Sword of the Spirit – The Armor of God

Ephesians 6:17 NKJV
And take … the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, is both a weapon of offence and a weapon of defense.
The Lord wants us to always be equipped with the knowledge of His word. The word of God is the final authority and standard by which every child of God / Christian should live by. Our beliefs must be checked and tested against the word of God.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work

We must understand, that whenever we use the word of God, it will be to accomplish any of the 4 purposes which is: (a) for teaching, (b) for reproof, (c) for correction and (d) for instruction in righteousness.
Whenever a soldier goes into battle, he needs to make sure that he is equipped for the battle. In any battle you need to also make sure that you know how to use the weapons that you have.
According to Paul, the word of God THOROUGHLY equips you for EVERY GOOD WORK. It is therefore important that we use God’s word in order to glorify God and to bring about the will and plans of God in ANY situation in our lives.
For example, whenever we encounter unbelievers, we need to be able to use the word of God in order to help them to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Or whenever an unbeliever challenges our Christian faith, we need to be able to use the word of God in order to defend Christian values and beliefs.

When Jesus was being tempted by the devil, Jesus always responded to the devil’s temptations with the scriptures. He would quote the word of God because He knew that the devil cannot win against God’s word. Jesus knew during His time of temptation that God’s word is like a sword with which you can use to defend and attack the enemy.

Psalm 1:2,3 NKJV
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season…

To equip yourself with God’s word you must be able to MEDITATE on His word. The word of God cannot have any effect in your life unless you meditate on it. It is the sword of the Spirit, and therefore God’s word must be rooted inside you, so that the Holy Spirit can bring remembrance of God’s word to you whenever you need it or for any situation in your life.

Hebrews 4:12 NKJV
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.

The word of God is more than just text or a book. The word of God is alive; it is living; it is active; it is working; it will not come back void. The word of God is also able to expose our innermost thoughts and desires.

TODAY. Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.