Ephesians 6:10-20

Spiritual Battle: Standing Firm – The Sword of the Spirit

The sword of the spirit is not a physical weapon.  Neither is it the physical word of God  (the Bible) that we use to hit people over the head with! It is our only attacking weapon – it is a double edged sword (Heb 4:12) and we have it as our disposal to use to combat the attacks on our spiritual lives.

It is the word of God that we learn, absorb and allow the Holy Spirit to write on our hearts and minds. It should be such a part of us that we can use it in any situation. It should direct and mould our thinking if it is going to afford any protection.

Jesus in the desert when faced with temptation quoted scripture at Satan. He knew it because he had studied and learnt it, and at the point of pressure was able to counteract the advances of the enemy.

The Rifleman’s Creed is a part of basic United States Marine Corps doctrine.  In late 1941 or early 1942. All enlisted Marines learnt the creed at recruit training and they were expected to live by it.

“This is my rifle. There are many like it but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. Without me, my rifle is useless. Without my rifle I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy, who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will. Before God I swear this creed: my rifle and myself are defenders of my country, we are the masters of my enemy, we are the saviours of my life. So be it, until there is no enemy, but peace.”

We need to take a similar attitude towards the living word of God. Do you know your Bible well enough? We need to study it, to learn about it and to have it engrained on our lives so that when the pressure is on the Holy Spirit can bring it to mind and help us to combat spiritual attack.

Psalm 119: “The word is a lamp to my feet and light to my path” and it illuminates our way. With this light we can make the right decisions and discern the will of God.

The sword is also a short range weapon for hand to hand combat. We cannot fight from a distance. We have to be in the midst of the battle and fully involved.