The Sword of the Spirit

“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.”  Ephesians 6:13

Paul wrote that believers should put on the whole armor of God which allows believers to not only withstand evil, but to stand against it.  What’s the difference?  To withstand evil is to keep oneself from being influenced by it and/or to be able to endure persecution, ostracism, betrayal, and other wrongs done against the believer without retaliation or revenge.  To stand against evil is to take a stand for truth and righteousness in the face of evil regardless of the consequences.  It is to call out sin and evil, not in a hateful or belligerent manner, but in a concerned and loving way.  It is also to be firm and not be intimidated.  The prophet, Jeremiah, faced much opposition as he called out Judah for her idolatry, but he didn’t give up or give in.  He trusted in God’s armor to protect him.

We’ve all seen those metal suits of armor that knights wore in battle to protect themselves from the arrows and swords of the enemy.  Those suits must have been very uncomfortable.  In the movie, “The Wizard of Oz”, the tin man’s suit of armor would get rusty and squeaky requiring oil to be applied so that he could move.  Today, we have Kevlar vests which policemen and soldiers wear to protect their vital organs from bullets and knives.  God’s armor is not a physical protection garment, but rather a spiritual one.  The first piece to don is the belt of truth, the foundation for the remaining spiritual armor and the foundation for life.  What good would a soldier of Christ be if he or she were not first clothed both inwardly and outwardly with truth?

The second piece of the suit of spiritual armor is the breastplate of righteousness.  It protects us from the accuser, that old devil himself, who would have us believe that we are not worth God’s effort.  It also protects believers from God’s wrath which will come on all those who have not received this important piece of God’s armor.  On our feet go the shoes of the gospel of peace.  They guide our steps and keep us from stepping into areas of confusion and turmoil.  The shoes of peace enable us to walk across the rocks of persecution, disappointment, doubt, and despair with confidence that the Lord will safely guide us to our destination.

Once the body is anointed with this armor, we must take up the shield of faith.  If we are grounded in righteousness, truth, and peace, Satan will look for other avenues to attempt to cause us to doubt God’s goodness and promises to us–he will attack us through temptations, those fiery darts.  However, it is our faith that determines our success in shielding ourselves from his attacks.  When the devil casts his fiery darts of accusations, temptations, and curses, we hold it out in front, and those darts cannot penetrate the shield of faith.  So far, our spiritual armor has provided righteousness, truth, peace, and faith, but what about our thought life?  That is protected by the helmet of salvation.  When we repent and receive Christ, God gives us the Holy Spirit to guide, correct, and comfort us so that we always have a Companion alongside to help in times of trouble or need, and to help us keep our minds focused on the Lord and doing what pleases Him.

There’s one more item to add to our ensemble–the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, our directory, our instruction booklet, and our survival manual.  Satan has no defense against God’s Word.  All of these pieces of our spiritual armor need one more thing to make them work together to give us the tools that we need to walk daily with Christ–prayer.  Without prayer, our armor cannot fulfill its purpose in providing what is necessary to live fruitful and joyous lives in the Lord.  S0, when you arise tomorrow morning, don’t forget to don your spiritual armor as you pray for strength and courage for the day.