– the Sword of the Spirit

You and I have an enemy. We did not choose him. When you choose Jesus as your Lord and Savior, His enemy becomes your enemy. Your enemy wants to defeat you, destroy your testimony, steal your inheritance and take others down with you.

When you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are saved from the penalty of sin, being saved from the very power of sin and someday will be saved from the very presence of sin!

Remember the purpose of the armor He provides you is so you can withstand and stand-
Ephesians 6:
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

The next piece of armor is the sword of the Spirit. It is the only offensive weapon Jesus provides you. It is the only offensive weapon you need to advance in accomplishing Jesus Christ’s purpose for your life as He builds His church and advances His kingdom. Sure, you and I live in a fallen creation. Sure, sin and death have entered the world. Sure, everyone is born with a sinful, rebellious nature. But praise be to Jesus Christ Who gives you and me the victory!
1 Corinthians 15: 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 6:
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Let’s examine the weapon Jesus Christ provides you. The Word of the Lord is powerful. Jesus has armed you richly! Isaiah 55:
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
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.

The Sword of the Spirit has a purpose
The Sword of the Spirit has a good purpose
The Sword of the Spirit will absolutely, without a doubt accomplish His purpose
Hebrews 4:
12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The Sword of the Spirit is quick
The Sword of the Spirit is sharp
The Sword of the Spirit is piercing
The Sword of the Spirit is a divider
The Sword of the Spirit is a discerner

Questions for Reflection
1) How do you take the Sword of the Spirit?
Remember you were uniquely designed and created.
Psalm 139:
13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
Jesus Christ makes no mistakes. Jesus Christ never makes junk.

Remember Jesus Christ has made you completely new and continues developing you.
1 Corinthians 5:
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Ephesians 2:
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Remember no thing and no person can separate you from the love of Jesus Christ. Romans 8:
31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord

2) Are there people in your life who throw hurtful accusations at you? How can you use the Sword of the Spirit in that situation?

3) Was there a time when someone you really cared about, someone who really mattered to you – like a person in authority, made a hurtful accusation about you? How can you use the Sword of the Spirit? Remember you do not have to live the prescription someone else wrote for you!

4) Perhaps there are some people in your life or some thoughts in your life that consistently put you down. Find a Bible verse that specifically addresses the issue and memorize it, have it ready to use against your enemy. Perhaps you will want to quote it out loud or just to yourself. It is God’s Word and will accomplish His purposes.

5) Do you have a life’s verse?

6) Are you armed with a specific verse ready to counter the personal attacks your enemy uses?

7) How grounded are you in His Word?

8) Have you read the entire Bible?

9) Are you regularly studying the Bible?

10) How many Bible verses have you memorized?

Victory in Jesus – Eugene Bartlett, Sr.
I heard an old, old story, How a Savior came from glory,
How He gave His life on Calvary To save a wretch like me;
I heard about His groaning, Of His precious blood’s atoning,
Then I repented of my sins And won the victory.
Chorus
O victory in Jesus, My Savior, forever.
He sought me and bought me With His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him And all my love is due Him,
He plunged me to victory,Beneath the cleansing flood.
I heard about His healing, Of His cleansing pow’r revealing.
How He made the lame to walk again And caused the blind to see;
And then I cried, “Dear Jesus, Come and heal my broken spirit,”
And somehow Jesus came and bro’t To me the victory.
I heard about a mansion He has built for me in glory.
And I heard about the streets of gold Beyond the crystal sea;
About the angels singing, And the old redemption story,
And some sweet day I’ll sing up there The song of victory.

Hebrews 12:
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Let us run with patience the race he has set before us, looking unto Jesus,
Coach Patti