Worth Repeating - August 21, 2017

Ephesians 6: 13-17 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that . . . you may be able to stand your ground . . . Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition . . . 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. (NIV)

The Bible is replete with weapons through which we can defeat our common enemy.*

This passage reminds me of my husband’s ritual as he prepares to go play hockey. He tapes his ankles, dons padded pants, elbow pads and a helmet, all to protect himself from injury. Just like the armor of God, all his equipment is for defensive purposes – until he picks up his stick.  Like that hockey stick, the sword of the Spirit is the only offensive device in our arsenal.

As Christians, we are constantly under attack. We stand our ground, armed with truth, righteousness, readiness, faith and salvation. When it comes time to attack we wield the sword of the Spirit. This is a magical sword because it is empowered by the Spirit of God. We must train with it, just as the ancient soldiers prepared for battle with rigorous practice in the proper use of the weapon. It is important for us to be insulated from Satan’s attacks, but we must be ready to fight back. Know the word of God, know the God of the word, and let the Spirit of God guide your sword.

If you want to motivate Christians to learn to use their weapons of warfare, put them on the front lines.*