Battle Ready: Mighty Weapons - Part 3 Series

There is nothing more powerful than the words of God. The words of God can impart eternal life and take you to heaven. Knowing the word of God, taking up the sword is the only offensive weapon that we are given. We fight the devil knowing the word of God. The reason we are defeated in our battle against Satan is because of prayerlessness. It’s through prayer that the devil’s schemes are defeated because “The devil trembles when he sees the weakest Christian on his knees.”

On the first Sunday in the series, we looked knowing the tactics of the devil. The more awareness you have of the tactics the more likely you are to be able to defend against the devil’s schemes. Then last Sunday we walked through the 5 defensive pieces of the Armour. Today we’re going to pick up the rest of the verse and walk through the rest of this passage. Last Sunday we talked about the 5 defensive pieces of the Armour of God. This time we are going to talk about the one piece that we use on the offence. The sword of the Spirit of God.

We are also going to be spending some time in prayer at the end of the service. We’re going to be spending some time praying specifically because the battle against the devil and his schemes is won when we get down on our knees in prayer. The devil shakes when even the weakest Christian gets on his knees or her knees. If you are brand-new to the faith or you have been on this journey for 40 years or 50 years, whenever you get on your knees to pray devil shakes. Because it is the weapon that we used in order to fight and defend against his schemes.

Ephesians 6:17-20 (NLT)

17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The Sword of the Spirit

The sword of the spirit is the word of God that is “12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Hebrews 4:12

Paul may very well have intended to mean by the term word (rhema) of God the sacred Scriptures of Judaism that Jesus had used so effectively at the time of his own temptation.

Matt 4 – Jesus' temptation

“People do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 8:3

The same word is used in Eph 5:26, however, to connote words spoken at the time of baptism. If the latter is the intended sense, then the word of God is any helpful word from God in the moment of need.

A local Catholic Priest noted: “When I sense the devil is near, I begin quoting Scripture, and the oppression I feel lifts.” We resist the devil the way Jesus did in the wilderness, by quoting Scripture. We don’t just wave a Bible at our enemy; we use Scripture as an instrument to tear down strongholds. Proclaiming God’s word is an act of aggression against the powers of evil.

However, we are not fully armed if we lack a basic knowledge of the Bible. A believer who is biblically illiterate is virtually unarmed. Paul tells Timothy, “ Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.” (2 Tim 2:15). That means with understanding. Are we proficient in our swordsmanship? We need to saturate our minds with Scripture.

I remember as a kid in Sunday School having “sword drills.” The teacher would give a reference, and we would be the first to find it. Are we able to deal with the devil with the word of God? We need to be trained in our God-given weapon system--the Sword of the Spirit!

Zechariah 4:6, “It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”

Ephesians 6:18-20 (NLT)

18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.[a]

Always

We are called to pray at all times…

On every occasion…

for all believers…

Intercession is our priestly duty. Some of you may never stand in front of a group of people and perform a sacred act that the priest was called to do. You may not feel confident upfront. But I guarantee you, your greatest gift, your strongest weapon, where you will make the most impactful change is when you pray.