Ephesians 6:13-17 - Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breast plate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
"...and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
The Roman soldier always had a sword with him. Not a heavy long sword, but a short two foot sword that was very effective in hand to hand combat. He would have spent hours and hours working with it, learning to be very efficient in it's use. His life would depend on his readiness to use the sword.
Paul tells us that our sword is the word of God. In most cases "word" is translated in the Greek as "logos" which references the written word of God. In this case it is translated as "rhema" which references the spoken word of God. The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God comes from our knowledge of the written word and the guidance of the Spirit in how we apply and use it.
Hebrews 4:12 - "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."
How do we become efficient in it's use? First of all it requires us to spend time in the word and second it requires us to have a relationship with the Spirit of God. How are you doing in these areas? Are you spending time in the word? How is your relationship with the Lord?
How much does our life (our spiritual being) depend on us being able to wield this sword in a timely and effective way? How about others in our life; how does our effectiveness affect others? Our spiritual lives depend on our ability to defend ourselves from the attacks of Satan. We must know the truth from the lies, we must know the Word to know truth and we have to rely on the Spirit to defend it. We are to be prepared in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2) to correct, rebuke and encourage... Our effectiveness has a direct affect on those around us.
Lord please guide us and direct us as we apply the full armor of God in our lives. Show us the steps we should take and the things we should do. Help us to see how the full armor of God can help us and guide us to eternity with you. Amen!
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