The Sword of the Spirit Spoken by a Believer in Christ

Over the past few days, we have been discussing the offensive weapon of the Sword of the Spirit. Do not underestimate the power of this spiritual weapon. Once again, here are Paul's words:

¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints (Ephesians 6:17-18).

When we declare the sword of the Spirit, God's authority and presence behind His Word disrupt Satan and his demons. God told Jeremiah the prophet about this very thing, saying, “Then the LORD said to me, 'You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it” (Jeremiah 1:12). What was the Lord saying? He is indicating that His Word will not return empty or ineffective but will accomplish His purpose in the world through His power working through His Word (Isaiah 55:11). The enemy must submit to a higher authority. God’s power supports His Word. As followers of Christ, we are His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20), and God's authority and government stand behind us. We all have people around us—spouses, family, friends, and coworkers—who resist us sharing our biblical worldview. Still, they hinder our efforts because they are deceived by the enemy and have a veil over their hearts.

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4).

If you believe in Christ, Satan becomes your enemy, and he aims to restrict your effectiveness by deceiving you into remaining silent and not using the Spirit's sword offensively. Be receptive to the Spirit of God. He can provide you with a word that will "pierce" through the lies and deceptions that blind your loved ones from God's truth. The Spirit of God understands their innermost thoughts, defenses, and unanswered questions. Pray to God for an inspired word that will bypass the defenses the enemy has established! The more time you spend in the Word of God, the easier it will be for the Spirit of God to bring a timely word to your remembrance. Jesus said: “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26).

We must familiarize ourselves with the Word of God. When Satan approached Jesus and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread” (Matthew 4:3), the Lord responded by quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3, saying, “It is written: Man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Just as the physical body needs bread, so does the believer in Christ require the nourishment of daily meditation on the Word of God to stay spiritually healthy and to overcome the evil one. The Word of God is heavenly bread and our sword of the Spirit. Don’t let the enemy deceive you into thinking that speaking the Word of God into your family’s lives will yield no results. He’s just a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). Keith Thomas.

This meditation is a condensed version of the more in-depth study, "What Are the Believer’s Most Powerful Weapons?"