A New Wardrobe Part 6 - The Sword of the Spirit
I've been waiting for this one.
If there is any weapon I've learned to depend on, become skilled with, and use efficiently over the last 15 years, it's my Sword. I distinctly remember sitting in front of a television screen with about 30 other women watching my very first Beth Moore video; it floored me. I wanted to know how she knew to connect scriptures. I wanted to know how she quoted those verses off the top of her head. I wanted to know the Bible like she did.
So I jumped in. With both feet, my whole heart, and every bit of my brain. I was newly married and working in the afternoons, so as soon as my husband left for work every morning I'd pull out my Bible, my Beth Moore study, my concordance, and every other piece of Bible Study equipment I could round up. And I'd sit there, swimming in the scriptures, for hours. Every morning. I learned how to use a Study Bible. I learned how to memorize--really memorize--scripture. I learned how to do a word study and find cultural significance. I did this for ten years solid.
Then I had my first child. And though I loved him dearly and had great support from my friends and family, he woke up multiple times each night and I was completely, utterly, exhausted. I barely functioned throughout the day. I barely found the mental and physical strength to pray, let alone sit for hours studying God's Word. But even in those very weary, solitary moments, His Word sustained me. I don't even know how to explain it. I'd cry out to Him about my feelings and my exhaustion, and instantly I'd have a Word in my mind. All of the hours spent pouring His Word into my brain were coming full circle, because now I was able to draw from that cup at a time when I was no longer able to pour.
I lived with His Word as my lifeline, my saving grace, for about four years. By that time I'd had a daughter, who also didn't sleep, and she had actually gotten to the point where I could no longer claim sleep deprivation as my calling card. I jumped back into God's Word, eager to know what He had to say. He did not disappoint. He's given me amazing messages to teach and share, both with large groups and individuals. He's expanded my mind to draw my own parallels. He's enabled me to memorize more scripture than I ever thought possible, and He adds to the list daily.
I love the Sword of the Spirit because I've used it and I know it works.
So we see in Ephesians 6:17, "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," (NIV). Picture it: you, holding a sword. Though I've never picked one up, I can only imagine that it takes skill, strength, and practice to use it effectively. A sword is made to be strong yet nimble. It's brutish yet delicate.
We see the same characteristics in the Bible's description of God's Word: "For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart," (Hebrews 4:12, NIV).
The sharpness of God's Word cuts deep and separates cleanly. It's the dividing line between how to live and how not to. It teaches us how to love according to God's definition. It shows us who God is and reveals His Son. It helps us understand the things we're meant to understand and manages to keep mysterious the things we can't handle. It's powerful.
In Deuteronomy 11:18, after a reminder to obey God, Moses told the Israelites, "Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds," and in 30:14 he said, "The Word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it," (NIV, later repeated in Romans 10:8). God's Word is meant to be in our hearts and our minds, but also in our mouth. That's how we start to use it as a weapon.
In Revelation 1, John sees Jesus and says that, "coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword," (Revelation 1:16, NIV).
Jesus' sword comes out of His mouth. So does ours. There is something powerful in speaking aloud God's Word as He has revealed it to us in a certain situation.
It's about more than simply reading the Bible daily. We need to ingest it: meditate on it, dig into the words, memorize it, match it to other passages, ask God what it means to our lives right now, speak it, and live according to it! We're not just learning Scripture for the sake of learning scripture: it gives us what we need to live our faith! "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work," (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NIV). God's Word makes us ready to go to battle, with both our mouths and our actions!
So to be ready to use this most important weapon, you've got to be saturated in it: your brain, your mouth, and your life should be shaped by Scripture. How do you get to that point? Start right now. Dig in. Ingest it. Don't get up from that chair until the Spirit has revealed something to you and you have been changed. And that same Spirit (it's not called the Sword of the Spirit for no reason!) will "teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you," (John 14:26, NIV). The Spirit will show you how to use your sword.
There is no greater thrill than meeting God on the pages of His Word. Start your Sword training today.
One last piece of battle gear tomorrow! Please feel free to comment below or notebook with me at myleslienotebook@gmail.com
If there is any weapon I've learned to depend on, become skilled with, and use efficiently over the last 15 years, it's my Sword. I distinctly remember sitting in front of a television screen with about 30 other women watching my very first Beth Moore video; it floored me. I wanted to know how she knew to connect scriptures. I wanted to know how she quoted those verses off the top of her head. I wanted to know the Bible like she did.
So I jumped in. With both feet, my whole heart, and every bit of my brain. I was newly married and working in the afternoons, so as soon as my husband left for work every morning I'd pull out my Bible, my Beth Moore study, my concordance, and every other piece of Bible Study equipment I could round up. And I'd sit there, swimming in the scriptures, for hours. Every morning. I learned how to use a Study Bible. I learned how to memorize--really memorize--scripture. I learned how to do a word study and find cultural significance. I did this for ten years solid.
Then I had my first child. And though I loved him dearly and had great support from my friends and family, he woke up multiple times each night and I was completely, utterly, exhausted. I barely functioned throughout the day. I barely found the mental and physical strength to pray, let alone sit for hours studying God's Word. But even in those very weary, solitary moments, His Word sustained me. I don't even know how to explain it. I'd cry out to Him about my feelings and my exhaustion, and instantly I'd have a Word in my mind. All of the hours spent pouring His Word into my brain were coming full circle, because now I was able to draw from that cup at a time when I was no longer able to pour.
I lived with His Word as my lifeline, my saving grace, for about four years. By that time I'd had a daughter, who also didn't sleep, and she had actually gotten to the point where I could no longer claim sleep deprivation as my calling card. I jumped back into God's Word, eager to know what He had to say. He did not disappoint. He's given me amazing messages to teach and share, both with large groups and individuals. He's expanded my mind to draw my own parallels. He's enabled me to memorize more scripture than I ever thought possible, and He adds to the list daily.
I love the Sword of the Spirit because I've used it and I know it works.
So we see in Ephesians 6:17, "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," (NIV). Picture it: you, holding a sword. Though I've never picked one up, I can only imagine that it takes skill, strength, and practice to use it effectively. A sword is made to be strong yet nimble. It's brutish yet delicate.
We see the same characteristics in the Bible's description of God's Word: "For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart," (Hebrews 4:12, NIV).
The sharpness of God's Word cuts deep and separates cleanly. It's the dividing line between how to live and how not to. It teaches us how to love according to God's definition. It shows us who God is and reveals His Son. It helps us understand the things we're meant to understand and manages to keep mysterious the things we can't handle. It's powerful.
In Deuteronomy 11:18, after a reminder to obey God, Moses told the Israelites, "Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds," and in 30:14 he said, "The Word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it," (NIV, later repeated in Romans 10:8). God's Word is meant to be in our hearts and our minds, but also in our mouth. That's how we start to use it as a weapon.
In Revelation 1, John sees Jesus and says that, "coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword," (Revelation 1:16, NIV).
Jesus' sword comes out of His mouth. So does ours. There is something powerful in speaking aloud God's Word as He has revealed it to us in a certain situation.
It's about more than simply reading the Bible daily. We need to ingest it: meditate on it, dig into the words, memorize it, match it to other passages, ask God what it means to our lives right now, speak it, and live according to it! We're not just learning Scripture for the sake of learning scripture: it gives us what we need to live our faith! "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work," (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NIV). God's Word makes us ready to go to battle, with both our mouths and our actions!
So to be ready to use this most important weapon, you've got to be saturated in it: your brain, your mouth, and your life should be shaped by Scripture. How do you get to that point? Start right now. Dig in. Ingest it. Don't get up from that chair until the Spirit has revealed something to you and you have been changed. And that same Spirit (it's not called the Sword of the Spirit for no reason!) will "teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you," (John 14:26, NIV). The Spirit will show you how to use your sword.
There is no greater thrill than meeting God on the pages of His Word. Start your Sword training today.
One last piece of battle gear tomorrow! Please feel free to comment below or notebook with me at myleslienotebook@gmail.com
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