THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT
(By: Norm Rasmussen)
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And take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; (Ephesians 6:17)
The Word of God is a mighty weapon of God. Scripture links the usage of this weapon with The Helmet of Salvation. They work together to be most effective:
'And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;' (Ephesians 6:17)
The Word of God is both a defensive weapon and an offensive weapon. We are to protect our thought life by placing our trust in God's Word, and we are to actively speak forth and pray and confess God's Word as it necessitates.
When Jesus was lead into the dessert for 40 days by the Holy Spirit at the beginning of his ministry to be tested by the devil (trained in effective spiritual warfare, in other words), what eight weapons did he take along with him?
1) Fasting
2) Prayer
3) The memorized Old Covenant written Word of God.
4) Trust/Faith
5) The Holy Spirit
6) Angels of God assigned to Him
7) Knowing He was in the center of His Father's will because of His obedience to His Father
8) Being thankful
Take careful note, He didn't need any other weapons than those to be victorious over the devil in that confrontation.
I believe the greatest reason that the Holy Spirit led Jesus out into the wilderness to be tested by the devil and it was recorded in scripture for us to read about is because God wants us to see clearly just how powerful the Word of God is against evil.
The Word of God mixed with faith with the right motive is more powerful than any weapon on earth or in hell. The Word of God mixed with faith with the right motive can move God to do whatever we consider to be the impossible.
Jesus declared it to be so: 'If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.' (Mark 9:23)
In other words, it has now been written: I can do anything God asks me to do. The only condition is that the Holy Spirit will have to give me the faith to believe in the situation, and the wisdom to execute His request.
Not one devil can stop it from happening nor can any human. God has all power, and when the correct requirements are met on our part, there is absolutely nothing that we can't do on God's behalf. Nothing!
Does this sound far-fetched? It sure would if Jesus had never said what He said in Mark 9:23, BUT - the Holy Spirit was directed by the Father to make sure it was recorded by the Word in His word. Do you realize how much power you have at your disposal to accomplish God's work?
We may not fully comprehend what God is telling us when it was recorded in His Word is Hebrews 4:12:
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Take special note on one single word in this scripture: 'living.' God is telling us that the words printed with ink on paper in our Bible is not like any other words printed with ink on paper. He's telling us they literally have life in them, the life of God in them ... or at least they release the life of God as is needed. The life of God cannot be separated from the power of God!
It is no coincidence that the book of John starts out by reading:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning.
Then is John Chapter 1:14, it tells us: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Noted Bible scholars over time have attempted to explain in words how the Triune-Godhead functions, limited as we are with that mystery. Here is common agreement with many of those Bible scholars:
The Father thinks it; Jesus the Word speaks what the Father thinks; the Holy Spirit is the power force of God and does what the Word speaks.
If then this is so, in the beginning of the Bible at creation then, the Father had all of the creation plan inside Himself and when it was time to have it manifest into physical and spiritual reality, the Word vocally spoke it out, and said, 'Let there be', and the Holy Spirit made what the Father decreed was to be made after the Word had spoken the will of the Father.
Stating it a little more plainly: The Father thinks it, The Word speaks it, The Holy Spirit manifests or creates it -- all three working in perfect harmony ... each having a different function in fulfilling the will of God, which all three can only be in agreement with, because it is impossible for them to be otherwise.
By the limitless grace of God, the written Word is God Himself transposed onto paper. Wherever your Holy Bible is, Jesus Christ the Word goes with it. When you carry your Bible under your arm into church on Sunday, you are carrying Jesus Christ in print under your arm. It's impossible to do otherwise.
I'll let this seep into your spirit. Once it is there, you'll begin to comprehend just how powerful the Word really is, and why it is such a powerful weapon against evil and a tool to effect righteousness.
Can you understand why Satan so much wants to discredit the Word of God? Can you understand why he wants different translations of the Word of God that alter the meaning of certain things God wants preserved for the Body of Christ? Be very careful about which translation/s of the Bible you read from that deviate from the popular translations, such as the original King James Translation, The New King James Translation, The New American Standard Translation, probably being the three most trusted.
As a final thought, God recorded a statement about his Word that our human mind struggles to fully grasp. In Matthew 24:35, Jesus was recorded making this statement of fact:
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
What more could be said about the importance of God's Word? Jesus said it all. And who is Jesus in print? The written Word. The devil shutters even thinking about it!
To learn about the other weapons of our warfare, click on the ones below you are interested in knowing more about:
2) Sword of the Spirit
4) Breastplate of righteousness
Back to the main writing: Why The Need For The Armor Of God?
Dear Reader - are you at peace with God? If not, you can be. Do you know what awaits you when you die? You can have the assurance from God that heaven will be your home, if you would like to be certain. You can even have that assurance RIGHT NOW! Either Jesus Christ died for your sins, or He didn't (He did!). Are you prepared to stand before God on the Judgment Day and tell Him that you didn't need the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross to have your sins forgiven and get in right-standing with God? We plead with you...please don't make such a tragic mistake.
To get to know God, to be at peace with God, to have your sins forgiven, to make certain heaven will be your home for eternity, to make certain that you are in right-standing with God right now ... please click here to help you understand the importance of being reconciled to God. What you do about being reconciled to God will determine where you will spend eternity, precious one. Your decision to be reconciled to God is the most important decision you'll ever make in this life, because in Christ, it is impossible to put a value on the worth of your soul in light of eternity.
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Remember: All that we do in this life comes back to our God-given purpose which is to serve and glorify God. The money and assets we accumulate, the fame and power we've attained or seek to attain - all of the things of this nature will one day pass away, but those lives of others we impact for Jesus Christ will last for eternity, and we will be rewarded for the part we helped play by impacting those lives ... for eternity. (Matthew 6:19-21 is our assurance)