Ephesians 6:17
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
We have established that early Christians were such targets of satanic attack and persecution for two reasons. They were full of the Word and were faithful Witnesses. Today we consider why such a combination made them (and makes us) assets in the Kingdom of God and lethal weapons against the kingdom of darkness.
We should understand that the Word of God is not just words! It’s the sword of the Spirit (Ep 6:17b). Why is the Word of God referred to in such military terms brethren? Because it is a spiritual weapon. That’s why the enemy of our souls will do everything he can to keep Christians away from the Word. That’s why some believers can sing for hours on end but can’t stand thirty minutes in the Word!
Yet only the sword of the Spirit (Word) in the hands of a faithful Witness wreaks havoc in the enemy’s camp. Remember how Jesus showed us how to use this lethal weapon in the wilderness during His forty-day fast (Mat 4:1-11)? The Holy Spirit enabled Him to wield the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, to repel every satanic wile.
Beloved, many believers today are not weak because they lack the Spirit. Rather it is the Word which they lack, and so the Holy Spirit has no sword (Word) in their hearts to use! You can be very anointed, but as long as you are Word-less you’ll be powerless. As a rule, the Holy Spirit requires raw material of the Word in your heart. That is what gives you a cutting-edge Christianity.
Likewise, Word-saturated prayers are devastating in their impact. And so is Word-based worship. Will you hide the Word in your heart today?
Pastor Josh