Sword of the Spirit

I. THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE:

The Sword of the Spirit is part of our spiritual armor for battle.

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

The Sword of the Spirit is – the Word of God

II. THE WORD OF GOD IS POWERFUL & IS THE BELIEVER’S SWORD OR WEAPON IN THE SPIRIT WORLD.

Heb 4:12 – For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword . . .”

1Th 1:5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost . . .

Luk 4:32 And they were astonished at his [Jesus] doctrine: for his word was with power.

Isa 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.

Why is the Word of God so powerful?

The Word of God is not – strings of magical quotes

A. The Word of God is Truth and has the power to save (Eph 1:13) and set people free (Jn 8:32)

  • Psa 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
  • Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
  • Jas 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, . . ..

B.  The Word of God is Spirit (a Spirit of truth) and is Alive

  • Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
  • Psa 119:50 This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened (made alive) me.
  • 1Jn 5:6 . . . And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
  • Joh 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: . . .
  • Joh 15:26 . . . even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

C. The Word of God is God and Jesus Christ, the Living Word in the flesh.

  • Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
  • Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh (Jesus Christ), and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
  • Rev 19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
  • 1Jn 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

D.  Scripture is the written Word; we also have the Living Word which is Christ in us (Col. 1:27).  We need to study and understand the written Word of God.

We received the Living Word in the Holy Spirit given to us at the moment of Salvation. (In fleshly tablets of the heart).  It is by the Spirit of God in us that we are taught all things, by which the Holy Spirit illuminates the truths of God’s written Word, in which we are instructed to study and rightly divide the Word of Truth.

  • 1Jn 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
  • Joh 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth . . .
  • 2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

What is meant by rightly dividing the Word of Truth?

Understanding what is addressed to the Church of Christ, as opposed to former dispensations.  For example, the epistles are specifically written to the Church of Christ, or the body of Christ, the saints of God, the dispensation of grace, as opposed to the laws of the Old Testament.

  • Joh 1:17 For the Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

In it’s original form, all God-inspired scripture is profitable for: doctrine, reproof, correction, & instruction in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16), but it is the Living Word within us, the Spirit of Truth, that guides, illuminates, confirms, and gives us an understanding of the Truth.

Col 1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

In order to successfully wield the sword of the spirit, we need to be rooted in our knowledge and understanding of what Christ has fully given to us, as sons of God.

It is incumbent upon us to put on the full spiritual armor of God, if we are to do all to stand.

If we wield our sword but forget our shield of faith, then we will lose the battle, and will be overcome with the fiery darts of the devil, or if we don’t have the helmet of salvation in place, we may receive a fatal blow to the head and so on.  There are times we will  need to pray and fast and build our faith, and to intercede for others, in our battle against dark forces.

Regarding an obviously powerful spirit “deaf and dumb” that the disciples could not cast out, Jesus instructed:

  • Mar 9:29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

To read about appropriating God’s full armor, please click this link:

The Spiritual Armor of God .

The sword of the spirit is the sword of what spirit?

Man or God?

I agree with Gills commentary below,

“and this word may be called “the sword of the Spirit”, because it is not carnal, but of a spiritual nature; and is used by the spiritual man; and because the Holy Spirit, as the Ethiopic version here expresses it, is the author of it; and which he furnishes the saints with, and teaches them how to make use of, and makes it powerful and effectual.”

Jesus Christ effectually wielded the sword of the spirit (the written Word of God) against the devil, on the Mount of Temptation.

  • 1Th 2:13 . . .ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

E. God’s Word is the “Word of Faith”

  • Rom 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

Jesus Christ is the object of our faith:  This encompasses the Name of Jesus Christ, all of who He is and all that He has done for our salvation, and our inheritance in Him before God the Father.

We do all in the name of Jesus Christ, the Living Word, in our sonship to God in Christ

  • Eph 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
  • Mar 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
  • Mar 16:18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

The shield of faith protects us from the weapons used by the kingdom of darkness to defeat or destroy us, but the sword of the spirit is the believer’s weapon used to demolish the strongholds of the enemy.

We are not to be just passive but aggressively demolishing the lies of the devil with the Truth of God’s Word in all wisdom and understanding of the Holy Spirit.  We renew our minds to the Truth of God’s Word, stand on that Truth by our actions, and vocalize that Truth against any attacking spirit forces.

First, we learn that the sword of the spirit is the Christian’s weapon in the spirit realm, and as Paul taught, this weapon is the Word of God, and the power of it by the Spirit of God and our faith.  We wield this weapon to defeat principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies.  This war cannot be won by way of flesh and blood, because it is a spirit kingdom of evil that is at war with God and the Church of Christ, and it is the devil sowing the tares among the wheat.  When believers come under attack, the sword of the spirit directed against the forces of darkness is meant to thrust the enemy and take him out of the way, doing all in the name of Jesus Christ, in His authority.

F.  The Word of God is with Authority

God will confirm His Word

  • Luk 4:36 And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.
  • Act 14:3 Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands.
  • Mar 16:20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.
  • Rom 4:21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

*An Important Note

Appropriating the sword of the spirit has a 2-fold benefit, as stated above, it keeps the enemy at bay, but the hearing of the Word also inspires our faith.

  • . . .faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God , Ro. 10:17

Whether we suffer at the hands of wicked people, or the devil has crept into our lives through one or more strongholds, reading and speaking out the Word of God in faith will move mountains.

See Spiritual Warfare Scriptures listed under Pages (right sidebar) that will help to arm you in this battle.

Spend time meditating on them and committing important verses to memory.

Whether we are seeking self-deliverance or help from or for others, our victory and sustained liberty will depend upon our ability to be and remain strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.

Remember the Lord’s words to Paul, when Paul was harassed by a messenger of Satan, which I believe was the kingdom of darkness instigating the people to persecute Paul for His stand in the Lord (they-the thorn in his flesh), the Lord said, “My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9)

Our flesh is meaningless in the face of the power of Satan and his kingdom of darkness, in this weakness, we take the armor of God, and God’s strength is perfected in us, and it is His power that gives us the victory.

  • Luk 1:74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
  • Luk 1:75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

God Bless

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