Over the last few days, we have been talking about the offensive weapon of the Sword of the Spirit. Do not underestimate the power of this spiritual weapon. Here again, are Paul's words:
17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints (Ephesians 6:17-18).
When we speak forth the sword of the Spirit, the authority and presence of God is behind God’s Word and disrupts Satan and his demons. God spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about this very thing when He said, “Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it” (Jeremiah 1:12). What was the Lord saying? He is saying that His Word will not return empty or without effect but will fulfill His purpose in the world through His power at work through the medium of His Word (Isaiah 55:11). The enemy must bow to a higher authority. God’s power backs up His Word. As disciples of Christ, we are His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20), and God's authority and government are behind us. We all have people around us, e.g., spouses, family, friends, and co-workers, who have resisted us sharing our biblical worldview, but they only impede our reaching out to them because they are under the deception of the enemy and have a veil over their hearts:
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4).
If you believe in Christ, Satan is your enemy, and he wants to limit your effectiveness by duping you into keeping quiet and not using the Spirit's sword in an offensive capability. Be open to the Spirit of God. He can give you a word that will "pierce" through the lies and deceptions that blind your loved ones from the light of God's truth. The Spirit of God knows their innermost thoughts, defenses, and unanswered questions. Ask God for an inspired word that will get past the defenses the enemy has set up! The more you spend time in the Word of God, the easier it will be to have the Spirit of God bring a word in season to your remembrance. Jesus said: “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father willsend in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26).
We need to be acquainted with the Word of God. When Satan came to Jesus, saying, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread” (Matthew 4:3), the Lord replied by quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3, “It is written: Man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Just as the physical body needs bread, so the believer in Christ needs the sustenance of daily meditation on the Word of God to be spiritually healthy and overcome the evil one. The Word of God is heavenly bread and our sword of the Spirit. Don’t let the enemy con you into thinking that speaking the Word of God into the lives of your family will bring no return. He’s just a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). Keith Thomas.
This meditation is a shortened version of the more in-depth study: Offensive Weapons of the Believer.