Ephesians 6:17
“and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:”
Everything mentioned so far in the Armor of God has mainly been for defense. We have learned how to protect ourselves through truth, righteousness, the gospel, and faith. Yet a defensive war can almost never be won. If all we do is defend against Satan and our enemies, they will continue to bombard us, never quitting until they find a breach in which to take us down. Therefore, God gives us the sword of the Spirit.
The sword’s main purpose is for attack. It takes the battle to the enemy. With it, we can defeat those that attack and cause them to retreat. However, as with all weapons, a sword requires skill. And should you wield it without skill, it will be more of a danger to you than to your enemies. A sword requires great amounts of training. I did some quick research, and it takes a couple months to learn the basics, but to be skillful requires years of work. And one never learns it all; wherever I looked, everyone stated that you constantly learn and become better. Months, years, decades; you can still learn more. Do not dare use the sword of the Spirit until you have trained in it well, or Satan will easily overpower and confuse you.
But what is the sword? The Bible says it is the Word of God, the Bible. But how can the Bible be used as a weapon? Well, as I mentioned in the Shield of Faith, Satan attacks us with all kinds of weapons. Temptations, doubt, anxiety, etc. But the Bible can deal with them all. Temptation? “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation”. Doubt? “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart”. Anxiety? “Fear not, for I am with thee”. No matter what Satan or your enemies throw at you, there is an answer from the Word of God.
And this is where training and skill comes in. If you do not know your Bible, you cannot effectively use it against the enemy. If you do not know verses, then when the trials come, you cannot effectively fight and must resort to defense. Train with your Bible daily, so you can take the offense to Satan. Memorize Scripture. Psalms 119:11 states, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Not only must the verses be in your mind, but in your heart also. Believe what you know.
2 Timothy 2:15 states, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” With faithful studying, you can rightly divide the Bible, understanding Scripture accurately. But if you do not know the Bible well, Satan can easily deceive you and twist the few verses you know. This is how cults such as the Mormons, Jesuits, and others get people. They know people don’t know the Bible well, so they pull a few verses out of context and twist them to confuse the minds. Keep your sword sharp and know how to use it, so the enemy cannot use it against you.
Ephesians says that it is the sword of the Spirit. What does it mean by that? Well, many unbelievers have great knowledge of the Bible, but have no power with it. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is not with them. That is where the real power lies. If you are not saved, you cannot have the sword of the spirit. If you are saved, but not right with God, the Spirit will not have the same power in your life as it could have. James 4:7 says, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” The devil has no power against God’s word. Think of the passage where Satan tempts Jesus three times. All Jesus had to do was quote Scripture, and Satan immediately retreated from the topic. No arguments, no discussions, just changing of tactics. Couple the Word of God with the Holy Spirit, and you have a powerful weapon that Satan cannot stand up against. Keep close to God, study His word daily, and know how to use it. This is the key to living as a victorious Christian.