THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT

(Eph 6:17) Take.... the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

This is the only piece of armour the soldier uses to fight and win war! (There are many other weapons in the time of Roman Empire but Paul only mentions the Sword) Without this, he will only be defending although he can advance. Simply put, he can run, shout, kick and jump but he will not accomplish much! Like a child sitting in a merry-go-round, he has lots of movement but always ends up in the same place! If a soldier goes around without a sword, he will eventually be defeated. Sooner or later, he will either be captured or killed.

We have to wield the sword to fight the devilish opposition in our victorious campaign! The Greek word for the "word of God" here is Rhema. Rhema is used by Jesus when He overcame the devil in the temptation passages of the Bible (Matthew 4). The Spirit of God gives the Word of God a POWER PUNCHline to whatever temptations that may come our way! Hence, Sword of the Spirit! A specific wisdom for a specific occasion!

The “Sword” (Specific Word from God or "S-Word") is not only used to overcome temptations set up by the devil to defeat us. Much more than that, the Sword is used to break the chains from people who are bound by Satan. And to set them free from bondage! This is another weapon for advancing into the deep territories of the evil one just like the shoes and the shield! But the Sword is the only weapon that produces result and victory as far as the gospel preaching is concerned! The Word of God is living and active and cuts like a double edged Sword (Hebrews 4:12).

Remember the belt of truth? It holds the sword. We know what God said about us generally but in the war we have to use Rhema when the time comes to fight. That’s why we must tighten up our belt first, knowing what God said about us in His word before we can effectively use the sword.

More often than not, Christians are not wielding their Sword! We are blessed by the Word but sadly, we keep the Word to ourselves. We may have a doctorate in biblical studies, confidently living a life of prosperity because we follow the Word. All these are good but the devil is not concerned! Knowledge and wisdom in the Word can produce a good Christian but it would do no good to the Gospel if we keep our Sword hidden inside the sheath, buckled under our Belt. The sword hung on the belt is useless in the war of influencing lives for Jesus! Peter, in Acts chapter 2, knew just how to wield the Sword. As he preached to the people, the Bible tells us that they were cut to the hearts (v37).

Oh.. there are so many “Christless” people who are hurt and filled with anxieties of life! And dare we not hide our "Sword" which can be used to heal and to bring them into the eternal life God promised to all those who believe and accept Jesus' work on the cross!!

Come on, Christians, take out your Sword!

Next Article: An extra weapon.....P.R.A.Y.E.R.....
http://psbible.blogspot.com/2009/08/extra-weapon-prayer.html