Week 18: The Shield - Part 4: The Sword

Our final piece of armour before we conclude with the Shield of Faith is the Sword of the Spirit.

A soldier’s sword was usually made of iron and then coated with coal dust to harden it. The handle was often made of various materials such as ivory, bone, wood, or metal. The sword was used both defensively and offensively. Defensively, it was used to deflect enemy blows. Offensively, it was used as a means of counter attack against the enemy until the individual was either seriously wounded or killed. The Greek definition of the term sword plainly states that the sword’s purpose was to cut and kill.

Used spiritually, the sword manifest itself much like its physical usage. In Ephesians, 6:17 the Sword of the Spirit is called the Word of God. In John 1:1 we learn that Jesus is the Word. Jesus is described in Revelation 19: 13 again as having the name the Word of God and we see in verse 15 that a two-edged sword goes out of His mouth to smite the nations who have rejected Him. So, Christ Himself is the Word of God and the Bible is His written word. II Timothy 3:16 tells that all scripture is inspired by God and was prophesied and eventually penned by men as they were led by the Holy Spirit (II Peter 1:21). Knowing all of this, we can rest assured in the words of Isaiah 55:11, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” God’s word makes an impression when and wherever it’s used.

Thus, the sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) is fully able to help us combat Satan and cut down his strongholds. Joshua 1:8 instructs us that the Bible is to be studied, learned, and lived. When the Word is memorized and meditated upon, it becomes natural to use it in battle. When we use our Bible as a shelf decoration, we are not equipped when the battles arise, and they will arise. Like an actual physical sword, when the Bible is used defensively, it deflects Satan’s blows of lies, doubts, and temptations with truths about God, His character, and His purpose for our lives. Furthermore, when used offensively, it helps to strengthen the inner man. The more we read it, the more we believe it and the more we believe it, the more we are apt to use it when attacked. It simply becomes part of who we are. Remember when Satan attacked Christ in the wilderness, he used the Bible against Him. He quoted scriptures out of context to tempt Christ. Now, I am of the opinion that Christ could not have sinned, because even though He was fully man on earth, He was still fully God. I honestly can’t explain that any further…there are just some things that have to be accepted totally by faith. Nevertheless, Christ fought back with scripture used in the proper context. Obviously Christ knew the scriptures inside and out…He wrote them, but the point is this, if we don’t meditate and memorize them, we may not recognize when the devil is attacking us with a counterfeit scripture. Let’s face it. The devil may not be omniscient, but he’s not stupid either. He knows if he can trip us up with our own armour, he can get a good blow in that might just knock us off our feet. Thus, it is imperative that we take heed to Joshua 1:8 and strive to follow its commands.

Memorizing and using scripture is an extremely powerful part of our Christian armour, and when used properly, it helps protect our other armour against the enemy. Think about it like this, when a soldier was in battle, the sword was used to fight off or deflect the blows that could reach the vital organs. A soldier would swing and thrust it to block impacts to the other parts of the body. Thus, the fewer impacts to the interior of the body, the longer the soldier could remain strong and alert in the heat of the battle.

All the same, the more scripture we know and use to fight off the blows of the devil before they hit our inner spiritual beings, the stronger our other armour, or spiritual lives, remain.
So, take up your sword and cherish it. If it has been shelved, blow off the dust and meditate on it. Commit it to memory and when the devil comes your way….swing away and cut him to pieces. When you resist the devil, he will flee from you (James 4:7), and there is simply nothing better than seeing the enemy retreat when you’ve been in battle!

References

Holy Bible, KJV

Strong's Concordance with Hebrew and Greek Lexicon, http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Eph&c=6&v=17&t=KJV#17

Sword of the Spirit, http://www.christcenteredmall.com/teachings/armor-of-god-7.htm