Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:11–12
Throughout scripture, any reference to a sword could mean one of two things. The first sword is what we see when we think about King Arthur. It’s huge and would probably take two hands just to hold it up. In the Bible, the only one who carries this sword is Jesus. The other sword is the one Paul talks about in Ephesians 6:17. He says, “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” The word Paul uses for sword isn’t the same as the big sword I just mentioned; it’s more of a dagger. It’s between six and eighteen inches long, and it’s razor sharp on both sides. What most people don’t know about this sword is that every soldier in the army at the time carried one. The thing that made this little weapon so fearsome is it was shaped like a hook or something resembling a corkscrew at the end. Basically, it was designed to do serious damage to the enemy. A fight with this weapon wouldn’t last long and wouldn’t be pretty.
This is exactly the reason the Holy Spirit chose this sword to describe what the Word of God looks like in your hand. And, to the Enemy of your soul, this is one fearful weapon. Isaiah 55:11 says, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
Let me ask you this: do you have your sword ready? Because when God’s Word is used and applied properly, things begin to happen. This sword has the Devil shaking in his boots, so make sure you arm yourself with it every day.
PRAYER
Lord, thank You that Your Word is a fearsome weapon to the Enemy. Thank You that Your Word is effective. Make me a skilled bearer of Your Word as I arm myself with it daily. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
FOR FURTHER STUDY
Isaiah 54:17; Luke 10:19; 2 Corinthians 10:3–6
Written by Marcus Brecheen
Taken from It Is Written, a Gateway devotion.
