holy Spirit.... Then go out and share what you've been pierced with - the truth!

God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000  Pamela A. Iannello

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